So, here's the deal. My friend bet me that he could complete an Iron Man triathlon competition before I could win any 5k. Well, it is now my duty to prove him wrong. I've found a sanctioned 5k race in podunk Pryor, Oklahoma that takes place on September 27th this year. I can't imagine that there will be a lot of good competition there, which is why I picked it. Here's the site: http://pryorfeverrun.com/ Now my vitals and other pertinent information. I'm about 6'0" 165. My best mile times (I've never run a 5k) were in high school at about 6 minutes. I'm now a senior in college and I haven't run much since high school, only here and there since I got the Nike+ system. I don't look it but I'm pretty out of shape right now. Today, I ran 1.77 miles in 15 minutes. That's not even close to getting it done and I realize that, although I don't really know what a winning 5k time is like. I think I need to go about another 1.33 miles in the same amount of time. So, I've got about 162 days to get myself into 5k winning shape. That's where I need your help. I've got no idea what kind of training regimen I should be on or what kind of times I should be shooting for. Any advice from people who have participated in any 5ks or similar events would be greatly appreciated. I want that trophy, or ribbon, or medal, or whatever they give. Thanks in advance.
I'm no expert, but what comes to mind first is just increasing the distance you run every time you go out. The great thing about running for the most part is you can do it almost every day!
considering 5k is what 3.25 miles or something? i would just work on running as fast as you can for as long as possible and work your way up to 3 miles. jogging for 10 miles wont help. unless you do long distance one day next day sprints... back and forth. no secret to training for running besides to... RUN
Thanks dntrwl and DOMINATOR. Yeah, I figure just running consistently each day can go a long way, but I really want to maximize my training time.
Just take it one day at a time. I think you could probably see a relatively drastic increase in time in the next few days or weeks once you get your body used to it. I think getting to six minute miles is a good goal to start out with. I started jogging again after like a 6 month hiatus. First day I slugged along at 11 minute miles. About a week later I was doing 7 minute miles. Can't do that every day, but I think it's pretty good for someone 30 lbs overweight. I would suggest jogging at least 3 miles every time you go out to jog(every day, if your body can handle it). Go slow if you have to, just to finish. Then just keep trying to improve your time. I just have a set playlist on my mp3 and I run through the whole thing trying to get further and further in that allotted amount of time. Helps me a lot to increase the intensity.
Coming from a retired college track runner the best advice I can give you is improving your cardio, dieting and pacing yourself. You can't just wake up one day and be like "Hey, I feel like running 3 miles today!" It sounds like you're well aware of that. Working on your cardio is very important. That's where your endurance comes from. Pacing yourself and building that up is the source of a distance runner's strength. If you train your lungs and heart to sustain that type of activity for periods of time your endurance will gradually increase. It just takes time to achieve that. Dieting is important for obvious reasons. Try to eliminate unnecessary fats and sugars from your diet. I'd definitely recommend using protein and multivitamin.
I'd guess you'd need at least a sub-7 minute mile if you're serious about finishing first. Fit runners can finish these in 15-20 minutes. I'd recommend: A regime of 2 or 3 weekday runs (2 to 4 miles each), casual pace with one run being a "fast" run. 1 weekend run, timed (wristwatch is fine) with maintaining pace the goal. Start with a half mile, and increase it by a quarter or half mile each week until you are up to 4 miles. If you get all the way up to 4 with weeks to spare, start over at a half mile with a tougher pace and work back up at half mile increments. Yes, that was 4 miles not 3. You'll discover that the actual event ALWAYS takes more out of you than training. You're less relaxed, you're dealing with others as you go, and you can run out of energy faster. Besides that, go on a semi-diet. Ease off on junk food, alcohol, and caffeine. Evan
I don't think you have a remote chance of winning if you haven't been training already. Generally, the person who will win would have sprinted the whole way. You are competing against people who take running very seriously.
I went to a 5K in Victoria, TX. It was for charity and sanctioned. A lot of families, and a lot of people walked. The bad thing for you, and what I noticed, a lot of high school coaches send their middle and long distance runners to these things for the free training and competition practice. There were also several full time runners there trying to train for qualifying races. So even if you go to podunk, nowehere, you might run in to somebody practicing for a long run, or a bunch of high school track guys. With that being said, some amateur folks finished very close to first with no training...just normal everyday jogging about 2 months before.
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I am a competitive runner and usually place in my age group (45 - 50). Training for a 5k is a complex subject, but you can find plenty of information on the web (runnersworld.com and coolrunning.com have plenty of forums with long threads about training for 5k's with specific running programs). That said, some basic pointers. Increase your training gradually, no more than 10% a week. To run fast, you have to run fast - in other words, interval work. It's no fun, but it is critical. Work your way up to speed work twice a week. The most important key is picking the race you run. You are on the right track - try to find a race that will not have a competitive field. Two weeks ago, I ran in a 5K on Sunday and placed 5th out of 1000+ runners. The exact same time in a more competitive race on Saturday would have placed me 50th. Try insiderunning.com for a listing of events in your area. Good luck and keep us posted.
Thanks guys. This is some great stuff. baller4life- Thanks for the info man. I happen to have some whey protein and some centrum. Should I take the whey after I run? How much? emjohn- I found a site with winning times for all of the 5k races around here. Most of the winners are in that 15-20 min range that you said. Some are actually closer to 20 than 15. Hopefully, that's the case in Pryor. http://www.okrunner.com/results/searchable.html Crisco- Yeah, the mp3 player is a godsend. You should try the Nike+ if you haven't already. It gives you your stats real time through the headphones. Brightside- I don't think its an all out sprint the whole way. It is a pretty quick pace though.
Well, practice will help, but winning it will be tough if you don't flat out sprint the thing and do a 5 minute mile...I can do a 8 min no problem, but I half azz it... I would suggest short sprints that build up to sprinting a mile...
i agree, i mean you seem to understand what it will take...but the problem is how long you have been running. i think you'll be surprised how how many long distance runners will be there to run. i would think a lot runners training for marathons and such use these 5k type events for practice and gauge where they're at. there will be a lot of experienced runners.
