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Can you run a 5k/10k/marathon?
Jragghen
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Disclaimer: Format lovingly and blatantly stolen from the 100 push-ups thread. Check it out if you haven't yet.
So you want to start running?
Everyone knows the benefits of running - burning calories, increasing endurance, toning muscle, and just the general health factor. But it's often difficult to get started, or to keep at it. In order to maintain a regular running schedule, it's often worthwhile to have a planned out training program - it doesn't require you to have to decide what you're going to do each day, and eventually it becomes easier to keep the routine than it does to break out of it.
That's why there's this lovely little program called Couch to 5K. It's a 9 week training program designed to take people who currently have no running history whatsoever, and get them into the shape where they can run 3.1 miles. And all it requires is 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week.
Anything else that I can use?
The Couch to 5K program is rather well-known, and a number of tools are available to help you out. These vary from a Google Maps Pedometer to tools which can help you determine your optimal pace, to podcasts explicitly designed for the time periods which are used in the program. These, and more links, are all available at http://c25k.com/.
Just like it helps to have a plan to start out, it's useful to have training plans for higher distances, too. Now, these will obviously involve larger time commitments, but the benefits and sense of accomplishment only increase with distance. Hal Higdon - the longest contributor to Runner's World, four-time winner of the world masters championship, and founder of the Road Runner's Club of America - has been kind enough to provide training programs for both 10k runners and marathon runners designed for novices - if it's not your first time doing either of those, you might want to bump to Intermediate or Advanced. And for people who want to do more than a 10k without making the jump to marathon, he even provides a training program for half marathons. So feel free to pick a distance which meets your skill level, and plug away at reaching it.
Since this one has more rigid set goals than the pushups one, where there's variation according to capability and where the last set is open-ended, I don't know if there's as much value to using the spreadsheet - if people would like me to add one so they can track their own progress, I'll do so. For those curious, I'm a lapsed runner - I used to do Cross Country, and have done a half marathon before, but that was almost a decade ago now, and I'm actually in the "can't do a 5k" crowd now. I've been meaning to get myself running again, and I figure that if I was going to follow the program, some of you might be interested too, and might find some extra motivation to stick with it if participating in a group. I'll be starting tomorrow morning, but anyone can jump in whenever they like
So you want to start running?
Everyone knows the benefits of running - burning calories, increasing endurance, toning muscle, and just the general health factor. But it's often difficult to get started, or to keep at it. In order to maintain a regular running schedule, it's often worthwhile to have a planned out training program - it doesn't require you to have to decide what you're going to do each day, and eventually it becomes easier to keep the routine than it does to break out of it.
That's why there's this lovely little program called Couch to 5K. It's a 9 week training program designed to take people who currently have no running history whatsoever, and get them into the shape where they can run 3.1 miles. And all it requires is 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week.
Each session should take about 20 or 30 minutes, three times a week. That just happens to be the same amount of moderate exercise recommended by numerous studies for optimum fitness. This program will get you fit. (Runners who do more than this amount are doing it for more than fitness, and before long you might find yourself doing the same as well).
Be sure to space out these three days throughout the week to give yourself a chance to rest and recover between efforts. And don't worry about how fast you're going. Running faster can wait until your bones are stronger and your body is fitter. For now focus on gradually increasing the time or distance you run.
Run for time, or run for distance
There are two ways to follow this program, to measure your runs by time or by distance. Either one works just as well, choose the option that seems easiest for you to keep track of. If you go with the distance option, and you are not using a track to measure the distances, just estimate. It's not important to have the distances absolutely exact.
Before setting out, make sure to precede each session with a five-minute warmup walk or jog. Be sure to stretch both before and after. Read "Stay Loose" for some suggestions. Additionally, make sure to keep yourself hydrated
Anything else that I can use?
The Couch to 5K program is rather well-known, and a number of tools are available to help you out. These vary from a Google Maps Pedometer to tools which can help you determine your optimal pace, to podcasts explicitly designed for the time periods which are used in the program. These, and more links, are all available at http://c25k.com/.
I can already run a 5k. What's this about 10ks and marathons?
Just like it helps to have a plan to start out, it's useful to have training plans for higher distances, too. Now, these will obviously involve larger time commitments, but the benefits and sense of accomplishment only increase with distance. Hal Higdon - the longest contributor to Runner's World, four-time winner of the world masters championship, and founder of the Road Runner's Club of America - has been kind enough to provide training programs for both 10k runners and marathon runners designed for novices - if it's not your first time doing either of those, you might want to bump to Intermediate or Advanced. And for people who want to do more than a 10k without making the jump to marathon, he even provides a training program for half marathons. So feel free to pick a distance which meets your skill level, and plug away at reaching it.
