My apologies.

I just have met so many marathon “runners” with bodies like Rosie O’Donnell and John Daly.

I would have no problems walking a marathon and finishing. I just hiked 10 miles at the Grand Canyon with a 5 year old and his pace for half a day.

LMAO

LMAO
Thanks, lewdog!

Bumping this thread because there is a Garmin Marathon coming up again in October in KC. I just started running and apparently am really bad at it by what I read online yet Im not fat or big boned. Figured I would excel more in long distance running. Ive been running since late May and I cannot comprehend how anyone would ever run a marathon let alone a half marathon. I think my peak would be a 5k at running the whole thing.

There are people online who are like I ran for 4 months and ran a 5k in 19 min. I can run a 5k (and I have to quit and walk 0.1 miles after 2 miles before restarting) in around 28 minutes. My lower legs feel like they will explode at the end and Im so physically ****ed that I cant even run for 4 or 5 days after I push myself on a run of that distance.

Anyway not sure if any CPers are runners or have tips for 5k beginner.

I'm looking forward to the 2024 Garmin KC Marathon, which will be my 7th attempt at a marathon, and so far I've completed every one. I've been a runner ever since high school (class of '84), but I never attempted a marathon until 2022.

Running a 5k in around 28 minutes is good and you'll be surprised how much progress you can make with consistent training. An important bit of advice you'll hear other runners say is that comparison is the thief of joy.

Also, there's absolutely nothing wrong with walking during a run. Most runners do that during some or all of their runs. The only folks I've ever heard of who criticized taking walk breaks were either not runners or they were a subset of elite runners in high school or college who look down on other runners. In general, though, you'll see lots of folks taking walk breaks during races and in fact that is how humans tended to run throughout our history. And most runners, including elite runners, don't look down on other runners.

One of the most popular methods for long-distance running in Jeff Galloway's Run-Walk-Run method, https://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/run-walk/ , which is a well-developed method that an elite runner, Jeff Galloway, developed to popularize running. I have used Run-Walk-Run in two situations, either for the last several miles of a long run or race or when recovering from an injury. I use 2-minute runs with 30-second walk breaks. That works very well for me.

The running community tends to be very supportive. If I recall correctly, you're signed up to participate in an upcoming race. I bet you will enjoy it!

Good luck to you.

I think the only advice I can offer is that running is a whole lot mental. Take some music with a lively beat and try to keep your cadence (beats per minute) up on your steps. That's more important than stride length in my opinion.

I stopped the races in 2020 when they all shut down, and I've only run a handful since then. I ran a 5K a couple of weeks ago in about 34 minutes and I was in the top half of finishers. 5K runners are not competitive at all for the most part, so my best advice is to just go and enjoy it.

Plus, if you're like me, you'll get energized by being in a big group of runners, so the race will be easier than the training.

In addition to Jeff Galloway, other good coaches who have books and website content available for new runners include Hal Higdon and Greg McMillan. Basic advice is that at least 80% of your running every week should be at a nice and easy pace, where you can hold a conversation. That helps build up your aerobic capacity. One of the most common mistakes runners make is not going easy enough during their regular runs. In fact, an advantage of the the run-walk-run method is that it helps ensure you spend more time in heart rate zone 2, the one where most of your volume should be.

Hal Higdon has 5k training plans available on his site. His plans for beginners are nice and simple, as you just have to go out there and run at an easy pace. You can add the variety of intensities as you get more experience.
https://www.halhigdon.com/training-p...ing/novice-5k/

Thanks Ill look into that. I definitely pushed myself too hard at first and my legs kinda had shin splints? They still do but it is not as bad. I think I could run an entire 5k start to finish if my legs didnt get pressure and painful. Feet fine. Knees fine. Hips fine. Its like the front of my shin or front of my lowest part of my leg. Usually if I cant run anymore I just stop so perhaps this running walking thinh will help. I told myself I would not run a 5k until I could run the whole thing and at the rate I am progressing I still don't think Ill get there before October

My best times in my runs are always after I take a long break. Even two weeks. I used to like to run a mile as fast as I can but now that Ive decided to run a 5k it appears I need to focus on the longer runs. I can run a mile in 7min 15 seconds but Im dead after that to go more.

