Ran a 10k in June (11 Viewers)

[Sand]

This appears to be a great thread for an aspiring marathon runner.I have a few questions.First off, I've never ran more than 2.5 miles in my life. I used to be in good shape, but I measured my good shape by the amount of time I could spend playing basketball. Anyway, as most do, I've put on a few pounds over the years, and am trying to get in shape/lose weight. These two things can be independent of each other, although I'm sure that getting to the point where I can run a marathon would cause me to lose weight as well.I'm using the couch to 5k program, but am only on my second session. Has anyone tried that and is that a great way to get started?

I went from barely able to run for longer than 30 seconds last week of Dec, to a 5k in 30 days, a 5k trail run in Feb a 4mile beach run last week, and preparing for a 10k on 3/25.These guys will take care of you.Good luck

You've come to the right place. I was thumbing thru some old runs last night and looked to see where I was this time last year. March 3, 2011 I ran 3.11 miles, took me 36:33, Pace was 11:44...And I was running hard. March 4, 2012 ran 26.2 @ 10:24 pace. Stick around here a year, see what happens.

All it takes is consistency. Just keep running a few days a week. The gains are amazing and are doubly so when you lose weight as part of it. When I started up I was running 2.5 miles at 10:00 pace or so and dying when I got done. Seven months later managed a 22:30 5k. Six months after that a 1:41 half marathon. All just from running consistently. ----On my end, a much better swim workout yesterday. Put the drag suit back on and hit five consistent 2:46 200 intervals, then topped it off with a 7:10 500. Ever start to really get in shape and find that your body can just go? I'm still sore from the HM, but when it got to these sets my body just "went". Pretty good feeling.

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

Considering the huge jump in temperature up here in Wisconsin, i'm tempted to start cross training by bringing out my road bike. Any ideas as far as implementing that into training? I figure it might save my legs from some of the impact(I have sensitive shins).

 

[gruecd]

Considering the huge jump in temperature up here in Wisconsin, i'm tempted to start cross training by bringing out my road bike. Any ideas as far as implementing that into training? I figure it might save my legs from some of the impact(I have sensitive shins).

Where are you in Wisconsin? I'm in Appleton.

 

[gruecd]

Hey, tri-man, are you gonna put your events on the race calendar??

And sho nuff, liquors, and 2Young....how are we feeling about the races this weekend??

 

[BassNBrew]

Considering the huge jump in temperature up here in Wisconsin, i'm tempted to start cross training by bringing out my road bike. Any ideas as far as implementing that into training? I figure it might save my legs from some of the impact(I have sensitive shins).

I had outstanding success with this last year. Not sure about your training time, but long rides will replace the mid-week long run quite nicely, but you'll need to do 2x time on the bike. In the past, cross training with shorter bike rides didn't provide much benefit for me. If you can only ride long on the weedend, you may want to move your long run to mid week.

 

[BassNBrew]

Gru...way to represent the big boys in your last race.

 

[jb1020]

Just signed up for a 5k that's in 3 weeks. It will be my first.

Whats the play here, run like hell for 3.1 miles? Despite well over a year of steady running I've never gone balls out for 3 miles.

I finally feel like I could move around a little so I'll probably run easy tomorrow morning or Friday. But 2 weeks out is there anything in particular I should do? Or not do?

 

[2Young2BBald]

Hey, tri-man, are you gonna put your events on the race calendar??

And sho nuff, liquors, and 2Young....how are we feeling about the races this weekend??

The whole Detroit St. Patrick's thing is very much a drinking event that just so happens to contain a 5K. No its a noon start time on very crowded streets with no restrictions on dogs, strollers, costumes, etc so there is really no where to run. They corral a handful of elites at the front (like the group from Hanson's, you pal Dot's crew) so some silly times can be posted, but for the masses, its about the fun. Free beer after and then we go grab chairs from the van and take up residence on Michigan Ave to watch the parade. Watching the parade = Detroit's version of Mardi Gras on Bourbon St. Open alcohol is "tolerated" so we'll start off with a make shift Bloody Mary bar and transition to beer after. There is plenty to see other than the parade.
is a Pure Michigan spoof that captures things pretty well. As for the 5K itself, I only have a couple of times in the 22 minute range (one stand alone and one at the end of a Sprint Tri) that are very safe. With the traffic, I'd say it'll take around 25+ minutes or so. The BC shirt is perfect for this race and this day!

