5K/10K Training Question ...
 

Hello all!

So I'm trying to train for a 5K sometime in early May and a 10K on June 9th.

Right now I'm using a treadmill, but at a 1.5 incline (because I know treadmills are easier than jogging outside).

The other day, when discussing exercise with my girlfriends, I mentioned that I jog at a 6.7/6.8 pace ... and they were like "That's not a jog, that is a run!"

This got me thinking, because right now I'm doing about a 32-3 minute 5K on the treadmill, but alternating between 6.7/6.8 and 4.0 when I need a break (for about 60s). This morning I tried jogging at 5.8/6.0. I was able to get through with only ONE break but finished at a longer end time - at 35 minutes.

So here is my question ... which is better, should I continue to run at a faster pace and just expect that I will be able to shorten the number of breaks I need (on my way to 10K as well)? Will this happen? Or should I try to slow it down and focus less on time/speed and more on eliminating breaks?

Another tangential question ... what is a respectable 5K time? What time should I be at on the treadmill to have a good chance of getting the "respectable" time on the ground? Just wondering, because there is pretty much a 5K every weekend in April/May and I plan to run one whenever I feel ready. Though the date for the 10K is set - June 9th.

Alright sorry for the long (boring?) post!

Lots of good questions -- I'll take a stab at it! :D

Jog vs. run -- that's just semantics. Technically, if both of your feet are off the ground at any point during your stride, then that is running versus walking. Jogging is usually defined as an easier pace than running, but that is based on individual effort/perception rather than a defined speed. (you say tomato, I say tomahto) ;)

A "respectable" 5K time is totally subjective. If you are doing your first 5K, whatever finishing time you end up with not only respectable, it's freakin' awesome! You are out there, setting new goals for yourself and achieving them. Just finishing sets a new personal record (PR) and opens new horizons. Time is irrelevant. Giving your best effort, on the day, and accomplishing such a significant milestone is all that really counts.

And ... if you can complete 3.1 miles on the treadmill, then you are ready to enter a 5K. Why wait?

I can give you some benchmarks. Walkers usually finish in 45-50 minutes (or longer, based on pace). 5K's these days have a lot of walkers, so if you run at all, you won't be last! The winners come in around 15-17 minutes. And everyone else falls in between ... it's such a continuum, any subdivisions would be completely arbitrary.

To build your running base, I'd suggest slowing down your pace to one that is more sustainable for longer distances. Take walk breaks if you need to, there's nothing wrong with that. There's a whole training strategy around run/walk intervals that you may want to check out (http://www.jeffgalloway.com). There's a lot of good information there about beginning running. As you train consistently, you will naturally get faster. One run a week should be your "long run" which you can gradually extend to the 6 mile /10K distance. The long run should be at a slower pace than your shorter runs.

Enjoy the journey. Races are great fun! Getting out there is all that really matters, finishing time is secondary. You don't have to wait until you can achieve a pre-determined speed, there are ALL sorts out there having fun with 5K's right now.

I hope that helps ...

hmmm, respectable 5K time....its VERY dependent on your ability, AGE, time youve been running, etc.

Right now, you seem to be able to et a better time by running faster and taking mroe frequent walk breaks..and thats a fine strategy.. but you already *know* you can get a 32 minute 5K time doing that. I would focus on slowing down and learning to RUN the entire thing... personally......
Lets see, ASSUMING you are 30, a *good* 5K tie is going to come in under 30 minutes, that will put youin the front half of the pack.... and alot of seasoned runners strive to get below 24 minutes...... but thats all opinion, and based alot on how experienced youa re. you WILL get faster as you run more, but not alot, unless you train to run faster. Looking at your persoanl stats, you dont have a lot of *free speed* to gain (ie; WEIGHT to lose) so most of your speed gains will come from proper training, instead of just by dropping "dead weight"

Total cosign on both resposnses above.

LOL I love this response and it's true - that was great advice from both.

Thanks everyone! That was informative. :-) And by the way, I'm 25!