Please help me to run 5k!
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jenniferthomas7
Posts: 9 Member
So I read the running section and it's good stuff but nothing that explains why I'm failing so far
I started couch to 5k at the beginning of last year. At the time I was slightly overweight and since then I've reached the middle of my healthy weight range, I'm working at getting to the low end of a healthy weight range since I reason if I get lighter then running should be easier
Anyway I started couch to 5k, it took me 2 weeks to do week 1 but I managed it eventually. Then I couldn't do week 2 so I stayed on week 1 for a couple of months and gradually lost weight til I could do week 3. Got on week 3 and did it barely but then couldn't even do half of week 4. Then I got stuck repeating week 3 for about 9 months and my weight stopped going down after only half a stone. I was also doing weights and situps but never saw any improvement. I didn't know if I was pushing myself too hard or not hard enough, I just lifted what I could handle without too severe exertion, aimed to do at least 10 and stopped when my muscles were burning and came back to do more later when the burning subsided
So I went to slimming world and rearranged my diet, it's mostly protein and salads and high fiber carbs now. I plummeted in weight another 2.5 stone and plateaud about 2 months ago at my current weight. I lost my transport and couldn't go to the gym anymore. I've been running outside at a slow pace and saw a really big improvement as I lost weight and built up from running only 3 minute intervals to being able to run 20 minutes (slowly) without stopping. I finally got transport and went back to the gym thinking I would easily clear week 4. Anyway I got to the final 5 minute running and I was still gasping for air, feeling sick and couldn't do it. Tried again after a couple of days and after reading about running form and breathing and got 2 minutes into the last run before I had to stop but didn't feel sick, just out of breath
So I'm trying to work out why I can't progress to what should be below the standard of an absolute couch potato, if it's my pain tolerance that is too low, if I'm not pushing myself hard enough or if I should be going more slowly
From what I can gather there are 3 states or training that are useful for different types of exercise, aerobic, anaerobic and cardiovascular
So if I'm correct, aerobic is mild exertion of 50-75% of my max heart rate, cardio is 75-90% of my max heart rate and anaerobic is when I go over what my body can manage and I get a stitch because my body is making up for the deficiency with a very inefficient form of respiration called anaerobic.
So which training do I need to do in order to do a 5k run in 30 minutes? If I've understood this right then the running I was doing outdoor was either aerobic training or not fast enough to be even aerobic training, but since I definetly was improving and able to run for longer then I think it must've at least been aerobic. So the running I do on the treadmill at the gym at 10km an hour is cardio then? So does this mean maybe when I first went to the gym my cardio improved but my aerobic was bad so I failed, and now my aerobic is good but my cardio is bad so I'm still failing? I notice when I did PE at school I used to get stitches but since I started exercising again last year I haven't been getting stitches, does this mean I've not been pushing hard enough? Should I be mixing in some sprints? Should I be increasing the incline of my running? Should I be slowing down and running for longer? Or do I just need to push through the pain?
I have a watch which is supposed to measure my pulse but I have no idea how to make it work so I don't know what % of my max heart rate I have been running at
I started couch to 5k at the beginning of last year. At the time I was slightly overweight and since then I've reached the middle of my healthy weight range, I'm working at getting to the low end of a healthy weight range since I reason if I get lighter then running should be easier
Anyway I started couch to 5k, it took me 2 weeks to do week 1 but I managed it eventually. Then I couldn't do week 2 so I stayed on week 1 for a couple of months and gradually lost weight til I could do week 3. Got on week 3 and did it barely but then couldn't even do half of week 4. Then I got stuck repeating week 3 for about 9 months and my weight stopped going down after only half a stone. I was also doing weights and situps but never saw any improvement. I didn't know if I was pushing myself too hard or not hard enough, I just lifted what I could handle without too severe exertion, aimed to do at least 10 and stopped when my muscles were burning and came back to do more later when the burning subsided
So I went to slimming world and rearranged my diet, it's mostly protein and salads and high fiber carbs now. I plummeted in weight another 2.5 stone and plateaud about 2 months ago at my current weight. I lost my transport and couldn't go to the gym anymore. I've been running outside at a slow pace and saw a really big improvement as I lost weight and built up from running only 3 minute intervals to being able to run 20 minutes (slowly) without stopping. I finally got transport and went back to the gym thinking I would easily clear week 4. Anyway I got to the final 5 minute running and I was still gasping for air, feeling sick and couldn't do it. Tried again after a couple of days and after reading about running form and breathing and got 2 minutes into the last run before I had to stop but didn't feel sick, just out of breath
So I'm trying to work out why I can't progress to what should be below the standard of an absolute couch potato, if it's my pain tolerance that is too low, if I'm not pushing myself hard enough or if I should be going more slowly
From what I can gather there are 3 states or training that are useful for different types of exercise, aerobic, anaerobic and cardiovascular
So if I'm correct, aerobic is mild exertion of 50-75% of my max heart rate, cardio is 75-90% of my max heart rate and anaerobic is when I go over what my body can manage and I get a stitch because my body is making up for the deficiency with a very inefficient form of respiration called anaerobic.
