Signed up for a 5K - Ack!

[Raviv]

I have always been able to walk.  My last job had me walking tons because I was reading utility meters.  I got in 10-15 miles most days, whatever the weather (it gets HOT here), and some days were 19 or 20 miles, all at a fairly fast pace.  The walking was punctuated with climbing over block walls or piles of trash, with an occasional sprint from psycho dogs or scary people.  I did that for 6 years, starting when I was 42, up until I got laid off a couple of years ago.  Honestly, walking around all by myself felt pretty good, both physically and mentally.

But running is a completely different thing.  And I've had an office job for a year and a half.

I started going back to the gym in late May, and I was walking 1.5 to 2 miles.  Now I'm up to about 2.25, quitting at that point mostly because I'm bored out of my mind and want to go home.

A couple of weeks ago, I started tossing a little bit of running into the mix.  I started with 1 minute runs every 10 minutes, then up to 1 minute every 5 minutes, and now I'm up to 1.25 minutes every 5 minutes.  I'm trying to get outside, but I'm up at 5am for work already, and it's monsoon season.  Highs over 100F and stormy.  But I do make sure I get out at least one morning on the weekend.  My stamina is a lot better with distractions and changing scenery.

Anyway, to push myself, I signed up for my first ever 5K.  I already know I can walk that far in about 50 minutes.  I can walk/run it in about 45 minutes.  So yeah, I can run, but it's slow.  For now.  I have 2 months to get ready and increase my longevity as far as running.  Bones and joints and muscles are (surprisingly) not my problem.  They're all doing fine.  I'm just out of shape now, so my lungs are the biggest problem at this point.

The only thing that's making me leery is that the race starts at 8:15 and they start giving out awards for my run at 8:45.  As it stands, that's 15 minutes before I even cross the finish line.  It's not like I'd be expecting to get a ribbon my first (or second race) anyway, but I would like to finish before they send out a search party.

[Raviv]

I'm definitely looking at this as a learning experience.  I don't expect to win any medals or anything, but I do look forward to seeing what I need to work on.

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@thethinker wrote:

Remember the race is against yourself, not other people. You are new to this so like anything else, you have to work at it over time

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Interesting that you would say that.  I heartily agree.  I just got my Road ID this past week, and I had "Run your own race" engraved on it.

Thanks for the input!

[Julia_G]

Hi@Raviv, it's great to hear from you! Just to add to what others have said, I have found the best way to improve is to vary speed a little, so you get some interval work. It sounds like your friends were right that you should slow down. But once you can run for 5 minutes or so, I would say spend 30-45 seconds of this running as fast as you can. Gradually build up so your fast interval gets a little longer -- maybe two minutes or so for every 10-15 minutes running. I was taught that doing intervals was the best way to build fitness and it has seemed to work for me. Also, in the walking part of your training, when you are working on a treadmill, try putting the incline up (enough so it challenges your breathng) for a couple of minutes every 10-15 minutes. That also would help build aerobic fitness. Good luck with the 5k! Keep us posted on your progress!

[Raviv]

I was actually just thinking that some interval work would help with my lungs and maybe even help my muscles get up to par a little faster.  Thanks!

[Missyjx]

congratulations and iwish you all the best of luck, just keep doing what your doing and it will really help, but do make sure you get outside for runs, you may find you run differently outside compared to on a treadmill. Happy running and keep us updated!

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@Raviv wrote:

I have always been able to walk.  My last job had me walking tons because I was reading utility meters.  I got in 10-15 miles most days, whatever the weather (it gets HOT here), and some days were 19 or 20 miles, all at a fairly fast pace.  The walking was punctuated with climbing over block walls or piles of trash, with an occasional sprint from psycho dogs or scary people.  I did that for 6 years, starting when I was 42, up until I got laid off a couple of years ago.  Honestly, walking around all by myself felt pretty good, both physically and mentally.

But running is a completely different thing.  And I've had an office job for a year and a half.

I started going back to the gym in late May, and I was walking 1.5 to 2 miles.  Now I'm up to about 2.25, quitting at that point mostly because I'm bored out of my mind and want to go home.

A couple of weeks ago, I started tossing a little bit of running into the mix.  I started with 1 minute runs every 10 minutes, then up to 1 minute every 5 minutes, and now I'm up to 1.25 minutes every 5 minutes.  I'm trying to get outside, but I'm up at 5am for work already, and it's monsoon season.  Highs over 100F and stormy.  But I do make sure I get out at least one morning on the weekend.  My stamina is a lot better with distractions and changing scenery.

Anyway, to push myself, I signed up for my first ever 5K.  I already know I can walk that far in about 50 minutes.  I can walk/run it in about 45 minutes.  So yeah, I can run, but it's slow.  For now.  I have 2 months to get ready and increase my longevity as far as running.  Bones and joints and muscles are (surprisingly) not my problem.  They're all doing fine.  I'm just out of shape now, so my lungs are the biggest problem at this point.

The only thing that's making me leery is that the race starts at 8:15 and they start giving out awards for my run at 8:45.  As it stands, that's 15 minutes before I even cross the finish line.  It's not like I'd be expecting to get a ribbon my first (or second race) anyway, but I would like to finish before they send out a search party.

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Lifes not about waiting for the storm to pass its about learning to dance in the rain.
 

[Raviv]

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@Missyjx wrote:

congratulations and iwish you all the best of luck, just keep doing what your doing and it will really help, but do make sure you get outside for runs, you may find you run differently outside compared to on a treadmill. Happy running and keep us updated!

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Oh, definitely.  I workout on the way home from work, and it's 105F-110F here, smack dab in the middle of monsoon season, so not even a dry heat.

So twice a week I'm on the treadmill because it's the hottest part of the day.  But on Saturday or Sunday morning, I always go for a run in the morning.  I also try to include some unpaved areas as well as whatever small hill I can find.

Treadmills are SO far from reality!

[tally_]

I agree about the speed issue. You're maxing out your heart rate. I've been doing 2 min walking/2 min jog intervals to try to get myself up to the point where I can jog a 5K. When I started my walk is a 3.5 and my jog is a 4.1. I have a Charge HR and I don't let my HR go above 160. Gradually I've been increasing the duration and speed of my jog to a 1.5 min walk/2.5 min jog at 3.5 and 4.5. The key is that my heart rate doesn't spike. 

[Raviv]

Yeah, slowing down really did help quite a bit.  I did my first 20-minute solid run (no walking) Thursday, so I'm getting up there.  I usually do my run at a slower pace, like around a 13 minute mile, then do about 5 minutes of walking when I'm done with the run, then sprint (well, for ME it's a sprint...) at around a 9 or 10 minute mile pace for as long as I can, which isn't very long - usually around a minute.  Then I do the full cool down.

I'm right on track for the 5K next month, then I have another in November and a 10K in December.  I also added another 5K in October, but I'm just walking that one because I'll have my boyfriend with me. Trying to get him hooked on running.  😉  It benefits a really good charity or I would probably just skip it, but I think once he sees how fun the whole community is, he'll want to join in.

And my son, who has been distance running for several years, heard I wanted to run a really gorgeous half marathon, so he said he would run it with me, but that's not for a year and a half.