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Beginner (Read 912 times)

jamesatkinson


    Hey everyone,, I've recently started running on a regular basis, am really enjoying it, and have started to think recently of doing a few races. I have my eyes on the City to Surf race in Sydney (14ks) and the City to Bay race in Adelaide (12ks). My Dad did the 14k race 30 or so years ago and ran 61 minutes, and another friend ran the Adelaide race in 50 minutes last year. I want to beat them both. Especially the old man. In terms of distance, so far i've only gone up to 7ks (twice) and improved from 42 minutes to 39 in the space of a day, and was probably running at about 70% each time. I'm planning on doing an easy 15k jog this weekend which should give me a better idea of what my level really is. I'm 26. Anyway, my question is, what sort of training should I be looking at doing? The races are in August and September respectively so I have loads of time. Any tips, stories, whatever, will be useful.


    Just Be

      Hey everyone,, I've recently started running on a regular basis, am really enjoying it, and have started to think recently of doing a few races. I have my eyes on the City to Surf race in Sydney (14ks) and the City to Bay race in Adelaide (12ks). My Dad did the 14k race 30 or so years ago and ran 61 minutes, and another friend ran the Adelaide race in 50 minutes last year. I want to beat them both. Especially the old man. In terms of distance, so far i've only gone up to 7ks (twice) and improved from 42 minutes to 39 in the space of a day, and was probably running at about 70% each time. I'm planning on doing an easy 15k jog this weekend which should give me a better idea of what my level really is. I'm 26. Anyway, my question is, what sort of training should I be looking at doing? The races are in August and September respectively so I have loads of time. Any tips, stories, whatever, will be useful.
      Congrats on your new life with running! Smile I'd recommend a base building phase lasting 12 to 16 weeks where you do nothing but train in your 60% to 80% maximum heart rate range. How much past running experience do you have?
      Mr Inertia


      Suspect Zero

        Welcome to the sport. Sounds like you've gotten an decent start on things, not doing too much too soon and have some reasonable goals on the horizons - all the ingredients for success. Basically for the near future, your main focus for your training is gonna be adding distance. The rough guidline is add no more than 10% to your weekly mileage for 2-3 weeks in a row, then have a resting cutback week. You'd do well give that a shot. If it's comfortable, great. If you feel like you're starting to push to your limits, back off a bit. Answer a few questions and we'll be able to give some specific input for your training. How long have you been running? How many times per week do you run? How many miles per week do you run on an average? During your average training runs, what's your pace?
          Can you make your log public so we can see what you've been doing?
          "If I control myself, I control my destiny."


          Dave

            Try not to focus on your pace for a while. Just build up the length and frequency of your runs. Try and build your regular runs up to the 6K range and your long run up to around 12K. Make sure that you're running most of your miles at an easy, conversational pace. Save the hard efforts for your races or not more than once a week. It will take some self control but will help you extend the distances and log more miles.

            I ran a mile and I liked it, liked it, liked it.

