Beginner Runner ~ for how long? (Read 917 times)

I started running in July, 2006. I basically followed the Couch-to-5K-Program for the first 2 months. For the next month after than I continued to run 3 to 3.5 miles, 3 to 4 times a week, based on the Jeff Galloway 5k Training Schedule. (from coolrunning)... "Fitness begins to increase dramatically around the tenth week of training and climbs steadily for another two or three months before leveling off. You will probably find this to be the most rewarding period of your new running career, with each week yielding greater achievements than the week before. Still, be cautious and don't try to ramp up your mileage too fast. Because your muscles adapt faster than your bones and joints, this is a period when many beginners run into injuries. It is a good idea to level off your distance for a few weeks. Limit your runs to three miles and give your bones and connective tissues a chance to catch up. Then, if you wish, gradually increase your distance." In week 12 I increased one of my weekly runs to 4 miles, and gradually over the next few months increased my 'long run' up to 7 miles. My question is, how long are you considered to be a beginner runner? Some books say you should not increase your long run too much, and should not do speedwork until after you've been running for a full year. Other books say that beginners should run more miles, at a slow base to build endurance. I'm into my 7 month of running. My first official 5K race is in March. I would like to wait until Spring to increase my 'long run' to 8+ miles, and then gradually go up from there. There is simply too much ice and snow and bitterly cold weather right now for me to run outdoors for more than 1 1/2 hours. I’m slow. My long run pace is 12-13 min/mile so 8 miles would take me 1:30-1:45. So my other question is, should I run 5 days/week instead of 4 days/week to increase my weekly mileage? And is there anything wrong with waiting for winter to end before making my long runs longer? My last outdoor run was 6 miles on New Years Day. In the summer and fall I did all my runs outdoors, but I've been doing more and more runs on the treadmill and they are simply not as enjoyable as running outdoors. Last 5 weeks… 1/14/2007 - 1/20/2007: 16.1 Mi 3:16:35 1/07/2007 - 1/13/2007: 16.1 Mi 3:19:20 12/31/2006 - 1/6/2007: 13.1 Mi 2:38:59 12/24/2006- 12/30/2006: 13.0 Mi 2:42:26 12/17/2006 - 12/23/2006: 12.5 Mi 2:31:53 Monthly totals… January will be about 60 miles December, 2006: 45.1 Mi 9:07:00 November: 40.4 Mi 8:13:54 October: 49.2 Mi 10:09:01 September: 40.0 Mi 8:14:12 August: 42.9 Mi 9:13:40 I’m 54 … running for health, fitness, fun and weight control, not to break any records (or body parts, LOL!) I know my endurance has improved, but I just don't feel ready to really "go for it" like I would have when I was in my 20's and 30's. When I read about all your accomplishments it seems like I'm wimping out, but I feel like I'm doing the best I can. You are all very inspiring. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and stories. ~ Arlene

I'm sort of planning to move myself out of "newbie" status come the first day of Spring. It was the first day of Spring last year when I started the C25K, myself. I ran my first HM after only 7 months of running, but I was always careful to not increase my weekly mileage by more than 10% from week-to-week. I think you should be able to move to 5 days/week as long as you don't overdo the cumulative mileage too much in the first couple of weeks. I hear you on the cold and wint'ry weather thing. I have limited my runs to no longer than 2 hours until Spring. My longest run since my HM was 110 minutes and I only went about 10 miles in that time. The cold seems to really slow me down even moreso than normal (the last two runs I have done on snow and pushing 13 minutes/mile). k

There's nothing wrong with waiting to increase either your milage or your long run until you feel ready for it. So long as running continues to be enjoyable for you, you're not getting hurt, and you're happy with the progress you're making, then as far as I can see you're doing everything right. Everyone's different and coming from different backgrounds and abilities. Something important I've had to remember is that you run with the body you have, not the body you wish you had. Congratulations on a half a year of injury-free running! Be patient and kind to yourself by listening to your body and using your common sense. Sounds like you've got a good start. Strictly in terms of training benefit, yes, usually 5 days is better than 4. But not always. It depends on your body and how much recovery time you need in between runs. You are your own best coach here - because only *you* know how ready you are to increase the workload. Good luck! Janell

Hi Arlene - we have a lot in common! I also moved into running from walking and started for health benefits - I no longer had a choice - I had Triglyceride levels in the 800 range, HDL in the 30's and they didn't even measure the LDL because the triglycerides were too high. With running, I was able to get off cholesterol meds within 6 mos, and now have even higher HDL levels than when I was on the meds! I really got obsessed with running. Every week was about faster/longer. At my peak I was averaging close to 40 miles/week with my long run in the 12 -14 mile range and considered it almost a "sin" if I had to walk during any run! - all this within my 1st year. I was in for a rude awakening when I transitioned too quickly from indoor to outdoor running. The best run I ever had was the day I got injured! I ran up a hill, ran to the track, did laps, ran up another hill, then ran the reverse route home - the endorphins wer pumping overtime - felt on top of the world - until I started limping that night that was 9 months ago. I was 49 1/2 when I started and had never been into athletics or regular exercise. I realize now that 'tho I may want to deny it, there is a big difference between starting to run at 49 as opposed to 39 - lol! I never thought I would get an injury that would side line me for 13 weeks and never even feel when it happened! I was about 118 lbs (5'4")and around 16-18% bodyfat at the time. Partly because of my age, I think my aerobic fitness far out paced my muscle/bone strength gains. If I could have a "do-over" - I would defintely have slowed down the mileage increase, especially with the long run and would have added length to shorter runs before adding additional running days, as well as starting a day of xtrain/strength workouts from the beginning. I still want to get back to that level of mileage again, but now I don't care how long it takes me to get there - at least I'll be able to "run" to pursue this goal! You are not wimping out - you are being smart so that you can continue to run! Congrats on your commitment and determination - they make you inspiring as well.