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Was running a 13.5 minute mile...

imagep

imagep

Villiage Idiot
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Was running a 13.5 minute mile five or six weeks ago when I first decided to start running, I'm down to 9:05 for a mile this morning.

I've been alternating between running 1 mile (plus a few minutes of walking to cool down), and trying to run a little more of that 5k in 24 minutes (my goal time for a complete 5K). I'm up to 2.4 miles in 24 minutes, so thats averaging about 10 minutes a mile over an extended run, and I think I could complete a 5k in maybe 32-33 minutes at the most.

So what's my next step in my quest to run a 5k (and place in my age group in a medium size race)? I think I've made great progress, so do I just keep doing what I've already been doing, or is there some tricks or tips? One thing I know that I need is a pair of real running shoes - from a real running gear store where they can match my shoes to my running style.
 
If I am not mistaken

Southern democrat is the guy to ask her is either a very avid runner or cyclist.
 
imagep said:
Was running a 13.5 minute mile five or six weeks ago when I first decided to start running, I'm down to 9:05 for a mile this morning.

I've been alternating between running 1 mile (plus a few minutes of walking to cool down), and trying to run a little more of that 5k in 24 minutes (my goal time for a complete 5K). I'm up to 2.4 miles in 24 minutes, so thats averaging about 10 minutes a mile over an extended run, and I think I could complete a 5k in maybe 32-33 minutes at the most.

So what's my next step in my quest to run a 5k (and place in my age group in a medium size race)? I think I've made great progress, so do I just keep doing what I've already been doing, or is there some tricks or tips? One thing I know that I need is a pair of real running shoes - from a real running gear store where they can match my shoes to my running style.
Click to expand...

If you want to build endurance and stamina, go on longer runs.

I typically do 7:30 - 8:00 minute miles and run 9-12 miles every other night. If you want to increase endurance just set a specific time per mile and a specific distance and build from there.

Played soccer in college and I've always been pretty astute at running long distance even when out of shape. This has worked for me though :).
 
imagep said:
Was running a 13.5 minute mile five or six weeks ago when I first decided to start running, I'm down to 9:05 for a mile this morning.

I've been alternating between running 1 mile (plus a few minutes of walking to cool down), and trying to run a little more of that 5k in 24 minutes (my goal time for a complete 5K). I'm up to 2.4 miles in 24 minutes, so thats averaging about 10 minutes a mile over an extended run, and I think I could complete a 5k in maybe 32-33 minutes at the most.

So what's my next step in my quest to run a 5k (and place in my age group in a medium size race)? I think I've made great progress, so do I just keep doing what I've already been doing, or is there some tricks or tips? One thing I know that I need is a pair of real running shoes - from a real running gear store where they can match my shoes to my running style.
Click to expand...

I was a competitive runner in high school and college, but not since I broke my back... do hill work outs. We did them all the time. Great for endurance. Builds up the muscles... works the lungs... I still do that since I can't do distance. Run up the hills and walk down them. Do that for an hour. sprint them... don't jog them. SPRINT!
 
imagep said:
Was running a 13.5 minute mile five or six weeks ago when I first decided to start running, I'm down to 9:05 for a mile this morning.

I've been alternating between running 1 mile (plus a few minutes of walking to cool down), and trying to run a little more of that 5k in 24 minutes (my goal time for a complete 5K). I'm up to 2.4 miles in 24 minutes, so thats averaging about 10 minutes a mile over an extended run, and I think I could complete a 5k in maybe 32-33 minutes at the most.

So what's my next step in my quest to run a 5k (and place in my age group in a medium size race)? I think I've made great progress, so do I just keep doing what I've already been doing, or is there some tricks or tips? One thing I know that I need is a pair of real running shoes - from a real running gear store where they can match my shoes to my running style.
Click to expand...

What's your age group?

The last sanctioned 5k I ran I placed 4th in my age group. I was 53 years old at the time.
I think my time was 25 minutes and some seconds.

