Experienced runners: tips for a beginner

GoodnightJulia
GoodnightJulia Posts: 22 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all,

So I recently ran a 3.6 mile race for fun, having not really trained. I'm fairly fit and exercise regularly but I'm not a runner, just occasionally will do the odd mile as a warm-up and maybe jog a 5k once a month.

Anyway the race was a lot of fun and I finished in 30 mins, obviously not very fast but I was pretty happy with it. And I figured if I actually trained I could be reasonably fast; my endurance is decent so I'm thinking 10k or half marathon is my target.

So for the last 3 weeks I've been running a lot. Each week I've done 3 easy-paced 5k's, 1 interval run 30 second sprint/60 second light jog for about 2 miles, one 4 mile where I push the pace every other mile, and one long run 6-8 miles right now.

So I'm in the 20-25 mile/week range, and so far so good, nothing feels painful and I've only tried to eat everything in my house once (hopefully got that under control because I'm trying to lose a bit of weight haha).

Given that I feel good, have I started at an appropriate mileage? Online sources suggest this might be a little too much, but should I trust my body or am I setting myself up for a crash/higher risk of injury in the near future? I also lift weights 3-4 sessions/week. What are your experiences increasing mileage in the beginning?

Thanks!

Replies

  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    That's a very tough schedule to start though it seems like you're handling it OK (pain, etc. usually would have manifested by now if it was way too much). I might think about dropping one of your speed workouts and adding another rest day or light recovery run, at least for now.

    Running is definitely about cumulative fatigue and that kind of schedule could eventually catch up with you. I'd probably pattern your training schedule off an established 10K plan. You don't have to follow the plan 1:1, but you can carry forward some of the principles to your schedule (that is, frequency of rest, spacing of speedwork vs. long run, etc.)
  • keithwp99
    keithwp99 Posts: 83 Member
    I would tend to agree with DX. 25 mile per week is rather high for a beginner. 3 weeks is not enough time to judge your fitness You might suffer an injury in 3 mos or 6. Look at sleep and rest to help you too. Look at strength and core training on your off days. Build yourself a base. Running is all about consistency -- not just the running either.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    edited November 2017
    GoodnightJulia wrote: »
    am I setting myself up for a crash/higher risk of injury in the near future?

    Probably.

    Generally a coach designing a 10K or HM plan wouldn't increase total weekly mileage more than about 10% per week for a new runner. I also wouldn't set the long to be more than 20-25% of total weekly mileage, and for a new runner I definitely wouldn't include speed work. I wouldn't put a new runner into more than three sessions per week either.

    The snag with an overuse injury, which is most likely, is that when it hits you it'll put you out of commission for 6-8 weeks at least.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    Agreed that it seems like high mileage for a beginner. It sounds like you are running 5 days a week, but I would recommend running only every other day for most beginners. You'll probably also get lots of people asking you whether you were properly fitted for running shoes, so let me be the first to say it...make sure you go to a running store and get fitted for shoes! Otherwise you may be setting yourself up not just for an overuse injury, but other injuries as well. When I first started to increase mileage after finishing C25K, I promptly injured my knee, in part because I didn't have the correct shoes.
  • GoodnightJulia
    GoodnightJulia Posts: 22 Member
    Thanks all for the advice! It's hard for me to put the breaks on something I want to do, definitely, especially if I feel capable - but also I wouldn't want to be totally out of commission for very long. This idea of cumulative fatigue is definitely something I have to remind myself of - I see it with my lifting regimen and martial arts also, there will be weeks of feeling great, and then a week where I've just run out of gas and need to take a break.

    I did get professionally fitted for running shoes! After about 2 runs in my usual gym sneakers I knew those weren't going to cut it. I absolutely love the new ones. They feel like clouds or something. Or as close to clouds as repeatedly hitting the road can be haha.
  • rsergeant79
    rsergeant79 Posts: 45 Member
    That's a pretty steep mileage for only 3 weeks in - be careful as I developed PF training for my first half which I actually had to drop out of - I was seriously gutted! Keep your long and interval run and maybe a couple of easy paced 5ks and take it from there?
  • GoodnightJulia
    GoodnightJulia Posts: 22 Member
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »

    The snag with an overuse injury, which is most likely, is that when it hits you it'll put you out of commission for 6-8 weeks at least.

