ADVICE FROM RUNNERS, MARATHONERS &/OR 5K PARTICIPANTS!!!

RGv2

Hi Everyone!

My daughter has asked me to participate in the Komen Oklahoma Race For the Cure 5K on October 27th. I have been working out consistently since January and have done well with consistency and weight loss. Twice a week I do sprints on my treadmill, which consist of running at a comfortable pace for 4 - 5 minutes, running at top speed for 15 seconds on then off for 4-5 minutes, then jogging at a comfortable pace for 4-5 minutes and finally finishing up with interval walk/runs. My intervals consist of jogging at a slightly uncomfortable pace for one minute then walking around 3 miles an hour for one minute. I usually do these workouts for 20-30 minutes and then do some form of aerobics (Zumba, etc.) for 40 minutes (not including warmup, cool down and stretching). Also, once a week I do an hour walk on the treadmill in which I slowly increase my incline until I'm at 6 or 7. On the other days of the week I do a Firm Express video that incorporates aerobics with weights and a Kettlebell workout. Sometimes I add a toning workout for abs, hips and thighs to mix things up.

I'm working on incorporating more clean, healthy foods into my diet. I drink approximately 120 ounces of water everyday and get at least 7 hours of sleep most nights.

MY QUESTION IS after reading what I am already doing how should I prepare for this 5K? At my best it takes me 55 minutes to walk/run/jog 3.10 miles. I would like to try to get that down to at least 48 minutes by October - I don't even know if this is possble (hence my post here). At this point I can only jog for about ten minutes straight at a time at somewhere between 3.5 - 3.8 miles an hour. I'd like to increase that. After pushing myself yesterday on the treadmill to see how fast I could complete a 5K I found that I really have very little endurance. After getting 2 miles done in 35 minutes I was spent! It took an extra 20 minutes to do the last 1.10 miles. My daughter wants to do the timed 5K, which I don't mind doing if I can increase my speed and endurance. Any advice?

H E L P! ! !

What you are doing should have you prepared for a 5K. If you do the workout described earlier, by the end of the 30 min, you should be close to the 5K end.

I see you received advice that you "need to go outside and run". It's a good idea, but you don't HAVE to. I ran 5K extremely competitively (19:00 min) and did all my preperation on a treadmill. For me it was easier to push myself and manage my intervals. If you can get outside some, go for it (maybe early morning), but I think what you're doing on the treadmill now should have you prepped for a 5K.

MinnieInMaine

So glad to hear you have good shoes!! It's amazing how much the right tool can help you get the job done!

You might not notice as much of a difference when you start running outside since you've been running at a slight incline but to me that was a really tough transition. And now that I've made it, I HATE running on the treadmill - it just feels completely unnatural to me. Anyway...

Make sure you take rest days so you're not overstressing your body too much. I've found that even taking several days off to simply walk can vastly improve my stamina and speed. Also make sure you're fueling your body correctly - plenty of protein and complex carbs for fuel and recovery. And of course stay well hydrated at all times to avoid exhaustion and common runners stomach issues.

LoosingMyLast15

You can't run a race on a treadmill. Get outside and log some miles in the great outdoors.

Running outside is different as you no longer have a belt driving you. By running outside you prepare for the elements of a road race.

this. a lot of people recommend couch to 5k. when i started running i was sorta doing the same thing you are (sprinting/walking/jogging/walking) and just increased the amount of time running as i decreased the amount of time walking. it worked for me. now i understand temps are over 100 where you are but you will need to get yourself outside at least once. someone told me once if i was going to train on a treadmill i needed to keep it at an incline because it will sorta mimic the natural road however it does NOT prepare you for big hills that i can promise. i trained for an 8k on a treadmill and no amount of incline prepared me for the first hill - however adrenaline from just being there kept me going.

since this is your second - give yourself a goal say either finish in a faster time or run say half (or even all of it) whichever you can do. remember it's for charity and there are women out there suffering from breast cancer the least you can do for them is run the whole thing. good luck!

