=Karma-Kills=
"Don't post while intoxicated."
+356|7035|England
Hey guys,

Well, long story really.

I was planning (decided on Friday ) on doing the Race For Life (5km). Ive been running these past 3 days to start to train for it - all was going well (apart from my hips down is kinda now a no go area with blisters / cramp etc). I stopped in Tesco for some water and picked up a cereal box advertising the Race For Life. I read the back with interest.


"...premier 5Km women only event".


I almost fell back with a combination of embarassment and fustration.

Anyways i was chatting to my mate about it, and he mentioned the Great South Run (10 miles / 16Km, http://gsr.realbuzz.com/ ).

I looked at it and got scared. I thought the 5Km looked pretty easy (i rekon i could do it now with little / no training). But 16Km seems like an awful lot.

Please bear in mind:
* Im an averagely healthy (i think!) 16 year old.
* I have never done any long distance running (in fact i used to get asthma from running!)
* I have no sense of distance. 16Km seems like ageeeees, but is it?
* I can get pretty damn determined when i set my mind to summin.
* The event is in October, sign up by mid May.

So, any advice / tips?

Am i up to it? How should i train? How seriously should i take this? How should i train?! What sort of times should i aim at? How should i train?!?!



Thanks for any help



PS any posters of "Z0mG 16kM 1z l31k \/\/4y f4R" will be instantly banned from the internet.

Last edited by =Karma-Kills= (2007-04-09 12:10:46)

too_money2007
Member
+145|6758|Keller, Tx
Set up a bike about 1km away, run it, bike the rest. SUCKERS!!!!!!!


Be like that lady who ran the Boston Marathon or the NYC Marathon or something, who took the subway to the finish line.
UON
Junglist Massive
+223|7104
You could just sue Tesco for sex discrimination (edit: and give the proceeds to charity )....

Or you could just make up your own charity run... get one of those things that measure how far you've run and make a sponsorship sheet then just hassle people you know to give you money if you can do 5km....

Last edited by UON (2007-04-09 12:17:08)

=NHB=Shadow
hi
+322|6816|California
Just Teleport.
tiptopT
Member
+72|7032|Scotland's Capital
Well its the 28th of October so its ages away, giving you more than enough time to train for it.  Best thing is to take baby steps, run at 8-9kph for 10 mins, walk for 5 and see how you feel, do another 10 then walk for 5.  Repeat for as long as you want\are able.  As you get used to it it will be esier so either up the pace, up the running time or lower the rest time.  Try to aim for 30min running blocks.  Im 24, 15st 2 and can do 12k in an hour at a pace which is quiet easy for me (C'mon im a prop i aint built for this shit!!)  Stay hydrated and always aim to do better
=Karma-Kills=
"Don't post while intoxicated."
+356|7035|England

tiptopT wrote:

Well its the 28th of October so its ages away, giving you more than enough time to train for it.  Best thing is to take baby steps, run at 8-9kph for 10 mins, walk for 5 and see how you feel, do another 10 then walk for 5.  Repeat for as long as you want\are able.  As you get used to it it will be esier so either up the pace, up the running time or lower the rest time.  Try to aim for 30min running blocks.  Im 24, 15st 2 and can do 12k in an hour at a pace which is quiet easy for me (C'mon im a prop i aint built for this shit!!)  Stay hydrated and always aim to do better
1st helpful post wins karmzorz... We have a winnar!

How often do you rekon i should train and for how long each time?

Thanks

EDIT: Remeber humor will not help when i am 10km in and my feet want to burn a hole in the ground.

Last edited by =Karma-Kills= (2007-04-09 12:24:51)

KEN-JENNINGS
I am all that is MOD!
+2,993|7082|949

Dude, you need to train for a while.  I would start with maybe 1-3km run every other day and gradually build up.  After a month or two of running every other day, start running every day.  If you plan on finishing the race (don't feel bad if you don't finish, a lot of people don't) you are going to need to build up to at least 10-12km.

I would start training right now.  Never hurts.

