w5 r3 & 5k might have to wait

[kieran-williams]

completed w5 r2 today so Wednesday was going to be the day for r3 of the week. on w4 r3 (same route for respective run numbers for me) I made 4.7k including the warm up. if I could run at the same pace the 5k was in the bag this week. now with all the snow forecast looks like I might need some magical snow shoes/boots ☹

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

That all sounds impressive but if you are new to running, regardless of your general fitness, then it takes a long time for legs to adapt and develop. Because you can run 5k in twenty minutes, does not mean, if you are new to running, that you should.

Please read the guide to the plan for advice about how to safely complete the plan healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

But more importantly please read these two posts from runners who thought they knew better than the devisors of the programme healthunlocked.com/couchto5... and healthunlocked.com/couchto5....

C25K is designed to build stamina and speed should come later.

Take care.

[kieran-williams in reply to IannodaTruffe]

about e years ago I was doing 5 or 6 100k walks a year + a lot of trading, played rugby for 30 years and badminton. had a double transplant in November so just getting back into a lot of sport again.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to kieran-williams]

Maybe, then, pull back a tad... enjoy this structured and tried and tested programme and relax into the journey.

IannodaTruffe is quite correct... sometimes, we feel strong and fit... but, he is again, correct, the running legs and stamina and strength, do take time to build safely.

I have in the distant past climbed, walked, cycled and I ran for my County... but my mantra now, is slow and steady... ( and not just because I old:))

PS

I still climb... but not so high.. I still walk... but less far, I still cycle, but not as quickly, and I still run.. three times a week

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to kieran-williams]

Walking does not have the impact of running and what you did years ago has little bearing on how your body may respond to that impact. We all have to face the fact that our bodies age and become more susceptible to injury.

I would urge you to read further about the impact of running on the body and take on board that running hard on every run is a rookie runner's mistake. Professional runners often use a 20% hard,80% easy running programme, which better enables the body to adapt and develop than running hard all the time.

[Rignold in reply to IannodaTruffe]

I think there is a bit of over-reaction going on here. Has anyone actually read Kieran's posts? He clearly states that the 5k is including the warm up and cool down walks, not in the 20 minutes of the run. Whilst there may be many new runners on the programme who are not achieving that, it is hardly an extreme pace, nor one necessarily likely to cause physical damage.

The advice given in the programme is to run at a pace at which you can maintain conversation. That is going to be different depending on people's fitness levels going in. There is no requirement, that everyone should run at the pace of the slowest starter, and Kieran has clearly stated that he is not going flat out, he is going at what for him is a comfortable jogging pace.

[kieran-williams]

thanks for the advice everyone. the 5k will include the 5 min walking warm up and cool down I don't think I'll ever run 5k in 20 mins. my walking pace on the flat is 6 - 7k an hour so for me I'm still just jogging (not really one for going flat out) I'm just going at what I feel comfortable at and following the programme. the only extra stuff I do is on 2 of my run days I'll go to the gym in the evening and do between half hour and 2 hours on the treadmill depending how I'm feeling, play badminton for 2 hours on a Sunday morning and try and get a 20 mile walk in once a week.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to kieran-williams]

Rignold spotted what I missed..........that your distance includes your warmup.

Take care.

[Whatsapp Graduate]

A lot of poster I notice seem to include warm up/down in their distance. I see why as its a good indication of how far you are going overall. But, if you just record the run itself you will get a better idea of your pace.

[kieran-williams]

Hi Whatsapp I'd love to be able to record just the runs and recovery walks but it's not the easiest thing in the world to control 2 apps and a watch while on the move with the phone in a sports armband. I guess I could probably do it quite easy on the watch though. I'll give it a go if I manage to get out tomorrow (no snow here yet).

The other thing is will I keep the same pace for 20 mins with no recovery. all of my running during the 1 and a half min, 3 min, 5 min and 8 min runs has been quite consistent at around 12k/h on the flat trailing off a tad towards the end of a session with the longer run durations.