how much fitness in how little time?
November 25, 2006 4:25 PM Subscribe
I am so screwed. I committed to run a 5k race Dec 10 and have not adequately trained for it. How should I proceed?
Not counting the nine-week "couch-to-5K" regime I started seven weeks ago (and abandoned after three weeks), I basically started training today. To give you an idea of the shape I'm in, I went 3.1 miles today (on a totally flat course, which the race course is not), and was able to run 7 min at a time, four times, with 2 min walks between, and after the fourth 2 min walk, I could run only 2 more min and walked the rest. The 3.1 took me 39 minutes.
I'm 45 years old, 6'4" and 285 lbs., and have never really run for any extended period, although a few years ago I was up to three mile runs a few times a week (for a short time). I don't (yet) have any impact-relevant injuries or tendencies towards same.
What's my best bet? Is this even possible? With fourteen days to go, I'm thinking: run each day, for maximum training, and try to whittle those walk periods down to nothing by the end, and if I don't quite make it, count on race day adrenaline to get me through. I would also do two-a-day sessions if I thought it would help.
Or is fourteen days just too little time to really do any kind of conditioning? Assuming I'm going to have to run this thing, and want to do it all without walking, what's your advice?
Secondary question -- I might be able to drop 6-8 lbs in this timeframe with a really spartan diet, which I think would help me get through the race. What should I make sure I eat plenty of, in order to get the maximum benefits of the conditioning I do?
Not counting the nine-week "couch-to-5K" regime I started seven weeks ago (and abandoned after three weeks), I basically started training today. To give you an idea of the shape I'm in, I went 3.1 miles today (on a totally flat course, which the race course is not), and was able to run 7 min at a time, four times, with 2 min walks between, and after the fourth 2 min walk, I could run only 2 more min and walked the rest. The 3.1 took me 39 minutes.
I'm 45 years old, 6'4" and 285 lbs., and have never really run for any extended period, although a few years ago I was up to three mile runs a few times a week (for a short time). I don't (yet) have any impact-relevant injuries or tendencies towards same.
What's my best bet? Is this even possible? With fourteen days to go, I'm thinking: run each day, for maximum training, and try to whittle those walk periods down to nothing by the end, and if I don't quite make it, count on race day adrenaline to get me through. I would also do two-a-day sessions if I thought it would help.
Or is fourteen days just too little time to really do any kind of conditioning? Assuming I'm going to have to run this thing, and want to do it all without walking, what's your advice?
Secondary question -- I might be able to drop 6-8 lbs in this timeframe with a really spartan diet, which I think would help me get through the race. What should I make sure I eat plenty of, in order to get the maximum benefits of the conditioning I do?
Or is fourteen days just too little time to really do any kind of conditioning?
You have time.
Keep going, I bet you could knock your walking time down a bit. You are doing pretty good right now. If you want to run everyday until race day, make a few of those days easy jogs or do another activity. My point--don't injure yourself.
I wouldn't go on a spartan diet at this time. Why torture yourself? You may still drop some pounds while eating sensibly. You know the drill--lots of fruits, veg, lean protein, whole grains...
You won't need any sort of energy gel or calories during the race. 3.1 miles isn't all that far. I found that I could run forever if I had a moderate meal of carbs the evening before, (like spaghetti), a very light breakfast--maybe a slice of whole wheat toast and half a banana or orange, and lots of sleep the night before.
Don't forget to load you iPod up with lots of motivating tunes. And don't forget that you are allowed to walk. Sign up for another 5K a few months from now and try to improve your time if you are so inclined.
Good luck and have fun!
posted by LoriFLA at 4:39 PM on November 25, 2006
You have time.
Keep going, I bet you could knock your walking time down a bit. You are doing pretty good right now. If you want to run everyday until race day, make a few of those days easy jogs or do another activity. My point--don't injure yourself.
I wouldn't go on a spartan diet at this time. Why torture yourself? You may still drop some pounds while eating sensibly. You know the drill--lots of fruits, veg, lean protein, whole grains...
You won't need any sort of energy gel or calories during the race. 3.1 miles isn't all that far. I found that I could run forever if I had a moderate meal of carbs the evening before, (like spaghetti), a very light breakfast--maybe a slice of whole wheat toast and half a banana or orange, and lots of sleep the night before.
Don't forget to load you iPod up with lots of motivating tunes. And don't forget that you are allowed to walk. Sign up for another 5K a few months from now and try to improve your time if you are so inclined.
Good luck and have fun!
posted by LoriFLA at 4:39 PM on November 25, 2006
I would caution you against running too much; if you know your body, you can run every day until you start to feel the signs of oncoming damage (people who run a lot can tell that they're going to hurt themselves), but if you don't then I wouldn't run more than 2 days in a row and then do something low-impact on your 'off day' that still does cardio but won't smoke your joints.
Also, I would stop running completely a few days before the race, and the day before I wouldn't do anything at all. You want to have your full energy reserves for the race.
Also, depending what kind of a race this is, I don't think that there's usually too much of a stigma against walking or jogging slowly (doing the "paratrooper shuffle") if you need to. I'd just try to keep moving forward, and if you can't keep running, slow down. Make finishing your goal, and don't worry too much about the time.
posted by Kadin2048 at 4:40 PM on November 25, 2006
Also, I would stop running completely a few days before the race, and the day before I wouldn't do anything at all. You want to have your full energy reserves for the race.
Also, depending what kind of a race this is, I don't think that there's usually too much of a stigma against walking or jogging slowly (doing the "paratrooper shuffle") if you need to. I'd just try to keep moving forward, and if you can't keep running, slow down. Make finishing your goal, and don't worry too much about the time.
posted by Kadin2048 at 4:40 PM on November 25, 2006
You're not going to make significant performance gains in two weeks. Moreover, running flat out everyday between now and the race will result in performance-sapping overtraining at best, and significant injury at worst.
Had you been following a proper training schedule, you'd be tapering off, not ramping up, so that your body could rebuild itself in preparation for race day.
While the underlying mechanisms are still hotly debated in mainstream sports science, the generally accepted model of training is that you strengthen your body by subjecting it to repeated cycles of stress and adaptation. If you shorten or leave out the adapation (i.e. rest and recovery) phase, then you won't become stronger!
I suggest that you do two or three hard runs this week, at most one run early next week, and rest for at least four days before the actual race.
posted by randomstriker at 4:57 PM on November 25, 2006
Had you been following a proper training schedule, you'd be tapering off, not ramping up, so that your body could rebuild itself in preparation for race day.
While the underlying mechanisms are still hotly debated in mainstream sports science, the generally accepted model of training is that you strengthen your body by subjecting it to repeated cycles of stress and adaptation. If you shorten or leave out the adapation (i.e. rest and recovery) phase, then you won't become stronger!
I suggest that you do two or three hard runs this week, at most one run early next week, and rest for at least four days before the actual race.
posted by randomstriker at 4:57 PM on November 25, 2006
Lots of runners never run full-out -- there's a whole school of thought that running intervals (run maximum of 10 and then walking 1) actually improves your time because your 10s are faster when you've had the 1 to rest. I typically run 10:1 because I find it works best for me. If I start out aiming to run 5k straight I'll die at some point and have to walk the rest anyway and end up coming in later.
My advice is to not worry a whit about time and build a bit of endurance. Don't run every day and don't diet. Run, say, every other day, starting at say 3:1, and every three days increase the running by one minute. If you can get to running 5:1 before the race you'll probably come in between 35-40 minutes, which is a good time for a first-timer with hardly any training.
BUT, if at any point you're having pain or feeling sick, don't harm yourself. You can always powerwalk the 5k and I guarantee you'll come in before some of the new runners who tried to run straight-out and died around 3k and end up staggering in to finish. And from experience I can tell you that there will always be a percentage of people walking it anyway.
After you've done the race -- even if you walk the entire way -- I can pretty much guarantee that you'll have so much fun you'll be motivated to go back to the training program and improve your time on your next race.
Good luck!
posted by loiseau at 5:39 PM on November 25, 2006
My advice is to not worry a whit about time and build a bit of endurance. Don't run every day and don't diet. Run, say, every other day, starting at say 3:1, and every three days increase the running by one minute. If you can get to running 5:1 before the race you'll probably come in between 35-40 minutes, which is a good time for a first-timer with hardly any training.
BUT, if at any point you're having pain or feeling sick, don't harm yourself. You can always powerwalk the 5k and I guarantee you'll come in before some of the new runners who tried to run straight-out and died around 3k and end up staggering in to finish. And from experience I can tell you that there will always be a percentage of people walking it anyway.
After you've done the race -- even if you walk the entire way -- I can pretty much guarantee that you'll have so much fun you'll be motivated to go back to the training program and improve your time on your next race.
Good luck!
posted by loiseau at 5:39 PM on November 25, 2006
Oh -- and thought I should add. You are so not screwed. You do what you can and that's how you get better. Runners as a lot are super-inclusive and races - particularly 5ks and 10ks - are fun and relaxed. The majority of people will be just like you.
*remembers to sign up for Resolution Run*
posted by loiseau at 5:43 PM on November 25, 2006
*remembers to sign up for Resolution Run*
posted by loiseau at 5:43 PM on November 25, 2006
You should proceed to uncommit. You could injure yourself or worse. You are too heavy and you are on the cusp of being too old to push yourself hard without way too much risk.
I hope you will forgive me for this, but I just looked over your previous questions, and I see you have a five (or so) year old. Imagine the look on your child's face and what might happen to him or her if you willfully harm yourself by running this race.
If I had power over you, I would forbid you from running this race.
posted by jamjam at 5:56 PM on November 25, 2006
I hope you will forgive me for this, but I just looked over your previous questions, and I see you have a five (or so) year old. Imagine the look on your child's face and what might happen to him or her if you willfully harm yourself by running this race.
If I had power over you, I would forbid you from running this race.
posted by jamjam at 5:56 PM on November 25, 2006
Loiseau could not be more right. People will be nice and not give you a hard time if you don't finish. The cred comes from being there.
Don't try to cram months of training into a couple of weeks. You will get injured.
I would also strongly suggest you consider the Galloway Method. It sounds completely counterintuitive, but it really works.
Good luck!
posted by 4ster at 5:57 PM on November 25, 2006
Don't try to cram months of training into a couple of weeks. You will get injured.
I would also strongly suggest you consider the Galloway Method. It sounds completely counterintuitive, but it really works.
Good luck!
posted by 4ster at 5:57 PM on November 25, 2006
didn't you post this very question a week ago? or is this coming up again and again?
posted by krautland at 6:05 PM on November 25, 2006
posted by krautland at 6:05 PM on November 25, 2006
I don't think it was him krautland. I think the last 5K question was a twenty-something with knee problems.
posted by LoriFLA at 6:22 PM on November 25, 2006
posted by LoriFLA at 6:22 PM on November 25, 2006
In my opinion you are really putting yourself at risk. It must be very important to you. I know you have committed yourself to run it but surely you can see that you are not in shape to run it. Do you even know your heart rate and blood pressure? Have you talked to a health-care pro? Or maybe talk to a trainer at the gym so that you have as much info as you can get.
posted by JayRwv at 6:27 PM on November 25, 2006
posted by JayRwv at 6:27 PM on November 25, 2006
people above who are saying you are "not in shape" based on your height and weight have no sense of your cardiac fitness. get a heart monitor and book a session with a personal trainer. have him/her help you identify your target heart rates and what ranges you can safely work in. then work in those ranges. if that's seven minutes on/two minutes off, then that's what it is. enjoy the race!
posted by judith at 6:41 PM on November 25, 2006
posted by judith at 6:41 PM on November 25, 2006
Why are you worried? You should be excited about the race. It's a good opportunity to get exercise, meet new people, check out the scenery etc. Have fun with it!
posted by dropkick at 6:59 PM on November 25, 2006
posted by dropkick at 6:59 PM on November 25, 2006
I say run flat out....pretend to trip and roll on the ground not to cause any injury. Save face and body ;)
posted by JujuB at 7:27 PM on November 25, 2006
posted by JujuB at 7:27 PM on November 25, 2006
Show up and run! It's a run, not a race! Have fun!
Perhaps you can think of some tiered goals:
Finish.
Finish uninjured (blisters don't count).
Finish running.
Finish after running all the way.
Finish running 11 minute miles.
Finish running in less than 30 minutes.
In a year, finish running a 5K in 25 minutes.
You will have fun, fun, fun and you won't be the slowest by a long shot unless it's a 100 person race. So what?
