Forums >Running 101>Totally Shocked and a little confused.
About two months ago I started running for the first time in my life. I am 43 and WAS obese. About a year ago I started working out with the Wii and then progressed to doing the 30 day shred and then decided to do the couch to 5K. All of this has resulted in me dropping about 60 pounds. I had set a goal to run in a local 5 mile race in August. The first week was not to bad, the second week was ok, but week three killed me. I stayed there for a few weeks then I decided to just go and run and see how far I could go. First time out I ran a little over a mile. I did that a couple of times and then my 18 year old son (track star) decided he would run with me at MY pace. He challenged me to run the whole course. Previously I would run the mile and walk the .6 back home. I did it! I really thought I was going to die but I did it. Each week I have added miles to my "long runs". My longest so far is 5.5 miles. I average about a 12:15 mile pace, yes I know it's slow, but I'm doing it. I am completly shocked that I am able to run for over an hour straight but I have no idea how to actually train. I just go out and run what I feel like that day, usually around 2 to 3 mile range. I know I can run the 5 mile race now but would like to know how I should really be training for it? Also, this race is always very hot. Usually low 90's and humid. Anything special I should do to prepare for the heat? I did run my first 5K race a few weeks ago. It was great! I will be doing a few more of those between now and August. Any advice would be great. My son is no help, he just says run.... duh... I don't think he has any idea where to start with me.
Thanks,
Kathy
Kathy,
congrats on your hard work! love hearing these sort of personal stories. Since you are only 2 mths into this running thing, don't worry about "training" for any races. continue what you are doing, basically just staying consistent & continue very slowly building upon what you have already done. not sure how many days or miles you are doing weekly right now, you may want to share that & make your log public. Since you have done as much as 5.5 on a run then you know you can compete a 5 mile race. great for you! that's awesome. here is a rough "outline" of a plan to build on, this is just an example to give some sort of an idea.
week 1-2 3 days/wk 2 at 2--3 miles 1 at 5-5.5
week 3-4 4 days/wk 3 at 2-3 miles 1 at 5-5.5
week 5-6 4 days/wk 2 at 2 miles 1 day at 3 miles 1 day at 5.5-6
week 7-8 5 days/wk 3 at 2 miles 1 day at 3 miles 1 day at 5.5-6
anyway you get the idea, just some sort of progression of adding another day or adding abit to longest run. don't worry about your pace, but ok on the shorter days just run abit faster if feeling good, or finish strong last 1/4-1/2 mile. Long run, just go slow. Run every other day, every once in a while run 2 days in a row, short & easy.
your son actually gave you great advice: Just run!! just be consistent, add slowly, have fun & get out the door. You do those things & you will find yourself improving on your daily pace-don't force it. At some point in time you will know when to start adding different w/os After 2 mths you are way ahead of most people, & I bet feeling much better w/o those extra lbs.
thanks for the input. I just made my training log public. Would love input.
Looks like you are doing perfect! I wouldn't change a thing. You are consistently running 3-4 days a week and slowly building mileage. Your body is going to need a little time to adjust to this before you start worrying about any kind of specific training. Go out and have fun at that 5 miler and don't worry about anything else. As for the heat, the best advice is to just slow down a little and don't be afraid to walk.
Kathy, your log looks great! keep up with the consistency. I did not respond to the heat question because I live in W. Wa & we seldom have to worry about that, but as heffa said: slow down & don't be afraid to walk, and this one is obvious-try to get out as early as possible to avoid hottest time of day. Is there a safe park nearby with trails/paths that are shaded?
"run" "2" "eat"
hey, kathy -- i tend to kid around a lot here on the messsage boards, but i just wanted to take a break from kidding for a moment and say, great job. seriously, the journey through weight loss - with its ups and down, peaks and plateaus - can be exciting and can be tedious. your summer plans sound like they could be a lot of fun and i hope you will be able to really enjoy them. good luck!
i find the sunshine beckons me to open up the gate and dream and dream ~~robbie williams
SMART Approach
You are doing great and would like to add that you should not feel like you are dying on each run because that becomes race like. Just slow down and run and slowly build your miles. You are still building your aerobic strength and that will continue to improve over the upcoming months. Occasional races will show you your progress. Save the races for racing! Keep your daily runs controlled. In a couple months you can focus more on specific work outs to do. Now, just build your base and just run!