When I train for a set distance and time goal, I set reasonable goals on myself.

I try to train on a very regular basis.
I try to increase the distance I run by about a 1/10 to 2/10 a mile per week. (I typically train on a treadmill)

I will make one day, usually the Saturday session, the day to increase my distance, then use my other runs to try to match that distance.

The worst thing to do is to be in a giant hurry to increase things. Good way to injure yourself and have to take a break.
I find that I can lose months of endurance work by only missing a week or two of steady running.

Set reasonable goals for each week. Kinda like trying to lose weight. Slow and steady.

In Delaware there's a website that lists all the sanctioned running events for the year. They also post results from previous races.
I can easily see what times are being run by people in my age group. Perhaps you can find a similar site for your area.

I'd guess that for sure, to place in a race, you'd need to be under 25 minutes for the 5k. (a lot depends on your age)
 
Koke said:
If you want to build endurance and stamina, go on longer runs.

I typically do 7:30 - 8:00 minute miles and run 9-12 miles every other night. If you want to increase endurance just set a specific time per mile and a specific distance and build from there.

Played soccer in college and I've always been pretty astute at running long distance even when out of shape. This has worked for me though :).
Click to expand...

Is it better to run every other day, or every day? I've been running five or six days a week.
 
Bodhisattva said:
I was a competitive runner in high school and college, but not since I broke my back... do hill work outs. We did them all the time. Great for endurance. Builds up the muscles... works the lungs... I still do that since I can't do distance. Run up the hills and walk down them. Do that for an hour. sprint them... don't jog them. SPRINT!
Click to expand...

One of the 5k runs that I've considered is in a place that is very hilly, almost mountainous, so that's probably a great idea. I'm also doing weight training 5 or 6 days a week, so that's helping build up the leg muscles, along with everything else.
 
imagep said:
Is it better to run every other day, or every day? I've been running five or six days a week.
Click to expand...

It's my personal opinion that you need rest days in-between running days.
Running is very hard on your joints and bones.

You can do other exercises on the non-run days. Weights. Swimming.

Stretch a lot though. Stretch. A. Lot.

I'd never recommend running every day.
Especially if you're over 40 years old.

(I know - you didn't ask me) :mrgreen:
 
Dragonfly said:
What's your age group?

The last sanctioned 5k I ran I placed 4th in my age group. I was 53 years old at the time.
I think my time was 25 minutes and some seconds.

When I train for a set distance and time goal, I set reasonable goals on myself.

I try to train on a very regular basis.
I try to increase the distance I run by about a 1/10 to 2/10 a mile per week. (I typically train on a treadmill)

I will make one day, usually the Saturday session, the day to increase my distance, then use my other runs to try to match that distance.

The worst thing to do is to be in a giant hurry to increase things. Good way to injure yourself and have to take a break.
I find that I can lose months of endurance work by only missing a week or two of steady running.

Set reasonable goals for each week. Kinda like trying to lose weight. Slow and steady.

In Delaware there's a website that lists all the sanctioned running events for the year. They also post results from previous races.
I can easily see what times are being run by people in my age group. Perhaps you can find a similar site for your area.

I'd guess that for sure, to place in a race, you'd need to be under 25 minutes for the 5k. (a lot depends on your age)
Click to expand...

I'm 52, will still be 52 when I enter my first run this fall. Yea, I was shooting for a 24 minute 5k because when I looked at results of several mid size races, that's what I would need to do to place in the top 3 in my age group.

That may be unrealistic though, I smoked for 25 years (quit a few years ago) and I will only have about 6 mths run training before I do my first run in the fall. I ran a 9:05 mile this morning, so I've cut a lot of time off my first mile, but I realize it's going to get harder and harder to reduce my one mile time and to increase the length that I'm running in 24 minutes.
 
imagep said:
I'm 52, will still be 52 when I enter my first run this fall. Yea, I was shooting for a 24 minute 5k because when I looked at results of several mid size races, that's what I would need to do to place in the top 3 in my age group.

