Don't Panic! The sofa-dweller's guide to running.

RunningKing

On the positive, there are a lot of positives!

I think you might need to alternate your goals a bit.
You have improved your 5k times, but still need to walk.

Maybe for a while, focus on doing them slower and finishing them.
In the 1st few weeks it might be about pushing out the time when you stop.
Once you can run a 5k without stopping, then look to improve the speed.
it's hard to do both at once.

Best of luck!

Gavlor

Great log, enjoyable reading!

Just on your last 2 points, I have the very same over eating problem at times. Especially with the base layer. I'm now of the opinion that less is definitly more when it comes to gear.

Second point re: stomach cramps..... If you find a solution will you let me know?!! Can be a regular problem for me! It's a right pain in the arse

RedRunner

RK took the words right out of my....emmm..keyboard. Defo slow down and run the whole lot. Then the more often you run the whole lot , you will naturally begin to do it faster even if it is gradual. Patience is the key here.

On the stomach cramps, you say you "often" get them. So I would take a look at what you are doing/not doing/eating on the days where you don't get the cramps and see if there is a common denominator.

Stomach cramps can often be a sign of dehydration so have a look at how much fluids you are taking on board in general even when you are not running.

davenewt

Thanks for the input guys, much appreciated!

RunningKing wrote: »

Maybe for a while, focus on doing them slower and finishing them.
In the 1st few weeks it might be about pushing out the time when you stop.
Once you can run a 5k without stopping, then look to improve the speed.
it's hard to do both at once.

I'll give it a go... but I think a lot of the problem is in my head. Either way, I need to be more stubborn and either push through or convince myself to slow down a bit which isn't the direction I *want* to take, you know

Gavlor wrote: »

I have the very same over eating problem at times.

Wait, what?

Gavlor wrote: »

Especially with the base layer. I'm now of the opinion that less is definitly more when it comes to gear.

I'm getting the same feeling.

Gavlor wrote: »

Second point re: stomach cramps..... If you find a solution will you let me know?!! Can be a regular problem for me! It's a right pain in the arse

Pain, not so much. Can get windy this time of year though I did scan this article which basically says what RR did...

RedRunner wrote: »

RK took the words right out of my....emmm..keyboard. Defo slow down and run the whole lot. Then the more often you run the whole lot , you will naturally begin to do it faster even if it is gradual. Patience is the key here.

On the stomach cramps, you say you "often" get them. So I would take a look at what you are doing/not doing/eating on the days where you don't get the cramps and see if there is a common denominator.

Stomach cramps can often be a sign of dehydration so have a look at how much fluids you are taking on board in general even when you are not running.

Boooo, I don't wanna run slower! Patience isn't one of my strong points. I get you though, thanks.

Will definitely try to keep better hydrated and perhaps keep a note of what I'm eating along with how I feel after each run, see what patterns emerge.

Thanks again, all

menoscemo

Dave, if you look around the logs you'll see it has been said a million times and you see it in practise every day. Going out and running as fast as possible every time you run is not an effective way to train. Running slower will not make you slower, it will just mean you finish your runs much more comfortably. It will allow you to run more frequently (without being exhasuted) and run further.

Why don't you try this out for a few weeks: consciously run at a pace which is very very easy (even if it takes you 40 minutes to do 5k). After a few weeks you can try to run a 'time trial' and go as fast as you can. I promise you you will go much faster than you have before and won't need walking breaks. In this game patience is a big factor.

davenewt

menoscemo wrote: »

Why don't you try this out for a few weeks: consciously run at a pace which is very very easy (even if it takes you 40 minutes to do 5k). After a few weeks you can try to run a 'time trial' and go as fast as you can. I promise you you will go much faster than you have before and won't need walking breaks. In this game patience is a big factor.

Thanks, appreciate the advice. Would you recommend running every day? (I normally do 3x per week, Mon-Wed-Fri)... if I'm going to run slower, would it help or hinder if I ran more frequently?

menoscemo

davenewt wrote: »

Thanks, appreciate the advice. Would you recommend running every day? (I normally do 3x per week, Mon-Wed-Fri)... if I'm going to run slower, would it help or hinder if I ran more frequently?

The more you run the better for your improvement but I wouldn't suggest you go straight from running 3x a week to running every day. Start by moving up to 4x a week and go from there.

Running slowly will help you run more often as you won't necessarily need a rest day after every run.

davenewt

Well, I managed 33:36 today, slower than all of my times last month, but no stopping. It feels like both a success (non-stop) and a failure (slower) but I'll call it a success

Thanks again for the advice all!

RedRunner

100% a success..good stuff. I challenge you to run for 40 mins now non-stop by end next week! Remember forget about the speed just run!

RunningKing

+1 to that. Don't worry about speed, that'll come later.

