Taking up 5km running, tips?

legendary.xix

I'm going to look at training a bit over the next few weeks. My aim will be to run a few 5k races for fun in an average fast time for your casual runner. Would anyone have any good tips on training i.e. ideal distance to run over a few weeks while building it up to 5k?

RoyMcC

Need more information e.g. for starters

Present level of fitness
Running experience
Age

fatalll

If you are planning on running a few times a week,
I would get the way you run/walk looked at.
They have machines in shops that record/analyse how you run ie. how your feet move

Then usually they will recomend a pair of runners....
Be prepared to spend at least €140 on a decent pair of runners....it will be worth it in the long run(pardon the pun....not intended)

PatientBear

legendary.xix wrote: »

I'm going to look at training a bit over the next few weeks. My aim will be to run a few 5k races for fun in an average fast time for your casual runner. Would anyone have any good tips on training i.e. ideal distance to run over a few weeks while building it up to 5k?

Hi Man,

I can only give you very general advice as I'm a long distance runner and not a sprinter (hopefully a sprinter will also contribute to the post) and also due to the fact that you haven't given a target time or any indication of your current fitness. However, I'll try to be useful.

1. Are you comfortable with 5km, and do you jog regularly as it stands? 5km is not a challenging distance as such, but obviously even short distances are challenging if you want to do them at speed! If you can't already do a 5km distance comfortably at a medium jog, then a few weeks of training simply won't be enough. You will have to put in a regime of a couple of months minimum in order to effect a substantial change on performance.

2. Your long-term goals are just as important as your short-term goals. For example, if you want to regularly race in the future then of course you should invest in some decent books and consider how much time you want to give to training. A couple of times during the week or whenever you feel like it won't cut the mustard. Running or cross training three to five times a week - whether you want to or not - is the price you'll have to pay if you want to get some serious improvement in speed.

3. For the specific training, if you are a novice runner then you need to split your training between distance and speed. Your distance barrier should be much higher than 5km if you want to sprint a 5km. You'd really want to be comfortable with an easy two hour jog, so perhaps a 20km distance or so I'd imagine. So you'll should concentrate on building up to this in training. This simply a matter of building distance over time. This will also strengthen your legs, and you will need this if you intend to sprint as it will be much harder even if it is short course.

4. To build speed, you need to do short distances and times at a very high intensity. Try a 5-15 minute warm up followed by 5 minute sprint at the highest intensity you can sustain. Then slow down to a medium intensity for 5 minutes. Do the high/medium intensity three times and then warm down and finish. The secret to building speed is to do short distances at very high intensity.

5. Be disciplined in your choice of work-out. If it's a long easy run, do a long easy run. If it's a high intensity, short training session, really push yourself. Do mix the two, and don't fall into the trap of trying to incrementally build distance and speed together.

Hope this was useful.

RayCun

The couch to 5k thread
The couch to 5k plan
The thread full of questions and answers from new runners

PatientBear

RayCun wrote: »

The couch to 5k thread
The couch to 5k plan
The thread full of questions and answers from new runners

The not so famous beginner's marathon schedule! Two months to run 3 miles? One can be more ambitious! This is how to do 26.2 miles in four months!

http://www.nyceats.net/running/2004/06/_nonrunners_mar.html

I've done it, and I was a total fatty!

RayCun

I wouldn't recommend anyone go from nothing to a marathon in four months.
And some people would say that there's just as much challenge in running short distances fast...

thirstywork2

fatalll wrote: »

If you are planning on running a few times a week,
I would get the way you run/walk looked at.
They have machines in shops that record/analyse how you run ie. how your feet move

Then usually they will recomend a pair of runners....
Be prepared to spend at least €140 on a decent pair of runners....it will be worth it in the long run(pardon the pun....not intended)

id say be prepared to spend up to €140 but usually around €100-110

legendary.xix

Thanks all for some great advice. My level of fitness is ok for playing an hour of indoor football. Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely take it on board.

Ruu_Old

Look into Fartlek (speedwork) for training as well, especially for shorter distances like 5k. Very good workout.

PatientBear

RayCun wrote: »

I wouldn't recommend anyone go from nothing to a marathon in four months.
And some people would say that there's just as much challenge in running short distances fast...

I never said there was anything wrong with running short distances fast. If people want to challenge themselves on speed as opposed to distance that's cool - it's horses for courses. The message I want to get out is that you can aim very high (on distance at least) within a relatively short timespan. There's a fallacy out there that you have to be super fit and super athletic to do distance, but that's rubbish. You simply have to train accordingly. Also, I actually increased my speed pretty well after my first marathon because my legs were a hell of a lot stronger.

A person can do a marathon in four months. I did it, and I was never athletic. It opened a whole new world for me. Rather than recommending people not to do it, I believe that they should inform themselves (e.g. buy a copy of 'The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer' (http://www.amazon.com/Non-Runners-Marathon-Trainer-David-Whitsett/dp/1570281823) and then make up their mind for themselves. I coached three people on their first marathons (one a complete beginner) and they both did very well.

I think this could do as seperate post actually...