After C25k...

Penthesilea514

Hi! I am two weeks away from finishing C25k and my first 5k race is about a month after that (7/11). I am not fast at all, probably can only "run" 2 miles in 30 min, so I want to increase mileage. I was thinking of repeating the last 4 weeks of C25k, except using the distance measures instead of the time measures. I just don't want to hurt myself leading up to the race. Does anyone have any suggestions for training to increase mileage safely for someone who is still quite new to running? And any race tips are welcome too Thanks!

jemhh

You might like another similar program, such as Bridge to 10k or Hal Higdon's novice 10k plan. Both are built on the idea of run/walk intervals. Or, you could just add 3-5 minutes to your runs each week. The latter is what I did for my first 10k, which I also did a month after finishing C25k.

Penthesilea514

Thanks, jemhh! I will look into those. I like the run/walk interval approach, it has worked well for me.

Also, MFP just posted this minutes ago. What timing! LOL
http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/9-keys-to-rock-your-5k/

yusaku02

Definitely run for a set distance instead of a set time. It's too easy to slack off on your run when you know you only have to go another 3 minutes rather than another half mile.
Unless you're severely prone to injury you won't hurt yourself by increasing your workouts. Personally I think the C25k program coddles new runners too much, so don't be scared to go beyond what is outlined in the program. Once you're done with the program I would aim to make 3-5 miles a normal run.

granturismo

I'd suggest sticking to the c25k programme and concentrate on times. Once you are comfortable running 30 minutes, increase the time until you reach 5k.
I think I finished c25k running 4.5Km in 30 minutes, I increased my run time by 5 minutes and was running 5km in 30 minutes about 2 weeks later.

Penthesilea514

I plan on finishing the program in the next two weeks as prescribed (i.e. so I can run for 30min), which leaves 4 weeks after to work on distance too. I do have a history with repeated injury of my left ankle (including a fracture and a surgery about 5 years apart), but it has held up really well under the C25k program (and starting with walking to get in a little better shape). I also have been fitted for running shoes, which has helped. So while I am doing well, I am also acutely aware of how an injury can set one back, so I guess I play it a bit safe. I appreciate the advice, thanks

REiiGN15

Is this sincerely your first 5k race/run? Do not race during this..enjoy it. Enjoy what you'll see because it will be all ages and it's really cool to experience. Do not start fast and the only time you should is probably when you got a 100 yards to go. Enjoy this one. They'll be plenty others in the future.

Penthesilea514

I was an athlete in high school, but I was a swimmer- the injuries sadly are a result of being a klutz. After many years of no exercise, I walked a 10k cancer walk as a personal MFP goal just to see if I could early this year but I didn't really train and it was slow and painful. However, it got me interested in training for real. I have never trained for or participated in a 5k run until now. Thanks, I plan on enjoying myself (it is a superhero run to benefit wounded veterans) and I am pretty excited.

peachyfuzzle

Before I start 57 pages of debating what HIIT actually is, or who it will benefit, let me just say that I understand all of that, and am using HIIT as it would pertain to a complete amateur/beginner/person who is really out of shape (like myself).

I will be completing my own modified approach to c25k next week one week ahead of time.

I think the one thing that helped me the absolute most was adding HIIT on the elliptical to my c25k routine. Four weeks ago, I was barely able to run for four minutes without being so out of breath with such a high heart rate that I thought I'd die, and was nowhere near on schedule for completing the program. So, I read up on HIIT, how it affects VO2max, and trains your VO2max/heartrate better than steady state cardio, so I decided to start incorporating that to c25k after my runs. However, now I am up to completing the whole 5k in 35 minutes with two 15 minute long runs separated by only a four minute break. I feel I could do the whole thing at once, but I'm trying to stick to the program, and go slowly.

The ellipticals I use have 26 levels of resistance, and I think 10 levels of incline as well. I started out at 12 with 0 incline because it was just difficult enough for me to not be considered strictly easy. Here's my program:

0:00 - 1:00 (we'll call this the rest phase): Pedal between 2.5 - 3.0mph, just fast enough to not allow the machine to pause
1:00 - 2:00: Pedal between 5.0 - 5.5 mph, just enough to do light work. This speed might be different for you.
2:00 - 3:00: Rest phase
3:00 - 4:00: Light work
4:00 - 5:00: Rest Phase
5:00 - 6:00: Medium Work; 6.0 - 6.5mph
6:00 - 7:00: Rest Phase
7:00 - 8:00: Medium Work
8:00 - 9:00: Rest Phase
9:00 - 10:00: Medium-Hard Work; 7.0 - 7.5mph
10:00 - 11:00: Rest Phase
11:00 - 12:00: Medium-Hard Work
12:00 - 13: 00: Rest Phase
13:00 - 14:00: Medium-Hard Work (three levels of medium-hard)
14:00 - 15:00: Rest Phase
15:00 - 16:00: Hard Work; 8.0 - 8.5mph
16:00 - 17:00: Rest Phase
17:00 - 18:00: Hard Work
18:00 - 19:00: Rest Phase
19:00 - 20:00: Hard Work
20:00 - Your own comfort: Cooldown

The next week was level 13 with zero incline, then 14 with zero incline, then 15 with zero incline. I just started 16 with zero incline yesterday. I'm planning on finishing up the resistance by increasing it weekly, and then starting on the incline after.