So which training do I need to do in order to do a 5k run in 30 minutes? If I've understood this right then the running I was doing outdoor was either aerobic training or not fast enough to be even aerobic training, but since I definetly was improving and able to run for longer then I think it must've at least been aerobic. So the running I do on the treadmill at the gym at 10km an hour is cardio then? So does this mean maybe when I first went to the gym my cardio improved but my aerobic was bad so I failed, and now my aerobic is good but my cardio is bad so I'm still failing? I notice when I did PE at school I used to get stitches but since I started exercising again last year I haven't been getting stitches, does this mean I've not been pushing hard enough? Should I be mixing in some sprints? Should I be increasing the incline of my running? Should I be slowing down and running for longer? Or do I just need to push through the pain?
I have a watch which is supposed to measure my pulse but I have no idea how to make it work so I don't know what % of my max heart rate I have been running at
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Replies
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Go slow. Slower than slow. As slow as you can. This is so key with C25k. When I first started, I literally could walk faster than my "run". The app is not to do a 5k per se, it is acutally just to get you to run continuously for 30 minutes. I was doing less than 2 miles in 30 minutes the first time I graduated C25k. My first 5k? Took me an hour to do. Slow down. After I could run for 30 minutes, it was later that I started to build mileage and endurance and started to work on my time. But first thing's first.
Additionally, get fitted for running shoes. Best investment of my running was to bite the bullet and buy proper shoes. Your legs and feet will thank you.9 -
Yeah I bought some good shoes, some really expensive ones with gel soles inside. I'm not getting hurt while running so that's good
So all I need to do is build up to 30 minutes and then gradually build up in speed from there? Will I be able to manage or will I plateau? Am I not supposed to be working on both my cardio and aerobic fitness?0 -
As an aside: I was so out of shape when I started this years ago, that I had to walk for a few weeks, 3-4x a week to just build a base of cardiovascular endurance. I could not go straight into C25k. But you can totally do it, trust me- just know that your time in that 5k is the least important part of your training right now.0
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Ok, I'll try just running for 30 minutes at a slow pace without stopping, and then I'll gradually increase it by .1km per hour til I hit my target, thanks!4
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You will build up both over time- many training programs for running involve a variety in the lengths and speeds of runs to help hit all of the different types of running. For now, you are just trying to build a running foundation- the rest can come with time.0
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jenniferthomas7 wrote: »Yeah I bought some good shoes, some really expensive ones with gel soles inside. I'm not getting hurt while running so that's good
So all I need to do is build up to 30 minutes and then gradually build up in speed from there? Will I be able to manage or will I plateau? Am I not supposed to be working on both my cardio and aerobic fitness?
Price is less important than good fit... Did you get them at a running store?2 -
jenniferthomas7 wrote: »Ok, I'll try just running for 30 minutes at a slow pace without stopping, and then I'll gradually increase it by .1km per hour til I hit my target, thanks!
I am still going to recommend doing C25k, if you have not completed it yet. Just do it running as slow as you can.2 -
jenniferthomas7 wrote: »Yeah I bought some good shoes, some really expensive ones with gel soles inside. I'm not getting hurt while running so that's good
So all I need to do is build up to 30 minutes and then gradually build up in speed from there? Will I be able to manage or will I plateau? Am I not supposed to be working on both my cardio and aerobic fitness?
That doesn't sound right. Are they really running shoes? And more importantly, are they the correct style for you feet/gait?
I agree with the other responses. Slow and steady. If you can't sing while you are running you are going too fast.
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if you can run for 20 minutes, then you can actually run for 30, you just need to run slower.1
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Slow down. You should be comfortably running for 30 minutes. If not, slow down some more.
When you complete C25K you will not be anywhere close to running a 5K in 30 mins.
