could a runner help me out??

yogaveg
yogaveg Posts: 68 Member
edited November 8 in Fitness and Exercise
hey guys! i just started running again today and i ran 2.5 miles at a 10 minute pace and i was wondering how much improvement could i expect to see within 2-3 months of running 2-4x/week. i was honestly surprised i could run for 25 minutes straight, haha!

Replies

  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    In three months of four sessions per week you could reasonbly get to a credible 10K time. Your best bet to do that would be to use some form of structures plan, to avoid overuse issues.

    Personally I'd suggest concentrating on distance, rather than speed, for now to build a base that you can then work from.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    I second MeanderingMammal's advice. I'd start out by focusing on distance or total running time. If you haven't been running regularly, you need to give your joints a chance to adapt to the new stresses (running puts a lot more stress on your ankles, knees, and hips than walking). You might even consider doing the Couch to 5K (C25K) program; you would probably find the first few weeks ridiculously easy, but the point is to build up strength as well as aerobic fitness.

    If you don't want to start quite that slowly, you could try Hal Higdon's novice 5K plan, which starts with three 1.5 mile runs in the first week and builds up from there. Once you finish that, you can graduate to a 10K plan if you want.

    Whatever you do, take a long view; don't push yourself too hard too fast. I speak from experience; I ran a lot in my 20s, but once I reached my 30s, every time I started to run again, I built up mileage too fast and wound up injuring myself. Now that I'm in my mid-40s, I have successfully started running again by following C25K, despite a lingering knee problem from a bike crash a few years ago.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    Oh, and just to follow up: exactly how much you can improve depends on genetics and training. A lot of women I know would be very envious of your 10-minute pace!
  • lyttlewon
    lyttlewon Posts: 1,118 Member
    What are you wanting to improve? Distance, or pace? Many people find they need to slow down in order to go further. Not always, but commonly. A 10 minute pace in a long run is pretty decent. That's 10k in a little over an hour.
  • yogaveg
    yogaveg Posts: 68 Member
    i want to improve my distance. i'd love to start trail running so pace isn't as important to me, i just want to be able to keep on running along! how long would it take for me to be able to run a 10k without stopping?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    yogaveg wrote: »
    hey guys! i just started running again today and i ran 2.5 miles at a 10 minute pace and i was wondering how much improvement could i expect to see within 2-3 months of running 2-4x/week. i was honestly surprised i could run for 25 minutes straight, haha!

    I went from just about being able to run for 20 minutes in one go to doing a 10k in 64 minutes in 3 months, running 3x a week
  • lyttlewon
    lyttlewon Posts: 1,118 Member
    yogaveg wrote: »
    i want to improve my distance. i'd love to start trail running so pace isn't as important to me, i just want to be able to keep on running along! how long would it take for me to be able to run a 10k without stopping?

    The couch to 10k program I used was 14 weeks. You are a little further than beginner, 2.5 miles is about week 7.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    yogaveg wrote: »
    i want to improve my distance. i'd love to start trail running so pace isn't as important to me, i just want to be able to keep on running along! how long would it take for me to be able to run a 10k without stopping?

    Try Hal Higdon's novice 10K plan. He has you doing a 10K after 8 weeks. The plan features 2 short runs and one long run every week; you gradually add distance on the long run until you're doing 10K by week 8.
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    I have no idea. I just want to congratulate you on being able to just go out -- first time -- and run at that pace for that long. REALLY excellent! I suspect the sky is the limit for you. Here's the problem though. Injuries are kind of common among runners, especially new runners. I think your main challenge is going to be to hold yourself back -- AND NOT INCREASE YOUR MILEAGE TOO RAPIDLY -- so you do not get injured.
    Good luck!
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    edited December 2014
    lyttlewon wrote: »
    The couch to 10k program I used was 14 weeks. You are a little further than beginner, 2.5 miles is about week 7.

    Notwithstanding that one run of 25 mins at 10min/Km is pretty good, its one run. To mitigate injury risk it would be better to start earlier in the plan than week 7.
  • yogaveg
    yogaveg Posts: 68 Member
    tufel wrote: »
    I have no idea. I just want to congratulate you on being able to just go out -- first time -- and run at that pace for that long. REALLY excellent! I suspect the sky is the limit for you. Here's the problem though. Injuries are kind of common among runners, especially new runners. I think your main challenge is going to be to hold yourself back -- AND NOT INCREASE YOUR MILEAGE TOO RAPIDLY -- so you do not get injured.
    Good luck!

    ah yes! i tend to push myself a lot and definitely do not want an injury on my hands. i've read that 10% a week is the standard? it seems that hal higedon's 10k novice program would suit my style. that wouldn't be too much, right?
    and thanks (:
  • yogaveg
    yogaveg Posts: 68 Member

    Notwithstanding that one run of 25 mins at 10min/Km is pretty good, its one run. To mitigate injury risk it would be better to start earlier in the plan than week 7.
    [/quote]

    couldn't find a link to the couch to 10k program but i think my general fitness level is higher than couch level. ran again today same trail and same pace and loved it. how much is too much to start with?
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    I am 2.5 after two weeks. Pretty much cycling to running. Today is third week 3.0. You already beat half the battle.

    Injury .. Injury .. Injury. Make sure you rest properly. That is key to keep this up!
  • lyttlewon
    lyttlewon Posts: 1,118 Member
    edited December 2014
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    lyttlewon wrote: »
    The couch to 10k program I used was 14 weeks. You are a little further than beginner, 2.5 miles is about week 7.

    Notwithstanding that one run of 25 mins at 10min/Km is pretty good, its one run. To mitigate injury risk it would be better to start earlier in the plan than week 7.

    The Hal Higadon 10k novice plan would start at 2.5 miles and is an 8 week plan. It's the same thing. If her fitness level is good, why would she go slower?
  • ltomberry
    ltomberry Posts: 12 Member
    Here's the trick, the goal is not to make it easy to run fast, it's to make it fast to run easy.

    I invested in a heart rate monitor, and have been doing the Garmin 5K level 1 program. On the slow runs, which is most of them, I am trying to keep my HR below 150. (Zone 2) In the past 3 months, my zone 2 pace has gone from over 13 min/mi to about 10.

    Here's a good article on the Air Force Marathon website. It describes your running like a pyramid - your slowest pace is at the bottom of the pyramid and your anaerobic pace is at the top. If you do all your training at a hard effort, at the top, you'll tip it over and crash. If you build a strong base with lots of slow runs, your base will get bigger and your slow runs will get faster. You do need to do some fast running for sure, but don't beat yourself up, it's counterproductive.

    It's a transition from "No pain no gain" to "No pain...thank you!"
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    yogaveg wrote: »
    couldn't find a link to the couch to 10k program but i think my general fitness level is higher than couch level. ran again today same trail and same pace and loved it. how much is too much to start with?

    It's not so much about general fitness but joint readiness. Running form is very important to injury risk reduction, so if you go too far, too fast, without taking the time to build up the form and the joints then risk increases.

    Generally no more than 10% increase per week, although even that shouldn't be a sustained increase rate.
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