RGv2

You can't run a race on a treadmill. Get outside and log some miles in the great outdoors.

Running outside is different as you no longer have a belt driving you. By running outside you prepare for the elements of a road race.

this. a lot of people recommend couch to 5k. when i started running i was sorta doing the same thing you are (sprinting/walking/jogging/walking) and just increased the amount of time running as i decreased the amount of time walking. it worked for me. now i understand temps are over 100 where you are but you will need to get yourself outside at least once. someone told me once if i was going to train on a treadmill i needed to keep it at an incline because it will sorta mimic the natural road however it does NOT prepare you for big hills that i can promise. i trained for an 8k on a treadmill and no amount of incline prepared me for the first hill - however adrenaline from just being there kept me going.

since this is your second - give yourself a goal say either finish in a faster time or run say half (or even all of it) whichever you can do. remember it's for charity and there are women out there suffering from breast cancer the least you can do for them is run the whole thing. good luck!

I highly disagree. I trained for every 5K I ever ran on a treadmill. You don't HAVE to get outside to prepare for a race. I might have run one day a week outside because I wasn't driving 20 minutes to the gym, but that was few and far between.

LoosingMyLast15

You can't run a race on a treadmill. Get outside and log some miles in the great outdoors.

Running outside is different as you no longer have a belt driving you. By running outside you prepare for the elements of a road race.

this. a lot of people recommend couch to 5k. when i started running i was sorta doing the same thing you are (sprinting/walking/jogging/walking) and just increased the amount of time running as i decreased the amount of time walking. it worked for me. now i understand temps are over 100 where you are but you will need to get yourself outside at least once. someone told me once if i was going to train on a treadmill i needed to keep it at an incline because it will sorta mimic the natural road however it does NOT prepare you for big hills that i can promise. i trained for an 8k on a treadmill and no amount of incline prepared me for the first hill - however adrenaline from just being there kept me going.

since this is your second - give yourself a goal say either finish in a faster time or run say half (or even all of it) whichever you can do. remember it's for charity and there are women out there suffering from breast cancer the least you can do for them is run the whole thing. good luck!

I highly disagree. I trained for every 5K I ever ran on a treadmill. You don't HAVE to get outside to prepare for a race. I might have run one day a week outside because I wasn't driving 20 minutes to the gym, but that was few and far between.

if you read what i wrote you will see i train on a treadmill as well however you do need to get out at least once - like you said you did regardless if it's few and far between. you need to get out and feel what it's like to run on a road or dirt trail or mud or cobblestone at least once or else you're gonna be disappointed in how you do overall. a treadmill is not going to prepare you for the natural obstacles found on a road.

RGv2

You can't run a race on a treadmill. Get outside and log some miles in the great outdoors.

Running outside is different as you no longer have a belt driving you. By running outside you prepare for the elements of a road race.

this. a lot of people recommend couch to 5k. when i started running i was sorta doing the same thing you are (sprinting/walking/jogging/walking) and just increased the amount of time running as i decreased the amount of time walking. it worked for me. now i understand temps are over 100 where you are but you will need to get yourself outside at least once. someone told me once if i was going to train on a treadmill i needed to keep it at an incline because it will sorta mimic the natural road however it does NOT prepare you for big hills that i can promise. i trained for an 8k on a treadmill and no amount of incline prepared me for the first hill - however adrenaline from just being there kept me going.

since this is your second - give yourself a goal say either finish in a faster time or run say half (or even all of it) whichever you can do. remember it's for charity and there are women out there suffering from breast cancer the least you can do for them is run the whole thing. good luck!

