Questions from a Running Newbie

[BrittanyRose428]

Hey everyone, I have a list of questions about the Run Disney events-- I haven't seen answers anywhere that have been too helpful, or if I have I'm not sure if they're outdated or anything, so sorry if this is redundant!

A little background about myself is probably necessary here. For the past 20 years of my life, I haven't been into running at all. Actually, wait, let me rephrase that: For the past 20 years of my life, I have actively avoided running. I was an active teenager, mostly with dance, however I've never much enjoyed running. I've never felt I've had the endurance to run-- I find that I run out of breath, and can't keep going for a very long time. My legs seem to be saying let's go, but my lungs say nope, you can't do that. I do have very mild asthma, and since spending the past four years away at school I've become more overweight since my high school years. A month or two ago, I started walking on the treadmill before class. The pace I'm comfortable at on the treadmill is a 3.4, but I can go up to a 3.8 and be okay if I'm feeling ambitious. (Basically what I'm getting at here, is that I'm hugely out of shape.)

One of my friends has convinced me to sign up for the Tower of Terror 10 Miler with her. (I told her that I don't run, and that I never had, and I'm not sure I'm capable of doing 10 miles, especially with the pacing requirement.) Anyways, she persuaded me, saying that's how it is when anyone starts out running, and I have all summer to train, and everything will be fine. I will already be in Disney doing the College Program in October, so I figured why not, and signed up for the race with her. Now that I've had some time to actually think this over, I'm terrified. The most I've done distance-wise so far has been 6.25 miles, and this was mostly walking, probably at around 3.5 on the treadmill. I'm doing my first 5k at the end of May, but there is no pace requirement, so I may walk a lot of it if I need to.

Now that you all know a little bit about my running abilities, here's the questions:

1. Am I just completely out of luck here? I hate to sound so pessimistic, but my friend is very optimistic, and will tell everyone that they can do anything. I know there are people who go from being overweight couch potatoes to runners, but I'm not sure I have enough time to make this transformation.

2. I know the pace requirement is a 16 minute mile, but how exactly does this work? I can have a 16 minute mile right now on the treadmill, but I don't jog for a straight 16 minutes. I run a little bit and walk a little bit. Would my walking a little bit get me picked up during the race, or is this okay as long as a mile takes 16 minutes? I'm also pretty sure a 16 minute mile could be power-walked, is that acceptable?

3. How do the photo-ops for the Run Disney races work? I've heard that people have complained about not being able to get photos, but I haven't really gotten why this apparently happens. For instance, if I am at a 16 minute mile (which I assume is slower than most other runners) am I going to be at a disadvantage for photos? On a similar note, does taking the photos with the characters take time out of the 16 minute mile? (What I mean is, say I took a photo which took 3 minutes, so it technically takes 19 minutes for a mile including stopping for a photo, would I be picked up?)

4. Any other tips? Anything would be greatly appreciated. All of the advice I've seen seems to focus on runners who are in a better starting state than I am, so I'm finding it difficult to get some reasonable advice. I think the most I can run without taking a walking break at the moment is only 1-2 minutes, and I've been told things like run for 5 minutes, walk for 10, which doesn't work for where I'm at right now. I don't mean to sound like I'm putting myself down here, it just isn't helpful to get advice that is so far off from where I am if that makes sense.

5. Are there certain foods that are good for running and certain foods that aren't? I'm just trying to be as healthy as I can, considering I'm still living at college for another few weeks and have all kinds of graduation festivities, but I'm wondering if there is anything I definitely should or shouldn't be eating.

Sorry for writing a novel! Thanks so much in advance.

 

[JillC LI]

Now that you all know a little bit about my running abilities, here's the questions:

1. Am I just completely out of luck here? I hate to sound so pessimistic, but my friend is very optimistic, and will tell everyone that they can do anything. I know there are people who go from being overweight couch potatoes to runners, but I'm not sure I have enough time to make this transformation.

2. I know the pace requirement is a 16 minute mile, but how exactly does this work? I can have a 16 minute mile right now on the treadmill, but I don't jog for a straight 16 minutes. I run a little bit and walk a little bit. Would my walking a little bit get me picked up during the race, or is this okay as long as a mile takes 16 minutes? I'm also pretty sure a 16 minute mile could be power-walked, is that acceptable?

