Is this too much for a beginner runner?

[katoot]

Hey all. I'm brand new to the whole running thing. Before this year started, I did a little bit of treadmill running about 6 years ago (for a total of maybe 40 minutes ) when I was still in college. As a New Year's Resolution, I've decided to try to run in a few races here in Korea. Two 10Ks in April in neighboring cities from where I live, a half marathon in June in my city, and (if my schedule works out) a full marathon in December in my city.

For a little bit of background, I'm been a smoker of about 5-6 years, although in the past three weeks I've cut back dramatically in the attempts to quit.

I've kind of been trying the C25K plan, although I have deviated from that in the past week or so. This past Sunday, I wanted to see how far I could jog without stopping. I managed to go for 45 minutes (could have possibly gone a little longer, but my feet were starting to bother me) and covered 6.5km. I was amazed when I wasn't feeling sore the next day. Last night, I did a jog for 25 minutes (started a little later than I wanted and had to meet my wife at a certain time). I began jogging a little fast and was winded after only two minutes, but I just slowed down and got to a better breathing rate. My distance covered was about 3.4km, so my run was a little bit slower that Sunday. Today, I woke up a little sore, but not too bad.

So what do you think? Is this too much to begin with? I suppose I could easily drop one of the 10Ks, but I just wanted to see if I could do both of them.

 

[J3nn78]

I don't think it is too much, but I do think you should stick with a plan like th C25K. Going to far or too fast too soon can result in injury. The programs are designed to gradually build you up.
I did the C25K and ran my first full 13 months after starting. But the key was building everything slowly.

Good luck to you!

 

[jmasgat]

Congrats on your fresh start--and especially for trying to quit smoking. That will help your health and your running!

Don't put too much pressure on yourself to start. Stick to the C25k plan to develop a good base and to give yourself confidence. Based on the timing for that plan (8 weeks, isn't it?), you may want to consider doing a 5k first, if possible, in the March time frame. That will give you "race experience". Then you would have a fewmonths to work towards the half. If you wanted to, you might be able to use a 10k race in lieu of one of your training runs. The key, as mentioned, is to build slowly.

As for jumping to the full in December--I would play that by ear. I think it is doable, but I would wait for a while before I committed. (But that's me--I tend to wait til the last minute so I can see I can see how things are going.

Good luck!

Maura

 

[RunRookie]

Congrats on starting this journey! I started running last year and went from couch potato to running my first Half Marathon in eight months. I ran a bunch of 5Ks, two 10Ks, and a 15K during those eight months (most were in the last 3-4 months). I chose to develop my endurance, put in the 'foot time', and to build up my confidence for actually finishing races before tackling that first Half.

Are you doing the warm-up and cooldowns before/after your runs? It is easy to ignore those, but don't. It does matter. And the post-run stretching will help keep you from tightening up and help flush out the lactic acid from your muscles.

I think you can make your goals happen but you are going to have to be very disciplined in your training, following a good plan, and getting fitted for a good pair of running shoes. Your biggest concern is to avoid injury as you increase your running. I read somewhere that you should focus on one thing at a time -- like speed or distance. Don't try to improve both at the same time. I suggest focusing on distance and 'foot time' now to build up your base and endurance. Speed will come later.

And stay involved on the board. There are lots of great people resources here who can offer you tangible advice (who know much more than me) and encouragement.

Good luck!

 

[Kira G.]

Congratulations on getting out there! I am another runner who started with the C25K 4 years ago. I built up to a half marathon in about 9 months of slow and steady increments.

One thing I learned about myself from reading John Bingham's books was that every time I tried to start running I would push myself so hard that I would get exhausted, sore and discouraged - and then quit! I became a runner (and completed 2 half marathons and a full) by learning to slow down and accept incremental progress.

It sounds like you have a great plan in place, but just watch out for any tendency to jump ahead and push too much too fast. You are building muscles and bones, and that takes time! You may very well be ready for a full in December (and it's great to have that as a goal), but it takes a while to build up that initial base.

And good luck with quitting smoking! That's tough to do, but totally worth it!

