In article <
[email protected]>, DrLith wrote:
> "Ignoramus28400" <
[email protected]>
> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>> I just ran my customary jogging distance of 4.54km
>> (measured approximately with a truck odometer) as fast
>> as I could, in preparation for the upcoming 5k run on
>> April 25.
>>
>> The result is 22m34s, or 8.04 minutes per mile. The
>> terrain was mildly hilly (two hills). On the 5k basis, it
>> would be 24m48s. Let's add 12 seconds for fatigue, it
>> seems like finishing a 5k race in 25 minutes is pretty
>> possible at my today's level. I have a little over a
>> month to train.
>>
>> My question is how to prepare for the race. Should I run
>> as often as possible, or no more than 2x or 1x per week?
>> Should I also do shorter distance sprints? Should I rest
>> for a week or so immediately prior to the race?
>
> My thoughts would be that if you've only been running 1 or
> 2 times a week up until now, you might want to increase
> your frequency slightly over the next couple of weeks and
> then hold it there. If you've been running 3-5 times a
> week (I assume that you run the same ~3 mile loop each
> time you run?) I'd maintain that same volume. Most of your
> days should be "easy" days (9:30
> min/mi or so, I'd think?--whatever pace you can maintain
> steadily without getting out of breath, and not feel
> exhausted at the end/muscle sore the next day).
> Ideally, you'd want one run a week that was a little
> longer (and as slow as you need to go to finish
> comfortably) and one run a week that had bursts of
> greater intensity interspersed with easy recovery
> periods.
>
> Don't increase your volume by more than 10% a week, and
> don't increase it at all in the last couple of weeks
> before the race (indeed, in the last week before the race,
> taper off slightly). Finally, don't increase your volume
> in the same week that you increase intensity (by adding
> some workouts incorporating shorter stretches of faster
> running).
>
> In other words, you don't really have a lot of time to
> improve for this particular race, but if you are
> interested in continuing, those are thoughts to keep
> in mind.
>
> The general principal on building speed into your training
> is that you never want to run as fast as you'll run a
> race, for the complete distance you'll run the race.
Thanks. I think that my main purpose is to learn to optimize
whatever resources I have, during the race. I also tend to
forget to run fast, as strange as it sounds, and caught
myself slowing down several times, even though I could run
faster. Maybe it sounds weird, but it is true. I am
generally a slow paced person.
>> Also, I have old dilapidated running shoes. Would buying
>> new ones for $70 or so help me in any way?
>
> Fresh comfy running shoes that are right for YOU will do
> more to save your knees than just about anything else. And
> I know this is a concern of yours, you bad, bad boy. No
> wonder you had knee problems when you ran before! 12 miles
> a week on crappy shoes was harder on my joints than 25
> miles a week on good shoes. "Good shoes" does not just
> mean "expensive," though. The wrong expensive shoes will
> make you miserable. Go to a store that specializes in
> running wear (not a mall store, not a big-box sporting
> goods store, but a small running store.) Find one that
> offers gait analysis, and they will help you sort through
> the zillions of models and find the ones that fit your
> needs, and not just your feet.
Thanks, will do.
> The other things that will help keep you running happily
> for years and reduce the chance of injury are to run most
> of your mileage in the "easy" zone, don't increase
> mileage too quickly, and don't stupidly "run through" any
> chronic pains.
I never run through chronic pain Dr. A lesson I thankfully
learned from this newsgroup and websites.
i