Welcome Brittany! I will respond to your first two questions and leave the logistical ones for people with more knowledge of those issues. Let me start by saying that I was also a dancer when I was younger yet I could not run The Mile in high school so I hated running as well and did not pick it up seriously until I was an adult. Now I have been running for 19 years, and I cannot imagine life without it!

To answer your first question, do I think you can eventually run 10 miles? Without a doubt. It just involves a commitment of time and energy. Do I think you can go from running 0 to 10 miles in six months? Possibly, if you are consistent in your training. Do I think you can run/walk 10 miles within 6 months. Definitely yes.

To answer your second question, many people will be walking during Disney races, and you will not get picked up as long as you keep at 16 minute per mile pace.

Oh, and to answer your fourth question, I STRONGLY suggest you find a training plan for new runners. Most will intersperse running and walking at first, and then gradually build up the amount of running. I followed a plan 19 years ago that had me training for about 20 minutes 4x per week for 8 weeks. The first week I alternated 1min run/1min walk. The next week was 2 min run/1min walk. Eventually it worked up to 10 min run/1 min walk/10 min run and finally 20 min run. Although I could barely do the 1/1 the first week, I really was able to run 20 minutes straight by the 8th week. I was 100% consistent with the plan and never missed a workout.

You said that your lungs burned, and to me that sounds like you are running too fast. Don't focus on speed AT ALL as a new runner. It will make you want to give up, and it is unimportant. You should be able to hold a conversation if you are running at a comfortable pace.

Best of luck to you with your training. It is great motivation to have a Disney race on the horizon to get yourself in gear!

 

[Kristia]

Welcome Brittany! I too was never a runner when I was younger. I wasn't even a dancer. I was naturally skinny but that went out the window when I went to college. I am still not thin but I am in much better shape than I ever was! I went from nothing to a marathon (albeit a very SLOW marathon) in just over a year. You can definitely do a 10 miler in 6 months but like Jill said you will have to be committed to a training plan. It will be hard and you will feel like giving up, but you just have to stick with it!

Look up the Couch to 5k program. That is what I started with. I got it into my head that I wanted to do the Disney Marathon without having ever even done a 5k. It starts you out with run/walk intervals and gradually increases the running till you don't need to walk. The hardest thing is getting your body to realize you can do a 5k. Once you have that under your belt it is much easier to get to 10 miles than it was to get that first 5k. My problem before was I would go out and try to run a mile straight and give up because it was too hard or I was too slow. This program is gradual and takes you through it in steps so it is much easier to build distance. Don't get me wrong, it is still tough and takes work but it is doable.

Once you get to 5k, look up the Jeff Galloway programs. They are run/walk programs for different distances. He is an official trainer of RunDisney so they have his programs listed on their site. I am sure he has a TOT 10 miler program. Make sure you stick to the program and try not to miss too many runs and you will be fine.

As you know the pacing requirement is 16 min/mile. Your best bet is to find a 10k sometime before the 10 miler so you can submit a time. I am not sure when the TOT run's cut off date for time submissions is. You want to try not to be in the last corral and if you don't submit a time, you are guaranteed to be in that last corral. The 16 min/mile pace starts as soon as the last person crosses the start, so that person has 160 min to run 10 miles. The further you are from that person the more leeway you have. If you start 10 minutes before that person, you would have 170 min to run 10 miles. You have to take into account character stops as that will eat into your race time. They don't stop the race clock if you wait for characters so you want to factor in extra time for that too. Unfortunately if you are at the back of the pack, you are at a disadvantage time-wise for character stops. There are some photo ops before and after the race in the staging areas and if you go to the villains after party.

Again, I agree with Jill, as a new runner, worry about distance more than speed. Speed comes with time. Work on getting a comfortable pace going before speed. Although...my lungs did burn during C25K and I think it was just because I hadn't done anything like that before. Just like my legs, my lungs needed to build up a bit of endurance and increase their capacity.

