Forums >Running 101>What after the first 5k? (For an overweight beginner)
Dear runners,
I am quite new to this amazing sport. Three months in, I have gone from gasping for breath running 400m at to completing a 5k run in the local park (the time was 38:48min to be precise. Not very fast, I know, but I am quite proud).
I shall be forever grateful to this wonderful community for educating and supporting me, making my running journey a rewarding and a safe one.
I turn toward this community again for advice on how I should go about running, from here. I am interested in running longer distances (I would love to run a half marathon someday). I must add that I am not particularly interested in speed. Should I run longer (in short increments, of course)? Or should I run more 5ks before I turn up the distance? Should I consider changing my running gear? (I run in Kalenjis that, according to the manufacturer, are designed only for distances lesser than 10km per week, while I end up doing 12 to 14km)
Thanks in advance!
Honestly I think you answered a lot of the question yourself. I would have said work on losing weight and getting faster. You said you want to run a half marathon so I'd very gradually add a little bit of distance here and there. The hardest part is to not overdo things and injure yourself so I personally like to do the following
1. add distance: roughly 1 mile per day that I run each week i.e. 4 miles if you run 4 times per week distribute it however you want into your runs but try to keep the long run not absurd
2. repeat that week 2 or 3 times
3. reduce mileage by about 20% for 1 week to recover
4. repeat
note that the same pattern holds if you start doing workouts, you're just adding intensity instead of distance for that cycle but you let your body get used to that amount of work for a month, recover and only then add on.
p.s. it's probably worth perusing some common half marathon plans like Hal Higdon's novice 1.
1600 - 5:23 (2018), 5k - 19:33 (2018), 10k - 41:20 (2021), half - 1:38:57 (2018), Marathon - 3:37:17 (2018)
Roads Scholar
Good to hear you completed that first 5K. Congratulations!
I'm glad you aren't too focused on time. Keep in mind that not only did you run faster than many of the runners in your race, just by stepping up to the starting line you were way ahead of the vast majority of people.
A HM is a great goal, just don't be in too big of a hurry to get there. The HM is my favorite race distance.
There are a lot of plans available on the internet for training towards a HM. Look at them if you want some structure, but there are some good general rules of thumb that have stood the test of time:
* increase your total weekly distance by no more than 10% each week
* make your longest run about 20% - 30% of your weekly distance.
* while you are increasing distance, don't increase speed -- run as slow as you can while maintaining good form
* cut back your distance by ~30% for 1 week out of 4 to give your body a chance to rest and recover.
Once you can run a 10 mile/16K long run in training you are ready for a HM. Don't worry that you haven't actually run that far yet in training, the excitement of race day will work like magic to get you across the line. Be sure to have a cutback week before race day so you reach the start line fully rested.
I'm not familiar with that shoe, but you will want to make sure you have good ones.
As for racing more 5Ks, that is totally up to you. An occasional 5K will be good for your training and motivation. They aren't necessary to get you to a HM but they won't hurt either.
Enjoy the journey!
I strive towards laconic wit, my wife says I'm halfway there.
arunnerd.blogspot.com
Are we there, yet?
There's often a rush with new runners to immediately move up to the next standard race distance. While this can be done, I don't think it is the best course in the long run (and yes, the pun is intentional). Work on gradually increasing your weekly mileage. Don't be too slavish to the 10% rule. What one can safely handle varies a great deal by individual and can be anywhere from 5% to 20% at beginning levels. How you feel, how tired you are, how quickly you recover, are all more important than following a schedule or formula. If your schedule allows it, I suggest running 4-5 days a week if you aren't already. Vary the pace and distance, but allow time for recovery with short, easy runs and an occasional day of rest. If you plan your recovery and rest days well, there's no need for a cutback week with lower mileage. Races can be the reward for consistent training. 5Ks are great because you can normally recover from them quicker, so they don't alter your training schedule as much. If that doesn't make sense now, it will when you run your first half marathon. I'd suggest looking for a 10K about 4-6 months from now that you'd like to target as your first. Meanwhile 5Ks, and even an 8K, should keep your interest up.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
Trails
You don't say how old you are but I started when I was 50. I'd ridden horses for years prior to that. I am not overweight so I can't answer that but in my case I did several rounds of the 0 to 5k training plan before I did my first 5k. I did a year of 5k races (never fast) sometimes twice a month. Then I did some 10ks and other related distances. I did one a couple of road HMs and then discovered trail racing and have done that since. I've done quite a few 50ks now and want to move up to the 50 mile.
Best advice is not to go too fast, too far, too quick in order to minimize the chance of injury. Adequate rest is as important as the miles if you want to do this and enjoy it for a long time. I ended up taking almost a year off because I just did not enjoy any of it anymore. And take walk breaks if needed there's no shame in walking.
Once you can regularly complete 15 miles a week I suggest making sure you add time for injury prevention/body maintenance work.
This can be core work, squats, stretching... all kinds of work that addresses things that jogging cannot do by itself. If your exercise is 100% jogging you tend to get weak in other areas. Of course if you are still in your 20's or early 30's then youth can cover for that most of the time. As you get older injuries can result from not doing the extra work on the side.
A lot of beginners get shin splints. I found that toe tapping at a desk for 5 minutes 3x a day helped.
I would add lifting twice a week.
I am 215 now and would suggest running some on grass or dirt it seems to be easier on my joints
It has been 10-12 years ago now, but after I finished the Couch to 5k program I went on to one called One Hour Runner. Once I could run for a solid hour and was running 3-4 days a week I started training for a half with a Hal Higdon plan.
Big thanks to everyone for taking the time out to reply to this post! I guess I'll be tackling 10k in the days to come! Special thanks to arunnerd, Doug B and dhuffman63. You had responded to a precious question I had posted a few months ago, where I was seeking advice on running a 5k.
Thanks, again!
Overweight per CDC BMI
My first year of serious running, I went in this order over 12 months:
- 5k in April
- 10k in September
- 10-miler in November
- Half marathon in March
I was injured after the 10-miler with bad shin splints but I was successful in my journey and lost 30 lbs in the process. The injury actually helped me in the long run because it forced me to run my miles at a very easy pace for a month or two which built my base the proper way.
Get motivated to enjoy running first before becoming too ambitious with your progression goals. Don't get to the point of burnout.
Memphis / 38 male
5k - 20:39 / 10k - 43:48 / Half - 1:34:47 / Full - 3:38:10
Run More.
Run a faster 5k.
I'm a fan of getting faster before tackling longer distances, but that's just me,
if you want to run a longer race to accomplish that, feel free to run a 5M, 10k etc...
good luck.
300m- 37 sec.