Since this one has more rigid set goals than the pushups one, where there's variation according to capability and where the last set is open-ended, I don't know if there's as much value to using the spreadsheet - if people would like me to add one so they can track their own progress, I'll do so. For those curious, I'm a lapsed runner - I used to do Cross Country, and have done a half marathon before, but that was almost a decade ago now, and I'm actually in the "can't do a 5k" crowd now. I've been meaning to get myself running again, and I figure that if I was going to follow the program, some of you might be interested too, and might find some extra motivation to stick with it if participating in a group. I'll be starting tomorrow morning, but anyone can jump in whenever they like
Jragghen on
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But seriously, that Couch to 5k thing sounds awesome and I really need to do it. I have been noticing my increasingly unhealthy habits lately. And by "lately" I mean forever.
If you're concerned about your knees, or happen to have one locally, it's a good idea to run on a track made of shredded rubber - it'll let you mark distance easily, and it's easier on your joints. Alternatively, going cross country on grass or other softer surfaces is preferable to going on concrete/asphalt. If you're going to be running on roads or sidewalks and plan on sticking with it, it might be worthwhile to look into some good running shoes to help cushion them. That being said, there's a degree of confusion about the issue. Biased source (running magazine), but this article might make you feel a bit better.
I'll definitely give this a try, both because a longer program should have a smoother ramp up and because this kind of thing is easier with other people doing it too.
I've tried pushing myself back into gear a couple times before, and failed - both because I wasn't able to keep with it (got sick, weather turned and I didn't bother going to a gym with a treadmill, just neglected it, whatever), and I consistently found two patterns emerged - I wasn't running long enough with what I could do (mile and a half or so) to actually get me moving aerobically long enough to improve my cardiovascular fitness - so whenever I ran, it was the same distance and I didn't feel any better afterward, and whenever I tried to up my distance, it kicked my butt.
I know a couple people who have successfully used c25k, which makes me more optimistic, and the fact that it seems to be designed to make sure that you're exercising for a specific amount of time for the early ones makes me think it's more likely that I'll actually improve under it.
Though maybe that's just me.
Good luck people different than I.
Seriously, I get tired after like 3 levels.
― Marcus Aurelius
Path of Exile: themightypuck
The farthest I've run since then is like 10 feet. I really need to get back into shape.
But overall, I got a workout. Felt my heart going the entire time, which is what I wanted, did get out of breath, and feel pretty good in the aftermath.
my current plan for loosing weight is 2 hours on exercise bikes, 3 times a week. One day I do a hilly workout, one day I do a straight fatburn, and on the third day I just do a simple one where the resistance gradually increased until the peak about 75% into the ride, then goes down for a cool down.
I had to skip the gym all of last week because I was too busy for it, and I can actually feel it. Need to get back at it this week.
Took about a year off and then started up again, but with lower aims. Ran the Portland Bridge to Bridge and Brews 10K earlier this year and that was just about a perfect day. I want to run longer distances (they run a marathon over the bridge in my hometown) but I keep remembering what it was like for weeks after the MCM and, yeah, I like being able to handle stairs.
Running is awesome. The entire "Body: No! Mind: YES. Body: . . . fine" part if it is good stuff.
I started by running laps behind a nearby group of businesses arranged in a strip. I would get winded very quickly, and couldn't run a mile in one go, so I started searching the web for clues. One of the sites I ran across was the Couch to 5K plan. Although I didn't actually follow it, what I did was similar. One important lesson there for beginners: START SLOW. When it comes to cardio, it seems the important thing is to keep your heart rate elevated (but not too high!) for an extended period of time. Your heartrate and how winded you feel correlate, so when you feel out of breath, you've probably had your heartrate too high for too long.
When I first started out, I was running too fast, something like a 7 minute mile pace, and I couldn't keep that up for a mile. I wasn't making much progress. I eventually slowed down enough to lengthen how long I could run in one go, but it was tough going. Fortunately, an experienced runner offered to go on a run with me, and really got me to slow down. That day, I ran 3 miles without stopping for the first time. My mile pace at that time was somewhere around 9 minutes/mile; it felt really slow, but I NEEDED to go that slow. I bought a heart monitor and used it for a while to help me get a feel for how to pace myself. I don't use it any more, but it was very helpful as a learning aid.
It's been over a year now, and I run 3 miles three times a week, and my mile average is coming down to nearly 7 minutes. This brings me to the other important thing: making it a habit. I don't run at home very often (maybe once a month), although when I do it's usually a longer run of at least 5 miles. Instead, I run during my lunch break. I go to the lot behind the buildings, change clothes, run, change back, and grab something to eat before heading back to work. Except for the winter, I try to get at least three runs in every week. I don't have particular days on which I run, so I don't feel that it constrains me. If someone wants to go out to lunch or I'm just not motivated, I'll run another day. Similarly, I've learned not to run if I'm sick or hurt (it just makes things worse).