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

Considering the huge jump in temperature up here in Wisconsin, i'm tempted to start cross training by bringing out my road bike. Any ideas as far as implementing that into training? I figure it might save my legs from some of the impact(I have sensitive shins).

Where are you in Wisconsin? I'm in Appleton.

Small town south of Madison, for now. Looking into moving potentially, hard to leave a solid job though.

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

Considering the huge jump in temperature up here in Wisconsin, i'm tempted to start cross training by bringing out my road bike. Any ideas as far as implementing that into training? I figure it might save my legs from some of the impact(I have sensitive shins).

I had outstanding success with this last year. Not sure about your training time, but long rides will replace the mid-week long run quite nicely, but you'll need to do 2x time on the bike. In the past, cross training with shorter bike rides didn't provide much benefit for me. If you can only ride long on the weedend, you may want to move your long run to mid week.

20-30 mile bike rides would be sufficient?

 

[Sand]

Just signed up for a 5k that's in 3 weeks. It will be my first.Whats the play here, run like hell for 3.1 miles? Despite well over a year of steady running I've never gone balls out for 3 miles. I finally feel like I could move around a little so I'll probably run easy tomorrow morning or Friday. But 2 weeks out is there anything in particular I should do? Or not do?

Based loosely on your marathon time I'd say plan on hitting mile 1 in 8:15 or so and then hold on for dear life the rest of the way. If you are at mile 2 and wondering if you're about to die then you're pacing is right on.

 

[jb1020]

Just signed up for a 5k that's in 3 weeks. It will be my first.Whats the play here, run like hell for 3.1 miles? Despite well over a year of steady running I've never gone balls out for 3 miles. I finally feel like I could move around a little so I'll probably run easy tomorrow morning or Friday. But 2 weeks out is there anything in particular I should do? Or not do?

Based loosely on your marathon time I'd say plan on hitting mile 1 in 8:15 or so and then hold on for dear life the rest of the way. If you are at mile 2 and wondering if you're about to die then you're pacing is right on.

Ha. So should i ever "test the waters" with that pace? Run it for a mile or 2 the week before?

 

[Ned]

Just signed up for a 5k that's in 3 weeks. It will be my first.Whats the play here, run like hell for 3.1 miles? Despite well over a year of steady running I've never gone balls out for 3 miles. I finally feel like I could move around a little so I'll probably run easy tomorrow morning or Friday. But 2 weeks out is there anything in particular I should do? Or not do?

Based loosely on your marathon time I'd say plan on hitting mile 1 in 8:15 or so and then hold on for dear life the rest of the way. If you are at mile 2 and wondering if you're about to die then you're pacing is right on.

Ha. So should i ever "test the waters" with that pace? Run it for a mile or 2 the week before?

Right on, Sand!I'm willing to bet you'll surprise yourself here. The endurance you've built up through marathon training will carry you a long ways in a 5K. I dropped my 5K from 24 to 21 after my first marathon training cycle. Absolutely zero work was done for the 5K, it was all benefited from the marathon endurance. Endurance trumps all.

 

[Sand]

Just signed up for a 5k that's in 3 weeks. It will be my first.Whats the play here, run like hell for 3.1 miles? Despite well over a year of steady running I've never gone balls out for 3 miles. I finally feel like I could move around a little so I'll probably run easy tomorrow morning or Friday. But 2 weeks out is there anything in particular I should do? Or not do?

Based loosely on your marathon time I'd say plan on hitting mile 1 in 8:15 or so and then hold on for dear life the rest of the way. If you are at mile 2 and wondering if you're about to die then you're pacing is right on.

Ha. So should i ever "test the waters" with that pace? Run it for a mile or 2 the week before?