I wear a Microsoft Band during my workouts, and it picked up my heart rate as being all over the place during these sessions the first two weeks. The past two weeks though, there are distinct peaks, and valleys meaning that I'm getting my heart rate down far enough fast enough for the device to pick it up.

This might be anecdotal, but I've notice a SIGNIFICANT (and thoroughly surprising) decrease in my oxygen need, and consumption as well as my heart rate when under any type of exertion in the gym, or in the real world.

Running has most certainly helped that, but the previous gains compared to the gains I've made since starting HIIT really seal it in my mind.

mwyvr

@Penthesilea514 My sense of where you are at from reading your post is that it is too early to dwell too much on speed (much of the MFP article is about speed-related themes). New runners need to focus on endurance, form (running economy), avoiding injury, and did I mention endurance?

C25K is a program designed to help gradually build endurance, so the natural thing to do for the four weeks ahead of your race is to extend C25K principles and make your training runs a little longer, gradually. Try adding 5 minutes or half a mile at a time; run the new time/distance for a week and if it feels good to you, do it again. Scale back some in the week ahead of your race though - you want to go into it fresh.

Adding in some hills to your run, especially if you've avoided them for C25K, is a very good idea. Just be careful on the downhill... no injuries!

You build endurance by being on your feet longer, not by pushing yourself to go faster. If you run your longer runs at a pace where you could manage something of a conversation with a running partner (our out loud to yourself) - that'll give you a good guide as to how to limit your speed for building up endurance.

Now... I'm not saying avoid all speed work. If you are feeling particularly good on a run and want to include some speed work, the "fartlek" approach - incorporating some brief periods of faster tempo running within your normally slower paced endurance run - is very effective. I prefer doing this over running circles on a track myself. For example I might decide to pick up my pace for 1 minute or five lamp poles or three blocks or whatever convenient unit of measure, and then slow down to normal endurance running training pace. If you find you have to walk a bit to recover your breathing and heart rate, that's fine too! These little pushes you give yourself will in developing your cardiopulmonary system.

Bottom line: once finished C25K you've got several weeks to keep going. Beware of injury! Your slower endurance runs are ideal in this regard as your body recovers faster and more fully after such training as opposed to pushing yourself at max effort for as long as you can. Your first 5K should be a celebration of you making the whole run and feeling great at the end. No matter what you'll be setting a personal best for the distance!

That great feeling is what gets you hooked on doing another and for that one you can start thinking about some speed and setting a new personal best!

jemhh

Adding hills is a really good idea, as @mwyvr wrote. I kind of forgot about those.

And definitely walk a bit when you decide you need it. I tend to end up with better times when I stop and walk a bit than when I try to tough it out and run the whole time. I usually will pick a spot ahead and give myself until that point to catch my breath and then start running again.

DawnEmbers

I finished c25k program last week and end up at just over 2 miles in the 30 minutes. So, now I'm increasing my time per week. I do it this way because it would be harder for me to judge distance at the park while I can make it a certain time through the playlists I create. I have 3 playlists and I can adjust them as needed through iTunes. This week I'm doing 28/30/32 minutes and next week the plan is 30/32/35. My 5k is on June 15th and I figure if I can get to around 40 minutes, then I should be able to handle the fun run that I'm attending.

mwyvr

Great work @DawnEmbers !

Penthesilea514

mwyvr wrote: »

My sense of where you are at from reading your post is that it is too early to dwell too much on speed (much of the MFP article is about speed-related themes). New runners need to focus on endurance, form (running economy), avoiding injury, and did I mention endurance?

C25K is a program designed to help gradually build endurance, so the natural thing to do for the four weeks ahead of your race is to extend C25K principles and make your training runs a little longer, gradually. Try adding 5 minutes or half a mile at a time; run the new time/distance for a week and if it feels good to you, do it again. Scale back some in the week ahead of your race though - you want to go into it fresh.

Adding in some hills to your run, especially if you've avoided them for C25K, is a very good idea. Just be careful on the downhill... no injuries!