In summary, here are the things I found important:
1. Start slow, focusing on running for a length of time, not a distance or speed.
2. Make it a habit, but give yourself some leniency so it doesn't become a burden. If you can fit it into some normal downtime (e.g. lunchbreak), all the better.
3. Read websites about running form; I don't feel like I can communicate this as clearly as other websites can, so I suggest you read them about things such as arm swing, heel strike, and even heartrate and breathing.
Lastly, sometimes you just wanna run all out because it feels good. I don't know if it's good for 5K training, but it's good for the spirit!
It's a great feeling when you realize how much better shape you're in, and an experience I hope others will share. If you're on the fence about this, I really hope you give it a shot.
-Paul
EDIT: One more thing; when I first started running, I hurt my knees and couldn't run (and had a hard time walking) for a couple weeks. I think this was because I was running to exhaustion, and instead of landing with a little spring in my step, I was plodding because I was tired, putting a lot of shock on my joints. If you find yourself plodding or landing hard, slow down or stop, because you'll probably hurt your knees. You should have enough energy for your muscles to act as shock absorbers. Shorter, quicker strides help with this and are more efficient than long leaping strides.
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Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
I've heard a couple theories on this. Some people train using a mix of distance (to increase aerobic capacity) and bursts of speed (fartlek) to build up anaerobic ability.
Others are more strongly focused on the aerobic aspect, and say that mixing anaerobic exercise in with it can mess up your training.
Personally, I lean toward the former. I think you need both a solid aerobic base, and good anaerobic capacity for bursts. I've read that running for more than half an hour helps you with the aerobic base, and occasionally running fast or mixing in bursts of speed should help your anaerobic ability.
I'd love to hear a more experienced voice on this though.
For those who are daring and in the southern California area there's the Volkslauf Marine Corp Mud Run on Columbus Day in Bakersfield. I did it last year and it's dones of fun. Just be ready to burn your shoes when you're done.
-Terry Pratchett
I shall add on to that, get a decent pair of socks with a lining to prevent blisters.
If you want to talk about insane to do in southern california, why not go the whole nine yards and do Badwater? ;D
That takes a special kind of crazy.
Also, be sure to run in relatively new shoes, and use real running shoes. I've got a mean case of tendinitis that really messes me up when my shoes get too worn down.
edit: I should probably read the posts above mine before I post redundant advice.
I'm quite happy walking four miles everyday from work I think.
---
I've got a spare copy of Portal, if anyone wants it message me.
If you get the right kind of shoe with enough room, you don't need no special socks.
But good running shoes does not necessarily mean expensive running shoes. go to a specialty running store and get fitted. Don't be all manly and say that a tight shoe fits fine. if it's snug...say so.
EDIT: That is what's great about running IMO. you don't need a huge investment to get started. Hell, I didn't even buy actual running shoes until I got to a point where I could run 30 minutes without stopping. When I was taking a marathon training class last year, tons of people would ask our trainer about all these gidgets and gadgets and other toys. Sure special wicking fabrics for your clothes are great, and so are GPS-enabled training computers, but do you need them? fuck no. Just get some decent running shoes and MAYBE some running shorts if you plan on any sort of distance running..MAYBE get some glide stick for those of you with chaffing issues, and you're set. Screw the toys, just go out and run. Put the time in (don't have to be Speedy Gonzales) and you will be rewarded
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Oh come on. You're not having fun until your nipples are bleeding
Running buddies are great. I just moved to a new town, and it sucks to go out and do 8 miles. Back home, running 15 with my friend was the highlight of my day. Keeping a daily schedule helps, though not quite as much as that actual encouragement.
Shhh! Don't scare the newbies away!
But yeah, running with someone is infinitely better than music. IMO anyway. I just never dug the music while running thing especially when I'm running outside because I want to be aware of what's going on around me, cars, bikers, other runners...etc
Some of the races i've done will actually prohibit headphones/ipods etc for insurance reasons, but they don't go out of their way to enforce it either.
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The Volkslauf isn't to bad, I think I hurt a heck of a lot more after my first half marathon. Twoards the end the obstacles get backed up so you get a bit of a rest. Honestly I highly recommend it.
-Terry Pratchett
So I'll tell you all how pissed off and tired I am tomorrow at lunch.
Anywho, I listened to this podcast during my workout tonight, and it was great - I'll definitely be using it the whole way through. I loves me some techno.
I was impressed with the timings - it kept me at an aerobic heartrate the whole time, and left me just enough time in between runs to gather enough energy for the next. Worn out by the end, and my legs are going to hate me tomorrow, but these are good things.
I used to listen to podcasts when I ran. Especially "This American Life", which is a radio show with interesting short stories. I would get some engrossed in the story that I'd forget I was running.