First 7 mile practice run: comments?

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Question:

Did my first 7 mile walk/jog/run in preparation for the Rock n Roll 1/2 marathon in September. I have a few questions, if anyone is able to share some advice or just comments, I’d appreciate it. (Heaven knows I wouldn’t be this far without the help of everyone!) Here are my times: Started at 1:32 pm First mile 1:48:30 (15:58 min. approx) Second mile 2:03:10 (14:20 min. approx) Third mile 2:18:00 (14:50 min. approx) Fourth mile 2:32:45 (14:45 min. approx) Fifth mile 2:49:00 (16:15 min. approx) Sixth mile 3:03:50 (14:50 min. approx) Seventh mile 3:18:30 (15:40 min. approx) Variables: been walking/jogging since 2nd week in March, approx. 60 to 80 pounds overweight, do adv. step classes and some weights on 3 days of week when I don’t run, run 3 times a week. This run was done mostly walking/jogging except for the 5th mile when my knee started to bug me. I was able to walk and jog for the first 3 miles, walk the fourth at a very fast pace, walk slower on the fifth, walk and jog the last two, and the last lap was done in a run. (I have no clue as to where I found the energy for it. I am embarrassed to say that all I could think of was that finish line in September and winning my first medal.) 1) The 1/2 marathon in September will be timed for 4 hours. At this pace, will I be able to finish it with time to spare? Is it too early in the game to tell what I would be able to do 13.1 miles in? 2) At this pace, would it be possible to keep (by the time the half comes around) a 15 min. mile pace at least? 3) Is it just me, but the first 5 miles were somewhat of a piece of cake. I do feel a bit more able to push myself, even given my weight. Would this be a good idea or should I keep to farleks and not trying to murder myself in the beginning? 4) There is the 5K YMCA run at 10 am I am going to do next Saturday (no step class). Would being able to finish in 45 min. be an unrealistic goal or should I even take it a bit lower? I certainly had some energy to burn, but not sure whether you pace yourself at 5K or not. 5) I want to get a new pair of running shoes in August, at least 2 weeks before the race. I would have put about 20 miles in them by this time. Is that realistic for a new pair, or should I get them earlier? 6) Do you stop or interrupt your regular training session for a 5K or not? I would run my 5 miles Monday, 6 on Wed, and 8 on Sunday at the schedule I’m on now. Thanks for all the help. Victoria

Response:

My first thoughts are to increase the number of days devoted to running and reduce the number devoted to step. You did not say what your walk to run ratio is (5 min walk and 10 min run or 3 min walk and 5 min run). Basically, increasing the amount of time spent running would improve, but be cautious and practical. Answers to each question, below…

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Did my first 7 mile walk/jog/run in preparation for the Rock n Roll 1/2 marathon in September. I have a few questions, if anyone is able to share some advice or just comments, I’d appreciate it. (Heaven knows I wouldn’t be this far without the help of everyone!) Here are my times: Started at 1:32 pm First mile 1:48:30 (15:58 min. approx) Second mile 2:03:10 (14:20 min. approx) Third mile 2:18:00 (14:50 min. approx) Fourth mile 2:32:45 (14:45 min. approx) Fifth mile 2:49:00 (16:15 min. approx) Sixth mile 3:03:50 (14:50 min. approx) Seventh mile 3:18:30 (15:40 min. approx) Variables: been walking/jogging since 2nd week in March, approx. 60 to 80 pounds overweight, do adv. step classes and some weights on 3 days of week when I don’t run, run 3 times a week. This run was done mostly walking/jogging except for the 5th mile when my knee started to bug me. I was able to walk and jog for the first 3 miles, walk the fourth at a very fast pace, walk slower on the fifth, walk and jog the last two, and the last lap was done in a run. (I have no clue as to where I found the energy for it. I am embarrassed to say that all I could think of was that finish line in September and winning my first medal.) 1) The 1/2 marathon in September will be timed for 4 hours. At this pace, will I be able to finish it with time to spare? Is it too early in the game to tell what I would be able to do 13.1 miles in?