            dgb2n@yahoo.com

            Scout7


              Run at least 3x week. 4 or more would be even better. Don't run too hard. The majority of your running should be done at an easy pace. If your breathing becomes labored (other than hills), or you find that you can no longer recite the Pledge of Allegiance out loud, you're running too hard. If you've never worried about it before now, you probably don't need to worry about it until after your race. That means you really don't need to think about things like intervals, or fartleks, or tempos. That comes later. Get the race done first, then set your next goals, and determine what you need to meet that goal. Learn as much as you can about running. Start reading about running. There's lots of books, and other resources here. Ask lots of questions, but try to make them focused; they are easier to answer than a broad "How do I get better?" question. Use a log. I recommend this one here at RA. Learn to write in it, and keep copious notes about your runs. I've found that the more detail you put into your log, the more useful it becomes when looking back. Describe how you felt, what the course was like, any lingering aches and pains, etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum. Don't listen to a guy named JakeKnight. He'll probably tell you to do 400's. You don't need those yet. Plus, it's hard to trust a monkey. Don't be intimidated by anyone. The running community, as a whole, is pretty open and accepting. If someone is faster, talk to them about their training. Look at other people's logs to see what they are doing. The flipside of that is to recognize that not everything that works for others will work for you. The more aware you are of the general concepts of how to train, the better off you'll be. If you discover a tool that helps you, then use it. But do not go out and try something just because it seems like a great idea. Some people like lifting weights, others don't. Your choice. Some people like heart rate monitors, others don't. Your choice. You don't NEED most things to finish. It depends on your goals, your training, and your time. Consistency, consistency, consistency. Nothing is more important that this. The more consistent you are in your training, the better you race. Period. Plain and simple. I'm sure that I'll think of more. Give me a minute.
                If your breathing becomes labored (other than hills), or you find that you can no longer recite the Pledge of Allegiance out loud, you're running too hard.
                Just in case it's hard to find the pledge Down Under... I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all. If you've started recently and you're up to 7k you're doing well. It's nice to have young legs, this old fart's more than a bit envious. I didn't have RunningAHEAD when I was starting out, so I made any number of mistakes. In the "wish I knew then..." category, my top recommendations would be: Quality shoes properly selected for gait Run at least three times a week (as recommended by Scout) to minimize chance of injury Run long and easy and make sure you are enjoying yourself (allows you to reach the addiction threshold) Best of luck to you James!

                E.J.
                Greater Lowell Road Runners
                Cry havoc and let slip the dawgs of war!

                May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your SPF30, may the rains fall soft upon your sweat-wicking hat, and until you hit the finish line may The Flying Spaghetti Monster hold you in the hollow of His Noodly Appendage.


                SMART Approach

                  James, You need to run a 5K race or something similar to give you/us an idea of your current level of fitness to see if your goals are realistic. Shoot for one as soon as possible. This race will also help determine training paces.

                  Run Coach. Recovery Coach. Founder of SMART Approach Training, Coaching & Recovery

                  Structured Marathon Adaptive Recovery Training

                  Safe Muscle Activation Recovery Technique

                  www.smartapproachtraining.com

                  jamesatkinson


                    1) How long have you been running? 2) How many times per week do you run? 3) How many miles per week do you run on an average? 4) During your average training runs, what's your pace?
                    1) About 4 weeks 2) Aiming for about 4-5 3) I haven't really been going long enough for an average, but this week i'm on target for about 20.. last week was around 10 I think. 4) Average maybe... 6 minutes/km? But i've noticed i'm on a fairly steep improvement curve at the moment, so it's hard to come up with a useful average. My last run was a bit less than 5 minutes/km.
                    jamesatkinson


                      Thanks everyone for the tips. Good to hear from people that know their stuff.. So it sounds like I was on the right track, not really worrying too much about pace, and slowly building distance for now. I'll make my log public after this post.


                      Hawt and sexy

                        Do you feel you can do the same workout again after you have finished running? If the answer is no, slow down. If the answer is yes, run more.

                        I'm touching your pants.

                        jamesatkinson


                          usually yeah, I finish and feel like I could run a lot further. how do I get my log to display?
                            Click on OPTIONS from the top right corner of the webpage then select MY LOG PREFERENCES. Thanks for all the great info guys (and gals). Somewhat of a newbie here and I always find something interesting at least once a day. Keep up the great work.
                            Scout7


                              OK, just to reiterate.... Consistency is key. Consistency in how often you train, consistency in your pacing, consistency in your learning. If you have the discipline to stay consistent, you can get where you want to be. Remember, the slow drip of water eventually breaks down even the highest of mountains into grains of sand.
                              jEfFgObLuE


                              I've got a fever...

                                Remember, the slow drip of water eventually breaks down even the highest of mountains into grains of sand.
                                Is Scout's real name Mr. Miyagi? Tongue

                                On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office.  But you will wish that you'd spent more time running.  Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.

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