How much cardio do you do?

[Archimoto]

Very cool

But why precisely 109?

It's better than 100!!

Of course !!!

[Joppe]

I am new to MA. Started training karate last christmas. I was in a pretty bad shape and needed to improve my conditioning and loose weight.

My karate classes helped, but far from enough, so I started to run 30 min twice a week to get in better shape and to be able to focus more during karate training.

Running helped a lot, but to be honest I think running is extremely boring. And for me boring is demotivating.

Now I only run 5km once a week. But now I also take a MMA class once a week and that is great cardio work for me.

[Hawkmoon]

....I think running is extremely boring. And for me boring is demotivating.

My advice...MP3 player!

I dislike running for the same reasons so an MP3 player or someone to run with or both is really a good thing!

Sadly, I do not run anywhere near enough, when I do run, I'll run for 2-4 miles (3'ish km to 8'ish km).

Twice, maybe three times a week was what I was doing last year...not so much this year, I need to get that sorted out!

...not doing myself any favors letting this slide!!

[hammer]

....I think running is extremely boring. And for me boring is demotivating.

My advice...MP3 player!

I dislike running for the same reasons so an MP3 player or someone to run with or both is really a good thing!

Sadly, I do not run anywhere near enough, when I do run, I'll run for 2-4 miles (3'ish km to 8'ish km).

Twice, maybe three times a week was what I was doing last year...not so much this year, I need to get that sorted out!

...not doing myself any favors letting this slide!!

I tried the music player thing, ended up messing with my pace...but YMMV.

I don't know how anyone can run on a treadmill, if you think road running is boring than a treadmill will drive you nuts. IMO

Long run last week was 11 miles...at my leisurely pace it was just under 2 hours. If I didn't have the HM goal I would keep the runs down to a faster 4-5 miles, I was at that level last year before getting injured and it was a nice balance. Do need to vary the route to keep from getting too bored. Speed work also helps to mix it up.

[Hawkmoon]

This sounds mental, but..

What music were you playing?

[hammer]

This sounds mental, but..

What music were you playing?

I forget, classical or jazz or rock? I have some strange and eclectic tastes...

I was just finding that my breathing was adjusting to the beat which was messing up my pace.

I can see how a music player can help with the boredom of running but it just doesn't work for me.

[Archimoto]

Have you considered trail running? Or perhaps a scenic route?

[Hawkmoon]

A scenic route, yes always a good thing, a distraction as you run.

I run around a small lake (pond by US standards) near where I live, and alternative route has me run through some woods.

The music point, I enjoy various things, classic, Linkon Park, '80s electro, Clanned type sound hell even Kate Bush.

But importantly when I run, I tend to select emotion driven music, or at least stuff that drives an emotion in me.

Then I try to pick stuff (in any order) that has the same tempo or beat.

My last run was a mixture of Linkon Park tracks from various albums:

Castle of Glass

Crawling

Bleed it out

The Catalyst

In the end

...

..

...as well as others.

All bringing drive different emotions for different reasons, for example:

Castle of Glass (coming from a military family) is to me an obvious emotion track.

A surprise to me was the '80s Electro stuff!!

The distance I could cover in less time had me look into why?

The only difference I could find was the music.....the electro I have is a selection of mix albums, each track merges into the next, meaning the beat/tempo is much the same form one track to another!

[Archimoto]

I might recommend a different approach.

Rather than looking for music to get amped or to stave off boredom, you might consider thinking of running as meditational, like yoga. Instead of music listen to your breathing, your heart rate, and your foot strikes. I tend to enjoy my time running and think through training techniques, like kata, to keep sharp.

[scohen.mma]

I love a majority of things. Following the triathlete stuff though is what keeps me interested in cardio at all! I really only have time for running now because of the Marines, but I'd probably swim and bike a lot more often if I had access to a pool and the time needed to go on a long bike ride. Both of them have little to no impact on your joints, unlike running.

But hey, I doubt I'll be able to swim away or bike away when I'm in war, so it's okay. You should try doing a small bike ride just to fatigue your legs a bit, then drop off your bike and immediately go on a run.