looking for advice

giles27
giles27 Posts: 5 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I've recently started running/walking 5 kms a day. I have a fitness test coming up for work, so my goal is quite specific. I need to be able to do 3.2km in 30 minutes while packing 25 pounds. I'm 5'3", and about 145 pounds, 43 years old. I've lead an active life but I'm not currently very fit. I've worked up to doing 5 kilometers in around 48 minutes over the last two weeks. Yesterday I added a ten pound pack and did the 5 kms in 52 minutes. I have three weeks to keep hitting it hard and I'm wondering how much is too much. My legs are pretty rubbery by the end of the 5kms and fairly sore the next day. Is it okay to continue to push through that? In the last two weeks there's only been one day that I haven't done the 5 kms. I'm also doing some light work at home with planking and sit ups.

Replies

  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    You're already doing 3x the distance. Maybe decrease that to no more than 2x the distance and try the 10lbs. If it's easy and doesn't affect you as much, add weight to the pack. Take rest days, up the weight slowly. Have you tried the 25lbs for 2km? You may be close to being able to do it now. As far as being able to support the weight in a pack you need good core strength and leg strength. Work on your core and legs when not doing your walks/runs.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,247 Member
    I would try to be more specific as to the training. You don`t run farther than a marathon to train for one nor should you necessarily be going farther than the specified distance if that is the main goal you`re working towards.

    2km in 30 minutes (unweighted) would be a fairly leisurely walking speed, my advice would be to walk the distance briskly with increasing amounts of weight (maybe with some short running intervals but they`re not necessary to meet the requirement)

    The good thing about walking is that you`re very unlikely to injure yourself whereas running every day is not recommended unless you`re a seasoned runner.
  • giles27
    giles27 Posts: 5 Member
    edited February 2018
    I've been doing 5 km because that's the distance of the path I have to use, and because the other employer that I might have to fitness test for requires 4.8 kms in 45 minutes, so I'm trying to prepare for either possibility. Because I'm short I actually can't walk 3.2km in 30 minutes without a little bit of running lol.
    I haven't yet carried more than 10 pounds, I'm trying to be careful about too much weight too quickly because I'm inclined to jump in with both feet and don't want to hurt myself. I don't think I could carry the 25 pounds that far at this point, I'm pretty wiped by the time I get back with only 10 pounds on.
    Is it ok to do it every day? How do you know when you muscles need a rest, or do they really need that? The one day I did take off, it was actually harder when I went back to it than when I do it every day.
  • giles27
    giles27 Posts: 5 Member
    I just realized that I said 2 km in 30, it's actually 3.2 kms. I'll fix the post.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    giles27 wrote: »
    How do you know when you muscles need a rest

    A slowing pace and/or feeling tired throughout the day. Daily is fine if you feel fine.
    Make sure to get enough sleep, and eat enough protein & calories.
    Let us know how it goes. :+1:
  • giles27
    giles27 Posts: 5 Member
    edited February 2018
    Thank you. I rarely feel tired but most days my thigh muscles are pretty sore, sore enough that I couldn't squat down without holding something. But they usually feel better again after I've gotten out and gone for my walk/run. My calorie intake is probably pretty low but I do eat a lot of protein.
  • jc1961AA
    jc1961AA Posts: 283 Member
    Don't forget to stretch before and after your runs/walks, worth spending 10mins doing it. No sure what you use to carry the extra weight, but make sure that it is well suited/fitted for you too
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,851 Member
    Maybe try one day farther and faster and the next not as far but with more weight. You use different muscles when you're carrying weight, so it will give your back and shoulder muscles a break. You can walk every day. That shouldn't hurt.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 38,126 Community Helper
    As a fellow short(ish) person (5'5", so a tad taller, but also nearly 20 years older), I'm going to throw in a personal experience. I don't know whether may help; it may depend on personal circumstances.

    A while back, I started working to get better glute engagement while walking: Trying to contract the gluteals as part of raising my leg on each side. Speed was not at all in my mind, just making better friends with my glutes, and seeing whether it would reduce stress on my bad knee (it did, instantly, BTW).

    What I also found was that it automagically increased my walking speed, on average during a 4-mile (6.4k) walk, from 3.7-3.8mph (6-6.1kph) to 4-4.1 mph (6.4-6.6kph) without trying to increase speed at all. (Speed measured by Garmin, not clock time, BTW.) I think the speed increase came from shorter strides with a faster cadence (that part is subjective perception).

    There was discussion on another thread about short people and walking/running speed where others reported similar experiences, i.e., that a shorter stride led - counter-intuitively - to faster speed.

    The larger point is that speed is affected not only by strength, conditioning, height (or leg length), and effort, but also by technical factors. Since one of your tests is weighted, I assume you'd prefer to walk vs. run (less joint impact).

    It might be helpful to see if any running stores in your area offer stride assessment or technique clinics (some in my mid-sized city offer both walking and running versions regularly, usually just a couple hours on some evening). It might be helpful even to seek out some YouTube videos about walk/run speed technique, since your deadline is coming up soon.

    Good luck!
  • giles27
    giles27 Posts: 5 Member
    Great tips thanks everyone!
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