Last edited by KEN-JENNINGS (2007-04-09 12:27:25)

jord
Member
+2,382|7128|The North, beyond the wall.

=Karma-Kills= wrote:

tiptopT wrote:

Well its the 28th of October so its ages away, giving you more than enough time to train for it.  Best thing is to take baby steps, run at 8-9kph for 10 mins, walk for 5 and see how you feel, do another 10 then walk for 5.  Repeat for as long as you want\are able.  As you get used to it it will be esier so either up the pace, up the running time or lower the rest time.  Try to aim for 30min running blocks.  Im 24, 15st 2 and can do 12k in an hour at a pace which is quiet easy for me (C'mon im a prop i aint built for this shit!!)  Stay hydrated and always aim to do better
1st helpful post wins karmzorz... We have a winnar!

How often do you rekon i should train and for how long each time?

Thanks

EDIT: Remeber humor will not help when i am 10km in and my feet want to burn a hole in the ground.
I'd do it every other day for around 1 hour.

And choose a route that goes up and down hills to train you for it.

And on the day,if you can take a drink,take some sort of energy drink.
-Gunsmoke-
Member
+165|7085|South Jersey
Be like Forrest Gump.  Run to the edge of the driveway, then, to the edge of town, then the edge of Alabama, then to the ocean.  All while getting a huge fan crowd following you.  Good luck!
=Karma-Kills=
"Don't post while intoxicated."
+356|7035|England

KEN-JENNINGS wrote:

Dude, you need to train for a while.  I would start with maybe 1-3km run, and gradually build up.  If you plan on finishing the race (don't feel bad if you don't finish, a lot of people don't) you are going to need to build up to at least 10-12km. 

I would start training right now.  Never hurts.
And we have second place! +1

Yeh ive heard that you shouldnt actually run the whole distance in training before the day, or is that just the London Marathon?! That true?
Jem250
Member
+4|6685|Bath, UK
Without very much work at all I'd have thought you could stretch to 16km in about two and a half hours. That's not impressively fast, but it should give you an idea of a viable pace to work on.

If you get asthma type symptoms from running then you should talk to your doctor. I'm asthmatic, I take an inhaler with me.

I'd have thought you should be trying to run about twice a week if you can, ideally for at least an hour. Assuming you're a normal 16 year old you're going to get some hefty school holidays over the summer - try to ramp it up to the full 16km distance a couple of times at least during those hols.

Top tip though: try to get an mp3 player with solid memory (hard-drives will suffer from all the shaking) and load it up with an hour of your favourite inspiring, high-tempo music.
tiptopT
Member
+72|7032|Scotland's Capital
^what they said, you gotta keep at it, it does get easier but takes effort to get there.  MP3 player with some decent music to keep you pumped and a camelback and your sorted

EDIT: Damn Jem you said everything i said ...just quicker

Last edited by tiptopT (2007-04-09 12:31:25)

=Karma-Kills=
"Don't post while intoxicated."
+356|7035|England

jord wrote:

I'd do it every other day for around 1 hour.

And choose a route that goes up and down hills to train you for it.

And on the day,if you can take a drink,take some sort of energy drink.
Third place +1

Yeh im thinking of a course around my house that has some pretty nasty hills in it... but the real thing is pretty flat - so do i need to? Or is that just good at building muscle?
tiptopT
Member
+72|7032|Scotland's Capital
If you can manage the hills your piss all over the actual race (not literally though would be funny)
jord
Member
+2,382|7128|The North, beyond the wall.

=Karma-Kills= wrote:

jord wrote:

I'd do it every other day for around 1 hour.

And choose a route that goes up and down hills to train you for it.

And on the day,if you can take a drink,take some sort of energy drink.
Third place +1

Yeh im thinking of a course around my house that has some pretty nasty hills in it... but the real thing is pretty flat - so do i need to? Or is that just good at building muscle?
Hill work results in the calf muscles learning to contract more quickly and thereby generating work at a higher rate, they become more powerful. The calf muscle achieves this by recruiting more muscle fibres, around two or three times as many when compared to running on the flat. The "bouncy" action also improves the power of the quads in the front of the thigh as they provide the high knee lift that is required.

