Help: I can't seem to break 5K

"Echoes DJ Services" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Hello Everyone:

I believe at this point I have to give up and say I really
need help.

I've

Quoted message said:

been running for quite a while, and finally got myself
registered for a 10K race this May. Now, I've been using
the treadmill during the winter (as outside is a bit too
much during these time) - and have found that I hit my max
at 5K. (about 3 miles). I need to double that in order to
at least finish this race, but, am finding that I just
can't. There are even days I come in and can barely do 1.5
miles, let alone 3.. (those are good days).

Could anyone recommend any strategies that might help me
make this run? - I'm currently just getting on and going
till I cannot anymore. Should I be doing something else? -
i.e. stopping and retrying after I

take

Quoted message said:

a small break? - or running at different intervals (I'm
not even sure how often I should run - daily, every other
day, etc?)

Thanks everyone, and sorry to sound like such a newbie...

You have a few options: you can try to run slower, or you
can take mini walk breaks. I suggest a combination of both.
Perhaps some stationary bike and elliptical training would
also help, without adding more impact-type stress.

cheers,
--
David (in Hamilton, ON) www.allfalldown.org "The most
insecure people are the ones you see, putting other people
down constantly."

Quoted message said:

I hit my max at 5K. (about 3 miles). I need to double that
in order to at least finish this race, but, am finding that
I just can't.

Why can't you? Is it your wind that is stopping you at 5k,
or is it physical pain, muscle fatigue, or something else?
At what pace are your running the 5k that you do, and how
long have you been running? If you are a newbie, it is a
common error to run too fast initially instead of gradually
building an endurance base with good-quality, slow miles.

"Echoes DJ Services" <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Hello Everyone:

I believe at this point I have to give up and say I
really need help. I've been running for quite a while,
and finally got myself registered for a 10K race this
May. Now, I've been using the treadmill during the winter
(as outside is a bit too much during these time) - and
have found that I hit my max at 5K. (about 3 miles). I
need to double that in order to at least finish this
race, but, am finding that I just can't. There are even
days I come in and can barely do 1.5 miles, let alone 3..
(those are good days).

Could anyone recommend any strategies that might help me
make this run? - I'm currently just getting on and going
till I cannot anymore. Should I be doing something else? -
i.e. stopping and retrying after I take a small break? -
or running at different intervals (I'm not even sure how
often I should run - daily, every other day, etc?)

You need to use the "hard-easy" method of training. The body
needs a certain level of stress followed by a certain level
of recovery. During this recovery time your body will repair
itself and supercompensate to a point that is better than
before. You need to follow some sort of training plan. There
are many 10K programs out there for beginners. Maybe some
other rec.runners have some better sites but here's a good
place to start:

tinyurl.com2lltlOpen ↗

Phil M.

--
The chief cause of human errors is to be found in the prejudices picked
up in childhood." ­ Déscartes

In article said:

Hello Everyone:

I believe at this point I have to give up and say I really
need help. I've been running for quite a while, and
finally got myself registered for a 10K race this May.
Now, I've been using the treadmill during the winter (as
outside is a bit too much during these time) - and have
found that I hit my max at 5K. (about 3 miles). I need to
double that in

Have you tried running slower ?

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi pegasus.rutgers.edu~elflordOpen ↗

Are you running every day? Perhaps a day or two off per
week. My first suggestion though is one already made, to
run-walk. Try alternate run-walk at first with about a
2-1 or 3-1 ratio. Don't feel silly doing this. Your bod
should condition itself up to full running faster than
you might think.

"Echoes DJ Services" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello Everyone:

I believe at this point I have to give up and say I really
need help.

I've

Quoted message said:

been running for quite a while, and finally got myself
registered for a 10K race this May. Now, I've been using
the treadmill during the winter (as outside is a bit too
much during these time) - and have found that I hit my max
at 5K. (about 3 miles). I need to double that in order to
at least finish this race, but, am finding that I just
can't. There are even days I come in and can barely do 1.5
miles, let alone 3.. (those are good days).

Could anyone recommend any strategies that might help me
make this run? - I'm currently just getting on and going
till I cannot anymore. Should I be doing something else? -
i.e. stopping and retrying after I

take

Quoted message said:

a small break? - or running at different intervals (I'm
not even sure how often I should run - daily, every other
day, etc?)

