Given that you only run 3 times a week and the treadmill 5k time, I don’t think you will get to 23 min in 8 weeks. In 8 weeks I am looking at 26-27 min. I am not sure how long it would take you to get to 23 min. I would have to see how fast you progress.
However, I am assuming the treadmill effort was a fairly hard one. If 30 min was comfortable, then I would need to gather more information to assess where you might be in 8 weeks.
Running 3 days a week is ok when you are just starting… but if you want to start aggressively going after faster times (30min------>23 is aggressive!), you will need to do some focused workouts such as intervals, tempo runs, and long runs. In order to handle those kind of workouts and get the most out of them , you need to “build a base” (build up your body’s ability to handle running higher volumes). To do the kind of workouts that I would want, you would have to build up to running 5 days a week or about 25 miles/ week. While you are building up that base, I would still have you doing some light interval training, but the full swing workouts could not even begin until after at least 5 weeks.
This is all a really vague description. I would be happy to map something more definitive out…like weekly plans with information on pace/ effort.
What if you get shin splints? Sometimes I get them and they’re annoyingly painful. Most of the time it’s when I’m about 10 minutes deep and only in certain positions. Standing doggie seems to be the worst.
haha nice one KMD. My goal is to break 5min mile next year. Lets both do it. Also, last year I messaged you when you were in NYC and we didn’t even hang out race day. So sad. What i’m trying to say is that many times a person will run and not push themselves appropriately. I think it is more common to people new to running as they are not used to what running feels like and what pain feels like.
People who have not participated in an organized race before can also benefit from the “energy” of race itself and improve significantly from their training times come race day.
Three hours ago, I was motivated and decided to go to the gym. When I was on the treadmill, I felt my legs tired and i said to myself I would run only 2km, so I set the speed to 10.5km/h. After 24 minutes, I felt like I was dying and decided to increase the speed to 11km/h in order to run just 1 minute more. After 29 minutes, I couldn’t support anymore. I hesitated to press the stop button. But I thought just 1 minute more, so I increased the speed to 11.5km/h. Finally, I finished 5.3 km in 30m (or 5km in 28m20s). I think I get back the performance I had several years ago.
Thank you for your advice. I think I’ll run 5 days a week as you suggested. Because I didn’t incline the treadmill and I will try to incline the treadmill next time, my goal may be 5km in 26m.
Could you suggest me some workout plans?
My old method is: if today I run 5km, tomorrow I run 5.1km and so on. Perhaps with this method, one day I will reach a threshold and that’s why people must do interval training? Or we must do interval training because we can achieve the target faster or easier (than with my old method)?
Another (maybe a naive) question. Could we give always 100% effort? Some people say we can have 3 days training with 100% effort and 2 days with 60-70% effort. But I think the last two days seem unnecessary because we can’t push our limit (and the body may become lazy). If the body need rest, why don’t do only 4 days with 100% effort, and take rest the fifth day?
@Pierre… Way to gut it out man! Thats what I love about running. On any given day, with just you and some running shoes, you can prove the might of your will!
That said, for your everyday runs, I would like you to be much more “comfortable”. In fact, goal one for you… teach yourself to be almost as comfortable with running as walking. I want you to do that becasue in order to improve your 5k time, a 5k needs to feel “short”. In order for a 5k to feel short, you need to do longer runs… and you won’t make it through longer runs pushing like you did today!
I’m assuming you are running about 8 miles a week right now, yes?
Next week try for 12 miles… do 2x 3 mile runs (slow your pace, do them at about 9 km/ hour) …practice feeling chill, calm your breathing, relax!Try to run in such a way that takes minimal effort (smaller strides, relax shoulders)… do a 4.5 mile run. (even slower pace if you need to). … do 2 miles one day and in that 2 miles do 3 x 2min intervals and pick up the pace to 12-13km/hour.
lets see how that goes…
and of course, like ACE says… make sure you have good running shoes!