Well done for taking the advice, many don't!

davenewt

Taking your advice, I'm going to aim for a 40min run, and forget about trying to run 5k quicker.

Today I set myself a goal of 37 minutes. Upgraded to Endomondo Pro and turned off the per-km time announcements, because I knew I'd be running slower and didn't want to be reminded

Managed 37:13, 5.4km, average 6:53/km Splits were 6:28, 7:01, 6:47, 7:00, 7:03 (2:54). Didn't know this until after I'd finished, surprised the first km was so quick.

Side note: I've now run over 100km in the last 2 months and am on track for a 40-min run next week, fingers crossed!

Laois_Man

Just read this entire thread. Enjoyeable read! I got off the sofa on the exact same week as you started this log where at the time, it took me just over half an hour to get thru 3.7 Kms. Now I am doing 10K three times a week in about 56 minutes at the moment and getting faster all the time. I am hoping to increase the frequency a bit now that the evenings are getting bright (not easy when you've got a 3 year old tho).

I just did my first 'race' last month over 8.8Kms and it has made a huge difference to my motivation - so I urge you to sign up for one. You sound like me - I was really intimidated at the thoughts of running a race and finishing last.....crossing the finish line long after everyone else had gone home....but I'll tell ya, most races have published results and when you actually look at your times, you'd be well up there in the finishers.

I think you should aim for something like the Malahide parkrun which takes place every Saturday morning over 5Kms and is free

If you look at the results of the last race, you'll see that out of 387 runners, you'd finish about 345th based on what you can do at the moment - but in an event setting, you'll run faster.

Or pick something else - there's tons of events out there!

I have also recently started doing some cross training like jump squats, four-sided planks, lunges etc and I have really felt the benefit of those....even if you only spend 10 minutes a day at them on your non running days when you're at home, I promise, it makes a huge difference.

Before you know it, you'll be graduating to longer distances and entering 10k events from RunIreland.com - as I am about to run my first 10K next Sunday.

Good luck!

davenewt

345th!? :eek: Hmm, yes, well... I saw the Malahide Parkrun site before and will seriously consider it.

I know what you mean, and I could do with a bit more motivation to keep this up. Running with someone else would be good (if anyone feels like dropping down to this pace for 5k, let me know!)

Happier today tho, now that I've broken the 'barrier' of 5k, even just a little... it feels great to know I can actually run a bit longer.

I'll be getting back on the bike this month in between running, and will look into doing some other exercises on off-days to help the overall fitness, so if there's any good vids or online training guides that other people have used before, let me know!

Thanks for the input Laois_Man, and well done on your own success! (do you have your own thread here? I don't see one!)

Laois_Man

davenewt wrote: »

345th!? :eek: Hmm, yes, well... I saw the Malahide Parkrun site before and will seriously consider it.!

345th based on your times - as I said, you'll run faster in an event setting. And that's where it will drive you on - to get into the top 300, then top 250 and so on....til 5K isn't long enough for you anymore.

davenewt wrote: »

will look into doing some other exercises on off-days to help the overall fitness, so if there's any good vids or online training guides that other people have used before, let me know!

It can be a challenge to find one that is at the right starting point. Here's the one I found recently on Running Times (after going around the houses a bit with not so good ones as you'll see if you read my log). It's actually a video I found through a thread on here.

davenewt wrote: »

Thanks for the input Laois_Man, and well done on your own success! (do you have your own thread here? I don't see one!)

yeah I started one in November

RedRunner

davenewt wrote: »

... it feels great to know I can actually run a bit longer.

Told ya!:)

RunningKing

well done Dave. Great to see progress.

davenewt

RedRunner wrote: »

100% a success..good stuff. I challenge you to run for 40 mins now non-stop by end next week! Remember forget about the speed just run!

Did it Aimed for 40 mins and actually ran 41 minutes - 5.77km. Splits 06:29, 07:15, 07:10, 07:23, 07:47, (04:57)

Ugly last couple of splits, distance isn't quite what I'd hoped for (was expecting to get closer to 6km) but the last 4:57 felt quicker and I kept going for the extra minute because it was slightly downhill. Have to say I wasn't completely knackered when I finished, which I suppose is a good sign

Contemplating whether to go for a run again at the weekend or to leave it til Monday. Half tempted...! Another good sign :pac:

davenewt

40 minutes, 5.71km, with gloves!

It had stopped snowing by the time I went out, but was still bitterly cold! (decided against wearing a base layer on top, kept me moving! )

Slightly faster pace today (7:00/km as opposed to 7:06 on Friday). Oops, there I go focusing on speed again... sorry!

davenewt

Missed 2 sessions recently with an ankle injury after running into a pothole (that'll teach me to look where I'm going!) :mad:

Got back on Wednesday last week with 5.5km but involved a small bit of walking again :mad: :mad:

Sat out on Friday because of the weather... I can take rain or cold, but not both!