Thanks everyone, and sorry to sound like such a newbie...

tty R

Echoes DJ Services said:

Hello Everyone:

I believe at this point I have to give up and say I
really need help. I've been running for quite a while,
and finally got myself registered for a 10K race this
May. Now, I've been using the treadmill during the winter
(as outside is a bit too much during these time) - and
have found that I hit my max at 5K. (about 3 miles). I
need to double that in order to at least finish this
race, but, am finding that I just can't. There are even
days I come in and can barely do 1.5 miles, let alone 3..
(those are good days).

Could anyone recommend any strategies that might help me
make this run? - I'm currently just getting on and going
till I cannot anymore. Should I be doing something else? -
i.e. stopping and retrying after I take a small break? -
or running at different intervals (I'm not even sure how
often I should run - daily, every other day, etc?)

Thanks everyone, and sorry to sound like such a newbie...

tty R

You don't say exactly what is causing your maxing at 5k -
breathlessness, sore legs or feet, mental ...

You sound like you might be pushing yourself too hard.
Others have already given some good ideas. Run slower - at a
conversational pace. Alternate running and walking - either
on a fixed time schedule or by feel. But remember if you
wait until you have to walk to walk, you've probably waited
too long. The walking will use different muscles and allow
running muscles to recover.

You don't say what you're doing now for training, but you
might want to run fewer days, alternate hard and easy or
long and short days. You get better by applying a stress
(long or hard), then recovering (short or easy). Someone
mentioned a training schedule, which can be helpful to
provide some structure. Are you running flat all the time or
do you increase the incline or vary the routine at all?
Running on a treadmill with no variation can be extremely
repetitive usage of same muscles.

If it's a mental issue, I can easily understand that issue
on the treadmill. I'm not sure how active you are outside of
running or what your other background is or what type of
outdoor areas you have to run in or what your weather's like
that it's causing you to run indoors (I'm in Alaska and ran
outside all winter), but one suggestion I'd make, which
works well for me and my goals but may not for others, is to
get outside and run/walk over a distance I doubt that I can
run under present conditioning (hence I don't get mad at
myself), but not so long that I'd risk injury. (It's
something Doug got me started on a couple years ago, and
occasionally gently reminds me with a 2x4 when I get in one
of my stubborn moods of wanting to run *all* the hills.)

Right now, it's been difficult for me to find a convenient
section of runnable trail of reasonable length (several are
drifted, some have lots of moose or people prints), but
there are sections of runnable trail interspersed. So I
just run when I can / walk when trail conditions force it
(or if it's too much hill for this time of year). This
provides much more mental stimulus than treadmill and
allows me to get a longer run (although not continuous, but
not a big deal) in without trying to run on poor surfaces.
This works for me since I may hike in summer and xc ski in
winter, so running is the shortest duration of any of my
activities. I was rewarded today by finding a really nice
stretch of very runnable trail (groomed ski trail so it
gets a base that other trails don't and rarely drifts) with
lots of nice hills 🙂

Maybe there's an idea in there that you can adapt to your
running environment and help get you over your present
challenge.

Dot

--
"Success is different things to different people" -Bernd
Heinrich in Racing the Antelope

Echoes DJ Services said:

Hello Everyone:

I believe at this point I have to give up and say I
really need help. I've been running for quite a while,
and finally got myself registered for a 10K race this
May. Now, I've been using the treadmill during the winter
(as outside is a bit too much during these time) - and
have found that I hit my max at 5K. (about 3 miles). I
need to double that in order to at least finish this
race, but, am finding that I just can't. There are even
days I come in and can barely do 1.5 miles, let alone 3..
(those are good days).

What problems, exactly, are you having? Out of breath? Achy
legs/joints? Bored? Personally, I find it hard to go more
than 4 miles on a treadmill, but this is not the case
outdoors. It's a mental thing. Here are some things I do
when running on a treadmill to keep me going:

1) Run 1 mile, easy, stop, stretch and loosen up, then start
up again for another 3-4.

2) Take walk breaks at pre-planned intervals (I used to do
this more in the past, but now only do it, if needed,
between fast intervals during a speed workout).

3) Vary the speed by small, but noticeable amounts: + 0.2,
-0.1 and so on. When I run outdoors, I feel freer to make
tiny adjustments mid-run. On a treadmill, one tends to
run at the same, constant speed throughout. For me, this
leads to bored (translate: tight) legs, and varying speed
helps a lot with this. Toward the end of my non-
tempo/speed treadmill workout (last 1-1.5 mile), I will
start increasing the speed till the finish. This helps me
mentally ("I'll be done 1 minute earlier"😉, and my legs
seem to welcome the change.