That may be unrealistic though, I smoked for 25 years (quit a few years ago) and I will only have about 6 mths run training before I do my first run in the fall. I ran a 9:05 mile this morning, so I've cut a lot of time off my first mile, but I realize it's going to get harder and harder to reduce my one mile time and to increase the length that I'm running in 24 minutes.
Click to expand...

Setting a goal of finishing top 3 in a 5k is fine, but I wouldn't make that the goal for the first race ever.

Just run the race. Have fun. Large group races are a ton of fun.

Consider that most over-50's can't walk 3 miles let alone jog/run them

Any finish in under 30 minutes sets you well above the vast majority of Americans of any age.

I'm not saying don't have that goal of placing, I just don't think it's THAT important for your first race.

Much more important to have fun and enjoy the experience.
 
Dragonfly said:
It's my personal opinion that you need rest days in-between running days.
Running is very hard on your joints and bones.

You can do other exercises on the non-run days. Weights. Swimming.

Stretch a lot though. Stretch. A. Lot.

I'd never recommend running every day.
Especially if you're over 40 years old.

(I know - you didn't ask me) :mrgreen:
Click to expand...

Actually, that makes me feel a lot better about the occasional day I've taken off from running. I did outside running while on a long weekend vacation trip week before last week, then I took a couple of days off, went to the gym and set a personal best on the treadmill (by a significant amount), so maybe the rest days actually helped.

On Sundays I've stopped running so that I can do my lower body weight training without being energy-impaired. I also usually do leg weight training on Thursday evenings, so maybe I should start skipping my Thursday morning run.

A few days I've done elliptical instead of running, it's zero impact but is still a cardio exercise that's sorta comparable to running, and the water temp in my pool has just started to get warm enough to swim, so I can do that instead of running on weekends.
 
Also, I've mostly been running on a treadmill. It just works into my schedule better because I will do either some ab work or trap work after running (those bodyparts don't seem to fit into my evening weight training). And the humidity of outside running is really miserable, I'm an intense sweater, sweat just pours off of me a lot like a steady rain, so I've been going to a gym that is kept cool (68 degrees) and has a "big ass fan" cranked up on high just above the treadmills. Just seems that I get a better workout if I'm not miserable.

I realize that I'm going to have to convert to outside running most every time at some point, but I'm thinking I can wait til fall when the humidity and temp is lower. Which is a big part of the reason that I want to wait til November or even December before I enter my first 5k.
 
Dragonfly said:
...
I try to train on a very regular basis.
I try to increase the distance I run by about a 1/10 to 2/10 a mile per week. (I typically train on a treadmill) ...
Click to expand...

So you don't think that outside running is "better" than treadmill?

Can you match your outside run time with your treadmill running time?

Also, do you run at an incline on the treadmill? I read that a 2% incline makes treadmill roughly equivilent to outside running, don't know how accurate that is.

The few times that I've done outside running I was so miserable that I had to stop and take walk breaks, while on a treadmill I can run for 24 minutes (2.4 miles) without walk breaks, although I may vary my pace a little, four minutes fast, a minute or two slow, then fast again, slow again, finishing the last 10 minutes or so at a steady moderate pace.
 
imagep said:
So you don't think that outside running is "better" than treadmill?

Can you match your outside run time with your treadmill running time?

Also, do you run at an incline on the treadmill? I read that a 2% incline makes treadmill roughly equivilent to outside running, don't know how accurate that is.

The few times that I've done outside running I was so miserable that I had to stop and take walk breaks, while on a treadmill I can run for 24 minutes (2.4 miles) without walk breaks, although I may vary my pace a little, four minutes fast, a minute or two slow, then fast again, slow again, finishing the last 10 minutes or so at a steady moderate pace.
Click to expand...