 

[BrittanyRose428]

Thank you both so much, this makes me a little bit less terrified, haha! I'll definitely be looking into the C25K, and I already have the Jeff Galloway stuff for the 10 Miler printed out, so I'll be bringing that with me the next time I go to the gym. I think the problems with my lungs was definitely what you guys said, that I was probably going too fast. I think I just get aggravated really easily when that happens because considering how my lungs feel the rest of my body is fine. I have the same problem as @Kristia in that I'd try to run for much longer than I should and it burns out my lungs, though I think this is because of what I mentioned in my original post, that sometimes people tell you where to start but it's too difficult of a starting point for me. So it's very reassuring to know that I'm not completely out of luck if I'm starting at this point.

I'll look into doing a 10K over the summer to submit a time, and if ends up being too late to submit a time, doing another run beforehand won't hurt anyways. This makes me feel so much better though.

 

[LindsayLoves]

@BrittanyEarnsHerEars - Jill and Kristy nailed it, you CAN run ten miles if you are willing to put the work in. We all had to start somewhere. With the right tools and commitment on your end the ToT 10 miler medal will be yours!

 

[dreamfinder]

1. Am I just completely out of luck here? I hate to sound so pessimistic, but my friend is very optimistic, and will tell everyone that they can do anything. I know there are people who go from being overweight couch potatoes to runners, but I'm not sure I have enough time to make this transformation.

Not at all out of luck. Everyone on here, (even @Donald Duck who runs 20+ miles a day) started out doing just little runs before they built up to the longer runs. It's a matter of finding a good intro to running type plan, be it from CoolRunning.com, one of Jeff Galloway's plans, or something else completely.

2. I know the pace requirement is a 16 minute mile, but how exactly does this work? I can have a 16 minute mile right now on the treadmill, but I don't jog for a straight 16 minutes. I run a little bit and walk a little bit. Would my walking a little bit get me picked up during the race, or is this okay as long as a mile takes 16 minutes? I'm also pretty sure a 16 minute mile could be power-walked, is that acceptable?

From when the last person crosses the line, they have a few people on bikes with flags/ladies with balloons that maintain a 16 min/mi pace. As long as you are in front of them at the cut off point, you can continue. However you maintain that pace is up to you. Run for 15 mins, crawl like a baby for the 16th, whatever.

3. How do the photo-ops for the Run Disney races work? I've heard that people have complained about not being able to get photos, but I haven't really gotten why this apparently happens. For instance, if I am at a 16 minute mile (which I assume is slower than most other runners) am I going to be at a disadvantage for photos? On a similar note, does taking the photos with the characters take time out of the 16 minute mile? (What I mean is, say I took a photo which took 3 minutes, so it technically takes 19 minutes for a mile including stopping for a photo, would I be picked up?)

They are on the sides of the course with photographers. Just like characters in park, there may be a short line, or there may be a long line. Your race clock doesn't stop if you are in line. Those guys on the bikes/ladies with balloons keep on going. The lines do get much longer as the race goes on, and Disney recommends you do at least a 15 min pace to give yourself a little cushion for characters/bathroom stops. If you are going to be big into characters, then you would want to try for a faster pace.

4. Any other tips? Anything would be greatly appreciated. All of the advice I've seen seems to focus on runners who are in a better starting state than I am, so I'm finding it difficult to get some reasonable advice. I think the most I can run without taking a walking break at the moment is only 1-2 minutes, and I've been told things like run for 5 minutes, walk for 10, which doesn't work for where I'm at right now. I don't mean to sound like I'm putting myself down here, it just isn't helpful to get advice that is so far off from where I am if that makes sense.

Do what you can. Every step forward (or in place on a TM) is one more than you had taken previously. It's usually recommended to build up endurance, as your speed will usually come naturally. The Jeff Galloway plans range all over the place, but cover walking/running splits of various times.

5. Are there certain foods that are good for running and certain foods that aren't? I'm just trying to be as healthy as I can, considering I'm still living at college for another few weeks and have all kinds of graduation festivities, but I'm wondering if there is anything I definitely should or shouldn't be eating.

Sorry for writing a novel! Thanks so much in advance.

