5 miles in 39 Minutes? good?

jimmypage100

Hi folks, just looking for a bit of advice. Ive been training hard since january. Ive mostly been doing Interval Training, Cycling, Light weights etc i.e pretty much anything to help me lose weight.

Anyways, in the last three weeks I've lost very little and my weight loss is beginning to plateau. I'm nearly at the point where i'm not losing anything at all. So I started running 5 miles on the road on Sunday and i've done it every night since (i.e 5 times including tonight). Its consistently taking me 39 minutes and i'm just wondering is that a good time for this distance of run? and how much i should be lengthening the run by each week.

I'm also looking for advice on what i can do to kick start the weight loss again!! Ive lost four stone since i started training but i've got two to go!!! anyways, any advice would be very much appreciated.

Rawhead

8 minute miles are good. Interval runs are the best for getting fit quick and losing weight.
Good going.

deisecelt

Yeah thats a decent time to be doin five miles, keep that up, watch yer diet, youll be flyin. To see what to increase it by just use any of the running plans online. Prob best off to go for a beginner half marathon at this stage. Best of luck!!

AntiVirus

Considering you've just started running I think its a very good time. It looks like you're running flat out evertime you run or why would you be asking if this is a good time? The first thing they'll tell you to do on the A/T/R forum is tell you to slow down. Your running way to fast

You would be best off posting this in the A/T/R forum, I would not be the best person to tell you what to do but I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who has this problem. :pac:

Here's a good site to find out what speed you should be running at for training.

http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/mcmillanrunningcalculator.htm

jimmypage100

cheers folks. Ill post a comment on the A/T/R forum in that case. Im not running flat out for the whole run, probably more like 75% of my maximum. Think intervals might be the way alright. I did them on the treadmill for four months and they worked really well.

AntiVirus

So you should be able to run 10km sub 40 then which is a good time. Give it a go and see how you get on.

Nwm2

jimmypage100 wrote: »

Hi folks, just looking for a bit of advice. Ive been training hard since january. Ive mostly been doing Interval Training, Cycling, Light weights etc i.e pretty much anything to help me lose weight.

Anyways, in the last three weeks I've lost very little and my weight loss is beginning to plateau. I'm nearly at the point where i'm not losing anything at all. So I started running 5 miles on the road on Sunday and i've done it every night since (i.e 5 times including tonight). Its consistently taking me 39 minutes and i'm just wondering is that a good time for this distance of run? and how much i should be lengthening the run by each week.

I'm also looking for advice on what i can do to kick start the weight loss again!! Ive lost four stone since i started training but i've got two to go!!! anyways, any advice would be very much appreciated.

Your diet is what will cause you to lose weight. Stop eating whatever crap you are eating.

5 miles is 8 km. 8km in 39 mins is about 49 mins for 10km.

This would put you just over 1/3 of the way down the list on a recent 10km event I was in (depends on how flat your course is, and exactly what distance it is). You are in amongst the 'reasonably fit, don't run seriously, recreational runners'.

You should enter a local 10k race and see how you do in race conditions. You say you are running at 75% - really this would have to mean that your last couple of km are being done at 75% and that when you finish you are feeling grand.

jimmypage100

Well my diet is not really an issue to be honest. Ive lost four stone already by exercising like a mad man and eating really carefully. I haven't eaten any take aways, chocolate, crisps, or any 'Crap' this year so thats not an issue.

In regards to the intensity of my run, i would be running at about 75% for the first 3.5 - 4 miles and then i would lengthen my strides and speed up for the last 1.5 - 1 mile. I would be quite tires when i finish. Usually my legs are very stiff and sore and even worse the next day. Good call on the 10km race Nwm2. Thats what im actually training for (apart from trying to lose weight:D).

DuncanDoughnut

instead of going for a longer run, why not set yourself a target of a faster time? say aim for 38 mins, then 37, etc?

jimmypage100

well thats kinda what im wondering about. i need to be able to do 10km's by the end of june. Will trying to do the 5 miles quicker contribute to my ability to run 10kms?

connundrum

You'll be well able for a 10km now by the sounds of it.

Variation in the training schedule is key I'd say.

Even try a simple plan like this http://www.runrepublic.ie/training/10k.htm

DuncanDoughnut

jimmypage100 wrote: »

well thats kinda what im wondering about. i need to be able to do 10km's by the end of june. Will trying to do the 5 miles quicker contribute to my ability to run 10kms?

ahhh right sorry i didn't cop onto that, i'm no expert but i'm guessing trying to lengthen the runs would be the best bet!

AntiVirus

jimmypage100 wrote: »

Will trying to do the 5 miles quicker contribute to my ability to run 10kms?

It will but not by much. To be good at runing 10km you've got to train to run for 10km. You're only training to run a fast 8km, you need to build up your endurance to run a good 10km. To do this you need to do some longer slow runs and other things...

Nwm2

AntiVirus wrote: »

It will but not by much. To be good at runing 10km you've got to train to run for 10km. You're only training to run a fast 8km, you need to build up your endurance to run a good 10km. To do this you need to do some longer slow runs and other things...

Well, there's not that much more endurance needed to run 10km instead of 8km. The point is that he's not training properly to do a fast 8km either. If he was, then 10km wouldn't be a problem.

AntiVirus

Nwm2 wrote: »

Well, there's not that much more endurance needed to run 10km instead of 8km. The point is that he's not training properly to do a fast 8km either. If he was, then 10km wouldn't be a problem.

There's 20% more endurance needed.

Nwm2

AntiVirus wrote: »

There's 20% more endurance needed.

No, the race is 20% longer, which is different.

When I'm focussing on 5K races, I'm still in good shape to run 10k races. If I'm focussing on a 15km time trial on the bike, I don't have to change anything to do a 20km TT.