#### that - you'll just talk yourself out of it. Just get to the start line and hit the gas.

 

[Ned]

Just signed up for a 5k that's in 3 weeks. It will be my first.Whats the play here, run like hell for 3.1 miles? Despite well over a year of steady running I've never gone balls out for 3 miles. I finally feel like I could move around a little so I'll probably run easy tomorrow morning or Friday. But 2 weeks out is there anything in particular I should do? Or not do?

Based loosely on your marathon time I'd say plan on hitting mile 1 in 8:15 or so and then hold on for dear life the rest of the way. If you are at mile 2 and wondering if you're about to die then you're pacing is right on.

Ha. So should i ever "test the waters" with that pace? Run it for a mile or 2 the week before?

#### that - you'll just talk yourself out of it. Just get to the start line and hit the gas.

 

[pmbrown_22]

Got my 9 miles in today with some mixed results for the 6 x 800. Overall, I am happy with them, but some of them were up a hills and I tried to put in maximum effort for those. Ultimately, I would not prefer to be doing them on a hill, but that is where they fell with the rest intervals and me not running on a track. Anyway they are in the books and I am feeling pretty good with them.

 

[pmbrown_22]

Just signed up for a 5k that's in 3 weeks. It will be my first.Whats the play here, run like hell for 3.1 miles? Despite well over a year of steady running I've never gone balls out for 3 miles. I finally feel like I could move around a little so I'll probably run easy tomorrow morning or Friday. But 2 weeks out is there anything in particular I should do? Or not do?

Based loosely on your marathon time I'd say plan on hitting mile 1 in 8:15 or so and then hold on for dear life the rest of the way. If you are at mile 2 and wondering if you're about to die then you're pacing is right on.

Ha. So should i ever "test the waters" with that pace? Run it for a mile or 2 the week before?

#### that - you'll just talk yourself out of it. Just get to the start line and hit the gas.

To kind of quote Bull Durham, "Don't think meat, just throw"

 

[tri-man 47]

So you think the 400m repeats should be at the 5K pace? I push them faster to increase stride length and leg rotation ...get the legs and lungs beyond their comfort zone so that the 5K pace feels more manageable (= less painful ). BTW, I kept my rests to one minute.

IDK. Pfitz just says 5K pace for all intervals workouts, whether you're doing 400s or 1600s, so that's what I do.

Oh! Good to know. I'll keep that in mind. Thx.

Aren't Pfitz's comments strictly for marathon work though? I think you have it right when your main focus is the 5K. You probably want to look at adding some 200m repeats too if you really want to work on leg turnover. I also loved ladder drills where you climb up and back down in intervals. 4x200, 3x400, 2x800 and then reverse it back down. Its a fantastic workout.

Yeah, that's probably a good point, Ned. I've never done any focused training for anything shorter than a HM, so I'm pretty much clueless in that regard.

Besides, I didn't say I was going to change my pacing ...just that it was interesting to hear Pfitz's perspective! (It did make me wonder - if the intervals are all at 5K pace, why do different lengths (400, 800, 1600)? Why not always stay with the mile repeats to use the 5K speed and add an endurance element?) I do add in some 200s - one workout I like is: 400-400-200-200 with a minute rest between each ...do a 400m walk/jog around, then repeat the cycle a couple/few times. I did this a couple weeks ago at :90 and :43 for pacing. I had read somewhere that this one was a Jim Ryan favorite.

--

shader - Welcome!!! We love following the successes here, so stick around and let us know what you're up to.

bentley - I like the idea of adding a hill workout. It wouldn't take much time, but instead be an efficient, quick workout.

 

[pigskinliquors]

Ever start to really get in shape and find that your body can just go? I'm still sore from the HM, but when it got to these sets my body just "went". Pretty good feeling.

I crave that feeling!

And sho nuff, liquors, and 2Young....how are we feeling about the races this weekend??

I'm going to have to cancel my race (not that I pre-registered). My daughter's soccer team got into a tournament this weekend, and that takes precedent over a ride/race. I will go long on Sunday (60+) to emulate, and will hopefully be ready for my bigger race (century) on the 25th.