4) Do all long runs outside: there is a beautiful world out
there, so get out and breath it, see it and hear it.

Since your 10K is in may, I wouldn't panic too much. I just
posted a 10K PR, and hadn't run a single, at pace, 6 miler
in training (yes, I had 5 10 milers under my belt, but at a
much slower pace and with walk breaks).

How's this for a strategy? Stay at 3-3.5 miles indoors, and
go out for a longer outdoor run, with walk breaks every 10
minutes or so, on the weekends. As you improve, take less
frequent walk breaks until you don't need them at all.
Remember to increase distance and intensity gradually so as
to avoid injuries.

This will also be your 1st 10K. Enjoy it. Take the pressure
off yourself. Use it as a baseline for future improvement,
not as an Olympic qualifying event, if you catch my meaning.

--
ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,-
,ø¤º eNo "If you can't go fast, go long." ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°-
`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º

Please post your body weight and height. Anyone who is even
20 pounds overweight will find it much more difficult to
run. The average runner to me is around 30 pounds
overweight. So you don't need to explain why running is
difficult and why you can't run more than 5K.

The trouble with all you people is that eating is too
important to you all to give up even for running. Eating
and extra weight are your worst enemy as a runner. It
makes me want to puke when I got out on runs with people
and all they can talk about is what restaurant they are
going to eat at that evening or that they can't wait to
get home so they can eat their Haggendas ice cream. STOP
EATING, STOP EATING, STOP EATING.

"Echoes DJ Services" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Hello Everyone:

I believe at this point I have to give up and say I
really need help. I've been running for quite a while,
and finally got myself registered for a 10K race this
May. Now, I've been using the treadmill during the winter
(as outside is a bit too much during these time) - and
have found that I hit my max at 5K. (about 3 miles). I
need to double that in order to at least finish this
race, but, am finding that I just can't. There are even
days I come in and can barely do 1.5 miles, let alone 3..
(those are good days).

Could anyone recommend any strategies that might help me
make this run? - I'm currently just getting on and going
till I cannot anymore. Should I be doing something else? -
i.e. stopping and retrying after I take a small break? -
or running at different intervals (I'm not even sure how
often I should run - daily, every other day, etc?)

Thanks everyone, and sorry to sound like such a newbie...

tty R

In article said:

Please post your body weight and height. Anyone who is
even 20 pounds overweight will find it much more difficult
to run. The average runner to me is around 30 pounds
overweight. So you don't need to explain why running is
difficult and why you can't run more than 5K.

The trouble with all you people is that eating is too
important to you all to give up even for running. Eating
and extra weight are your worst enemy as a runner. It
makes me want to puke when I got out on runs with people
and all they can talk about is what restaurant they are
going to eat at that evening or that they can't wait to
get home so they can eat their Haggendas ice cream. STOP
EATING, STOP EATING, STOP EATING.

Dumbass

--
Donovan Rebbechi pegasus.rutgers.edu~elflordOpen ↗

[email hidden] (macelroy) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Please post your body weight and height. Anyone who is
even 20 pounds overweight will find it much more difficult
to run. The average runner to me is around 30 pounds
overweight. So you don't need to explain why running is
difficult and why you can't run more than 5K.

The trouble with all you people is that eating is too
important to you all to give up even for running. Eating
and extra weight are your worst enemy as a runner. It
makes me want to puke when I got out on runs with people
and all they can talk about is what restaurant they are
going to eat at that evening or that they can't wait to
get home so they can eat their Haggendas ice cream. STOP
EATING, STOP EATING, STOP EATING.

YARF (Yet Another Religious Fanatic) This time the religion
is dieting.

What runners do you hang around with?

When I'm on a group run or just with a friend, the
conversation maybe touches on food at most maybe about 10%
of the time. We talk about work, life, sports, and weather.
We discuss training plans, race plans, and running shoes.

Running adds balance to the lives of many here. It's not the
center of our lives, not the focus of our waking hours, and
certainly not our fulltime job.

When you speak in absolutes (as in "all you people"😉, you
only show yourself as a bigot. So, Lighten up a bit, mac.

Just remember: you must have balance.

that's my 2cents Ed

macelroy said:

The trouble with all you people is that eating is too
important to you

Yeah. You tell 'em. Like eating is needed to survive or
anything like that. And don't get me started on drinking...
drinking water, that is. Also tremendously over-hyped.
Bunch'a eaters and drinkers they are.

--
ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,-
,ø¤º eNo "If you can't go fast, go long." ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°-
`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º