Platypus' Beginners Guide to Running

No worries, my advice is generally better than my running ability :p


My phone popped up with a calendar reminder that this weekend was supposed to be my first 100 miler doing the Pen Llyn Ultra in Wales. Absolutely gutted how things have fallen from expecting to be able to do that to barely being able to do a 10k distance.
 
*Beginner here*

Did my first Park Run. Wanted to get under 30mins - 29.06 final time. Happy but I think I could have done a lot better. Aim was to start slow and build up. Was influenced by the start and the energy of people around me. Will need to be more disciplined next time.

Also there's a 50m elevation which I could feel and because of pacing issues really slowed me down. I'm trying a different site next week which is "easier".

In summary three 5k over 14 days:

33:20
31:45
29:06

Need to work develop my anaerobic capacity so this Wednesday will try some up-hill runs in intervals.

I'd like to get to <25mins before end of year.
 
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Buddy said:
*Beginner here*

Did my first Park Run. Wanted to get under 30mins - 29.06 final time. Happy but I think I could have done a lot better. Aim was to start slow and build up. Was influenced by the start and the energy of people around me. Will need to be more disciplined next time.

Also there's a 50m elevation which I could feel and because of pacing issues really slowed me down. I'm trying a different site next week which is "easier".

In summary three 5k over 14 days:

33:20
31:45
29:06

Need to work develop my anaerobic capacity so this Wednesday will try some up-hill runs in intervals.

I'd like to get to <25mins before end of year.
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Easier Park run will get a better time but i'd stick with your closest and most frequent one to understand improvements.
I was struggling to get under 30 mins back in March, i've been following a 10k plan that Ben Parkes has since then and yesterday i got 25 mins something and another PB. Ours is pretty hilly but i find its a good time to grit my teeth and work hard. Quite often take a few people. I came 31st out 130 odd i think.
The plan i am following is mostly just easy running with weekly interval or strides. I finished the 10k plan and have now started a 1/2 plan
 
JustBen said:
Easier Park run will get a better time but i'd stick with your closest and most frequent one to understand improvements.
I was struggling to get under 30 mins back in March, i've been following a 10k plan that Ben Parkes has since then and yesterday i got 25 mins something and another PB. Ours is pretty hilly but i find its a good time to grit my teeth and work hard. Quite often take a few people. I came 31st out 130 odd i think.
The plan i am following is mostly just easy running with weekly interval or strides. I finished the 10k plan and have now started a 1/2 plan
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I got one of his guides off the back of one your posts. Well done on your pb. What did you find helped most to get under the 25 mins mark?

Am I pushing it if I went for a random - no rush 10k at this stage or am I risking injury?
 
My park run times have been coming down without really specifically trying. Have found heart rate training for me has been great. I've been just running in zone 2 and dipping into 3 for most of my training just building up my fitness.thats helped me stay injury free.
As for you running 10k I don't know, it's taken me long enough to figure myself out =)
 
Buddy said:
I got one of his guides off the back of one your posts. Well done on your pb. What did you find helped most to get under the 25 mins mark?

Am I pushing it if I went for a random - no rush 10k at this stage or am I risking injury?
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It's a tricky one as we don't really know your prior fitness/routines. If you're someone that's done no exercise for years then potentially you might, but given you're running a park run around 30 minutes suggests you should have a reasonable level of fitness/adaptability to be able to manage. I believe the standard "rule" is increase of 10% per week, but i don't think it's a hard and fast rule. Just a reasonable guide.

It is a tricky balance in the beginning as you see big improvements in a short time and can easily overdo it. I would probably just say that if you do do it, then have 1-2 days recovery afterwards and see how you are. Main things at that point to watch out for are shin splints, but if you've not experienced that so far you should be fine.


Was in a grump mood at the weekend as i just kept looking at the clock and estimating where i'd have been on the 100 miler if i'd been able to run it and carried on my training which i'd got to a decent place last year. As my wife said, Not many people probably get into a grump at not being able to run for >24hrs straight :p

Did manage to do ~7.5 miles on Saturday, but my foot started aching after 5 which seems to be the tipping point between "no issues" and "yep, that's not right". A shame as after a fair few 4-5 mile runs recently i had thought it might last a bit longer. Have an appointment (finally) for tomorrow with an orthopaedic surgeon, so interesting to see what he says.
 
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You will have to keep us updated on that.

I did a couple of 10k's over the last two weeks and it was just too much for my level of fitness. Changed it to 5k on Sat and it was so much better. It may have been due to the heat or fewer uphills, but I reckon I will just stick the the 5's for a few more outings before trying to extend things too much!

If you are finishing the 5k and still feeling ok, and you have been doing the HR zones and nothing weird is going on, then I would probably just start to extend up to 10k but maybe look at routes that leave you with options in case of issues. You don't mention your age or anything, but for me (53) I find that any injury starts hanging round forever, so it pays to be careful.
 
Went out for 4 miles this morning all in zone 2 so feeling fresh. Will nip out later and do a few easy miles with some strides or hills. 97.9 miles on my Asics noosa's apart from the odd scuff still looking and feeling great.
 
As a heads up, i'm a fan of hydration tablets during warmer months, and these are a bargain!
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Has anyone here read Endure by Alex Hutchinson? I'm currently on holiday and have replaced my daily run with sitting by a pool, so my training regime is now entirely focused on reading about how I can be a better runner :D

Can very much recommend. It's really well written and goes into all aspects of what limits performance and clarifies several historic misconceptions.
 
Thanks all. Lots of value in these posts.

I tried what I *think* is zone 2 training today.
"Running at a pace that means you can still talk
comfortably". Am I right in thinking this does not correspond to actual heart rate zones?

Because after the initial 2k I was hitting 170bpm but felt comfortable nonetheless. This was a 5k run with a 50m elevation.

Got to say I really felt the aches today. 5k Park run Saturday, 5k "zone 2" today. Probably should have given it another day but I'm keen to try some tempo/anaerobic training on Wednesday.

Discipline is letting me down. Even in the run today I got a little bored at the slow pace and started going from 6-7 min/km to 4.5/km in short bursts.

@Ian_Eb almost 40 here. My previous fitness has been variable. Years of weight/strength training early 20s to mid 30s. Isometric last few years. Throw is some treks with 20-30kg on my back but not extreme distances. Keen to develop my aerobics.
 
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Buddy said:
Yes but then I'll practically be fast walking!
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I know that feeling,I'm currently (last 3 months) doing MAF (Maximum Aerobic Function) training. Basically 180- your age gives your target HR and you try and run at that or below mostly. Has worked wonders for me really enjoy?ing it. Slowly getting my 10km maf time down to 1 hour (currently about 1 hour 3mins). Every now and then I do a "fast" parkrun, I did one at the weekend around 23:11 but my heart rate never went above 157 but averaged at 143. For me that's a great time and I was oddly not out of breathe at all was very much limited by my legs not knowing how to go any faster.
Anyone else tried MAF ?
 
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