did my first 5k in over 10 years yesterday

[Brina]

as part of my run a tri before I am 40 plan. I figured doing a stand alone 5K would help when doing the tri, as I would know that I could make it. I have been running with a group of women doing interval training every tuesday morning, but not getting in my one longer run as regularly as i should. I had two goals for the 5K: run the whole thing - ie no walking - and if I managed the first half, finish in 35:00 or less. I did hit the first half of the goal, the second I just missed, I finished in 35:52. I started at the back of the pack, so by the time I crossed the start line it was no longer at 0, so probably a bit closer to my goal than :52, but not sure how close. (this was a small local race, not chip timed).

I am going to run another one next month to compare performance and then the tri is on July 9.

[Lise]

Good for you!!!! That's great. You're training intelligently. You will shave minutes off that time, no doubt, by July. It is really different to run at the end of a tri. I remembered that yesterday! If you can, do some "brick" workouts as you train, where you bike then run right after. I will be doing more of those this summer, to get the feel of how to shift my muscle use from ride to run. Relish this milestone, and remember it when you feel discouraged. Now you know that you can do a 5K without walking. L.

[Grog]

Good for you Brina! I am sure you will reach your goal without a problem!

I know it sounds strange but maybe you could accomplish your second goal better by setting the first one aside. I find that I run faster overall when I take walking breaks every kilometer of running or so. Or when I do Fartleks (or intervals), pushing to my max and then slowing down and then to my max again. And I mean _significantly_ faster, like shaving 3-4 minutes off a usually 30-minute 5k.

Also, what Lise said about bricks: it's really important to at least try it a few times, cycling and then going for a short run. When the day of the race comes, you won't be surprised that your legs feel awful for the first few minutes of running, and you'll know that this awful feeling is going to go away shortly. So you won't get discouraged and run happily to the finish!

Starting to run after a long period of non-running is a big challenge! Good luck, I'm sure you'll do wonderfully!

[lnewv5]

Great job Brina and congrats on meeting your goal. I'm excited to hear how the next one goes!

I usually do the opposite of Grog - I try to run for a set amount of time without stopping. So, I usually try not to pay attention to the distance. There are days when I have to run slower to run as long as I would like to, but I've found it's helped me learn how to pace myself and ultimately run faster. But, obviously everyone's different in what works for them.

I totally agree with the brick workouts. After getting off my bike during my triathlon, I strongly felt the urge to stop running and start walking. However, I just remembered back to my brick workouts, and it gave me a huge confidence builder because I knew that if I had gotten through those, then eventually the tightness would go away. Not to mention, the best feeling in the world was getting out of the pool and thinking - "ok, I definitely can finish this because I've done this workout before."

Good luck and great job!

[Grog]

I must say that I prefer running all the way. I just noticed that I end up being faster if I alternate run-walk than if I just run. That's unpleasant, but true. In a race, I don't walk though, but I do run harder too, so I'm faster in the end.

[lnewv5]

Thanks for the info Grog! I think I may try it out for myself sometime and see if a run/walk combo will result in a faster 5K time. I could see how it would be really motivating too. Something like - "Ok, if I can run/walk the 5K in X time, then I can definitely work to get a pace that fast."

Do you have a certain strategy when doing it? Like 8 minutes jog/2 minutes walk? Something less/more?

[Grog]

Do you have a certain strategy when doing it? Like 8 minutes jog/2 minutes walk? Something less/more?

There are tons of programs you'll find on the web. I was just browsing the Cooking Light magazine and they had a 5k program which suggested warming up for 5-8 minutes and then 3 min running 2 min walking, 3 times, or something similar. If you already run you can try other combinations that feel right. You can also try running intervals: run hard until the next stop sign/street light/etc. then jog lightly to recover, repeat a few times. I let myself be guided by my heart rate (I race to 190, relax to bring it down to 140, repeat)...

The way your cardiovascular system improves is by stressing it AND the recovering adequately. Both stress and recovery are important. If you always run at pretty much the same pace you'll improve but very slowly. Doing intervals or similar workout will make you improve faster. Don't overdo it though. Once a week is good enough for the max-effort workouts...

Enjoy!

[Brina]

Grog, you are so right about the intervals. For the past month I have been working out one day a week with a running group. They are all a lot faster than me (the fastest are running 7 minute miles, the closest person to me runs about a 9:30), but I do the work out and it is structured so that we start and finish our intervals in such a way that I am not just lapped over and over. In one month I have dropped from over 11 minute miles to about a 10 minute mile, with the occasional half mile at 9:30 pace.

The coach also gives lots of form advice and I found myself running faster during the 5K when I corrected what I was doing using her advice. I don't know if I will ever love running, but it is definitely becoming less of a chore.

[lnewv5]

There are tons of programs you'll find on the web. I was just browsing the Cooking Light magazine and they had a 5k program which suggested warming up for 5-8 minutes and then 3 min running 2 min walking, 3 times, or something similar. If you already run you can try other combinations that feel right. You can also try running intervals: run hard until the next stop sign/street light/etc. then jog lightly to recover, repeat a few times. I let myself be guided by my heart rate (I race to 190, relax to bring it down to 140, repeat)...

The way your cardiovascular system improves is by stressing it AND the recovering adequately. Both stress and recovery are important. If you always run at pretty much the same pace you'll improve but very slowly. Doing intervals or similar workout will make you improve faster. Don't overdo it though. Once a week is good enough for the max-effort workouts...

Enjoy!

I've never done intervals - never knew how helpful the were!! Thanks ladies for the excellent info as always