Then work on increasing duration not speed. Speed will come after the distance. First you need to be able to run 5K, then work on time. If it takes you 1 hour to do the 5K at first, this is ok1 -
I'm agreeing with the others that if you're not finishing, you're going too fast. There's a C25K group here and I'd recommend you go join it. I got a lot of great support and advice when I did it, and it helped to read the comments of other people who were on the same week as me or just ahead of me. When I did C25K my diet wasn't perfect, I was 80 pounds overweight, and I was strength training with a trainer 3x a week, so I wasn't doing it under ideal circumstances. I set 3 days a week (Monday, Wednesday, Saturday) and ran those 3 days. I was slow, but I got through the entire program without having to repeat or skip a week.0
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Run slower, even it's slower than you walk. You can definitely get there!0
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I'm doing a race this October. This is my first week of training for it. Feel free to add me; we can rookie our ways through this haha. Also it's a spartan beast race so prolly gonna die. Not from the obstacle; just from 15 miles of awful.0
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Ok I'm back from the gym. I set the speed to 5.0mph with no incline and I was able to run for the whole 30 minutes. I'll try and do it 2 more times this week and then increase the speed by .1mph next week. I'm not so sure I could sing while running but it didn't feel bad either and I felt at the end like I could've kept going and didn't need to stop
Sadly I don't have any kind of personal trainer. After I was done running I took some time to catch my breath and did the weight machines. I'm pretty bad at it but I'll see if I improve or not. I just set them to a weight where I could do at least 10
I'm not sure if my trainers really are running trainers. It was a sports store and the guy said that they are and was talking about how the soles are special shock absorbant ones and how they are resistant to wear and tear
Anyway it doesn't seem like I need to go slower than 5mph since I was able to do the entire 30 minutes and felt alright after. I'll do this 2 more times and then start pushing the speed back up towards 6.2mph (10kmph) at a rate if 0.1mph, it should take 3 months if I'm able to keep it up every week6 -
Slow really is the major key. I ran my first 5K at 4.4mph and I was proud of it. It has been a while now and I have slowly worked up to running at 5.5mph, but it took months to get there.1
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jenniferthomas7 wrote: »Ok I'm back from the gym. I set the speed to 5.0mph with no incline and I was able to run for the whole 30 minutes. I'll try and do it 2 more times this week and then increase the speed by .1mph next week. I'm not so sure I could sing while running but it didn't feel bad either and I felt at the end like I could've kept going and didn't need to stop
Sadly I don't have any kind of personal trainer. After I was done running I took some time to catch my breath and did the weight machines. I'm pretty bad at it but I'll see if I improve or not. I just set them to a weight where I could do at least 10
I'm not sure if my trainers really are running trainers. It was a sports store and the guy said that they are and was talking about how the soles are special shock absorbant ones and how they are resistant to wear and tear
Anyway it doesn't seem like I need to go slower than 5mph since I was able to do the entire 30 minutes and felt alright after. I'll do this 2 more times and then start pushing the speed back up towards 6.2mph (10kmph) at a rate if 0.1mph, it should take 3 months if I'm able to keep it up every week
Glad that you did it! Just don't increase your overall mileage by more than 10% each week.
I strongly do recommend, however, going to a running store and having a gait analysis to buy proper running shoes. You might not have issues now, I get that, but it really should be an investment you make sooner rather than later if you want to keep running. I never thought I needed fancy shoes until I broke down after all the advice I read and instantly, shin/knee/ankle pain that seemed like a "part" of running disappeared- and I was about 100lbs overweight at that point.
Weight training is good to build strength, there are a number of programs in the gaining weight/bodybuilding forum stickies that have some programs if you want to look (from bodyweight to dumbbells/machines to barbells). Here is the link: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
Just remember to ease into whatever you are starting up. Good luck!
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Don't pick an arbitrary speed to work up to. Run to your current level of fitness, whatever that may be. You may never be comfortable at 6.2 mph. Don't worry about it. A lot of people finish marathons doing 13 minute miles. Do more of your runs outside, where you don't have the machine setting the pace, but your body. Keep the pace easy. As soon as you start breathing hard, slow down.
