Sounds like you're on a treadmill. And that you're pushing yourself too hard.
To be honest, I'd just go outside and run. It's unnatural to run at a set speed for a long period of time, as everyone has multiple peaks and troughs during their session.
Until treadmills can adjust speed in realtime according to your current pace, it's suboptimal compared to outside footwork. For example, when the treadmill is set to a certain speed and you're getting puffed, you can't slow down and eventually you might stop your workout altogether. Or when endorphins kick in and you want to run faster, you can't because the treadmill is set to a certain speed. Sure there's the manual setting, but it becomes tedious after you adjust the speed for the tenth time - and especially if it makes a noise when you press the buttons and there's other people in the gym (can anyone say embarassing?)
BTW, if you do outside running already, sorry for my diatribe! Anyhow, let me continue :-).
I have personally found that 30 minutes is good for maintenance, however I can see improvement when I run for 45mins daily.
If you don't have a proper heart rate (HR) monitor watch like Polar, ensure you get one so you don't pass out from running too hard.
If you're a beginner, run a bit, and once your HR gets too high, walk until it goes down and repeat until 45mins is up. The key here is not to push yourself too hard and give up before 45mins are up. If you persist daily, you'll learn to listen to your body better and judge better whether you can push yourself or not. Eventually, you'll be able to run the whole distance :-).
If you get a stitch while running, run slower or walk. That just means your core is weak and is slowly strengthening. I got a friend who's a triathlete who can eat a meal and go running straight after with no stitch whatsoever (BTW, I'm not saying it's good thing to do).
Once you're done with the actual run, walk until your HR goes down so you don't feel faint & pass out.
When I started running, my HR would always be around the 170-180 mark. Now it sits around 160 when I'm pushing myself or running up hills, with average being 150 and my pace has improved considerably.
And also, do cardio to improve fitness, not to lose weight. Weight is lost primarily through diet.
Chris  |