Yes and no. Every body is different. What may work great for someone may be terrible for you. Eating healthy is usually the key, and you will find what works through trial and error. Bananas and bagels with peanut butter are both common pre/post run snacks. Try snagging a few copies of Runners World from a local library and see some of the recipes they include to get an idea on what is good fuel. I do strongly suggest avoiding most sports drinks/snacks/bars when you are starting out. Unless you are running for more than an hour, most people won't gain anything from using them, and in fact will end up ingesting way more calories than they expected.

Good luck!

 

[Texas84]

Welcome!

Also check out Hal Higdon's beginner plans. I started with Jeff Galloway run/walk and actually did my first Disney half with 3-min run, 1-min walk. Now I take walk breaks at 1-3 mile intervals, depending on how I feel.

Doing a local 5K is great. You get an idea of what to expect. After that find a 10K if possible. All these plans build up distance.

Tell us how the 5K goes. Good luck!

 

[Betsyboo]

Hey everyone, I have a list of questions about the Run Disney events-- I haven't seen answers anywhere that have been too helpful, or if I have I'm not sure if they're outdated or anything, so sorry if this is redundant!

A little background about myself is probably necessary here. For the past 20 years of my life, I haven't been into running at all. Actually, wait, let me rephrase that: For the past 20 years of my life, I have actively avoided running. I was an active teenager, mostly with dance, however I've never much enjoyed running. I've never felt I've had the endurance to run-- I find that I run out of breath, and can't keep going for a very long time. My legs seem to be saying let's go, but my lungs say nope, you can't do that. I do have very mild asthma, and since spending the past four years away at school I've become more overweight since my high school years. A month or two ago, I started walking on the treadmill before class. The pace I'm comfortable at on the treadmill is a 3.4, but I can go up to a 3.8 and be okay if I'm feeling ambitious. (Basically what I'm getting at here, is that I'm hugely out of shape.)

One of my friends has convinced me to sign up for the Tower of Terror 10 Miler with her. (I told her that I don't run, and that I never had, and I'm not sure I'm capable of doing 10 miles, especially with the pacing requirement.) Anyways, she persuaded me, saying that's how it is when anyone starts out running, and I have all summer to train, and everything will be fine. I will already be in Disney doing the College Program in October, so I figured why not, and signed up for the race with her. Now that I've had some time to actually think this over, I'm terrified. The most I've done distance-wise so far has been 6.25 miles, and this was mostly walking, probably at around 3.5 on the treadmill. I'm doing my first 5k at the end of May, but there is no pace requirement, so I may walk a lot of it if I need to.

Now that you all know a little bit about my running abilities, here's the questions:

1. Am I just completely out of luck here? I hate to sound so pessimistic, but my friend is very optimistic, and will tell everyone that they can do anything. I know there are people who go from being overweight couch potatoes to runners, but I'm not sure I have enough time to make this transformation.

2. I know the pace requirement is a 16 minute mile, but how exactly does this work? I can have a 16 minute mile right now on the treadmill, but I don't jog for a straight 16 minutes. I run a little bit and walk a little bit. Would my walking a little bit get me picked up during the race, or is this okay as long as a mile takes 16 minutes? I'm also pretty sure a 16 minute mile could be power-walked, is that acceptable?

3. How do the photo-ops for the Run Disney races work? I've heard that people have complained about not being able to get photos, but I haven't really gotten why this apparently happens. For instance, if I am at a 16 minute mile (which I assume is slower than most other runners) am I going to be at a disadvantage for photos? On a similar note, does taking the photos with the characters take time out of the 16 minute mile? (What I mean is, say I took a photo which took 3 minutes, so it technically takes 19 minutes for a mile including stopping for a photo, would I be picked up?)

4. Any other tips? Anything would be greatly appreciated. All of the advice I've seen seems to focus on runners who are in a better starting state than I am, so I'm finding it difficult to get some reasonable advice. I think the most I can run without taking a walking break at the moment is only 1-2 minutes, and I've been told things like run for 5 minutes, walk for 10, which doesn't work for where I'm at right now. I don't mean to sound like I'm putting myself down here, it just isn't helpful to get advice that is so far off from where I am if that makes sense.