Kira

 

[fashionista311]

I wouldn't suggest going from 0 to marathon in a year. Yes, people have been successful at it, but far more end up with a DNS due to injury. Even if you feel cardiovascularly good to go, your muscular system needs time to catch up. I would suggest spending this year building up your mileage base with shorter races. Get a few half marathons underneath your belt - see how you like the training. After all, training for a distance race is a huge time commitment, and you have to enjoy the training. I promise you'll end up enjoying the marathon so much more if you are properly trained and run a "happier" race than if you rush into it.

 

[PrincessV]

Hi there, from one newbie to another! Like you, I've run short distances on the treadmill for many years in the name of fitness, but never had any interest in distance running. Until now - amazing how motivating a run through WDW is, lol! I'll be doing a few 5Ks over the next half-year and see what happens from there... I've agreed to do the Princess 1/2 next year with friends, so that's the big goal right now.

I'm no seasoned running expert, but I'm an expert on doing too much too soon of any exercise; I'm notorious for going at something new full-tilt and winding up injured because of it. It's hard to hold back, but I'm following a Galloway program and can vouch, after a couple weeks, that I'm definitely building strength and endurance and NOT wearing myself out or creating injuries.

 

[johde]

Hi. As far as it being too much too soon. It's tough to tell. The biggest problem beginning runners have is the fact that different parts of the body progress at different rates. For most people, their cardio developes fairly quickly. Their bone strength developes much more slowly. So, your lung and heart says you can run more, but your bones can't take the extra pounding yet.

PrincessV - In my mind, Galloway is a good conservative way to build up mileage for people who are not patient. That being said, there are some downsides to it as well. Over time, you may become psychologically dependent on the walk breaks even though physically you may not need them any more. I know for me, I ended up getting a mental block about running more than 1 minute. I had started with John Bingham/ Jenny Hadfield before switching to Galloway. I started out doing run 1 min/walk 4 min., then run 1/walk 3, then run 1/walk 2, then run 1/walk 1. You get the picture. My body knew when 1 min. for running was up and even though physically I could continue running psychologically I wanted to walk. It took awhile to break that. Now, I try and do a variety of things. I do some of my shorter runs straight through. Sometime I do 3/1, or 2/1, or even 1:30/1 depending on how I feel and how far I'm going. That way my body doesn't get into a rut. Good luck on your continued training.

 

[katoot]

Thanks, everyone for the helpful input! I do intend on sticking with C25K, and I'm more concerned with distance, rather than speed at the moment (although, I would like to at least stay consistent with my current pace, which is between the 11 & 12 minute mark...

Glad to hear that my plan is doable, if maybe a bit challenging.

 

[PrincessV]

Over time, you may become psychologically dependent on the walk breaks even though physically you may not need them any more...Good luck on your continued training.

Interesting - thanks for sharing! For now, I'm over 40, have tendinitis in both knees and ankles and deal with exercise-induced asthma, so the walk/run intervals are a life saver, lol!

Thanks, everyone for the helpful input! I do intend on sticking with C25K, and I'm more concerned with distance, rather than speed at the moment (although, I would like to at least stay consistent with my current pace, which is between the 11 & 12 minute mark...

I'd be VERY happy with that pace - WTG!

 

[johde]

Interesting - thanks for sharing! For now, I'm over 40, have tendinitis in both knees and ankles and deal with exercise-induced asthma, so the walk/run intervals are a life saver, lol!

I'm also over 40, and in my case I'm also pretty large. I agree run/walk has been a life saver. I did run/walk almost exclusively for about a year and a half. I started transitioning from all walking to run/walk in May-June 2010 and ran my first 5K race (without walk breaks) in November 2011. I mentioned it in the Galloway thread but I'm faster with the walk breaks than I am without the walk breaks. So, I'm not recommending not doing run/walk, what I would recommend is mixing up your training if you don't already. Especially on your shorter days. There have been days I've done a run/walk ratio I'd never use in a race but it made a good workout. For example, taking your current run/walk ratio and doubling both the run segment and the walk segment. When I did it, it helped get me used to runner longer, but I wasn't as fast.

 

[katoot]

I'd be VERY happy with that pace - WTG!

Forgive the laughter (it's celebratory), but hahaha! I'm really happy to hear that.

