Jogging and Running thread

Growing up I never enjoyed running (not saying I do now either) and could never break past that mile point no matter what I tried or what my age was etc.

So living in AZ the weather is awesome from Oct to June and so last fall I started slowly working up my ability to jog. I started at less than a mile, I'd say 3/4 mile and slogged through the misery to see what I could do.

I would add a little bit every week or so, a little bit meaning like a few houses from where I ended last and it was very unpleasant.

Over time I went from 3/4 mile to a mile...to 1 1/4 mile to 1.5 miles to 2 miles and up.

Last holidays we all got Fitbit Charge HR heart monitors and I wear it and use mine daily, I find great motivation in accomplishing a certain step count and calorie count and I target a peak heart rate level every day if possible.

So I am currently up to a 6 mile range, not at any blistering rate but enough that I can burn 1000 calories and get my heart rate up for a solid ammt of time.

I have a few friends who go double digit miles and one that is going for the San Diego marathon which I have NO idea how that is possible...I can barely see myself doing a 10k let alone a half or full marathon.

So what about you fellow runners, what is your story and how if at all did you cross from the sub 10 range to 10 plus? I dont see how I will ever get to a middle 10 run even though I never thought I would run more than 2 miles either..

Wall -  If you are running 6 miles that is almost 10km so I think with 3-4 months of training you can get up to a half - marathon. Running longer distances requires plenty of mental toughness along with physical conditioning.  The longer you run the more chance there is that something can go wrong such as feeling tired mentally, injuries,  losing confidence, cramping, feeling weak, asking yourself why am I doing this ?  If you increase your longest run by 1/2 mile every week then you will be able to build up with minimal risk of injury and keep focused on your long term goals. Running can be rough on the joints so make sure you increase the distance gradually to avoid injury.  Running on grass and trails occasionally is good because they are more forgiving on the joints.  Another tip to avoid injury is to decrease your stride length and increase your cadence. 

It is interesting that getting to this 6 mile mark (8 is my all time high but 6 is normal) I did bump regularly as mentioned but getting regularly through the 6 barrier has been difficult much more than getting to 6.

And yes for SURE the body issues have been a problem...from knees to popping hip to bursitis, aching feet etc...for sure it is a constant problem and learning how to manage and get stronger is difficult.

I dont know if I am motivated enough to want more that higher level, and the mental aspect is what separates the low and high milers..