Newbies 2

Hi Di.

A swim is a great idea, however, a 5K is not.  At this stage, you won't achieve anything by running the race distance so close to race day.  If you were one of my athletes, well, you wouldn't be running the race - too early by the sounds of it - but, if you were one of my athletes, I'd rather you ran a slow-ish 4K today, swim tomorrow and maybe a 2 miler on Thursday, rest Friday and a 20 minute walk (not power walk) on Saturday. 

As for the 10K, what's the rush?  To give you an idea, one of my new athletes started running in January and can now run 7 miles without stopping.  I won't let her race, she's not ready.  I don't want her first 5K taking over 30 minutes, so she'll have to keep working until I think she can get under the 30, then she can race.  You need to be able to comfortably complete over-distance in a respectable time, otherwise you'll be wondering if you can make it on race day and therefore won't enjoy it as much.  Good luck with it! 

Cheeze, I'm well aware this is a Newbies thread - if you look at posts from 3 - 4 years ago, you'll see I was around then.  As for being 'hardcore Olympians', what I've listed is nowhere near Olympic standard, it's aimed at totally casual runners!

Hi Claire, I don't want her to be out running for a very long time and anyway, I'm looking at her to be on the Cross Country team so she needs to be 'up to speed', so to speak.  As for doing a track speed session as soon as you've come back from injury - tsk, tsk!!!

Hey Blimpy - thanks v.v.much for the advice- please don't take me too seriously - I only entered the Race for Life in May and have been running since then, mostly so I can raise a bit of money for a good cause and in the process not let my mum down, who has had three heroic brushes with the Big C. To start with I thought I'd like to just get round (ie not really 'Race' as such, more an  'avoid walking'!!), as I am VERY OLD (47!!) and have always hated running- not any longer!

I found over the past few months that I could do 5K comfortably in under 30, then in about 27mins, and if I push (ie twice in the time I've been doing this) under 25, but none of this was achieved particuarly scientifically, and only when there was a full moon (!). I don't really know what a respectable time is, although I have checked out age grading. I'm not with a club and don't intend to be...just having a go and quite liking it. Your advice sounds great though (one of the great things about this thread is how supportive everyone is!!).,so I will indeed run slowly, swim a bit and have a walk...then see how it goes on Sunday, which I'm very much looking forward to.  And I'm certainly not in a hurry to do 10K, just intrigued to see if someone like me can do it, and then see what happens after that...it's all new to me, and I suspect I'll be a newbie for quite sometime!! Cheers!  

Claire - hope you are feeling better!

Hi all.

You're very welcome, Di - that's what I love coming on here for - giving advice.  You're not old at 47, I'm 45 and still running relatively quickly, although it does take more of an effort now! 

In terms of 'respectable times', I say anything under 30 minutes for 5K is good, under 25 minutes is very good and under 20 minutes is superb.  Given the right training programme and diet regime, I think anyone is capable of going sub 20 minutes - if I can do it then anyone can!

Of course you can run 10K, you can do anything if you set your mind to it!

Hi to everyone else.

Welcome back, Claire, hope you're feeling a lot better and that your dentist is not too cruel...

Thanks, Blimpy- really looking forward to it now! We'll see how old I am on Sunday!!!

Morning all.

Glad you're looking forward to the race, Di, I'm sure you'll do really well.

Just off for a 3 - 4 miler before my 7 mile race tomorrow evening, then it's to the gym for weights and core work - grrrrr lol.  Add in a coaching session tonight and I'm a busy boy today - love it!

Thanks guys, I'm feeling better just bit sore from the needle  dont like dentists but they are very necessary when you have tooth ache.

Went for a little run this morning, just kept it short and sweet and at a nice pace that we could chat away at. Will be out again on Saturday morning.

MDL - Good Luck in the race, cant wait to hear all about it

Mark - Hows your running going?

Blimpy - Hope you had a good run this morning then weight session. Good Luck in your race tomorrow.

Claire - slow at the moment! I'm in between three (!) family holidays now, and not getting much done. We're away next week, then back for a week, and then away for a final week at the beginning of August.

I'm hoping to be active on holiday, but won't be running as such. My aim is to get back into doing three 5Ks a week when we finally return, gradually increasing one of them to 10K over a period of the next month or so.

Feeling a little sluggish on account of not running much recently, but still feel massively healthier (is that even a phrase?) compared to how I was when I first started posting on this thread back in, ooh April I suppose.

I have the dentist the week I get back from that last holiday. Fortunately, she's very nice 

hi all,

sorry not been arond much injured my back 3/4 weeks ago moving boxes at home, so not been training.  I have my first 5k in September and really worried I am not going to get the training in to enable me to complete this.  any advice greatly received, feeling bit low about it just now 

Thanks Claire, I saw the doc he said i'd strained muscles in my lower back, due to go back next week so keeping fingers crossed, it seems ok now, particulalry in last few days.  I have the 5k end of Sept and 10 k start of Oct so quite worried about it, 10k is for charity 

thing is i was only just getting to the stage of being able to run a mile before i had to stop, i'll pretty much have to start again i'm guessing - but thank you Claire

thats very kind of you Claire thank you.  Yes first see what doc says.  Must admit i have missed the running.  I was training indoors but this time I am going to do outdoors...prefer the fresh air anyway

Hey! Ok, so I did my first ever proper run - the R4Life yesterday, and boy was it HOT! I tried to remember the 'run with your head' for the first mile advice,and took it easy, especially cos the hills (not real ones, but they felt like it in the heat!) were at the start...it was a lovely course and a really great atmosphere with lots of encouragement. I kept a reasonable pace and found myself overtaking a bit, and also taking advantage of sections where there was some shade/flat and a bit of downhill...I knew it wasn't going to be a fst one, and at one point wondered whether I would make it in 30 mins...as it was I did it in 27:34, which I was quite pleased with - it's a start anyway. What really surprised me is that, according to my son and partner, I came either 7th or 8th?!! I know that no-one overtook me, and that I definitely sped up at the end. I also know that it wasn't a fast race overall, and that lots of women walk the whole thing. EVEN SO!! As my son said, to come 7th-ish out of 2,000 sounds good, and I have to say it was great fun. On reflection I could have gone off a bit quicker, but I was really worried about tiring too quickly and again the sun really bothered me- you kow how I like to run in the rain!! hey ho- a rest today then back on it tomorrow. Thanks to you Claire, Mark, NV and (more recently) Blimpy for the advice...have entered another 5K in Manchester for September, this in addition to the 4 mile trail run will give me three events for the summer...who'dathought??

Sam- good luck with your recovery from injury- Sod's Law that 'real life' chucks a spanner in the works of our running plans??!!