Farther is better than faster, unless you truly expect to win races. When you can consistently run half an hour without puffing and panting, add time to your runs, rather than speed. You will probably find it easier to go faster when you have more miles under your feet but not necessarily. After you can comfortably run at least half an hour for three days a week, add another day. More miles will allow you to improve, but you can only do more miles if you keep the pace slow and easy.5 -
jenniferthomas7 wrote: »Ok I'm back from the gym. I set the speed to 5.0mph with no incline and I was able to run for the whole 30 minutes. I'll try and do it 2 more times this week and then increase the speed by .1mph next week. I'm not so sure I could sing while running but it didn't feel bad either and I felt at the end like I could've kept going and didn't need to stop
Sadly I don't have any kind of personal trainer. After I was done running I took some time to catch my breath and did the weight machines. I'm pretty bad at it but I'll see if I improve or not. I just set them to a weight where I could do at least 10
I'm not sure if my trainers really are running trainers. It was a sports store and the guy said that they are and was talking about how the soles are special shock absorbant ones and how they are resistant to wear and tear
Anyway it doesn't seem like I need to go slower than 5mph since I was able to do the entire 30 minutes and felt alright after. I'll do this 2 more times and then start pushing the speed back up towards 6.2mph (10kmph) at a rate if 0.1mph, it should take 3 months if I'm able to keep it up every week
Increase your distance sometimes, not just your speed0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »jenniferthomas7 wrote: »Ok I'm back from the gym. I set the speed to 5.0mph with no incline and I was able to run for the whole 30 minutes. I'll try and do it 2 more times this week and then increase the speed by .1mph next week. I'm not so sure I could sing while running but it didn't feel bad either and I felt at the end like I could've kept going and didn't need to stop
Sadly I don't have any kind of personal trainer. After I was done running I took some time to catch my breath and did the weight machines. I'm pretty bad at it but I'll see if I improve or not. I just set them to a weight where I could do at least 10
I'm not sure if my trainers really are running trainers. It was a sports store and the guy said that they are and was talking about how the soles are special shock absorbant ones and how they are resistant to wear and tear
Anyway it doesn't seem like I need to go slower than 5mph since I was able to do the entire 30 minutes and felt alright after. I'll do this 2 more times and then start pushing the speed back up towards 6.2mph (10kmph) at a rate if 0.1mph, it should take 3 months if I'm able to keep it up every week
Increase your distance sometimes, not just your speed
This is what I'm working on. ran/walked 8 km on the weekend and did my fastest 5K time so far, not trying.0 -
jenniferthomas7 wrote: »So I read the running section and it's good stuff but nothing that explains why I'm failing so far
I started couch to 5k at the beginning of last year. At the time I was slightly overweight and since then I've reached the middle of my healthy weight range, I'm working at getting to the low end of a healthy weight range since I reason if I get lighter then running should be easier
Anyway I started couch to 5k, it took me 2 weeks to do week 1 but I managed it eventually. Then I couldn't do week 2 so I stayed on week 1 for a couple of months and gradually lost weight til I could do week 3. Got on week 3 and did it barely but then couldn't even do half of week 4. Then I got stuck repeating week 3 for about 9 months and my weight stopped going down after only half a stone. I was also doing weights and situps but never saw any improvement. I didn't know if I was pushing myself too hard or not hard enough, I just lifted what I could handle without too severe exertion, aimed to do at least 10 and stopped when my muscles were burning and came back to do more later when the burning subsided
So I went to slimming world and rearranged my diet, it's mostly protein and salads and high fiber carbs now. I plummeted in weight another 2.5 stone and plateaud about 2 months ago at my current weight. I lost my transport and couldn't go to the gym anymore. I've been running outside at a slow pace and saw a really big improvement as I lost weight and built up from running only 3 minute intervals to being able to run 20 minutes (slowly) without stopping. I finally got transport and went back to the gym thinking I would easily clear week 4. Anyway I got to the final 5 minute running and I was still gasping for air, feeling sick and couldn't do it. Tried again after a couple of days and after reading about running form and breathing and got 2 minutes into the last run before I had to stop but didn't feel sick, just out of breath
So I'm trying to work out why I can't progress to what should be below the standard of an absolute couch potato, if it's my pain tolerance that is too low, if I'm not pushing myself hard enough or if I should be going more slowly
From what I can gather there are 3 states or training that are useful for different types of exercise, aerobic, anaerobic and cardiovascular
So if I'm correct, aerobic is mild exertion of 50-75% of my max heart rate, cardio is 75-90% of my max heart rate and anaerobic is when I go over what my body can manage and I get a stitch because my body is making up for the deficiency with a very inefficient form of respiration called anaerobic.
So which training do I need to do in order to do a 5k run in 30 minutes? If I've understood this right then the running I was doing outdoor was either aerobic training or not fast enough to be even aerobic training, but since I definetly was improving and able to run for longer then I think it must've at least been aerobic. So the running I do on the treadmill at the gym at 10km an hour is cardio then? So does this mean maybe when I first went to the gym my cardio improved but my aerobic was bad so I failed, and now my aerobic is good but my cardio is bad so I'm still failing? I notice when I did PE at school I used to get stitches but since I started exercising again last year I haven't been getting stitches, does this mean I've not been pushing hard enough? Should I be mixing in some sprints? Should I be increasing the incline of my running? Should I be slowing down and running for longer? Or do I just need to push through the pain?
I have a watch which is supposed to measure my pulse but I have no idea how to make it work so I don't know what % of my max heart rate I have been running at
To address your heart rate question. I don't think you are thinking of it completely accurately. The different heart rate zones just tell you how hard your body is working, and you have no way of knowing what zone you are in without taking your heart rate. A lot of exercise is actually done based on heart rate zones. We cannot say if you are pushing yourself hard enough or not, only your body can tell you that. And one of the best ways to tell is by taking your heart rate. There are some fairly inexpensive chest straps out there that will pair with a lot of treadmils and stationary bikes (at least the ones at my gym pair with them) so you can monitor your heart rate the entire time and work on shooting for specific zones. You can also stop and take it manually.2
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