You did 7 miles in ~1:45. Seems like you should be able to meet your goal since you should improve your speed. 2) At this pace, would it be possible to keep (by the time the half comes around) a 15 min. mile pace at least?

I do not see any reason why not since you should improve your speed as well as endurance. 3) Is it just me, but the first 5 miles were somewhat of a piece of cake. I do feel a bit more able to push myself, even given my weight. Would this be a good idea or should I keep to farleks and not trying to murder myself in the beginning?

I suggest not pushing too hard too early; also make sure you are hydrating and getting some energy in during the training and the race itself. 4) There is the 5K YMCA run at 10 am I am going to do next Saturday (no step class). Would being able to finish in 45 min. be an unrealistic goal or should I even take it a bit lower? I certainly had some energy to burn, but not sure whether you pace yourself at 5K or not.

Regardless of the distance, you pace yourself (even 100m runners pace themselves). Seems doable. Get a decent warmup before the race. You did the first 3 miles of your 7 miler at ~15min pace you knew that you had more than 3.1 miles to go. 5) I want to get a new pair of running shoes in August, at least 2 weeks before the race. I would have put about 20 miles in them by this time. Is that realistic for a new pair, or should I get them earlier?

These days with modern shoes, the break in period for the shoe is really 0 miles; however, making sure the shoes will not bother you is a longer period. I would suggest getting the same brand and model as you have been training in. Buy them now and store them in case the company stops making them. 6) Do you stop or interrupt your regular training session for a 5K or not? I would run my 5 miles Monday, 6 on Wed, and 8 on Sunday at the schedule I’m on now.

All depends. If you are going to go hard for the 5K, you might give yourself a couple of days of active recovery (easy exercise) before jumping back in too much. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks for all the help. Victoria

Response:

1) The 1/2 marathon in September will be timed for 4 hours. At this pace, will I be able to finish it with time to spare? Is it too early in the game to tell what I would be able to do 13.1 miles in?

Yes to both questions. Be careful with the knee. Don’t overdo it. 2) At this pace, would it be possible to keep (by the time the half comes around) a 15 min. mile pace at least?

Probably. If you’re healthy, (no knee problems), and can run/walk 10 miles under three hours, you should have no problems. It seems that you have plenty of time to achieve your goal. 3) Is it just me, but the first 5 miles were somewhat of a piece of cake. I do feel a bit more able to push myself, even given my weight. Would this be a good idea or should I keep to farleks and not trying to murder myself in the beginning?

Don’t murder yourself in the beginning. It’s very satisfying to have the energy at the end of a race to pick up the pace and pass those that are at about your level of fitness but went out too fast. It’s a common feeling that you can go a lot faster in the beginning. If you want to push yourself, do it on a day with a shorter run followed by a day off. 4) There is the 5K YMCA run at 10 am I am going to do next Saturday (no step class). Would being able to finish in 45 min. be an unrealistic goal or should I even take it a bit lower? I certainly had some energy to burn, but not sure whether you pace yourself at 5K or not.

My advice is to run how you feel. Do the first mile deliberately slow, then work into a "rhythm". If you have energy left for the last quarter mile or so, then run hard. Most important thing is to enjoy yourself. No use in doing it unless you have fun. :-) 5) I want to get a new pair of running shoes in August, at least 2 weeks before the race. I would have put about 20 miles in them by this time. Is that realistic for a new pair, or should I get them earlier?

Get them earlier enough so that you can put at least 50 miles on them. 20 miles is too little. 6) Do you stop or interrupt your regular training session for a 5K or not? I would run my 5 miles Monday, 6 on Wed, and 8 on Sunday at the schedule I’m on now.

Your goal is the half marathon. The 5k should be training and/or fun. If you are running 8 on Sunday in preparation for the half marathon, but are sore from the 5K, skip that one run. Do something else instead. If you feel good, you may want to do the whole 8 or cut it back, depending on how you feel. If you overdo it, you could end up with an injury and your training program would be set back. Be conservative and realistically evaluate your condition after the race and what you can do on that Sunday. Todd

Response:

1) The 1/2 marathon in September will be timed for 4 hours. At this pace, will I be able to finish it with time to spare? Is it too early in the game to tell what I would be able to do 13.1 miles in?