Considering the huge jump in temperature up here in Wisconsin, i'm tempted to start cross training by bringing out my road bike. Any ideas as far as implementing that into training? I figure it might save my legs from some of the impact(I have sensitive shins).

I had outstanding success with this last year. Not sure about your training time, but long rides will replace the mid-week long run quite nicely, but you'll need to do 2x time on the bike. In the past, cross training with shorter bike rides didn't provide much benefit for me. If you can only ride long on the weedend, you may want to move your long run to mid week.

Hey Benson :hi: BnB is a great example of using biking to help running and vice versa. I always liked to do a 15-20 mile ride (spinning = rpm's at 90+ in a light gear to push) the day after long runs and the day after speed workouts to get blood flowing to aid in recovery. I also often did a long ride (30+) on Saturdays to help increase stamina, and to give my legs a somewhat tired feel (without the pounding) prior to my long runs on Sundays. Are you still in the Platteville area??? I'll likely be back there this July.

Just signed up for a 5k that's in 3 weeks. It will be my first.

Whats the play here, run like hell for 3.1 miles? Despite well over a year of steady running I've never gone balls out for 3 miles.

I finally feel like I could move around a little so I'll probably run easy tomorrow morning or Friday. But 2 weeks out is there anything in particular I should do? Or not do?

Sanding is the only way to go. Run like you feel you are going to hurl, then keep that pace going such that you are able to avoid the hurling until immediately at or after the finish line. FYI: I just finished my elliptical workout. Legs are pretty dead and I had great difficulty walking up the four flights to my office. I must have done something right.

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

Good ideas fellas, well i'd like to get advice on an overall running program.

My buddy who's a personal trainer has me on this schedule:

-Running every other day, at least 4 miles two days a week.

-Lifting chest monday

-Lifting shoulders tuesday

-Lifting back thursday

-Lifting arms friday

I'm not training for any certain thing, but I love running and would like to get into more races.

My speeds are pretty solid. I ran 7.2 miles last week at 7:15 pace and should be able to run my 5K under 20 minutes.

Pigskin: Thanks for the help, no I got my masters last year and left Platteville. Over an hour away from there now. What you coming up to the area for?

 

[sho nuff]

Hey, tri-man, are you gonna put your events on the race calendar??

And sho nuff, liquors, and 2Young....how are we feeling about the races this weekend??

Feeling great.Knocked out an easy 6 miles today...tough run from a strange standpoint. Felt like a racehorse in the paddock...it was very hard holding a slower pace today as I really just wanted to open up and let-er-go. Just a little shakeout run Friday maybe with some strides mixed in and ready for Saturday.

Will be nice being on a flatter course for this one...the greenway I have been running and the route near my house has a couple nasty hills.

 

[tri-man 47]

Ha. So should i ever "test the waters" with that pace? Run it for a mile or 2 the week before?

#### that - you'll just talk yourself out of it. Just get to the start line and hit the gas.

jb - what you could do is some mental prep. Anticipate the fact that you'll get really tired ...so plan some ideas to fight that. Know the back half of the course, and know how many turns are left ...count them down as you proceed. Or pick a "go" point over the last 1/4 mile or so where you just HTFU and GO! Or plan that as runners pass you (if they do) over the latter half, you'll try to hang with them for a bit. If you're near a runner at a similar speed and stride, a neat trick is to "shadow run" behind them - just mimic their cadence, focusing on them. I.e., let them do the work - you just run lock-step behind them. And, when tired, focus on a strong exhale. That naturally sets up a strong inhale, and the forced exhale reinforces the rhythm of your stride. Bottom line, though, you have to plan some of this in advance. In the heat of the moment, the mental demons tend to win. You need to have your counteractive measures ready!

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

Just got 6 miles in at 40:59. I can just feel my endurance getting better. I started out at a solid stride out pace and tried to have decreasing miles.

 

[17seconds]

Just got 6 miles in at 40:59. I can just feel my endurance getting better. I started out at a solid stride out pace and tried to have decreasing miles.