Run Coach. Recovery Coach. Founder of SMART Approach Training, Coaching & Recovery
Structured Marathon Adaptive Recovery Training
Safe Muscle Activation Recovery Technique
www.smartapproachtraining.com
Self anointed title
DespiteMyself
Hey Kathy, great story ... all the best of luck as you start this journey. Check your message inbox, I sent you a couple messages there. Keep going, keep safe!
If you hear a voice within you say "you cannot run," then by all means RUN, and the voice will be silenced.
Jiggle Monster
Agreed. Although it might not seem like it, your son did give you good advice. The goal is simply to remain consistent (and injury-free) until running becomes a healthy addiction. Congrats on your impressive progress, and best of luck to you!
E.J.Greater Lowell Road RunnersCry 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.
not bad for mile 25
Great job, Kathy! You're just as awesome as the runners who are doing 6:00 miles. You've had to work as hard or harder than they! So, no apologies - keep up the great work!
Petco Run/Walk/Wag 5k
Kathy - you are not slow! Just think about how slow the couch potatoes are! I have to keep that in mind because I am SLOW... these days in Austin heat I've been "wogging" around 15 pace! Closer to 16 with warm up/down walks.
The best advice I had, after finishing C25K, was to just run, run slow, run often, run slower - to avoid injury. Try not to speed up to much, it could lead to injury. These days I use low heart rate running which helps me keep pace down to where I can run 5-7x/wk w/o injury (except for calves objecting to the hills in the neighborhood we recently moved to - but I believe that would have happened no matter what my pace).
Keep up the great work!
bob e v 2014 goals: keep on running! Is there anything more than that?
Complete the last 3 races in the Austin Distance Challenge, Rogue 30k, 3M Half, Austin Full
Break the 1000 mi barrier!
History: blessed heart attack 3/15/2008; c25k july 2008 first 5k 10/26/2008 on 62nd birthday.
Many of us on this board have been where you have been Kathy and I just want so keep up the great work. Hearing stories like this always bring me back to when I first started myself. Back then we did not have the Wii but it was block by block getting started. You are awesome.
As for the heat, one thing that has not been mentioned is to drink plenty of fluids. It is really important to put in as much water as you lose during your run. They say to weigh yourself before a long run and then weigh yourself after the run and that will give you an idea of how much you have to drink. You also may want to drink a gatorade type drink for your runs that are lasting an hour.
Keep up the great work and keep us up-to-date on your progress. We truly do love to hear these kinds of stories.
2014 Goals: (Yeah I suck)
Many of us on this board have been where you have been Kathy and I just want so keep up the great work. Hearing stories like this always bring me back to when I first started myself. Back then we did not have the Wii but it was block by block getting started. You are awesome. As for the heat, one thing that has not been mentioned is to drink plenty of fluids. It is really important to put in as much water as you lose during your run. They say to weigh yourself before a long run and then weigh yourself after the run and that will give you an idea of how much you have to drink. You also may want to drink a gatorade type drink for your runs that are lasting an hour. Keep up the great work and keep us up-to-date on your progress. We truly do love to hear these kinds of stories.
I second BCR on the fluids, with an additional note. It's best to drink the fluids 2 - 8 hours before your run/race, not 15 - 30 minutes before.
Thank you SO much for sharing this story. It made my day. You are doing wonderfully. I hope you are proud of yourself. Hell, just getting your son to go out and run with you is HUGE. When my son was 18, he begged me not to run through my own neighborhood, he was horrified. He suggested neighboring towns as possible options for running routes. Way to go! Good luck with 5K. I can't wait to hear how it goes.