So today I'm very happy to have done my first 6km run

I set myself a 40min goal but felt OK so pushed on to 6km in 41:29... splits 6:51/6:52/6:50/7:20/7:02/6:31

Shame about the 7s but the last km felt better than I expected at the start!

davenewt

March 2013

The votes are in from the Icelandic jury... brrrrr!

Month|Distance (km)|Weight (kg)|Notes
Jan|37.5|111.8 (-0.9kg)|Best 5k = 33:58 = 6:48/km
Feb|51.3|109.1 (-2.7kg)|Best 5k = 32:19 (-01:39) = 6:28/km (-20s)
Marrrrr|39.7|107.4 (-1.7kg)|Best 5k = 33:36. Best distance = 6km

Some good, bad and ugly this month :eek:

Ugly:

• I ran into a pothole a couple of weeks ago and went over on my ankle. That put me out of action for 3 planned runs. I also missed 2 runs because of the weather (yep, I'm a wuss... I can take cold and/or rain, but not both together and certainly not slippy snow, thanks very much!)

Bad:

• 5 and a half missed sessions makes Dave a sad Newt

Good:

• Despite the above, I've now run over 128km in the colder* months.
• I mightn't have lost as much weight as hoped, but at -1.7kg I'm happy. If you'd offered me that on the tee I'd have picked up and walked to the next hole.
• I've upped my distance and time spent running when I have gotten out, completing more than 5km in 5 of my 8 runs, and having now hit the dizzying distance of 6km

Goals for April

Let's see... I have 13 runs pencilled in on my spreadsheet for April (Mon, Wed, Fri). I hope to do at least this many, and possibly more (e.g. 15 or 16) if I can start running a little more frequently and the weather picks up a notch :rolleyes:

I'd like to aim for a 7km run by the end of the month, too. :cool:

I will also use more smileys in my posts. Yes, this will be my toughest challenge! :pac:

* (please let it warm up a bit from here on!)

davenewt

Get in! First sub-40 minutes 6k today

Did it in 39:52, avg 6:39 pace ... 6:47/6:49/6:40/6:24/6:30/6:42 :cool:

Best 6km time before today was 41:04.

Knees aren't too thankful at the moment, however!

davenewt

Took another 20 seconds off the 6k time today: 39:32.

06:23/06:29/06:25/06:39/06:57/06:39

Makes up for missing 3 of my planned 7 runs already this month... I hope!

davenewt

Upped the distance to 6.5k today. Aimed for 45mins, did it in 44:11.

06:22/06:28/06:52/07:08/07:10/06:39/(03:30)

kms 4 and 5 (>7min) were uphill slightly. 6th km was downhill.

40:39 was my 6k time, which is +01:07 more than Monday, not bad given the extra distance I guess

RedRunner

There you go focusing on the time again:rolleyes: Gradually increase the distance, legs become stronger with regular running and shorter distance times will automatically come down....slow it down and do 8K at the weekend. Then see how satisfied you will feel.

davenewt

Thanks for the reality check there, RR I wasn't totally focused on time, even though I see it reads liike that. Really happy with being able to go up to 6k then quickly up to 6.5k... I just want to make sure I'm not taking it *too* easy when upping the distance, haha

Due out again today so I might just try for 8km :eek:

Thanks again for elbowing me out of my comfort zone

RedRunner

You're on a roll now so go for it. If you can go 8K now just without stopping that'll be a huge achievement for you.

davenewt

Ok, I just confused and surprised myself. 8.08km in (not that I care, honestly!...) 56:16.

I ran for nearly a whole damn hour. What's that about? And I could've kept going.

This is what I look like now --> (except more this colour --> )

Thank you so much for the encouragement, RedRunner and EVERYONE

Now what? Oh yeah... a lie down :P

RedRunner

davenewt wrote: »

Ok, I just confused and surprised myself. 8.08km in (not that I care, honestly!...) 56:16.

I ran for nearly a whole damn hour. What's that about? And I could've kept going.

This is what I look like now --> (except more this colour --> )

Thank you so much for the encouragement, RedRunner and EVERYONE

Now what? Oh yeah... a lie down :P

Fantastic. Well done. Now take a well deserved rest over the weekend and then its onwards and upwards next week!

career_move

RedRunner wrote: »

Fantastic. Well done. Now take a well deserved rest over the weekend and then its onwards and upwards next week!

+1 Good stuff Dave

davenewt

Proving Friday wasn't a fluke, another 8km today in 55:32, which compared to my previous 8k is.... oh never mind, you're right. 8km! \o/