This and your previous post are fine if you are just looking to do 5Ks. If you want to build endurance for longer distances you should start dialing down the speed and do comfortable longer runs. Based on the race paces you mentioned, I'm talking 9min miles for 10 miles or more.

 

[prosopis]

This appears to be a great thread for an aspiring marathon runner.I have a few questions.First off, I've never ran more than 2.5 miles in my life. I used to be in good shape, but I measured my good shape by the amount of time I could spend playing basketball. Anyway, as most do, I've put on a few pounds over the years, and am trying to get in shape/lose weight. These two things can be independent of each other, although I'm sure that getting to the point where I can run a marathon would cause me to lose weight as well.I'm using the couch to 5k program, but am only on my second session. Has anyone tried that and is that a great way to get started?

Couch to 5k is how I started. I absolutely love that program. When I started I could not run a block. I ran a marathon in December. It was not pretty buy I did it.

 

[prosopis]

Nice read jb. I had a very similar marathon experience but you were an hour faster then me.

 

[tri-man 47]

Nice read jb. I had a very similar marathon experience but you were an hour faster then me.

...and you ran 26.2 miles more than the many, many folks who sat at home doing nuttin!

 

[bentley]

Nice read jb. I had a very similar marathon experience but you were an hour faster then me.

...and you ran 26.2 miles more than the many, many folks who sat at home doing nuttin!

That's almost twice as far as I've ever run.

 

[BassNBrew]

Considering the huge jump in temperature up here in Wisconsin, i'm tempted to start cross training by bringing out my road bike. Any ideas as far as implementing that into training? I figure it might save my legs from some of the impact(I have sensitive shins).

I had outstanding success with this last year. Not sure about your training time, but long rides will replace the mid-week long run quite nicely, but you'll need to do 2x time on the bike. In the past, cross training with shorter bike rides didn't provide much benefit for me. If you can only ride long on the weedend, you may want to move your long run to mid week.

20-30 mile bike rides would be sufficient?

It really depends on what you're training for. Reading your other posts, you're flat out hauling. The biking is only going to help endurance. Your endurance is coming from those 1h15m to 1h45m runs, so I think you'd have to be in the 2.5 to 3.5 hr range on the bike or 50-70 miles. You're to good of a runner to have anything on the bike replicate your 45 min run effort you just posted. Last summer I was working out roughly 4 days a week in my marathon training cycle. One long run, one short run, one short bike in the 20-30 mile range, and one long bike in the 3-4.5 hour range. Where I saw the benefit was during the marathon was not having any issues during the second half of the event. My long runs were at a faster pace than what most would do since my body was not taking the pounding running several days a week.In previous years I pounded the bike hard with huge efforts in the 1 - 1.5 hour range. After a small initial gain, I didn't see any more benefit to my run times. Biking at threshold doesn't prepare you body for the pain of running at threshold.

 

[comfortably numb]

Was so nice out instead of heading to gym, i decided to run my 3m here at work as people were heading home.

Weird, i felt very sluggish all the way through, and when I was done i saw 25:26, probably one of my faster times.

Today I am gonna go over to register for my 10k and run my 3m (2m tempo) at the park where my 10k will be.

Bought me a GPS watch for $100 on craiglist, will be picking it up on Saturday.

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

Considering the huge jump in temperature up here in Wisconsin, i'm tempted to start cross training by bringing out my road bike. Any ideas as far as implementing that into training? I figure it might save my legs from some of the impact(I have sensitive shins).

I had outstanding success with this last year. Not sure about your training time, but long rides will replace the mid-week long run quite nicely, but you'll need to do 2x time on the bike. In the past, cross training with shorter bike rides didn't provide much benefit for me. If you can only ride long on the weedend, you may want to move your long run to mid week.

20-30 mile bike rides would be sufficient?