5. Are there certain foods that are good for running and certain foods that aren't? I'm just trying to be as healthy as I can, considering I'm still living at college for another few weeks and have all kinds of graduation festivities, but I'm wondering if there is anything I definitely should or shouldn't be eating.

Sorry for writing a novel! Thanks so much in advance.

Thank you @BrittanyEarnsHerEars for asking all these questions and thank you to all the others for answering. I've thought a lot about trying to set a goal to run the Food & Wine run in 2015 as a way to celebrate my 40th birthday. Sounds like it might just be possible.

 

[amy1985]

I'm happy you wrote this thread- this is my first race too. I am a newish runner and just overall slow- I can do 2min at 4.5 and recover for one minute at 3.5. I am a little worries about pace, but the Jeff Galloway plan on rundisney is laid out so a beginner can start in June and be able to run- that always gives me hope, that I at least have a head start- also I totally get the lungs thing, I always feel like my legs can do it but my lungs can't- it is getting easier with each run though. Good luck- I know you can do it!

 

[JillC LI]

I'm happy you wrote this thread- this is my first race too. I am a newish runner and just overall slow- I can do 2min at 4.5 and recover for one minute at 3.5. I am a little worries about pace, but the Jeff Galloway plan on rundisney is laid out so a beginner can start in June and be able to run- that always gives me hope, that I at least have a head start- also I totally get the lungs thing, I always feel like my legs can do it but my lungs can't- it is getting easier with each run though. Good luck- I know you can do it!

Welcome! I can say from experience that the lungs thing gets easier with consistent effort. When I first started running (many moons ago), my lungs gave out before my legs. Now if I keep a comfortable pace, my legs will eventually tire without my lungs feeling over-exerted at all. (If I am pushing my limits in a race, then yes, of course, my lungs will sometimes feel like exploding). It amazes me the level of cardiovascular fitness I have now versus what I had in high school even. Stick with it!

 

[Ariel484]

Welcome! I think most of the key points have been covered here...I'll just add to it that I, too, was never a runner when I was younger. I took it up about 6 years ago and am another Couch to 5K graduate. Maybe you could start following that plan and then switch to the Galloway Beginner plan when it starts on June 3?

1. Am I just completely out of luck here? I hate to sound so pessimistic, but my friend is very optimistic, and will tell everyone that they can do anything. I know there are people who go from being overweight couch potatoes to runners, but I'm not sure I have enough time to make this transformation.

I think you can do. The key would be finding a training plan that works with your schedule and STICKING TO IT.

2. I know the pace requirement is a 16 minute mile, but how exactly does this work? I can have a 16 minute mile right now on the treadmill, but I don't jog for a straight 16 minutes. I run a little bit and walk a little bit. Would my walking a little bit get me picked up during the race, or is this okay as long as a mile takes 16 minutes? I'm also pretty sure a 16 minute mile could be power-walked, is that acceptable?

As said above, you can run, walk, skip, crawl, whatever.

3. How do the photo-ops for the Run Disney races work? I've heard that people have complained about not being able to get photos, but I haven't really gotten why this apparently happens. For instance, if I am at a 16 minute mile (which I assume is slower than most other runners) am I going to be at a disadvantage for photos? On a similar note, does taking the photos with the characters take time out of the 16 minute mile? (What I mean is, say I took a photo which took 3 minutes, so it technically takes 19 minutes for a mile including stopping for a photo, would I be picked up?)

I have LOTS of experience with this. Some of the stops have official race photographers (not PhotoPass, they are contracted for races only), some don't. If the photos are important to you, I'd recommend bringing your own point-and-shoot camera. There are normally 2 Cast Members at each photo stop - one will be taking the current runner's picture while the other will be getting the next runner's camera ready, and so on. The lines tend to go quickly because they use this method, there are no autograph books, and you don't really take time to interact with the characters like you would in the parks. The lines get longer as the races go on, so if you start in the last corral you may find yourself facing long lines. I think the longest line I ever waited in on a race course was 7-8 minutes long, but normally it's less than 5 minutes, and that DOES count toward your time.