You build endurance by being on your feet longer, not by pushing yourself to go faster. If you run your longer runs at a pace where you could manage something of a conversation with a running partner (our out loud to yourself) - that'll give you a good guide as to how to limit your speed for building up endurance.

Now... I'm not saying avoid all speed work. If you are feeling particularly good on a run and want to include some speed work, the "fartlek" approach - incorporating some brief periods of faster tempo running within your normally slower paced endurance run - is very effective. I prefer doing this over running circles on a track myself. For example I might decide to pick up my pace for 1 minute or five lamp poles or three blocks or whatever convenient unit of measure, and then slow down to normal endurance running training pace. If you find you have to walk a bit to recover your breathing and heart rate, that's fine too! These little pushes you give yourself will in developing your cardiopulmonary system.

Bottom line: once finished C25K you've got several weeks to keep going. Beware of injury! Your slower endurance runs are ideal in this regard as your body recovers faster and more fully after such training as opposed to pushing yourself at max effort for as long as you can. Your first 5K should be a celebration of you making the whole run and feeling great at the end. No matter what you'll be setting a personal best for the distance!

That great feeling is what gets you hooked on doing another and for that one you can start thinking about some speed and setting a new personal best!

Thank you- yes, to all of this. I was reading about those fartleks and was not entirely sure how to fit them in at this stage (or rather, my level of fitness). I really do not care much for my speed per se, it is the distance I am more focused on at this point in time. I don't want to lose momentum or hurt myself, so adding a little bit of time each week makes sense (as several of you have pointed out as a great place to start ).

Yes, I have avoided hills but between you and @jemhh I will incorporate them too. They intimidate me a little, but no pain, no gain.

@peachyfuzzle- I have read a little about HIIT but have not tried to apply it in my routines. I will look into adding those as I focus on improving my time once I get a little more experienced with running.

Penthesilea514

DawnEmbers wrote: »

I finished c25k program last week and end up at just over 2 miles in the 30 minutes. So, now I'm increasing my time per week. I do it this way because it would be harder for me to judge distance at the park while I can make it a certain time through the playlists I create. I have 3 playlists and I can adjust them as needed through iTunes. This week I'm doing 28/30/32 minutes and next week the plan is 30/32/35. My 5k is on June 15th and I figure if I can get to around 40 minutes, then I should be able to handle the fun run that I'm attending.

Fantastic job! Congratulations on finishing the program. I use Runkeeper to track my distances, but playlists would be a fun way to do that too, especially when increasing time like that. I think it sounds like you have a good plan going into your race- good luck!

Capt_Apollo

Penthesilea514 wrote: »

Hi! I am two weeks away from finishing C25k and my first 5k race is about a month after that (7/11). I am not fast at all, probably can only "run" 2 miles in 30 min, so I want to increase mileage. I was thinking of repeating the last 4 weeks of C25k, except using the distance measures instead of the time measures. I just don't want to hurt myself leading up to the race. Does anyone have any suggestions for training to increase mileage safely for someone who is still quite new to running? And any race tips are welcome too Thanks!

check out hal higdon training plans

mwyvr

Penthesilea514 wrote: »

Thank you- yes, to all of this. I was reading about those fartleks and was not entirely sure how to fit them in at this stage (or rather, my level of fitness). I really do not care much for my speed per se, it is the distance I am more focused on at this point in time. I don't want to lose momentum or hurt myself, so adding a little bit of time each week makes sense (as several of you have pointed out as a great place to start ).

You are wise to just focus on distance (meaning more time on your feet) at this point. For me avoiding injury is Job 1. It's impossible to make progress while off our feet!

Can't wait to read your after run report!

Penthesilea514

Capt_Apollo wrote: »

check out hal higdon training plans

That's the second time that name has come up- I had never heard of it before today. I will definitely look into those too. Thanks! (and @jemhh).

mwyvr wrote: »

You are wise to just focus on distance (meaning more time on your feet) at this point. For me avoiding injury is Job 1. It's impossible to make progress while off our feet!

Can't wait to read your after run report!

Thanks, I will give an update as things progress! I appreciate all the help and advice.

MeanderingMammal

Penthesilea514 wrote: »

I am not fast at all, probably can only "run" 2 miles in 30 min, so I want to increase mileage.

I'd support the suggestion about using a 10K programme. At entry level the only thing that's going to give you more speed is time on your feet. Once you can comfortably run for an hour, and you're doing that say four times per week then you'll get benefit from speedwork.

Fartlek can be fun, but don't consider it as a way to improve your speed until you've got the aerobic base.

fwiw using a 10K improvement plan helped me knock about 5 minutes off my 5k time initially, then doing half marathon training knocked another few off.