5K coming up.

neil_hosey

Hi there,
This isnt a great idea but i committed to it so looking for some advice.

Ive been on a weightloss/fitness regime since june and lost 3 stone so far (now im 15.5st., am 6 ft.). I committed to a 5km run on the 2nd of december, but because of the gym and other sports im playing, i havent done much preperation.

I havent run 5 km since i was about 16, and in june, I couldnt run the length of myself. I can run about 3-4km fairly comfortably (and slowly) at the moment.

What advice woudl you give for the last 2-3 weeks running up to this training wise to get up to a steady 5km in that time.

I know the distance isnt that far, but it is for me considering i havent done it before.

Thanks
Neil

Clearlier

If you can run 3 - 4k fairly comfortably then finishing it won't be an issue. It's too late to make any difference to your fitness so the most important thing for you is to make sure that you arrive on the line fresh and ready to go. Don't do anything between now and the race that you haven't done before. You don't need any gimmicks to do this, clothes and runners that are comfortable are all that you need.

Start the race off slower than you think you need to and pick it up from halfway if you're still feeling good. The boost you get from going past people who went out too hard will be worth a lot to you.

Enjoy it!

seamus

Focus on finishing it, not on how quickly you finish it. As clearlier says, start off at a slightly slower pace than you would normally do, and this should give you the energy to push all the way. If you can run 4 or even 3km right now without dying, then you can do 5km.

Give yourself a short break between your last training session and the actual race. 3 days should be enough. Too much of a break and I find it harder to run, whereas 3/4 days appears to be about the right amount of time.

Get a good sleep the second-last night before the race. Your mileage may vary, but I find my energy levels affected not by last night's sleep, but by the night before last. So if I'm racing on Sunday, I'm unaffected by a couple of hours sleep on Saturday night provided I got a good night on Friday. A good night's sleep is where you sleep until you wake up, i.e. no alarms., and you only get up when you don't feel like sleeping any more.

Obviously, avoid alcohol the night before. I would generally avoid getting completely blotto for the week beforehand. Eat well, have proper meals the day before, and aim to eat the morning of the event, giving yourself a gap of 2-4 hours between eating and the main event. Don't waste your time bringing a bottle of water to carry around the course. You don't need it, it will only distract you.

Above all, just enjoy the event and don't put yourself under too much pressure.

neil_hosey

thats great thanks. I will try start out slow (er)

will be avoiding drinking for the week before now alright.

nice_guy80

First up, congrats on the weight loss.
That's fair going.

You've over two weeks to get yourself in better shape.
A few runs and cycles will help