Hill training offers the following benefits:

Helps develop power and muscle elasticity
improves stride frequency and length
develops co-ordination, encouraging the proper use of arm action during the driving phase and feet in the support phase
develops control and stabilisation as well as improved speed (downhill running)
promotes strength endurance
develops maximum speed and strength (short hills)



But then again i was a short distance runner myself.
KEN-JENNINGS
I am all that is MOD!
+2,993|7082|949

=Karma-Kills= wrote:

KEN-JENNINGS wrote:

Dude, you need to train for a while.  I would start with maybe 1-3km run, and gradually build up.  If you plan on finishing the race (don't feel bad if you don't finish, a lot of people don't) you are going to need to build up to at least 10-12km. 

I would start training right now.  Never hurts.
And we have second place! +1

Yeh ive heard that you shouldnt actually run the whole distance in training before the day, or is that just the London Marathon?! That true?
You don't NEED to be able to run ~20km in order to finish the race.  Just make sure that your feet, hips, and mind (not to mention your chest from the breathing) are used to running for decent distances.  After a certain amount of time, it is more willpower than physical exhaustion, but you have to make sure your body is up for it first.
=Karma-Kills=
"Don't post while intoxicated."
+356|7035|England

Jem250 wrote:

Without very much work at all I'd have thought you could stretch to 16km in about two and a half hours. That's not impressively fast, but it should give you an idea of a viable pace to work on.

If you get asthma type symptoms from running then you should talk to your doctor. I'm asthmatic, I take an inhaler with me.

I'd have thought you should be trying to run about twice a week if you can, ideally for at least an hour. Assuming you're a normal 16 year old you're going to get some hefty school holidays over the summer - try to ramp it up to the full 16km distance a couple of times at least during those hols.

Top tip though: try to get an mp3 player with solid memory (hard-drives will suffer from all the shaking) and load it up with an hour of your favourite inspiring, high-tempo music.
Thanks, some great tips there. Appreciated. Im out of karma though, ill try to remeber 2mw.

Are we talking "running" running, or jogging running or walking / running / jogging in 2.5 hours? (As you can see i have no idea of distance / pace / speed!)

I used to get asthma, but *hopefully* ive outgrown it (no symptons in the past 3 days of running and past 4 years of life!)

Ive got 2 and a bit hours of games lessons each wednesday that i can use for running, and probably Saturday / Sunday. Maybe another weekday if i feel ambitious! Yeh the summer holidays shoudl help a lot

I have been using my ipod and it keeps me going, but i was wondering something. How loud do you have it? At one point i had it turned up and i couldnt hear myself breath. It was a wierd experiece of knowing im gasping for air, but not hearing it. Would this put me off pace in a race? Do you need to "know" how your doing?

Thanks again

Last edited by =Karma-Kills= (2007-04-09 12:43:37)

=Karma-Kills=
"Don't post while intoxicated."
+356|7035|England
Thanks guys, more posts keep coming before i have the chance to respond to old posts!

Wow thanks jord, hills definately seem like a good thing then.

Was wondering, i used to cycle a few miles (up and down hills) to my local pool, swim and then cycle back. Would continue doing this help? Or would it be best to focus on just running?
Agent_Dung_Bomb
Member
+302|7186|Salt Lake City

=Karma-Kills= wrote:

"...premier 5Km women only event".
And this is a problem for you how? 

Last edited by Agent_Dung_Bomb (2007-04-09 12:44:29)

jord
Member
+2,382|7128|The North, beyond the wall.

=Karma-Kills= wrote:

Thanks guys, more posts keep coming before i have the chance to respond to old posts!

Wow thanks jord, hills definately seem like a good thing then.

Was wondering, i used to cycle a few miles (up and down hills) to my local pool, swim and then cycle back. Would continue doing this help? Or would it be best to focus on just running?
Of course,Swimming and Cycling are considered the best form of excercise by many people.
If it makes you tired it will help when you get to the day.

Good luck with it,oh and watch Rocky 2/3/4 before running,that always helped me.
=Karma-Kills=
"Don't post while intoxicated."
+356|7035|England
How does this sound:

Monday: Running.
Wednesday: Running.
Saturday: Cycling + Swimming.
Sunday: Running.

That seem OK as a how many sessions / week? Im thinking ill start off only doing a little each session and then build up...
jord
Member
+2,382|7128|The North, beyond the wall.

=Karma-Kills= wrote:

How does this sound:

Monday: Running.
Wednesday: Running.
Saturday: Cycling + Swimming.
Sunday: Running.

That seem OK as a how many sessions / week? Im thinking ill start off only doing a little each session and then build up...
That's right,you need to start low and work yourself up.No need to start at 10Km and kill yourself in the process.

If you can do that up until the race you will see the difference.It does get hard when you do it for a few weeks and can't see much difference,alot of it's in the mind.

If you start to give up on your sessions,just think of something that will make you carry on.I used to pretend my mum would die if i stopped running...Yeah seriously i did.
=Karma-Kills=
"Don't post while intoxicated."
+356|7035|England
LOL

I thought you were gona say imagine some cash / food infront of you... but... wow!

Running. Serious business.

Anyone actually gona do the Great South Run from bf2s?
Jem250
Member
+4|6685|Bath, UK

tiptopT wrote:

EDIT: Damn Jem you said everything i said ...just quicker
Sorry

=Karma-Kills= wrote:

Are we talking "running" running, or jogging running or walking / running / jogging in 2.5 hours? (As you can see i have no idea of distance / pace / speed!)

I used to get asthma, but *hopefully* ive outgrown it (no symptons in the past 3 days of running and past 4 years of life!)

Ive got 2 and a bit hours of games lessons each wednesday that i can use for running, and probably Saturday / Sunday. Maybe another weekday if i feel ambitious! Yeh the summer holidays shoudl help a lot

I have been using my ipod and it keeps me going, but i was wondering something. How loud do you have it? At one point i had it turned up and i couldnt hear myself breath. It was a wierd experiece of knowing im gasping for air, but not hearing it. Would this put me off pace in a race? Do you need to "know" how your doing?

Thanks again
Jogging at a fairly slow pace - with a summer of half decent training and some willpower I'd expect you to cut it to well under two hours.

Good luck on the asthma, but if you do have trouble with it, get an appointment with the doctor immediately an don't run again until you've seen him/her.

For the iPod thing, go with pure personal preference. I think mine is usually turned up a bit above normal so I can hear it over my own footfalls and the wind past my ears but be sensible about it and don't wreck your ears. The best advice here is to sort out your volume in the first ten minutes of your run and don't touch it again, as your ears adjust it may sound quieter but turning it up more will still damage them.


=Karma-Kills= wrote:

How does this sound:

Monday: Running.
Wednesday: Running.
Saturday: Cycling + Swimming.
Sunday: Running.

That seem OK as a how many sessions / week? Im thinking ill start off only doing a little each session and then build up...
I disagree with Jord, I think this is a totally stupid schedule. Think about what you're asking yourself to do, and let's start your week on Wednesday instead:

Wednesday: Running
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Cycling & Swimming
Sunday: Running
Monday: Running
Tuesday: Rest

You're intending to put three days of training together, I simply don't think that's sensible. My advice would be to ditch the Sunday run and rest before Monday and perhaps do a light, short run on Friday just to keep yourself awake - nothing big and do it on the flat because Saturday will be a harsh enough day on your legs.

=Karma-Kills= wrote:

Anyone actually gona do the Great South Run from bf2s?
You know what, I actually think I probably will.
Vilham
Say wat!?
+580|7216|UK
I have exercise induced asthma havent done Cross country in 5 years but i can still do 10km, so i think you should be fine.

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