The reason I'm saying this is I had in my mind that (although I'm truly more concerned with distance rather than speed), faster is better. In fact, I remember distinctly the fastest mile I ever ran. Well, maybe not 100% distinclty, but I do remember that it was in elementary school...I'm thinking 5th or 6th grade. I ran one mile in just over 7 minutes (if I remember correctly, it was about 7:15 or so). Even at that age, I was proud of that time, since before that, my best was around 9 minutes (again, if I remember correctly).

I know that training for these races I'm not going for a PR quite yet. I know that, if/when I do these races, ANY result is a PR. But, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm happy to have a good motivating time. I don't know how long you've been training, but I hope that you can improve your pace and can beat me in a race. With all honesty. I wish you the best and hope that you could surpass me if we were to race together.

 

[fashionista311]

Forgive the laughter (it's celebratory), but hahaha! I'm really happy to hear that.

The reason I'm saying this is I had in my mind that (although I'm truly more concerned with distance rather than speed), faster is better. In fact, I remember distinctly the fastest mile I ever ran. Well, maybe not 100% distinclty, but I do remember that it was in elementary school...I'm thinking 5th or 6th grade. I ran one mile in just over 7 minutes (if I remember correctly, it was about 7:15 or so). Even at that age, I was proud of that time, since before that, my best was around 9 minutes (again, if I remember correctly).

I know that training for these races I'm not going for a PR quite yet. I know that, if/when I do these races, ANY result is a PR. But, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm happy to have a good motivating time. I don't know how long you've been training, but I hope that you can improve your pace and can beat me in a race. With all honesty. I wish you the best and hope that you could surpass me if we were to race together.

Well even for a highly trained athlete, your all out effort on one single mile is going to still be faster than an all out race pace for a 5K, and that pace will end up being much faster than your training pace. it's unreasonable to think your best mile time will be your training pace - and if it is, you didn't push nearly hard enough in the mile race.

I'll use a good friend of mine as an example since she ran a mile race last fall. Her mile time was a 7:04 min/mile. Her best pace for a 4 mile race is 32:44 which is about an 8:11 min/mile. Her best pace for a half marathon is 1:54:27, which is about an 8:47 min/mile. And you know what pace she does all of her trainings at? (except for speedwork of course) about a 10 min/mile.

 

[RunRookie]

A comment on PRs: Someone told me once that PRs are somewhat age/timeframe connected. What I mean by that is, about every 2-5 years, you probably need to throw out all your PR numbers and establish 'new' PR numbers for your races.

This is because as you get older, as your fitness level changes, as your body changes, it may not be appropriate to measure your previous performance against your current health and fitness levels. It could be because you have lost a lot of weight. It could be because of health changes. It could be because of the natural changes brought on by getting older.

But either way, it is a good idea to reassess your PRs every few years so that they indeed represent what your Personal Best is today, and serve as 'reasonable' motivation towards higher levels of effort and achievement.

 

[katoot]

Well even for a highly trained athlete, your all out effort on one single mile is going to still be faster than an all out race pace for a 5K, and that pace will end up being much faster than your training pace. it's unreasonable to think your best mile time will be your training pace - and if it is, you didn't push nearly hard enough in the mile race.

I'll use a good friend of mine as an example since she ran a mile race last fall. Her mile time was a 7:04 min/mile. Her best pace for a 4 mile race is 32:44 which is about an 8:11 min/mile. Her best pace for a half marathon is 1:54:27, which is about an 8:47 min/mile. And you know what pace she does all of her trainings at? (except for speedwork of course) about a 10 min/mile.

I agree. The only reason I ran that fast in elementary school was because I was trying to keep up with one of my friends. If I were to have run it by myself, I most likely would have been no where near that time. I'm actually quite happy with my current pace of a mile within the 11-12 minute mark. I don't know anyone else in my city who runs (but I hope to rectify that soon), so I'm only trying to do my best. And like I said before, I'm more concerned with distance, rather than speed (currently).

That being said, I really appreciate your input.

 

[katoot]

Hey all, sorry to kinda bring back this dead thread. Seeing as how I'm two months away from my first race, I've decided to get rid of one of the two 10Ks in April.

 

[jmasgat]

Sounds like a good adjustment. You want to have a good first experience, not stress out about doing too much, too soon.

Maura