That's definitely true. Not only the energy from the other runners and the crowd, but even just having the water and aid stations helps a lot. Plus, you usually taper a week or two before a race, so your legs are fresh. For a 5k or 10k, you might not taper a full week, but taking it easy a few days before is a good idea.

One thing that would surprise people that have never trained for a half-marathon or marathon is that the longest run in typical training plans is not the actual race distance. For example, for a marathon, the training plan might max out with a 20-mile run a few weeks before the marathon. For a half-marathon, you might max out at 10 miles during training.

The idea is that if you can do 20-miles on tired legs, you'll be able to do 26.2 on race day. In fact, whether you even need to do a 20-miler during training is debated. I think it's probably good for most first-timers to have done a 20-miler, but primarily for psychological reasons. Once you realize you can do 26.2 on race day, you don't necessarily need to go that far during your longest runs in training.

Here's a useful guide on shin splints.
https://www.runnersworld.com/health-...gaAjg4EALw_wcB

The way to improve as a runner is with consistent training at paces that help build up your strength without wearing you out and without getting you injured. It's tempting to think that hard workouts are the only way to go, but that is not what actually works for most runners. You'll want to limit the hard sessions to less than 20% of your weekly volume and maybe even save them for race day when you are first getting into the sport. Those hard runs runs don't really build up your aerobic capacity that much and they also have much higher injury risks.

Just slow down and enjoy your runs, man.

In addition to "comparison is the thief of joy", another of my favorite fitness maxims is that "you only benefit from the training you recover from", which emphasizes why it's important to get sleep and take it easy for a day or so after a hard workout. That doesn't mean you can't run the day after a hard running workout, but if you do run, just make it an easy run.

When you run a marathon how fast is your avg mile? What percent of the time are you actually running or are you actually running the entire time? I cant even imagine what someones legs would feel like the next day or after the race if they ran the whole thing. Reminds me of the How I met Your Mother episode when Barney runs the NY Marathon and has no problems but later he cant even use his legs to get off the subway and gets robbed.

Too competitive. I can't imagine doing something and just zoning out and not trying to get better everyday.

My last marathon was the Flying Pig in Cincinnati last May and that was my slowest by quite a bit. It took me 5:42:02 to finish, with my average mile being 12:54 and my average moving pace being 12:26, as there was 9 minutes where I wasn't moving, taking a potty break. According to my Garmin, I ran about 4 hours and 52 minutes and walked about 41 minutes. That race was very hot and humid, and I ended up doing run-walk-run intervals for most of the last 7 miles or so.

I ended up getting pretty beat up by that race, as it aggravated an IT band injury and the heat took me several weeks to recover from, something I'd never had to deal with before. It sent my estimated VO2 Max from 44 down to 42 and I've only just this past week gotten it up to 43. My training for the KC Marathon has been going well and I'm hoping to get in the vicinity of my slowish time from last year. I keep getting fatter with every new marathon, too, about 5 to 10 pounds heavier. :)

The stiff legs from a marathon are mostly amusing. They clear up after a day or three, and of course you get to explain it away by bragging that you just finished a marathon. :)

Its all relative and just takes time. What was once hard becomes insanely easy, at least for a while.

I ran 5Ks and thought why run a 10K that's dumb.
After a bunch of 5ks I started running 10Ks and though 5Ks were a waste of time.
After a bunch of 10ks I ran my first half marathon and thought people who ran marathons were insane.

After 3 half marathons I ran my first marathon. Then I ran another.

The next year I signed up for a 50K. (31 miles)

The next year I ran a 50 miler.

Then I was doing marathons and 50Ks as training runs.

Actually got to run Boston in 2019.

To date I've run a bunch of marathons almost as many 50Ks, 2-50 milers including a 55 miler and in 2020 trained for a 100 miler that got cancelled due to covid then got pissed and said **** it I'm not doing long distance anymore. Franky training wasn't going well anyway.

Today a 25K is about the longest distance I want to run and that's usually trail of some sort.

Its all perspective. And do it while you are youngish because after you hit 50 it gets way harder. Just stay active.

my $.02