I highly disagree. I trained for every 5K I ever ran on a treadmill. You don't HAVE to get outside to prepare for a race. I might have run one day a week outside because I wasn't driving 20 minutes to the gym, but that was few and far between.

if you read what i wrote you will see i train on a treadmill as well however you do need to get out at least once - like you said you did regardless if it's few and far between. you need to get out and feel what it's like to run on a road or dirt trail or mud or cobblestone at least once or else you're gonna be disappointed in how you do overall. a treadmill is not going to prepare you for the natural obstacles found on a road.

I did read what you wrote....If you read what I wrote, you'd see that I only ran outside because I had to. I had run multiple 5K's before I moved and ran outside once a week because I wasn't going to drive 20 min to the gym. IDK, I wasn't that disapointed with my race. I still remember my 1st 5K time (21:38), and not a step outside.... I'm not trying to be condecending, but it's tough to tell someone they need to do something when they're basically saying they can't due to the weather.

steve83843

Sounds like alot of people here have some great advice. I'd really support the couch to 5K plan. I'd also consider thinking about fundamentals when you run. I used to wear myself (and my knees) out because I ran too flat footed. I didn't realise that there was truly a art to running and it makes it easier. Everything from rolling your foot to tow to keeping your head up. Even silly things like looking down, not only slow you down physically, but it breaks you down mentally too. Lastly, and most importantly, run with a friend. Nothing drives people more than someone else to motivate them.

LoosingMyLast15

You can't run a race on a treadmill. Get outside and log some miles in the great outdoors.

Running outside is different as you no longer have a belt driving you. By running outside you prepare for the elements of a road race.

this. a lot of people recommend couch to 5k. when i started running i was sorta doing the same thing you are (sprinting/walking/jogging/walking) and just increased the amount of time running as i decreased the amount of time walking. it worked for me. now i understand temps are over 100 where you are but you will need to get yourself outside at least once. someone told me once if i was going to train on a treadmill i needed to keep it at an incline because it will sorta mimic the natural road however it does NOT prepare you for big hills that i can promise. i trained for an 8k on a treadmill and no amount of incline prepared me for the first hill - however adrenaline from just being there kept me going.

since this is your second - give yourself a goal say either finish in a faster time or run say half (or even all of it) whichever you can do. remember it's for charity and there are women out there suffering from breast cancer the least you can do for them is run the whole thing. good luck!

I highly disagree. I trained for every 5K I ever ran on a treadmill. You don't HAVE to get outside to prepare for a race. I might have run one day a week outside because I wasn't driving 20 minutes to the gym, but that was few and far between.

if you read what i wrote you will see i train on a treadmill as well however you do need to get out at least once - like you said you did regardless if it's few and far between. you need to get out and feel what it's like to run on a road or dirt trail or mud or cobblestone at least once or else you're gonna be disappointed in how you do overall. a treadmill is not going to prepare you for the natural obstacles found on a road.

I did read what you wrote....If you read what I wrote, you'd see that I only ran outside because I had to. I had run multiple 5K's before I moved and ran outside once a week because I wasn't going to drive 20 min to the gym. IDK, I wasn't that disapointed with my race. I still remember my 1st 5K time (21:38), and not a step outside.... I'm not trying to be condecending, but it's tough to tell someone they need to do something when they're basically saying they can't due to the weather.

you are right - no one can tell someone they must do something esp if they say they can't due to weather. me personally i've trained in 100 degree weather so while it's difficult i still do it - if i paid for a race i'm gonna train regardless of temperature but that's me. when i trained for my very first race (an 8k) i ran outside just once a week before the race just so i could get a feel for the road.

RGv2

Yep, I trained outside in the 100 degree heat too, but not everyone can take it. I've trained in the desert where 100 degrees felt like 75 and trained in the Midwest where the 100 degrees felt like 110 or 120.

If I paid for a race, I'm going to train for it. I finished 2nd in my 1st 10K, training on a treadmill. Personally, I find running outside easier, and I can push myself much harder on a treadmill (when training for distance) so I prefer inside. I'm just saying all the advice being given to the OP that you "have to go outside", isn't a necessity.