I'm a 16 yr old female, and my last 5k time was about 23 minutes.
On average I run 3 miles, six days a week, with one long run lasting roughly an hour(I don't measure the distance, but my pace is pretty good), and one run that is all uphill, without any straight or level areas, lasting roughly 1/2 an hour or so.
I also ride and train 3 or more horses daily(which is more cardio, upper body, lower body, and core workouts then most people give it credit for) and train and compete intensely for horse shows year-round.
I get 'strength training' in my lifting and carrying 50lb bags of feed, 20 to 30 lb saddles, 5 gallon buckets of water, etc..
I guess my question is, how much should I be running and what exercises should I do in order to improve my time for the 5k? I'd like to bring it down to the 20min area, hopefully, but I know it will take work. My next 5k is July 2nd, so hopefully I'll have a more accurate race time to judge the training by. It's just hard to find time for everything, with the horses and all!
5 miles in the morning, 5 miles in the evening every day,
100 situps a day.
A little speedwork at the track?
Thanks for the replies
I'm working on running doubles and getting used to it. My runs were typically in the morning, followed by horse/barn work, and then come home, have dinner and crash.
Now though I'm trying to redo my schedual, pretty much by just pushing a little harder.
9am- Run
10am- Horses
3 or 4pm- Home
5pm- Dinner
6pm- Run
I haven't worked up to doubles of 5miles yet, but I'm getting there. I'm going to start with doubles of 3, then doubles of 4, etc.. and gradually build up. I do situps daily as well, I have been for a few years.
Also...what speed workouts would anyone suggest?
There is a thread about a sub 20 5-k in here that might be helpful.
Generally try to be more active, and make sure that you are toning muscle, not buliding it, if you are trying to make it help your running. If you are lugging around extra weight in muscles, that will slow you down as much as extra fat. With powerful, toned muscles you can push your body to further limits.
You can tone muscle by exercises that have high reps, and low weights. You can build muscle by doing the opposite.
If you are trying to get muscle for things other than running, then go ahead and build your muscles, for you can lift more weight, and look stronger with built muscles.
You might also consider running 4 or 5 days a week so you don't wear your body out. Know your limits. Good luck on your 5-k times!
Edited to add: Sit ups are great for running. The more you do, the less likely you are to barf after a race.
That is one of the many advantages of sit-ups.
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Great advice, thanks everybody!
In my last 5k I shaved 3 minutes off of my time! My guess would be from simply adding extra weekly mileage. The course was decent too, and honestly, more 'hillier' than the previous course I ran!
I'm so excited for my next race, I love seeing those times come down, lol!
As for strength training, I have picked up some free weights that I work with usually at night after my last run. I do a lot of reps as I sit and watch tv at night, haha. I'm not trying to gain bulk muscle, I don't want to get weighed down! So I'm all for toning up even more to gain added strength without the bulk.
Thanks a lot everyone!