It really depends on what you're training for. Reading your other posts, you're flat out hauling. The biking is only going to help endurance. Your endurance is coming from those 1h15m to 1h45m runs, so I think you'd have to be in the 2.5 to 3.5 hr range on the bike or 50-70 miles. You're to good of a runner to have anything on the bike replicate your 45 min run effort you just posted. Last summer I was working out roughly 4 days a week in my marathon training cycle. One long run, one short run, one short bike in the 20-30 mile range, and one long bike in the 3-4.5 hour range. Where I saw the benefit was during the marathon was not having any issues during the second half of the event. My long runs were at a faster pace than what most would do since my body was not taking the pounding running several days a week.In previous years I pounded the bike hard with huge efforts in the 1 - 1.5 hour range. After a small initial gain, I didn't see any more benefit to my run times. Biking at threshold doesn't prepare you body for the pain of running at threshold.

Wow great post BNB, this helped me a lot. I feel like I owe you a beer

 

[comfortably numb]

Nice read jb. I had a very similar marathon experience but you were an hour faster then me.

...and you ran 26.2 miles more than the many, many folks who sat at home doing nuttin!

Best thing I have found about everyone in dealing with running in my short experience, is no one seems to care about your times.Seems like everyone is more about the journey than the destination...or time arrived at the destination.At races regular people just seem to applaud the guy finishing top 3, top 50 and last place in a similar manner.

 

[sho nuff]

Nice read jb. I had a very similar marathon experience but you were an hour faster then me.

...and you ran 26.2 miles more than the many, many folks who sat at home doing nuttin!

Best thing I have found about everyone in dealing with running in my short experience, is no one seems to care about your times.Seems like everyone is more about the journey than the destination...or time arrived at the destination.At races regular people just seem to applaud the guy finishing top 3, top 50 and last place in a similar manner.

Most runners are like that. Especially here.Guys of all different abilities.Those of us running in the 9 minute or more range down to the machine running a sub 3 hour marathon.And tons of great advice all around.

 

[gruecd]

Just got 6 miles in at 40:59. I can just feel my endurance getting better. I started out at a solid stride out pace and tried to have decreasing miles.

This and your previous post are fine if you are just looking to do 5Ks. If you want to build endurance for longer distances you should start dialing down the speed and do comfortable longer runs. Based on the race paces you mentioned, I'm talking 9min miles for 10 miles or more.

6:50/mile is 2:58:58 marathon pace. While I suppose you technically could build endurance at that pace, you could run a hell of a lot slower, save a lot of wear and tear on your body, and accomplish the exact same thing.I apologize if I missed it, but what exactly are you trying to accomplish??

 

[pigskinliquors]

Pigskin: Thanks for the help, no I got my masters last year and left Platteville. Over an hour away from there now. What you coming up to the area for?

I grew up there, and much of my family is still there. I'm thinking about doing RAGBRAI, and would plan the trip around it.

If you're near a runner at a similar speed and stride, a neat trick is to "shadow run" behind them - just mimic their cadence, focusing on them. I.e., let them do the work - you just run lock step behind them your eyes onto their posterior.

Fixed and link added to assist with visualization.

In previous years I pounded the bike hard with huge efforts in the 1 - 1.5 hour range. After a small initial gain, I didn't see any more benefit to my run times. Biking at threshold doesn't prepare you body for the pain of running at threshold.

This is very true. The advice I gave above was to use running to assist with recovery, and not to assist with endurance. Running can easily assist biking times, while the reverse is extremely difficult. _______________________

My update:

I got ab ripper X in last night, and skipped my scheduled 20 mile ride this morning. It was (and still is) raining and I didn't want to expose Heidi to the elements after giving her drive train a thorough training last weekend. I'm going to hop on the elliptical again today today and follow it immediately with P90x Arms/Shoulders. I'll get my ride in tomorrow as I had elliptical planned for then.

 

[gruecd]

Pigskin: Thanks for the help, no I got my masters last year and left Platteville. Over an hour away from there now. What you coming up to the area for?

I grew up there, and much of my family is still there. I'm thinking about doing RAGBRAI, and would plan the trip around it.

One of my best friends is doing that. Let me know if you do, and I'll put you guys in touch.

