Some running tips/advice please.

wassap

wassap

wassap

Permabanned
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
12,336
Hi guy i know theres a few runners here so i thought id come along and pic your brains!

Just started road running these last few weeks, and i need some advice on how to proceed further.

My ultimate goal is to run the GNR next year, which is going to be a tall task but its a challenge i need t set myself.

I started a couple of weeks ago, running 3km's in roughly 19 mins, this last week i have upped the distance to 5k, and this is taking me 29 mins, now you might think these are really crap times, and you might well be right, but where i live we have lots and lots of damn hills.

Anyway my question is really how should i be training to build up my distances, should i set a distance goal, get to it and then concentrate on getting my times down?

I guess my initial goal is to do 10k in 40 mins, which is going to take me a while.

Any tips appreciated chaps.
 
Build up the distance a km at a time (perhaps every week or every 2 if you have the time) till you reach the 10km then stick at that distance and your times will fall pretty quickly. Keep track of your times and your progress should be pretty clear.

You might feel some benefit though in training beyond 10km every once in a while, maybe run 12km once or twice a week when you're at that stage and 10km every other time. This should really improve your endurance at the shorter distance, especially in the last km or two.
 
Is the GNR 10k?

Try this, its similar to what I am doing at the moment...

Day 1: Interval training 3k

Day 2: Rest

Day 3: Medium run 5k

Day 4: Rest

Day 5: Distance run

Day 6: Rest

Day 7: Rest

- Interval training means starting on a run and once you have warmed up, sprint for 30 seconds, then go back to jog/running for 1:30 then back to sprinting for 30 seconds and continue until you want to heave. Try not to heave.

- Rest... you don't actually have to run, you could try other fitness things on this day just don't knacker your legs out too much if they still ache from the day before

- Distance run. Do you longest distance on this day, and until you have reached your max and are happy with it don't try to run at max speed. Add perhaps 1k per week and only do a loing distance run once a week.

And remember, LISTEN to your body... know the difference between a pain you can run through and a pain that will leave you crippled for 2 weeks after your run
 
I would look at how much time you have between now and next year's run and then set yourself some realistic milestones to aim to achieve i.e. by 1 Jan 07 I must be able to run x miles. Although I have not run the GNR I did the London Marathon a couple of years ago and managed to finish in 3 hrs 43 mins which I was really pleased with. My personal challenge however, before that marathon was to have run at least 20 miles in one training session. My logic was that the distance covered, while not marathon distance, would prove to me that I could run for that amount of time and over that distance.

For this year I have set myself the challenge of running 1000 miles. Don't ask me why! To help in doing this I built myself a Excel spreadsheet that tells me amongst other things how far I need to cover each week/month so that I can see if I am on track to reach my goal. I've only got 224.90 miles to go by the end of Dec. Doing this has helped me see how I'm progressing (it calculates my times per run, pace per run, average pace for all runs completed etc) and has pushed me at times when I have not managed to get runs in for whatever reason as I can see instantly how far behind target I am at any given time.

It is not so much the time it takes you to cover a set distance that is important when planning to run a long distance event like the GNR, but the fact that your body can manage to carry you along for the amount of time that it will take you to cover the distance. It is no good aiming to run a half marathon if you find that your body packs up after on hour as there is no way you will complete 12 miles in that time.

Therefore, my advice is to set yourself aim points between now and next Sep and aim to reach those with the ultimate aim of being able to cover 10 miles in one session at least a month before the big day. If it takes you 3 hrs then so what - it does not matter. What matters is that you will be building your fitness and stamina to carry you through the full distance.

Also, don't get wrapped up in times per km/mile. Your improved times will come with extra fitness achieved throughout your training.

Finally, try and have a selection of routes to run of varying distance. Running the same route every time you go out just gets boring.

Last of all, enjoy it.

Best of luck.

P.S. Google Earth is a really good tool to measure how far your run is if you are running over ground that your can't drive.
 
GNR is a half marathon, so 20k, but im not going get to such a tall target straight away.

Im just doing 3 runs a week, all the same distances.

So far i havent hurt much so i think im not really going as far as i can, but i am out of breath after the 5k so that tells me my stamina needs work.

I might try your regime CBS.I know every person has a different body but how quickly do you see the difference?

I must say tho, road running is a totally different beast to the usual running i do on the gym treadmills, definately more hardcore.

Oh one last question, what should you be eating prior to a run, i take plenty of water during the day so thats not a problem.
 
Oh and those with a Ipod nano, i have the best gadget ever for tracking your progress, its basically a little sensor that sits in your shoe, and another bit that plus into your ipod, once calibrated the unit charts how much you have done etc you then upload this to the nike website and hey presto the ideal data logging tool!

And the best thing, its only £20!

http://www.nike.com/nikeplus/#overview
 
wohoo said:
I might try your regime CBS.I know every person has a different body but how quickly do you see the difference?
Click to expand...

Its fairly good. It depends on what you mean by a difference. I think that adding a mile a week (which I have been doing recently) is a fair speed to see a 'difference' in the distance you are running. As far as speed is concerned, if you put 100% into that interval training (work up to this, it IS torturous) then you can improve noticibly faster.

Oh one last question, what should you be eating prior to a run, i take plenty of water during the day so thats not a problem.
Click to expand...

I can't really vouch although I often run after dinner. If I run in the morning I favour porridge and lots of water.
 
wohoo said:
Oh and those with a Ipod nano, i have the best gadget ever for tracking your progress, its basically a little sensor that sits in your shoe, and another bit that plus into your ipod, once calibrated the unit charts how much you have done etc you then upload this to the nike website and hey presto the ideal data logging tool!

And the best thing, its only £20!

http://www.nike.com/nikeplus/#overview
Click to expand...

Where do you put it?
 
Where do you put it?
Click to expand...

Theres a little compartment in the shoe designed to hold the transmitter -

On the link provided theres a little video explaining it all
Very tasty piece of kit!

I just got a pair of these in the states and i have to say they are by far the best pair of running shoes I have ever worn by a mile!!!!! :D

sneakerhead_1919_13486180
 
You dont have to buy the nike plus trainers i just slot mine down the front tongue of my trainer and sits there fine.I have ran at least 50km so far with it like that, and its been fan dabby dozy so far!
 
i just slot mine down the front tongue of my trainer and sits there fine
Click to expand...

So it can just slip between the laces then and still works all ok right??

How big is it ? As wouldnt want it to be an annoyance?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom