Planning my next move
Options
wiseeliz
Posts: 50 Member
After today's run (30 minutes, with a quickie water break at the halfway point), I feel that I can say I'm "done" with C25K - this was actually my 3rd attempt at the 30 minute run and I wanted to nail that before I started thinking about what comes next.
Right now I'm comfortably running somewhere between a 12-minute and an 11.5-minute mile on a treadmill, so I'm not quite at the point where I'm ready for an actual 5K. I have two goals that I think I can work towards in tandem: to transition to doing at least some of my runs outdoors, and to get to that 5K distance through improving my speed and/or endurance.
I usually run 3 days per week, and I anticipate maintaining that schedule. What I'm thinking of doing is using the treadmill for one run per week and focusing that run on distance. My other two runs will be outdoors (weather permitting), and I'm thinking of basically going back to the beginning of C25K in order to build myself up to the demands of running outside. (I tried running outside a few weeks ago and it wasn't pretty, so I feel like I need to start from close-to-scratch there.)
Any thoughts on this?
Right now I'm comfortably running somewhere between a 12-minute and an 11.5-minute mile on a treadmill, so I'm not quite at the point where I'm ready for an actual 5K. I have two goals that I think I can work towards in tandem: to transition to doing at least some of my runs outdoors, and to get to that 5K distance through improving my speed and/or endurance.
I usually run 3 days per week, and I anticipate maintaining that schedule. What I'm thinking of doing is using the treadmill for one run per week and focusing that run on distance. My other two runs will be outdoors (weather permitting), and I'm thinking of basically going back to the beginning of C25K in order to build myself up to the demands of running outside. (I tried running outside a few weeks ago and it wasn't pretty, so I feel like I need to start from close-to-scratch there.)
Any thoughts on this?
0
Replies
-
If you can run for 30 minutes at a 12 minute mile, then you can run a 5k . I'm sure that you're not totally drained by the end of the half hour, so you *could* run for longer. The excitement of the race will carry you through. My first running 5k time was 40:41 or just over a 13 minute mile - and my training runs were in the 15 minute range. I'd probably run about 2.5 miles at a time.
The bigger issue is transitioning outdoors. What's funny is that I just bought more minimal shoes because my feet are stronger now and my advice I got was pretty much the same: Anytime you change your form, etc, you almost need to start over. I mean, running is like riding a bike - no matter how much time you take off after finishing the program it will never be as grueling to start again, but major changes require a slow re-entry. Try going back to Week 3 and work your way back up outside. It probably won't take you all 6 weeks, but it'll give you a good sense of how much you're capable of.0 -
Drop down to a 5 minute warm-up/cool-down and then 15 minute runs. Each week add 5 minutes to the running part. Continue to focus on time rather than distance. Distance will come in time. The longer you spend on your feet, the faster you will get and the more distance you will cover. Remember, the beginning runner's best improvement weapon is tiem on your feet.0
-
*note: rduhlir has experience at making this transition, so ignore what I just said about it.0