No one is going to judge your character based on your performance. You're out there, doing something other than eating donuts or sleeping in.
You aren't that old, you sound big but not fat, and it's only three miles. You'll love yourself when you are done.
posted by FauxScot at 7:50 PM on November 25, 2006 [1 favorite]
Perhaps you can think of some tiered goals:
Finish.
Finish uninjured (blisters don't count).
Finish running.
Finish after running all the way.
Finish running 11 minute miles.
Finish running in less than 30 minutes.
In a year, finish running a 5K in 25 minutes.
You will have fun, fun, fun and you won't be the slowest by a long shot unless it's a 100 person race. So what?
No one is going to judge your character based on your performance. You're out there, doing something other than eating donuts or sleeping in.
You aren't that old, you sound big but not fat, and it's only three miles. You'll love yourself when you are done.
posted by FauxScot at 7:50 PM on November 25, 2006 [1 favorite]
I was in the same sort of boat. Way out of shape for a 10k. Did little training. My buddy who was in the marines at the time insisted I run. It was worth it. I walked a little, jogged a lot and ran some. With a half mile to go I was passed by a woman pushing a baby stroller. Not so bad but for the fact she was 7 months pregnant (asked her after the race). Had a great time meeting folks on the course. Finishing motivated me to start working out regularly. Accomplishment (finishing), regardless of time is a great feeling.
My buddy finished something like 10 or 15 minutes ahead of me. He actually ran back to find me on the course and paced me the last few miles. (Marine training. Never leave a buddy behind.) Find someone who is running at around your pace, befriend them and pace each other. It will be a motivator to have a running partner.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 7:51 PM on November 25, 2006
My buddy finished something like 10 or 15 minutes ahead of me. He actually ran back to find me on the course and paced me the last few miles. (Marine training. Never leave a buddy behind.) Find someone who is running at around your pace, befriend them and pace each other. It will be a motivator to have a running partner.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 7:51 PM on November 25, 2006
Jeez, you beat me to it FauxScot... Don't feel intimidated!
I'm a reasonably serious runner and regular weekend race guy, and I just want to assure you that no one is gonna laugh at you. We're all out there for the same reason as you -- fun, fresh air, and nice folks. Most of us are never going to win one of these races unless Godzilla appears to crush the front of the pack, so it's all about accomplishing personal goals...
posted by ph00dz at 8:04 PM on November 25, 2006
I'm a reasonably serious runner and regular weekend race guy, and I just want to assure you that no one is gonna laugh at you. We're all out there for the same reason as you -- fun, fresh air, and nice folks. Most of us are never going to win one of these races unless Godzilla appears to crush the front of the pack, so it's all about accomplishing personal goals...
posted by ph00dz at 8:04 PM on November 25, 2006
I stopped working out for a month because of a foot injury, and when I started up again I was only able to jog 5k in about 38 minutes. By pushing myself to improve a bit each time, I've made it to 32 minutes over the course of about 3 weeks. I was at about 34 minutes, with faster and slower jogging depending on what my body needed, a week ago. You can definitely get measurable results in just two weeks.
Run every other day, push yourself to do a bit more running and a bit less walking each day. This week's goal: You're not allowed to walk at all by the end of the week. Next week's goal: cut two minutes form your time. Take two days off before the 5k. You'll be fine.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 8:16 PM on November 25, 2006
Run every other day, push yourself to do a bit more running and a bit less walking each day. This week's goal: You're not allowed to walk at all by the end of the week. Next week's goal: cut two minutes form your time. Take two days off before the 5k. You'll be fine.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 8:16 PM on November 25, 2006
Obviously, you are not going to win. What is your goal? Finish? That you could probably do now. Finish without walking? Who cares if you walk a little bit during the race. Wear a heart rate monitor and if your heart rate gets too high, slow it down to a walk for thirty seconds or so to recover a bit. If you don't want to invest in a heart rate monitor don't worry, your body will tell you when to walk. Are you afraid you will embarrass yourself by being too slow? Don't be, there are frequently several people racing who have not trained at all. It's only three miles. Everything will be fine.
posted by caddis at 10:39 PM on November 25, 2006
posted by caddis at 10:39 PM on November 25, 2006
don't stress it...don't radically alter your training. Keep doing what you are doing. Chances are there are going to be a lot of people who finish before you and after you so you shouldn't feel peer pressure to do something super crazy and hurt yourself. Set small steady goals and measure yourself against those goals at regular intervals. You'll get better for sure. Just remember that true gains won't happen overnight...if you want to make gains, you have to be in it for the long haul.
posted by mmascolino at 12:01 AM on November 26, 2006
posted by mmascolino at 12:01 AM on November 26, 2006
Response by poster: Thanks to everyone for their great answers. Message received: have fun. And don't die (thanks jamjam).