4. Any other tips? Anything would be greatly appreciated. All of the advice I've seen seems to focus on runners who are in a better starting state than I am, so I'm finding it difficult to get some reasonable advice. I think the most I can run without taking a walking break at the moment is only 1-2 minutes, and I've been told things like run for 5 minutes, walk for 10, which doesn't work for where I'm at right now. I don't mean to sound like I'm putting myself down here, it just isn't helpful to get advice that is so far off from where I am if that makes sense.

As a beginner, don't worry about how fast you are going just yet. Focus on getting more comfortable with running and getting used to having a training schedule. The speed will come later.

And have confidence in yourself!!! You can do it if you commit to training for it!

5. Are there certain foods that are good for running and certain foods that aren't? I'm just trying to be as healthy as I can, considering I'm still living at college for another few weeks and have all kinds of graduation festivities, but I'm wondering if there is anything I definitely should or shouldn't be eating.

Sorry for writing a novel! Thanks so much in advance.

I think this is something you'll figure out for yourself...pay special attention to what you eat the night before a run and how it affects you (or whether it doesn't). It's different for everyone. For example - I've read stories about people that cannot have cheese the night before running because it upsets their stomach, but for me it's not an issue.

My biggest piece of advice - drinks lots of water. Your legs will feel better if you're hydrated.

Thank you @BrittanyEarnsHerEars for asking all these questions and thank you to all the others for answering. I've thought a lot about trying to set a goal to run the Food & Wine run in 2015 as a way to celebrate my 40th birthday. Sounds like it might just be possible.

Wine & Dine is a great race! You could definitely do it if you train for it!

I'm happy you wrote this thread- this is my first race too. I am a newish runner and just overall slow- I can do 2min at 4.5 and recover for one minute at 3.5. I am a little worries about pace, but the Jeff Galloway plan on rundisney is laid out so a beginner can start in June and be able to run- that always gives me hope, that I at least have a head start- also I totally get the lungs thing, I always feel like my legs can do it but my lungs can't- it is getting easier with each run though. Good luck- I know you can do it!

The lungs get better and better. I notice that I breathe a lot more easily now that I have been running regularly for awhile now.

 

[TeddyinMO]

Since I'm also a running newbie, I'll go ahead and post a question for you vets. How do you get past the inevitable plateaus? In my case, I've been doing C2K for about 6 weeks now. I am pretty good up to 2 miles, but I hit that point and just crash. Between my breathing getting out of control and my legs getting to feel like jello, I just can't seem to break past that 2 mile point. I have my first 5K scheduled in 3 weeks, and I'm getting a bit worried.

Should I be adding in an extra workout each week? Resting more? doing some other kind of cardio on an off-day? I have exercised enough in my life to know that plateaus happen, but I've never tried running for distance until this. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

PS I am actually enjoying this running thing! Just don't want to let frustration set in.

 

[LindsayLoves]

@TeddyinMO - I am not totally certain how the C2K plan works but have you tried using a run/walk scenario to get you past the 2 mile mark? Speaking for myself I used the run/walk technique when I started out and I was able to do a lot more mileage than I thought I would. For example running for 3 minutes and then walking for 1. Much easier to build mileage that way than trying to run 2-3 miles straight out.

Some other strategies you might want to try...

If your legs are an issue maybe adding in some strength training on your non-running days can help. Even some cross training such as swimming or bike riding, even walking.

You can try changing your route, if you are running the same loop/course and know that mile 2 is coming up when you pass a certain landmark try to fool yourself by running a different route and then you won't be expecting/anticipating that 2 mile mark. Running is WAY more mental than you know and if you are mentally stuck on 2 miles it will be very hard for your body to overcome that.

 

[Kristia]

@TeddyinMO - Which method are you using for C25K? When I did it, I used the timed method since I couldn't accurately measure the distance. When I finished the plan, I hadn't made it quite to 5k but I could run the 30 min straight and then I just had to work on adding the distance. How long does it take you to run the 2 miles? It could be that your body isn't quite ready for that distance in the amount of time that you are doing it. Like @LindsayLoves said, you can either add a short walk break to get you over the hump or just try taking a really slow jog break to catch your breath and give your legs a short break. There is no shame in walking or slowing the pace a little especially if you are looking to get over a hump. If you are consistent with your training, you will work through it.

