My running nightmare.......

lynkin

A bit of background::: I started running in april 2010 with a view to running the womens mini marathon. I did that is just under the hour and decided to do the phoenix park adidas race series 10 mile race and completed that in 1 hr 42 minutes and it was hell. wasnt prepared atall. in a moment of madness I decided to run the adidas half marathon a month later- i thought i could do it. but with 4 kids and me running a taxi service most of the time, I only got 2 long runs of 8.5miles in. Half was horrendous,first ten miles okay but the last 3 I def hit the wall and fell awful. took me 2 hr 17 mins to complete the course and said never never again. Anyway after a few wks started back training again but had no training partner and motivation was a problem. eventually got back into it and was up to 10.5 miles when the snow ice and sickness hit. As a result didnt run until mid jan. First race was local 10k and did it in 59min and 6 sec. have ran about 8 times since then only and today did a 5k in 28min 44 sec. the problem is - my 14yr old daughter did it in 22 min. I need help and motivation and suggestions to get faster please.....

rainbow kirby

You're being very negative about what you have achieved up to now, and that's something you have to turn around. You should be proud of yourself for what you *have* achieved to this point, if you can complete a 10 mile and half marathon on little training at 10:xx/mile pace then you're doing better than quite a few people out there. Your daughter clearly has some natural talent, I'd be absolutely chuffed if I *ever* ran a 5k in 22 minutes!

The best way to improve from here is to be consistent with your training, make sure you get out at least 3-4 times a week and pick some goal races to aim for. If you have a local athletics club, it might be worth joining them too.

lynkin

thanks for that. my family are telling me the same thing. I have now joined a local running club and am going out training with them on wednesday night. I am looking forward to it. Also I have started to write down some races and goal times that I would like to do. Getting my head sorted and trying to run a min of 3 times a week and build up from there. My daughter has talent yes, both her and my son have qualified for All Irelands in running - must get that from their father me thinks. Anyway thanks again for your words of encouragement. Onwards and upwards from here.

rainbow kirby

Good luck with it

jcsmum

Yeah, I echo everything RK said. Your times are great for someone with little or no training, don't be selling yourself short.
Following a training plan is great for giving you some structure - a lot of us on here use hal higdon - he has lots of plans for all different types of races. Also, starting this training log will have lots of benefits too, people will offer advice and provide encouragement. Start logging your runs here and you'll be surprised at how much you'll progress!
Even read some of our logs just to get perspective of where we're at and how much we've improved in the last month/year/years...

RubyK

Best of luck with your log. As RK and jcsmum have said a plan is really a must, to keep you focused and on track. Joining the running club will also stand to you, and keep you motivated.

There are lots of upcoming running events on in/around Wexford, so you'll have plenty of options. I did the Strawberry Half in Enniscorthy last year, and really enjoyed it. Great atmosphere, nice course, lots of support. Maybe it could be something you might work towards. It's on the 26th June afaik. If you followed a plan (like Hal Higdon, already mentioned) you will find it a much more enjoyable experience, than your last one (which by, the way was a really good time, despite only getting 2 x 8.5 mile long runs done in training :eek:).

lynkin

okay. I am going to post my training runs and hope that it motivates me a bit. I will look up some of your logs over the next few days also and if from time to time some of you can look at mine and c if Im going ok, that would be great. I am also going to look up Hal Higdeon plans and maybe I will do Strawbery half this year....

Sunday 2 miles - slow but nice - 20mins
Tuesday 2.7 miles on pitch - 25mins
Wednesday - hope to do 3+ miles with running club tonight and push myself.
Actually did 4 miles with club and really enjoyed it and for the last mile and a half felt like I was really pushing myself.

Should I do circuits or pilates or something to strengthen my legs/glutes??
Are there are foods I should be eating more of to increse energy??