Platypus' Beginners Guide to Running

Well since I started running again a couple of months ago, I've been kind of messing around with the NHS Couch to 5k plan. Found it pretty decent to start with but I guess I grew a bit bored with it.

Decided to go straight for the 5k tonight and managed a 28:20 which I'm fairly happy with. It's a good 6 mins faster than I've managed in the past and certainly a lot better than where I was 2-3 months ago. Quite amazing how quickly you can make a difference in your fitness really. Still a fair amount of room for improvement and shall be looking to get closer to 25mins I think.
 
First time running in the dark. Probably won't run this late again. First, just 100m down the road, I stumbled because of a crack in the pavement which I couldn't see (thankfully didn't injure myself) and then secondly I was aiming to run 7k instead of 5k, so changed part of my usual route to somewhere I hadn't been before but when I got there, it was through woodland and there were no street lamps so had to detour as I literally wouldn't have been able to see anything, so ended up running 6k instead.
 
Yeah running in evening takes some pre planning I use google street maps and or drive route in advance to check there are streetlights

Got a PB at local 10 mile race on sun took 5 mins off last year

Managed 1'08'50 had been training for 1'10

Last year 150th ish this year 60 something out of 580

Very happy
 
Andyt_uk said:
Well since I started running again a couple of months ago, I've been kind of messing around with the NHS Couch to 5k plan. Found it pretty decent to start with but I guess I grew a bit bored with it.

Decided to go straight for the 5k tonight and managed a 28:20 which I'm fairly happy with. It's a good 6 mins faster than I've managed in the past and certainly a lot better than where I was 2-3 months ago. Quite amazing how quickly you can make a difference in your fitness really. Still a fair amount of room for improvement and shall be looking to get closer to 25mins I think.
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how many times per week do you usually run?

my current goal is to get sub 25 min 5K and currently my PB from 3 days ago was 26:30.
 
Getting faster is largely just down to keeping up a regular running routine, you can throw in some interval/fartlek/hill work if you want but that's more of an added bonus.

I started running in January last year with 2-3km three times per week at about 7:00/km and gradually increased distance. I kept my effort the same and naturally got quicker, I signed up for some 10km races and then moved to half marathons as I prefer a longer distance since it takes me a few km to settle to a nice rhythm.

Currently running 10-15km three times per week at about 4:30/km, longest run so far was 25km at just under 5min/km.

Have a half marathon race next weekend then training towards my first full marathon in November! :)
 
Ran 1.5 miles in 11 minutes bang on today and that was after a 10 minute leg workout. Which beats my previous PB by 20 seconds.

Afterwards I did a 10 minute fast pace walk, and then incline running and walking for 20 minutes.

My legs are ready to fall off.
 
Psycho Sonny said:
how many times per week do you usually run?

my current goal is to get sub 25 min 5K and currently my PB from 3 days ago was 26:30.
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Usually 2, 3 if I'm lucky but I do a killer circuits session and a spin/circuits session each week as well. I'm fairly confident I can take another min or two off mine quite easily. I spent the first 3k at ~10kph which wasn't too fast. Probably going to kick it up to 11.5-12kph to start with next time and see how that works.
 
do some park-runs if there is one in your town/city - great fun, free and good to improve 5k times :)

just come back from running club, and finally finally beat 20mins for 5k - I've been looking at it as a target for around 8 months - last attempt (mid April) - 20'27 - tonight 19'37 :)

been beating a lot of PBs recently, and the key seems to be dropping weight ... I wasn't heavy before - like 2 months ago (well I was 3 years ago when I started runnning - I was 13 stone 10 and I'm only 5'4) - but last 3 months I've dropped gym from 5-6 times a week down to 1-2, and instead I've been swimming - so now doing 3 runs a week, 3 swims a week, and just the odd gym session, and thats dropped my weight (all be it I've lost a tiny bit of strength) - by about 3-4kg

before I was putting more and more muscle mass on - and getting stronger - but each kg I put on didn't help my running

my gym instructor that I bump into the gym sometimes said to choose - gym and strength/muscle mass or running
 
Andyt_uk said:
Usually 2, 3 if I'm lucky but I do a killer circuits session and a spin/circuits session each week as well. I'm fairly confident I can take another min or two off mine quite easily. I spent the first 3k at ~10kph which wasn't too fast. Probably going to kick it up to 11.5-12kph to start with next time and see how that works.
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i think when i did the 26:30 i was running at around 11.8 kph but i sped up too early towards the end burned out then had to fast walk the last 90 seconds, so to hit 25:00 I will need to run at 12.1 kph constantly which doesnt seem like much until you try it.

i want to hit 25 mins or under within the next month but i doubt i could shave 90 seconds off within 4 weeks.

i have started hammering the first 2.41 km to get it to 11:00 but after that i am literally shattered, i am hoping training at this intensity will pay off so i can maintain a slightly lower speed but for 2 times the distance.