Come back to the thread in a couple weeks and I'll let you know how it all turned out.
posted by luser at 5:03 PM on November 26, 2006
Come back to the thread in a couple weeks and I'll let you know how it all turned out.
posted by luser at 5:03 PM on November 26, 2006
I've run a lot of 5ks. A lot of people who "run" 5ks are affiliated with the charity and aren't runners. They are only doing it because they're involved, and they aren't in shape. So they just end up walking. It's not a big deal. And half the people who do take off running die after a mile and walk the rest. An average 5k has plenty of people in the 40-50 minute time range, which is SLOW. (And a 5k is not a 10k. It's not that long.)
posted by smackfu at 7:20 AM on November 27, 2006
posted by smackfu at 7:20 AM on November 27, 2006
Shooooot, my first 5K time (and I trained for it) was something like 40:05. So odn't worry about it. I say run every other day til then, and then have fun. (Kinda like what everyone else said.)
posted by pyjammy at 12:24 PM on November 27, 2006
posted by pyjammy at 12:24 PM on November 27, 2006
Response by poster: If you're checking back, I did it. More on that in a moment. As for the prep, I wound up only running only a second and a third time (!) in the two weeks I had when I posted this, but the second time I was able to run almost the whole thing, a little better still for the third, so I figured I was fine.
I had a great time. There were about 1000 people running and plenty behind me (I think I did about 41:00), just as you all promised above.
The reason I had to run this was that I'd committed the whole family to doing it together (wife and 7yo did the 1.5m walk) and I was running with my two daughters 12 and 14. So I didn't want to bug out on them.
I wound up walking only 3 times, 1 minute each, and finished fairly strongly (for me). What really helped is that about 100 yards from the finish my kids saw me and started yelling "Go, Dad, go!!!" etc. etc. and then they ran out with me and all three ran alongside me to the finish. That was one of those really nice moments you hope you remember forever, which I'm not sure I ever would have experienced without the answers I got in this thread. So thank you all very, very much.
posted by luser at 4:58 PM on December 10, 2006 [3 favorites]
I had a great time. There were about 1000 people running and plenty behind me (I think I did about 41:00), just as you all promised above.
The reason I had to run this was that I'd committed the whole family to doing it together (wife and 7yo did the 1.5m walk) and I was running with my two daughters 12 and 14. So I didn't want to bug out on them.
I wound up walking only 3 times, 1 minute each, and finished fairly strongly (for me). What really helped is that about 100 yards from the finish my kids saw me and started yelling "Go, Dad, go!!!" etc. etc. and then they ran out with me and all three ran alongside me to the finish. That was one of those really nice moments you hope you remember forever, which I'm not sure I ever would have experienced without the answers I got in this thread. So thank you all very, very much.
posted by luser at 4:58 PM on December 10, 2006 [3 favorites]
Great news! Congratulations and I hope you do a bunch more. You should be really proud of yourself and for doing this with the family. Excellent!
posted by FauxScot at 5:09 PM on December 10, 2006
posted by FauxScot at 5:09 PM on December 10, 2006
Great news indeed! Congrats on finishing. Your daughters sound really proud and sweet. You might catch the bug now and sign up for more races!
posted by LoriFLA at 7:25 PM on December 10, 2006
posted by LoriFLA at 7:25 PM on December 10, 2006
This thread is closed to new comments.
It's not the end of the world if you can't run the whole 5 km. Train the best you can until the race but don't overdo it. While not very good, 39 minutes isn't a totally embarrassing time. But avoiding a repeat should be a good incentive to better at your next race. Fitness is all about a sensible level of exercise you can sustain, not a ridiculous exertion that will leave you injured and therefore sedentary.
posted by grouse at 4:30 PM on November 25, 2006