    Thanks for the training plan advice, I'll look into restructuring it a bit. I have read before that beginners generally shouldn't incorporate speedwork, I just figured my overall fitness level is good (I strength train and do martial arts, other high-intensity work), so I'd be okay provided these sessions were kept short. Maybe I should shorten them a bit more for now.

    Also I've read around and about that you're a very experienced runner, what are some of the early warning signs of overuse? I mean, sometimes I get general muscle soreness (usually after leg day), and then I take some extra rest. Would an overuse injury feel similar early on? I imagine it's not just like, nothing and then one day bam! Torn ACL. But maybe I'm wrong. That's scary.

    So, can you usually feel these coming on, what are some of the earlier signs, and would RICE principles generally apply if you seem to be developing one?
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,445 Member
    The problem is being fit in one sport does not make you fit in another. It takes time for your muscles, ligaments, and tendons to adjust to running. Nothing emulates running other than running. Take it slow.

    Usually the first sign of an overuse injury happens when you walk down the stairs a few hours after a run and you knee suddenly says 'STOP". Been there, done that. I had no idea it was going to happen until it was already too late.

    Good luck.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    edited November 2017
    The first sign of an overuse injury is usually the Pain indicating you have acquired the injury. And then it’s yours - like your loser brother in law who was going to crash on your couch for a weekend but you’re still looking at him in his underwear in front of your fridge every morning 4 years later. You notice it once it’s there. And by then-it’s there. And you can’t really “work through it” other than rest (which may also include not doing other activties depending on what the injury is).

    Since so many of us have been there, that’s why the overwhelming advice is to do all you can to prevent the injury in the first place. Which means doing much less than almost everyone wants to do. And it’s even more difficult for someone who already has an established fitness level and has the aerobic capacity and fitness to run much, much more than his/her legs have been conditioned to run.

    Listen to MM (et al). You’re running a LOT for someone at 3 weeks in. Build slowly. No-slower. No-slower. Look at established training plans for 5k-10k. Follow that and Don’t skip 7 weeks ahead. Build a running base. Let your tendons/ligaments/muscles/etc safely build up to the stresses of running. Can’t run at all if you’re in a boot from a stress fracture, or nursing plantar fasciitis or ITBS or runner’s knee or a whole host of other things.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    edited November 2017
    GoodnightJulia wrote: »
    Also I've read around and about that you're a very experienced runner, what are some of the early warning signs of overuse? I mean, sometimes I get general muscle soreness (usually after leg day), and then I take some extra rest. Would an overuse injury feel similar early on? I imagine it's not just like, nothing and then one day bam! Torn ACL. But maybe I'm wrong. That's scary.

    My focus is long distance and I've been running seriously for about five years. My running hasn't been as consistent this year as I've had a protracted illness, but I've done three marathons and two ultras this season, with another marathon next month and a half next weekend. I am studying coaching at the moment though.

    As far as overuse injury is concerned, there are a number of different potential issues; foot, ankle, lower leg, knee, upper leg, hip and back. They've all got different symptoms, though the majority are chronic like shin-splints rather than acute like an ACL tear.

    The problem you've got is that once you start to notice the symptoms you're too late to mitigate it. RICE may or may not apply, depending on the problem.
  • SchweddyGirl
    SchweddyGirl Posts: 244 Member
    A rule of thumb for new runners is you generally don't add dedicated speed workouts until around the 6 month mark (for some a year) beginning with strides. Most beginners develop speed naturally over the first year, so you should naturally be experiencing PRs in your 5K times. If you are wanting to incorporate "speed work" while still keeping it easy then do your runs on a hilly course once a week...maintain effort not speed. Hills are speed work in disguise.
  • GoodnightJulia
    GoodnightJulia Posts: 22 Member
    SchweddyGirl wrote: »
    A rule of thumb for new runners is you generally don't add dedicated speed workouts until around the 6 month mark (for some a year) beginning with strides. Most beginners develop speed naturally over the first year, so you should naturally be experiencing PRs in your 5K times. If you are wanting to incorporate "speed work" while still keeping it easy then do your runs on a hilly course once a week...maintain effort not speed. Hills are speed work in disguise.

    Great advice! I gravitated towards doing that in the last week, actually - rather than slow up on this hills like I was doing I tried to keep my pace. And uphill is easier on joints - you're right, I'll treat those as my speed work.

    Of course, where I live a "hilly course" is just every route; I have to work to find flatter areas. So I won't do this on every hill, I guess?

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