Treadmill is for sure different.
I like the treadmill because it's in my basement. The weather is never a factor. I can listen to music. I don't have to worry about cars, dogs, people on bikes, or other people at all for that matter. I hate the idea of having to drive to someplace just so I can run.

I always run on incline. #6 incline on my Nordictrack. 0 is flat, 10 is most incline. I pick 6.

Before I try to run a somewhat competitive 5k outside, I try to make sure I can regularly run about 4 miles on my treadmill.

I've been pushing myself to try to get out to a 10k distance for this calendar year.
Had a set-back a month ago, so now I'm back to getting my endurance up to the 5k level for now.
 
Koke said:
If you want to build endurance and stamina, go on longer runs.

I typically do 7:30 - 8:00 minute miles and run 9-12 miles every other night. If you want to increase endurance just set a specific time per mile and a specific distance and build from there.

Played soccer in college and I've always been pretty astute at running long distance even when out of shape. This has worked for me though :).
Click to expand...

That's pretty much what I have done. I make a mental note at my first mile time, my 1.55 mile time (half 5k), and how many miles I run during 24 minutes, trying to reduce my time on the first mile and the half way point, and trying to run further in 24 minutes every week.

I picked 24 minutes because that's my goal for an entire 5K run, so I figure as long as I can run just a little further in that time span each week, I will eventually be able to get to 3.1 miles - so I'm at 2.4 miles now, if I can add a tenth to that each week, in seven weeks or so I should be to a 24 minute 5k, although that may be a little ambitious, even if I only add .05 miles a week, I should be close to a 24 minute 5k by Labor Day, which will still give me two or three months to convert to outside running before I enter my first race.

So should I be running for longer than 24 minutes? I've only completed the full 5k once, that was the first day I started running, took me nearly 45 minutes and I hurt so bad afterwards that I didn't run for three more days. I'm fairly confident that I could run the full 5k in maybe 32 or 33 minutes now.
 
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Also, I have been running fasted, first thing in the morning. I'm running before breakfast because I've read that it's the most efficient way to lose bodyfat. The theory being that your blood sugar level is lowest first thing in the morning, and without any food in the belly for energy, the body will start burning fat.

Soon (a month or three) I will have met my weight loss goal, so I'm wondering if at that time, I started eating breakfast first, if I would have more energy for a faster or longer run.

Any thoughts on this? Anyone compare their fasted runs to runs after breakfast or evening runs?
 
imagep said:
That's pretty much what I have done. I make a mental note at my first mile time, my 1.55 mile time (half 5k), and how many miles I run during 24 minutes. I picked 24 minutes because that's my goal for an entire 5K run, so I figure as long as I can run just a little further in that time span each week, I will eventually be able to get to 3.1 miles - so I'm at 2.4 miles now, if I can add a tenth to that each week, in seven weeks or so I should be to a 24 minute 5k, although that may be a little ambitious, even if I only add .05 miles a week, I should be close to a 24 minute 5k by Labor Day.

So should I be running for longer than 24 minutes? I've only completed the full 5k once, that was the first day I started running, took me nearly 45 minutes and I hurt so bad afterwards that I didn't run for three more days. I'm fairly confident that I could run the full 5k in maybe 32 or 33 minutes now.
Click to expand...

Again - don't fixate so much on 24 minutes. Get the distance (endurance) and as you do that your pace will improve too.

Add distance over time. As you add distance, you'll find that you can also start quickening your pace.

You can work both on a treadmill rather easily.

I can increase pace on my treadmill by 1/10 mph.
I can see time for each mile and overall time.

Another tactic is pick one day to run for speed without worrying about time. Pick another day to run for time but at a slower pace. Pick a third day to kind of blend those two together a bit.

How far(long) can you treadmill run at 8 mph (or less) before you have to walk?
How far(long) can you treadmill run at 9 mph (or more) before you have to walk?