 

[jb1020]

Thanks for the 5K advice, I'll just wing it. What the hell...

PSL, you're links are always appreciated.

I was wanting to get in a hybrid program of running/p90x, but I think I might opt out of that and go for running/cycling. I bought a road bike in late 2009, and rode the hell out of it that summer. Then winter hit, I moved and my wife had our first child and that bike has been hanging in the garage for 2 years now. ITS TIME.

I have no real program in the works, though I do have a HM in late May.

I'm thinking 3-4 runs a week with GA, Interval Run, LR plus 2 bike rides a week.

Any suggestions/tips on improving my HM time between now and May?

 

[Ned]

Thanks for the 5K advice, I'll just wing it. What the hell...PSL, you're links are always appreciated.I was wanting to get in a hybrid program of running/p90x, but I think I might opt out of that and go for running/cycling. I bought a road bike in late 2009, and rode the hell out of it that summer. Then winter hit, I moved and my wife had our first child and that bike has been hanging in the garage for 2 years now. ITS TIME. I have no real program in the works, though I do have a HM in late May. I'm thinking 3-4 runs a week with GA, Interval Run, LR plus 2 bike rides a week. Any suggestions/tips on improving my HM time between now and May?

Strong focus on LT/tempo work and some good long runs should do wonders. Add in some VO2max work as you get closer to the race.

 

[gruecd]

Thanks for the 5K advice, I'll just wing it. What the hell...

FWIW, I agree with the others. Go out hard, and hang on. You're gonna feel like you have to puke. Embrace it.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Thanks for the 5K advice, I'll just wing it. What the hell...

FWIW, I agree with the others. Go out hard, and hang on. You're gonna feel like you have to puke. Embrace it.

Be very aggressive for the first mile -- go out at a pace that you're sincerely unsure whether you can hold for 3 miles. If you're not feeling at least a little sick by the end of the second mile, you probably didn't go out fast enough.

 

[jb1020]

Thanks for the 5K advice, I'll just wing it. What the hell...

FWIW, I agree with the others. Go out hard, and hang on. You're gonna feel like you have to puke. Embrace it.

Be very aggressive for the first mile -- go out at a pace that you're sincerely unsure whether you can hold for 3 miles. If you're not feeling at least a little sick by the end of the second mile, you probably didn't go out fast enough.

The 5K advice is alarmingly simple.

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

Just got 6 miles in at 40:59. I can just feel my endurance getting better. I started out at a solid stride out pace and tried to have decreasing miles.

This and your previous post are fine if you are just looking to do 5Ks. If you want to build endurance for longer distances you should start dialing down the speed and do comfortable longer runs. Based on the race paces you mentioned, I'm talking 9min miles for 10 miles or more.

6:50/mile is 2:58:58 marathon pace. While I suppose you technically could build endurance at that pace, you could run a hell of a lot slower, save a lot of wear and tear on your body, and accomplish the exact same thing.I apologize if I missed it, but what exactly are you trying to accomplish??

Don't really have any end goals. Just want to get consistent with my runs. I have a 5K in May that I think I have a legit shot to win(best time last year was 20:20) and would like to get my time down into the 18's. But just want to start logging miles and improving stamina/speed/consistency.Thanks for your help

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

Pigskin: Thanks for the help, no I got my masters last year and left Platteville. Over an hour away from there now. What you coming up to the area for?

I grew up there, and much of my family is still there. I'm thinking about doing RAGBRAI, and would plan the trip around it.

Oh that's right I remember talking to you about that now.Wow that sounds awesome. I need to upgrade my road bike(have a junker).

 

[gruecd]

Thanks for the 5K advice, I'll just wing it. What the hell...

FWIW, I agree with the others. Go out hard, and hang on. You're gonna feel like you have to puke. Embrace it.

Be very aggressive for the first mile -- go out at a pace that you're sincerely unsure whether you can hold for 3 miles. If you're not feeling at least a little sick by the end of the second mile, you probably didn't go out fast enough.

