How do you feel at the end of your run?
To give you an idea, I just started running about a week ago, and calculated my distance and time. I was quite active before though, mostly playing basketball more than anything. When I first did my run, I just jogged around town, going in and out of streets, and checking my watch so I can run for 30 mins. At first, I thought I was only running maybe 2-3 kms at most. I Google-Mapped my run (I can link it here if you like), and it ended up being 5.8kms, which was actually a big surprise to me.
I do 5.8km just under 30 mins.
5.8km/30min = 11.6kmph
I found a calorie calculator online, and according to my weight, I'm burning about 500 cals.
As soon as I get home from the run, I can hardly take another running step. I've been told by my friend who used to run in high-school, that it's a "very good pace." I also have another friend who is currently a track coach here on the South Shore, and I've been asking them for beginner tips.
Their suggestions to me was to continue with what I'm doing, as it takes a bit of time for the body to get used to exercise. Trying to do too much, too fast, can simply lead to injuries, or simply stress/exhaustion to the body. It also depends on how much effort you want to exert during your run. Some people prefer going on long run/walks (in 10 min intervals for example), and some people prefer going for quick, High-Intensity-Interval-Training (HIIT) bouts, which basically is a submaximal effort for a quick period, and relying on the rest-recovery to burn the calories.
I prefer going for 30 mins, at a steady pace, feeling exerted at the end. Find out what you PREFER, and stick to it for now, then set higher goals later on. Don't try to do something you don't enjoy, or else you'll end up seeing the run as a burden.
BTW, seriously get an iPod. When I have about 5 mins left to my run, I feel like I need to stop, but I shuffle through my iPod, and certain songs get me pumped enough to run even faster till I get home.
Last two runs, my final tracks were:
- Stronger by Kanye West
- Run by Gnarls Barkley (this one gave me some sort of adrenaline rush, surprisingly)