Yes it is. But 13 mile * 15 minutes = 3h15. If you keep running 3-4 times a week, and stays injury free, you can run in under 3 hours. 2) At this pace, would it be possible to keep (by the time the half comes around) a 15 min. mile pace at least?

By training you will get in better shape, and pass the point where you have to walk. For me, I always had the crisis around 40-45 minutes of running, when I got past that (that is when primary carbs are used up), the limit moved way ahead. 3) Is it just me, but the first 5 miles were somewhat of a piece of cake. I do feel a bit more able to push myself, even given my weight. Would this be a good idea or should I keep to farleks and not trying to murder myself in the beginning?

No reason to think much about speed. Keep it to max 1 speed session a week, and 1 long run week. 4) There is the 5K YMCA run at 10 am I am going to do next Saturday (no step class). Would being able to finish in 45 min. be an unrealistic goal or should I even take it a bit lower? I certainly had some energy to burn, but not sure whether you pace yourself at 5K or not.

You should be able to do it. Your best 3 miles on the long run were all around 15 minutes, and here you don’t need to conserve energy for 4 more miles. 5) I want to get a new pair of running shoes in August, at least 2 weeks before the race. I would have put about 20 miles in them by this time. Is that realistic for a new pair, or should I get them earlier?

400-600 miles on a pair. Do the calculations yourself. I usually try to rotate between shoes, takin in a new pair every 2-3 months. Then I can feel when the old ones are "dead". 6) Do you stop or interrupt your regular training session for a 5K or not? I would run my 5 miles Monday, 6 on Wed, and 8 on Sunday at the schedule I’m on now.

Drop the sunday run, and run the 8 miles the week after. A race is usually a very hard run, and thus will stay in the body for some days. They say 1 day per mile for race recovery. 10 mile training runs usually only takes 2 days to recover for me. — Position: N 56 09 37 – E 010 12 29

Response:

Thank you everyone for your comments. I’m taking them all into consideration as to what I will do for this week. Victoria

Response:

hmm…13.1 x ~15 = 196.5/60 = 3 hrs 16 minutes 30 seconds so yeah but if you keep training you’ll definitely be faster by then. 2) At this pace, would it be possible to keep (by the time the half comes around) a 15 min. mile pace at least?

Maybe you’re a little confused on the terminology. At around 15 minute pace would it be possible to keep up 15 minute pace by September? Well, yeah. You’ll probably want to run some longer runs getting up to at least 10-12 if not more before then. 3) Is it just me, but the first 5 miles were somewhat of a piece of cake. I do feel a bit more able to push myself, even given my weight. Would this be a good idea or should I keep to farleks and not trying to murder myself in the beginning?

Run faster on some days, longer on others, and just run fairly easy on others. Also, the more weight you lose the faster you’ll be. 4) There is the 5K YMCA run at 10 am I am going to do next Saturday (no step class). Would being able to finish in 45 min. be an unrealistic goal or should I even take it a bit lower? I certainly had some energy to burn, but not sure whether you pace yourself at 5K or not.

You did the first 3 miles of your last training run in around 45 minutes, so yeah it’s reasonable. I wouldn’t start out at a pace faster than that but if you’re feeling good at 2 miles then go as hard as you want from there. 5) I want to get a new pair of running shoes in August, at least 2 weeks before the race. I would have put about 20 miles in them by this time. Is that realistic for a new pair, or should I get them earlier?

That doesn’t sound like much running for two weeks, even if those weeks are part of your taper. 6) Do you stop or interrupt your regular training session for a 5K or not? I would run my 5 miles Monday, 6 on Wed, and 8 on Sunday at the schedule I’m on now.

Just run the race Saturday if you want to and then move your 8 miler to Monday if possible. If you can’t then run the 8, if you still feel like it, on Sunday. A few back to back days would do you good anyway. Variation in training is key. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks for all the help. Victoria

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