 

[JillC LI]

@TeddyinMO, my biggest suggestion would be to slow your pace for those first two miles. That should give you a little extra energy to go a bit further. Don't increase your mileage too quickly. I would slow your pace and try to get to 2.25, then hold that for a week or so. Then increase to 2.5 miles, etc. But don't try to increase your speed at all at this stage. I also agree with Lindsay that running is extraordinarily mental, and varying your route could help a lot.

If you still want to do that 5K before you're ready to run the whole distance, then take a walk break. No shame in that.

 

[Texas84]

Since I'm also a running newbie, I'll go ahead and post a question for you vets. How do you get past the inevitable plateaus? In my case, I've been doing C2K for about 6 weeks now. I am pretty good up to 2 miles, but I hit that point and just crash. Between my breathing getting out of control and my legs getting to feel like jello, I just can't seem to break past that 2 mile point. I have my first 5K scheduled in 3 weeks, and I'm getting a bit worried.

Should I be adding in an extra workout each week? Resting more? doing some other kind of cardio on an off-day? I have exercised enough in my life to know that plateaus happen, but I've never tried running for distance until this. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

PS I am actually enjoying this running thing! Just don't want to let frustration set in.

Agree with trying the run/walk. Start with a 3:1 and if you feel good bump it up to 4:1, 5:1, etc. You will hear the run/walk timers going off in just about any race.

 

[TeddyinMO]

Thanks for the suggestions! Pacing has been a huge challenge for me, so it very well could be the root of my issues. And, I do appreciate hearing that a minute of walking here and there won't hurt anything. Even though I know better, I couldn't help but feel that was a bit of a failure on my part. I'm pretty comfortable with a 5:1 or 6:1 run/walk pace, so I'll go back to that for a bit and work up from there rather than trying to leap to the full distance.

 

[LindsayLoves]

Thanks for the suggestions! Pacing has been a huge challenge for me, so it very well could be the root of my issues. And, I do appreciate hearing that a minute of walking here and there won't hurt anything. Even though I know better, I couldn't help but feel that was a bit of a failure on my part. I'm pretty comfortable with a 5:1 or 6:1 run/walk pace, so I'll go back to that for a bit and work up from there rather than trying to leap to the full distance.

There is no shame in walking, especially if you have hit a plateau that you seemingly can't get over. I believe someone has finished a marathon in 3:30 using the run/walk method from Jeff Galloway, which is way faster than I can finish it running the entire time.

 

[BrittanyRose428]

Thanks for all your help everyone! Since I made this thread, I've done my first two runs-- a 5K and a 10K. The 5K was the color run, so having a good finishing time wasn't really the focus. I was with a bigger group and we all stayed together, so we walked a good amount of it. And there was no official time being kept at this run anyways. I thought it went really well for a first run, but because there was no time kept it was hard to tell how I actually did. I did a 10K last week, and finished in 1 hour and 43 minutes, which works out to be a 16.55 min. mile. This was the race I did to have a time to submit to Disney for the TOT 10 Miler. Is this time good enough for me to move up from the last corral? My most basic goal for the 10K was just to finish in less than 2 hours, so I surpassed my own personal goal, but my per mile time ended up being kind of disappointing. Some parts of the race felt like they went really well, but others not so much. The race was in a hilly town, so going up hill definitely slowed me down a bit more than I would have liked. Is that time ok to submit to Disney? I'd like to do another 10K over the summer to see if my time improves, but I won't be able to before the deadline of when Disney wants the times submitted by.

Also, does anyone know how the time keeping works for YMCA road races? They had the time flashing near the finish line so you could see your time as you finished, but I don't remember the seconds (do the seconds matter for Disney's time submission?) I don't know if they will email me something with my time, or if that's something I should have gotten there and just remembered or what.

 

[JillC LI]

@BrittanyEarnsHerEars , odds are that your official time with seconds is posted somewhere online. Check the official 10K race web site to find a link. Or do a search for the name of the race and "Results." I'm not sure Disney cares about the seconds though. Congrats on your first two races.