Why are running training plans so complicated.

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  • Cisseismint
    Cisseismint Posts: 53 Member
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    pondee629 wrote: »

    I clearly just got lost. Are you running because you "enjoyed running 5ks" or to "get good"? Whatever that means. There comes a time where the race isn't against others but solely against you. If you enjoy the 5K, run the 5K. If you enjoy the 1500, run that. Or are you trying to find a distance at which you can "win"? Good luck with your decision. I hope you enjoy it.

    Haha my logic does sound a bit flawed when I read it back. I love running 5k, it's just an ideal distance for me. But I also want to see some improvement from the effort I put it. As you guys are saying running lots of 5ks will not get me better at running 5k then this will just lead to me being disheartened and give up.

    But if running lots of 5ks will help me get better at running 1.5k then I can do what I enjoy and see some measurable improvement.

    I am beginning to think I am just mad now, lol.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Even 1500m runners put in lots of miles. How about just running? You are making this way too complicated
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Cisseismint wrote: »
    pondee629 wrote: »

    I clearly just got lost. Are you running because you "enjoyed running 5ks" or to "get good"? Whatever that means. There comes a time where the race isn't against others but solely against you. If you enjoy the 5K, run the 5K. If you enjoy the 1500, run that. Or are you trying to find a distance at which you can "win"? Good luck with your decision. I hope you enjoy it.

    Haha my logic does sound a bit flawed when I read it back. I love running 5k, it's just an ideal distance for me. But I also want to see some improvement from the effort I put it. As you guys are saying running lots of 5ks will not get me better at running 5k then this will just lead to me being disheartened and give up.

    But if running lots of 5ks will help me get better at running 1.5k then I can do what I enjoy and see some measurable improvement.

    I am beginning to think I am just mad now, lol.

    My two cents: You don't need to run a *lot* more than 5K to get better at running 5Ks. Even one long run a week can help you improve. And that "long" run doesn't need to be very long. But if you're running for fun, you don't need an elite training program, you can just run for fun. If you enjoy running 5K, I would just feed off that enjoyment and if you decide someday that you want to put more time into it, you can.

    When I began running, just doing the 5K was enough reward. Then training became its own reward. Since we're not doing this for money, we can just follow our interest.

    Every weekend where I live, people lace up their shoes and race. Some of them train a lot, some of them train a little, some of them haven't really trained at all. But everywhere I see people pushing themselves, laughing, and having fun. The awesome thing about running (for me, anyway) is that you get to determine the time you put in and your level of effort.
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
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    Boost a 5K run to 5 miles once a week. The extra 20-30 minutes really shouldn't put a crimp in your other activities.
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
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    Cisseismint wrote: »
    I really don't wanna turn into a super skinny marathon runner, I would loose all the muscles I spent the last year and a half trying to grow, lol.

    You know, they do that on purpose? It doesn't accidentally happen. No matter how many miles you run you only lose weight if you're on a calorie deficit.
  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
    edited August 2016
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    _Waffle_ wrote: »
    Cisseismint wrote: »
    I really don't wanna turn into a super skinny marathon runner, I would loose all the muscles I spent the last year and a half trying to grow, lol.

    You know, they do that on purpose? It doesn't accidentally happen. No matter how many miles you run you only lose weight if you're on a calorie deficit.

    Exactly. Marathon runners choose to be very light as it does make a difference over that many miles. I 'm not an advanced runner but I still notice how much faster I get even between 125 lb and 115 lbs. It's a fine balance of how much muscle mass you need vs the benefits of having to move less mass forward, and elite distance runners have that mastered - their bodies are the ideal shape for running really far, really fast. All you have to do is compare Mo Farah (5'7", 130 lbs) to Usain Bolt (6'4", 210 lbs) to see that certain bodies work better for certain types of running.

