I know, not much distance, but i'm a beginner so it's a start. Not my first time to run though, I first ran at about 14 months old. This is however my first "competitive" type run. I've been doing 5-6 miles a week for awhile so this will be a bit of a stretch for me as far as distance (all at one time.) Again I'm a beginner. I've got 4 weeks to the race. Any runners w/ any good advice?
Get a good solid pair of running shoes. There's a store near Memorial (like fatty suggested) called Finish Strong Sports that will fit you out for free.
I was a cross country runner in High School. The thing about distance running is that it is mostly mental. Just keep telling yourself don't stop, and you will make it. Remember to keep a steady pace, you will catch up to those who sprint ahead. And then just focus on passing them one by one. My first 5k time was 26:55 on a flat course, but I had never run more than a mile before. In four months I was running them in under 21 minutes. I'd go ahead and try to run a few practice 5ks and then some. In preparing for a 5k I usually tried doing about 4 miles a day. Two days before the race I would do a light 2 miles, and then a light 1 mile the day before. If you are going to be doing a lot more running, make sure you visit a runner's store and get some premium shoes. Its really important to preserve your knees/back. And make sure you sprint to the finish line. I always pick it up in the last half to quarter mile and full out sprint the last 1/8th. You'll feel like you are going to die at the end.
Thanks guys! I'm in Austin, but thanks for the replies. Got great shoes and a decent place to run, looking for training tips, experience advice, etc. My guess is besides "Run." and "Don't die." There's not much other can say though.
Speaking of running 5Ks. I used to run memorial park at least 2-3 times a week. I had a decent 5K time, about 24 minutes at my best.. but normally around 26-28. Now after taking an extended break from running and doing nothing but cycling, swimming, and yoga, I've found that now I can only run about a half mile or at best a mile before my left IT Band just absolutely locks up.... I've never had this problem before and it is really worrying me since I signed up for the half marathon in January. I bought an ITB strap but it doesnt help at all... does anybody have any advice?
Thanks a million juice! Very helpful. I feel that if I up my distance, keep a steady pace and not worry about my timing, as a first timer it's a good place to start, eh?
Its been so long since I've been a runner that I can't remember all the websites I used to get workouts from. Active.com is a good start though. Our HS workouts featured doing distance running 3 days a week, sprints one day, and hills one day. I really suggest doing at least the hills part. If you can find a big/long hill and sprint up it, and practice running down it.
The first time is more about finishing then anything. Don't walk even if you have to do such a slow jog that isn't really an faster. Once you start walking, its hard not to keep walking. Hopefully you stick with it. I really regretted it when I quit running after HS. It's actually really fun. And I don't know how old you are, but if you ever start doing 10ks and longer, you'll find it easier to place in your age group/overall. 15-19 & 20-24 are brutal age groups for the 5k(those are just fairly standard groupings in races I have done, but all were in GA).
I ran several races last year but haven't been running this year. I second the advice about getting good shoes. I ran in highschool but quit in my late 20's because my knees were taking too much of a pounding. I got back into it last year with some new shoes that made a huge difference. If you've been running 4-6 miles a 5K should be no problem. Just make sure you stay hydrated and keep a good pace. If you are a guy here is one trick that I do to keep my pace up. I find a good looking girl who is running a decent pace and follow her. Nothing keeps my pace up than following a nice set of toned legs and buns its like a donkey with a carrot dangling in front of it. Now for the ladies feel free to try this strategy with a good looking guy and the nice thing about a road race is that there are lots of great bodies to pace off of.
do interval training: run flat out for 10 seconds, then jog for 30 seconds, repeat until you've done your 5k. do this for a few times, and increase to; run flat out for 15 seconds, then jog for 25 seconds, repeat until you've done your 5k. ...
http://www.dailyruns.com/ http://running.about.com/od/racetraining/a/first5K.htm http://www.runningplanet.com/training/5K-training.html http://www.distance-running-tips.com/5K-running-tips.html These website have some useful info. i ran a 10k and used a hybrid of what some of these site recommended. I enjoyed, and found useful, the sprinting 400 meters, then light jogging 400 meters. It really seemed to help with my speed. And for a 5 K, speed is the key....running 6 miles to practice is nice, but that won't necessarily get your speed up. Get there early and make sure to line up in the right time section. You don't want to be stuck behind people who run a slower pace with you. Also, watch your speed early. It's easy to get caught up in adrenaline and go faster than your natural pace. Then again, you don't have to worry about getting burned out in a 5 k
Whoops. I misread your post as thinking you've been doing 5-6 miles each run not total for the week. In that case a 5K might be a stretch but not too much. Its only 3.1 miles. Try running that distance once and see how you feel. I would recommend starting slow and then picking up the pace once you get into rythm.
That's actually how I became a good runner. My girl I was sleeping with was defending region champ, and her twin sister also made all county. I joined the team my junior year because I enjoyed watching them run. Too bad most of the high school sanctioned races were either staggered, or ran at separate times. Worked well during practice and the other races we ran in. Some of the best practices involved very little running.
http://www.halhigdon.com/5K Training/5-Knovice.htm i used this site for my 10K training. think about it this way, just about anyone can finish a 5K, even if you walk it. it's just how well you want do do and what goals you set for yourself. i've done several 5K (i'm not fast at all) averaging 31 min or so. fastest was 29 min, 41 sec, but have had a few at 32 min, 30 sec or so. i did one 10K (loved it!) at 1 hr, 3 min a few years ago and felt great! my first goal was to complete it, second goal was to run the whole thing (no walking or stopping) and third goal was to finish under 1 hour and 15 minutes. i did it! like others said, good running shoes go a long way!! and sticking to a training schedule and having an option for rainy days. i did sign up for the half marathon next year so i'm nervous about that. good luck!
interval training builds endurance, that's the whole point of it. all the good runners i've talked to suggested it to me. the sprints help you increase your lung capacity, and let you build up your endurance quickly.
We did those interval workouts in Cross Country practice, so they must offer some benefit, but we certainly didn't do that most days. Usually those were on sprint days.
another thing i'd suggest is that if you intend to run a race of 5k, then for your practice runs, do 6k. that way, you can increase your speed during the 5k. when i first started out running, i ran 5.5k and my best time was 26 minutes and 40. now I run 6.2k and my best time is 26 minutes and 34. if you feel that you are not improving much on the same distance, you should increase the distance by 10% and try to finish it in the same amount of time.