Have you tried to run the full 3.1 miles (5k) without walking at all?
Could you do it at a 10mph pace?

You have two goals if you think about it.

#1) distance
#2) pace/time

For me, mentally, it's easier for me to get to my desired distance first, then work on setting the pace.

You may like a different approach. In the end you must have both to reach your goal.
 
imagep said:
Any thoughts on this? Anyone compare their fasted runs to runs after breakfast or evening runs?
Click to expand...

I like fasted morning runs for pushing my limits.

I use the non-fasted (but relatively empty stomach) evening runs to try to be consistent with that 1 to 2 10th's mile improvement from previous week.
 
imagep said:
Is it better to run every other day, or every day? I've been running five or six days a week.
Click to expand...

I personally run 6 - 7 days a week if I can.

It's important to break every once and awhile, especially after a big run or if you feel your muscles are straining.
 
Koke said:
I personally run 6 - 7 days a week if I can.
Click to expand...

How old are you? Just asking because the OP is in his 50's.

Bones, muscles, and tendons in our 50's aren't what they used to be in our 20's.

I think a 50+ year old just getting into running is risking injury without having adequate rest days between runs.
And of course "rest days" can be used for different kinds of exercises.

Just my 2 cents. Your thoughts are on that will be appreciated.
 
Dragonfly said:
How old are you? Just asking because the OP is in his 50's.

Bones, muscles, and tendons in our 50's aren't what they used to be in our 20's.

I think a 50+ year old just getting into running is risking injury without having adequate rest days between runs.
And of course "rest days" can be used for different kinds of exercises.

Just my 2 cents. Your thoughts are on that will be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Totally wasn't aware of age -- understood.

Yeah I'm speaking from a much younger perspective to be sure.
 
Honestly, so far my 52 year old bones and tendons haven't ached any more than before I started running. My feet pain was one of the reasons that I didn't start running before, but since I have started running, I haven't experienced any increase in foot pain.

I've long had old age pains, just got used to them and block out the pain. A couple Aleve in the morning or meloxicam helps also!

But I certainly don't want to aggravate my joint pain any. A year ago I fell, held out my arm to break my fall, and tore the tendon between my triceps and my elbow. It was a complete tear, couldn't use my arm at all, the bone had to have holes drilled in in and the muscle was sewn to the bone.

I'm thinking more about alternating between running and elliptical, that way I still get great cardio almost every day, but with reduced likelihood of joint and ligament stress.
 
Koke said:
Totally wasn't aware of age -- understood.

Yeah I'm speaking from a much younger perspective to be sure.
Click to expand...

Do you think that you get more cardiovascular improvement from running every day?
 
imagep said:
Do you think that you get more cardiovascular improvement from running every day?
Click to expand...

I find that generally it becomes more and more easy for me, yeah.

I run in my neighborhood which has quite a few hills and inclines so that helps a lot too. I'm to the point where typically I don't stop running because I am out of breath but because my legs start to cramp. I don't typically carry water on me while I run so I don't refuel as I'm going which is why I think this happens more often than not.

I also might do something like eat a tablespoon or two of peanut butter before I go on a run which is really great for what it has in it. Slow to digest.
 
Koke said:
I find that generally it becomes more and more easy for me, yeah.

I run in my neighborhood which has quite a few hills and inclines so that helps a lot too. I'm to the point where typically I don't stop running because I am out of breath but because my legs start to cramp. I don't typically carry water on me while I run so I don't refuel as I'm going which is why I think this happens more often than not.
Click to expand...

That right there is another reason why I like treadmill running. I can squirt a little water into my mouth without stopping and without having to tote it around with me.

I also might do something like eat a tablespoon or two of peanut butter before I go on a run which is really great for what it has in it. Slow to digest.
Click to expand...

I've done that also. I suppose great minds think alike. This week I've been eating a cucumber. It feels like I have eaten something, but not very many calories.
 
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