    If you start running regularly and begin to lose unwanted weight, all you have to do is eat a little more to compensate. Running isn't a magic muscle-wasting activity, but it does burn a lot of calories when you're doing it for a long time so you've got to eat enough to make up for those extra burns if you're trying to maintain or gain.
  • mellyrunsfar
    mellyrunsfar Posts: 30 Member
    edited August 2016
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    Cisseismint wrote: »
    Why do runners swap randomly from miles to km? 'if youwant to run a 5k at 4mins per km, then you need to run 30miles, per week with a slow run of at least 10miles at 8 feet 7 inches per second,' said the runner trying to use as many different measurement units as possible in a single sentence, lmao.

    LOL
  • gorple76
    gorple76 Posts: 162 Member
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    Run hills. I'm currently in training for a flat road marathon and realised that I'm not getting faster just further. That's ok but as soon as the race is out of the way, I've planned to make a list of the 10 toughest hills near me and tick them off. My aim will be to tackle the most elevation in the shortest distance, as well as tacking the roughest terrain. I'm bored of long runs, but also fell running like this improved fitness way more and will improve pace when you then run smoother courses. Plus when you run on fells, speed/pace worried go out the window as you're more concerned about not losing a shoe in a big, or sliding on you backside down a scree slope!
  • Cisseismint
    Cisseismint Posts: 53 Member
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    Piss
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
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    Cisseismint wrote: »
    Piss

    ???
  • Cisseismint
    Cisseismint Posts: 53 Member
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    It's a taboo slang word for urine, lol.
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
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    Cisseismint wrote: »
    It's a taboo slang word for urine, lol.

    Kinda questioning it's relevance to the conversation as it was inserted.
  • Cisseismint
    Cisseismint Posts: 53 Member
    edited August 2016
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    Hey, not sure if any of you guys are still following this but I have another question. I have taken my son on a couple of 5k rubs with me recently. He is 10

    I took him when I was doing it in a 28 mins a month or so ago and he beat me easily. He said I was so slow he was bored.

    I took him again on Friday and I did it 25 mins and 12 secs and he beat me again. It was a bit closer this time but he reckons he could have done it quicker. He had done no running since our last run more than a month ago but he is always out playing soccer or tennis or cycling or something active.

    Now today I am following advice from u guys and I am gonna do a 10 run and my son wants to come. He watched Mo Farrah win his medal yesterday and wants to run the same distance. Do u guys think it's okay for a 10 year old to run 10k? It seems along way for a little pair of legs. But then again it seems ridiculous of me to stop him coming when he is clearly a lot fitter than I am and will no doubt beat me again if I let him come.

    What do u think?
  • Cisseismint
    Cisseismint Posts: 53 Member
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    Well I took him with me and the little fecker beat me again. I managed 55mins dead and he was about 30 seconds ahead. I feel a bit sore but he is fine and has gone out to play football with his buddies. I feel a bit daft for thinking it might be too much for him.
  • pztodd
    pztodd Posts: 102 Member
    edited August 2016
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    Cisseismint wrote: »
    Well I took him with me and the little fecker beat me again. I managed 55mins dead and he was about 30 seconds ahead. I feel a bit sore but he is fine and has gone out to play football with his buddies. I feel a bit daft for thinking it might be too much for him.

    That's just brilliant! I took my 9yo out on the 5k parkrun - took me 38 mins. She was not even out of breath. The following week she went with my hubby. He did it in 31 mins - again she was not phased! Going to have to get her a faster running buddy methinks.
  • litsy3
    litsy3 Posts: 783 Member
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    I think it's probably okay because you are only running slowly, but the issue with little kids doing long runs is the impact on their growing bones, joints and ligaments, so even though he is obviously aerobically fit enough to do it that doesn't mean it would be a brilliant idea to take him on runs that distance all the time. If you start to get faster so that he starts to struggle, or if you are running the longer distances more regularly, you probably shouldn't be taking him out every time. He sounds pretty good for a 10 year old though; maybe you should get him down to your local athletics club where he'll do fun sprinting-type stuff as well as jumps and throws with other kids his age, and they can keep an eye on his development?

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