Oh, and one other thing. Unlike the marathon, you don't have the luxury of using the first couple of miles to get loose. I typically do 2-3 easy warmup miles before the race, and I try to finish no more than 5 minutes before the start. The minute that gun goes off, you need to be running at race pace.

 

[gruecd]

Don't really have any end goals. Just want to get consistent with my runs. I have a 5K in May that I think I have a legit shot to win(best time last year was 20:20) and would like to get my time down into the 18's. But just want to start logging miles and improving stamina/speed/consistency.

Thanks for your help

I'd suggest mixing up your runs a bit. Some slow, easy long runs to work on aerobic fitness; some faster runs at HM/15K pace to improve your LT; some intervals at 5K pace or faster (tri-man) to work on VO2max; and some embarrassingly slow runs for recovery. Every workout should have a specific purpose.I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but even if you're not training for a marathon, I think everyone should read Pete Pfitzinger's "Advanced Marathoning" to understand these principles of training.

 

[pigskinliquors]

Pigskin: Thanks for the help, no I got my masters last year and left Platteville. Over an hour away from there now. What you coming up to the area for?

I grew up there, and much of my family is still there. I'm thinking about doing RAGBRAI, and would plan the trip around it.

One of my best friends is doing that. Let me know if you do, and I'll put you guys in touch.

Awesome! If we go, we'll have a team of approximately 10 that he can certainly join. Our goal will be to maintain a pace that allows us maximum time to during the ride, and at the end of each day. We are thinking a rolling pace of 15 mph, while consuming beverages from the start to the end of each leg.

 

[gruecd]

Pigskin: Thanks for the help, no I got my masters last year and left Platteville. Over an hour away from there now. What you coming up to the area for?

I grew up there, and much of my family is still there. I'm thinking about doing RAGBRAI, and would plan the trip around it.

One of my best friends is doing that. Let me know if you do, and I'll put you guys in touch.

Awesome! If we go, we'll have a team of approximately 10 that he can certainly join. Our goal will be to maintain a pace that allows us maximum time to during the ride, and at the end of each day. We are thinking a rolling pace of 15 mph, while consuming beverages from the start to the end of each leg.

Yeah, I know he's planning on riding half with a buddy and then hooking up with another group of friends who do the whole thing every year. If I can make time for a little more biking this spring/summer, maybe I'd consider it, too.

 

[Ned]

Thanks for the 5K advice, I'll just wing it. What the hell...

FWIW, I agree with the others. Go out hard, and hang on. You're gonna feel like you have to puke. Embrace it.

Be very aggressive for the first mile -- go out at a pace that you're sincerely unsure whether you can hold for 3 miles. If you're not feeling at least a little sick by the end of the second mile, you probably didn't go out fast enough.

Oh, and one other thing. Unlike the marathon, you don't have the luxury of using the first couple of miles to get loose. I typically do 2-3 easy warmup miles before the race, and I try to finish no more than 5 minutes before the start. The minute that gun goes off, you need to be running at race pace.

I usually do 1-2 also. Try tossing in some striders after the warmup that are just below 5K pace to get your legs ready for the speed.

 

[AcerFC]

JB

My plan is for a recovery run today and then an all out Sand 5K tomorrow. I will report back

My best time since I started running again in January has been just at 23:00 or so. Ran 3.2 miles in 23:28

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

Don't really have any end goals. Just want to get consistent with my runs. I have a 5K in May that I think I have a legit shot to win(best time last year was 20:20) and would like to get my time down into the 18's. But just want to start logging miles and improving stamina/speed/consistency.

Thanks for your help

I'd suggest mixing up your runs a bit. Some slow, easy long runs to work on aerobic fitness; some faster runs at HM/15K pace to improve your LT; some intervals at 5K pace or faster (tri-man) to work on VO2max; and some embarrassingly slow runs for recovery. Every workout should have a specific purpose.I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but even if you're not training for a marathon, I think everyone should read Pete Pfitzinger's "Advanced Marathoning" to understand these principles of training.

Thank you for your help and good suggestions.I'm currently reading Chi-Running. I will looking that book next.