Buckster said:
do some park-runs if there is one in your town/city - great fun, free and good to improve 5k times :)

just come back from running club, and finally finally beat 20mins for 5k - I've been looking at it as a target for around 8 months - last attempt (mid April) - 20'27 - tonight 19'37 :)

been beating a lot of PBs recently, and the key seems to be dropping weight ... I wasn't heavy before - like 2 months ago (well I was 3 years ago when I started runnning - I was 13 stone 10 and I'm only 5'4) - but last 3 months I've dropped gym from 5-6 times a week down to 1-2, and instead I've been swimming - so now doing 3 runs a week, 3 swims a week, and just the odd gym session, and thats dropped my weight (all be it I've lost a tiny bit of strength) - by about 3-4kg

before I was putting more and more muscle mass on - and getting stronger - but each kg I put on didn't help my running

my gym instructor that I bump into the gym sometimes said to choose - gym and strength/muscle mass or running
Click to expand...

i have read some stuff online which says you should be looking to strengthen your leg muscles to help with your running, but then again it depends on the distances you typically run, the longer the distance the less it comes about muscle mass.

so i am unsure how much training i should be doing since my ultimate goal is a 10 min 1.5 mile as well as a 25 min 5K.

the max i normally run for now is 45 mins but some of my sessions can be as short as 20 mins in the gym, i am not in it for long distance per say, but speed and stamina.

i cannot believe mo farah runs a 5K at a constant speed of 22kph that is practically double the speed i do it at, he is obviously naturally gifted as well as putting an extreme amount of training in.
 
Buckster said:
do some park-runs if there is one in your town/city - great fun, free and good to improve 5k times :)
Click to expand...

There are a couple nearby that I may well sign up for next month, bit of competition is probably a good thing as well for improving the time.

Psycho Sonny said:
i think when i did the 26:30 i was running at around 11.8 kph but i sped up too early towards the end burned out then had to fast walk the last 90 seconds, so to hit 25:00 I will need to run at 12.1 kph constantly which doesnt seem like much until you try it.

i want to hit 25 mins or under within the next month but i doubt i could shave 90 seconds off within 4 weeks.

i have started hammering the first 2.41 km to get it to 11:00 but after that i am literally shattered, i am hoping training at this intensity will pay off so i can maintain a slightly lower speed but for 2 times the distance.

i have read some stuff online which says you should be looking to strengthen your leg muscles to help with your running, but then again it depends on the distances you typically run, the longer the distance the less it comes about muscle mass.

so i am unsure how much training i should be doing since my ultimate goal is a 10 min 1.5 mile as well as a 25 min 5K.

the max i normally run for now is 45 mins but some of my sessions can be as short as 20 mins in the gym, i am not in it for long distance per say, but speed and stamina.
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I did the last 2k of mine at 12kph which wasn't too bad so I'm going to try starting at that and then dropping it slowly if I need.

I'm quite a fan of mixing up my training tho and it appears to work fairly well so far. May be worth doing to give the body a kick to bring those times down. Truth be told I also find it rather boring doing the same thing each session!
 
well i think it's better if you start fast, like say for the first 1K run at 14 kph, then slow down to 12 kph for 3.5K then just go for it the last 500m.

i think i was constant at 11.8kph till 3K then tried ramping it up for the last 2K and fizzled, looking back it was madness to think I could maintain the speed I ramped to for 2K. So now I think a fast start and a fast finish with a consistent middle is the key for a fast 5K for me anyway.
 
I'm much more in favour of negative splits, start slower and at the half way stage ramp it up once your in your stride and fully warmed up. Good strong finish is a must for me or I feel like its been a failure.
 
LOAM said:
I'm much more in favour of negative splits, start slower and at the half way stage ramp it up once your in your stride and fully warmed up. Good strong finish is a must for me or I feel like its been a failure.
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I dunno i think with a fast start you get a nice buffer, plus your fresh so i find i can push myself harder with little detrimental effect on overall stamina, then slow down to normal pace for the duration of the race until the final push where i can go all out.

With a slow start I find that I get further and further away from the target set and the difference becomes far too much to make up and that the longer the run goes on my stamina is depleting and I simply cannot increase the pace without burning out.

So a fast start is needed, im not talking sprinting at the start just going slightly faster than normal race pace, then slowing down to race pace once you have settled in and the heart is fully pumping.

I am a short distance runner though 5K is my limit, today was a slow run just to recover from my last session, 20 minutes long.
 
Don't get me wrong there's nothing at all wrong with positive splits its horse's for course's. I find I ruin my itb/knee on a fast pace start. That said a fast pace for me is a 5:30 kilometer.
 
Anything 10km or over and I prefer a negative split as it takes me a couple of km to get into a good rhythm and tune out. For shorter distances I try to run pretty consistently with maybe a slight positive split.
 
just bought this

http://www.nordictrack.co.uk/treadmills/interactive-series/nordictrack-t190.html

for slightly under £1K from http://www.restylefitness.co.uk/

a NordicTrack T19.0

The T19.0 is a strong, robust treadmill that is packed with features including iFit Live integrated directly into the console.

With a superb core specification including a 3.5 CHP DurX motor that powers the belt at speeds up to 22 km/h and an incline range up to 15%, this treadmill will push you to the next level in your fitness regime.

Featuring iFit Live integrated into the machine, this innovative fitness tool allows you to download workouts directly from the internet to your treadmill along with many other great features. Enjoy iFit Live map view directly on the 7" full colour TouchScreen LCD display.


do you reckon it will be okay to run 2 times per day?

say a small run in the morning (1.5 mile) and a more intense one in the evening (5K)?
 
The regular hill training is really starting to pay dividends now, I've all but given up increasing pace as I just don't think I have the build for it, I run at a steady 5:40km and that's about my limit but stamina and distance is really improving. Just come in from a hilly 10k and it felt so easy compared to 6 weeks ago.
 
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