That's why I said he would be fine if he was properly training for an 8km, which would necessarily involve long runs >10km (plus race-pace intervals of 1-3km, plus significantly faster intervals) and that anyone who is properly training for an 8km race could handle 10km easily without changing their training.

Look at Daniel's Running Formula book, where he groups the training plans into various categories (eg 1500m-3000m).

jimmypage100

yeah, im thinking im gonna start doing the 10kms now and see how i get on time wise. Then ill try and improve on that time. Cheers for the help folks.:)

robinph

AntiVirus wrote: »

There's 20% more endurance needed.

That kind of difference over that distance is irrelevant. If you can run an 8km regularly then you can race a 10km no problem at all.

The OP should probably change things around a bit though. Running 5 miiles everyday at the same pace is not going to get you anywhere in terms of improving your times and it needs to be mixed up a bit. If nothing else then just to stop boredom setting in. Ask the guys on ART though and they'll direct you better.

AntiVirus

robinph wrote: »

That kind of difference over that distance is irrelevant. If you can run an 8km regularly then you can race a 10km no problem at all.

Not at the same pace.

robinph

AntiVirus wrote: »

Not at the same pace.

Correct. You'd go faster.

Really wouldn't be that much difference between pace on a 5mile/ 8km race and a 6mile/10km race. There is 2 seconds a mile difference in pace between a 5mile and 10km races that I've done within the last two weeks. I should have gone a bit faster in the 5mile, but there is still not much in it.

I do think that the OP is almost certainly running too fast in their training however. I'd happily plod around 5 miles in training in 38 minutes or so. My race time for that would be 10 minutes quicker though. Head over to ART and ask the experts though, they will happily tell you that I'm not in any form an expert on training methods. But I do know that if your just starting out and running at your limits round the same route, same distance all the time then you'll not get anywhere with improving your times.

AntiVirus

robinph wrote: »

Correct. You'd go faster.

Really wouldn't be that much difference between pace on a 5mile/ 8km race and a 6mile/10km race. There is 2 seconds a mile difference in pace between a 5mile and 10km races that I've done within the last two weeks.

The difference here is that you're a runner and have built up your endurance already over the years. The OP is a beginner who looks to be running pretty hard every time he goes out running 8km. A jump to 10km's from 8km is a 25% increase in distance, not 20%, that's a fairly big jump for a beginner, not for you.

Anyway the race isn't till next month.

robinph

True, I've done more running etc previously. But the biggest limiting factor in someone doing a 10km who is happily doing 8km so far in training is psychological. If you are able to run 8km then there is nothing physical stopping you from being able to complete a 10km race and running all the way.

8km is 20% less distance than a 10km
10km is 25% more distance than 8km

But I'm sure someone who can add up better than me will be along to argue on that point later.

AntiVirus

robinph wrote: »

8km is 20% less distance than a 10km
10km is 25% more distance than 8km

:pac:

In the end it really comes down to the individual I suppose. The main thing is he's enjoying it. If he wants to get faster, there's better ways to do it. Anyway I'm not the right person to be telling him. I've got chin ups to do!

Mellor

AntiVirus wrote: »

The difference here is that you're a runner and have built up your endurance already over the years. The OP is a beginner who looks to be running pretty hard every time he goes out running 8km. A jump to 10km's from 8km is a 25% increase in distance, not 20%, that's a fairly big jump for a beginner, not for you.

Anyway the race isn't till next month.

Not really imo.

He'll prob be able for a bit more on race day. Put it down to adrenaline or similar but I've found that begineers/novices will perform better for an event compared to training. 8km easily in training would suggest he'd be fine with 10km, even if race was tomorrow.

My first road race was 9km, before that I had only ran over 5km once (7km, treadmill).

AntiVirus

Mellor wrote: »

Not really imo.

He'll prob be able for a bit more on race day. Put it down to adrenaline or similar but I've found that begineers/novices will perform better for an event compared to training. 8km easily in training would suggest he'd be fine with 10km, even if race was tomorrow.

My first road race was 9km, before that I had only ran over 5km once (7km, treadmill).

Not really what?

That he can't run a sub 40min 10km? You don't need endurance to run further? Training to run 10km would be better than training to run 8km for a 10km race?

If you read my very first post you'll see I've already said he should be able to run a sub 40 10km from the details he's given. I'm sure he'd be able to run 15km if he wanted too, even 20km.

jimmypage100

I actually did my first 10km run last night. It wasn't a race or anything but i found it fairly manageable. The only thing that annoyed me was that it took me 55 mins. I was hoping to be slightly quicker but thats okay. I never would have been able to do that a year ago! I was 20 stone at the time!

AntiVirus

jimmypage100 wrote: »

I actually did my first 10km run last night. It wasn't a race or anything but i found it fairly manageable. The only thing that annoyed me was that it took me 55 mins. I was hoping to be slightly quicker but thats okay. I never would have been able to do that a year ago! I was 20 stone at the time!

Thats a great achievement and 55 mins is a good time. You'll easily be able to improve your time. Good luck with your training

Mellor

AntiVirus wrote: »

Not really what?

That he can't run a sub 40min 10km? You don't need endurance to run further? Training to run 10km would be better than training to run 8km for a 10km race?

If you read my very first post you'll see I've already said he should be able to run a sub 40 10km from the details he's given. I'm sure he'd be able to run 15km if he wanted too, even 20km.

You said that a jump from 8km to 10km was a big jump for a begineer.
I said not really.

It would be different if he was just about able to finish the 8km, but he is running it handily. This combined with the fact that race day should see a big change.

And I didn't suggest that he keep runnign 8km, I said he'll be able for 10km no problem. He should of course add in 10km runs, and even longer runs are an easier pace.