There are tons of runners on these boards that wish they could run a 27 minute 5k right now. When I first started running in high school I was 15 and couldn't make it 2 miles without walking. My family didn't have alot of money so I wore big ole Nike basketball shoes and finished dead last behind the slowest girl....and I'm a guy. My coach was very good and kept me motivated not to quit and by my senior year I had a 5k time of 17:12 a mile time of 4:33 and a 2 mile time of 10:08. Be patient.....these things take time.

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Are you kidding? I'm 45 yrs old, 210 lbs and I've been stuck in the 27 min. 5k time for 1 year. That is a great time for your age, pat yourself on the back. Actually my 13 yr old son runs a little faster but he's very tall and a naturally good runner. He is starting to train with me though.

Please be encouraged to challenge yourself to think in the long term. Ok? Before you know it you will be doing 26 min 5k's, 25 min. 5k's. You get the point, remember to step up very slowlly so you dont 1) burn out 2) injure yourself. Stay at the 27 min point to strengten your connective tissues. Once a week do a faster 5k but stay aerobic with your other runs.

Aerobic means you can breathe and talk comfortably. Before you know it your aerobic runs will be faster paced. Do the 1 faster run once a week for several months and then you can safely add 1 more per week.Please dont rush into it by thinking this the only thing in life to accomplish.

quote:<HR>Originally posted by track1234:
the key is to stay consistent and gradual with your training, right now you should be doing 20-22 mpw w/ 1 or 2 days off. Stay focused, eat right, train with purpose. You can even get into the 18's next year with the right training and effort, cutting that much is feasible, its just cutting the "fat" the "bulk" of that time which should come fairly easy since you have only been running for a week and should expect major improvements, Talk to some older runners on your xc team and theyll tell you what you should do and what things they wished they did in their earlier years<HR>

Bad advice...no one who has only been running a week should be running 20-22 mpw with only 1 or 2 days off. That is a sure way to get injured. Also very few 14-year old girls can run a 5K in the 18's...only a handful in the whole U.S. Chances are, most of them started running long before 13. Don't give her unrealistic goals to shoot for...that's more likely to discourage her than encourage her. But yes, she should improve rapidly. 27 minutes after 1 week of running is awesome.

Like everyone said, you shouldn't judge yourself so soon, many new runners cannot do a 5k in 27 min or even do a whole 5k at all. My first 5k was 26 min, two years later I could do it in 19:40. Don't worry, you'll improve very quickly.



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quote:<HR>Originally posted by track1234:
.You can even get into the 18's next year with the right training and effort, cutting that much is feasible, its just cutting the "fat" the "bulk" of that time which should come fairly easy since you have only been running for a week and should expect major improvements, <HR>

hahahah i started running when i was 14 and i wasnt even close to being capable of doing 18s til i was 17.

It will help if you eat more than 800 Calories a day, too.
(Carbo Canteen)

well if it was that quick & easy to get good and fulfill your potential, then i wouldve gotten bored and retired a long time ago.

Ah yes, time to reminisce.......

let's see, i turned to the dark side and took up this **** foolish sport when i hooked up with the middle school xc team at age 12. To put it mildy, it was **** on earth. I didnt know it was possible for the human body to put up with so much pain. I hurt all over after every practice, especially those 3-4 mile 'long runs'. I get to my first race, end up walking part of it and ran 19:57 for 2 miles, good for second to last. At this point i said, i'm a talentless hack, why do i do this to myself? Second race, still have to walk, but not as much, and end up beating more kids than i did before. benchmarks! Third race, i ran the whole **** thing and beat even more kids.....benchmarks! So i stick with it and train fairly steadily through middle school, improving bit by bit....ran my first ever 5k road race the summer after 7th grade in 27:45, after i'd been running for almost a year, wow i suck!........trained hard through 8th grade, ran a PR of 2:38 in the 800 at the state track meet and ran my second 5k road race in 23:02 that summer, friggin benchmarks!

Was very intimated when i joined my high school team, but stuck with it and benefitted from having faster guys to run with. got down to an 18 minute 5k my senior year, got all-class in the indoor 1000, and qualified for outdoor states with a 2:07 800. Now i'm a soph in college and running on a solid D2 team...toward the back of the pack, but still able to hang with all the guys.


Yea, i knew i sucked and i knew it hurt, and i knew it made me want to curl up in a cemetary for an extended nap. But something inside me made me keep going. As bad as it got, i liked the feeling of accomplishment it gave me when it was over. This was the first time in my life i really challenged myself like i was doing. While i didnt love the sport so much at the time, i grew to crave the challenge. That's how i got to where i am and wherever the **** i'll end up.

The bottom line is that everyone sucks at the beginning, but before making any sort of judgement about talent, you need to put the time and effort in to see what's in the cards for you. All you have to do is want it.



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