What are you actually training for? What is the focus? You state your mile and 5k PRs, looking at the training week I would suggest that this is a generic 'non specific' training programme.
What are you actually training for? What is the focus? You state your mile and 5k PRs, looking at the training week I would suggest that this is a generic 'non specific' training programme.
You're right. I want to be faster and in better shape. I want to race as I missed the opportunity in high school as I have never had the luxury of having a coach or a xc team at my school but I feel like I'm too slow to participate as it stands. When I'm sub 20 I'll look into racing.
0/10
Can you all explain to me why you think I'm trolling? I just wanted to grab some advice on how to get faster and maybe have my strengths and weaknesses pointed out, just like I'm sure you would if you were in my position. All my local running groups are directed towards marathon training which I am not interestedly in so I'm basically training myself and found lately I've hit a huge wall and can't seem to get faster despite speed training, it's frustrating.
At first I thought it might be my weight but evidently not. You sub 16 guys aren't the only people in the world who want to get faster. I'll be the first to admit I'm not very fast nor do I know a huge deal on training to be fast and seeing as most of you on this board are experienced I thought I'd get a little help. I genuinely would go and ask this on runners world before anybody suggests it but it takes about 4 days to get a reply. This forum is an extremely douchey place.
LaurenK wrote:
You're right. I want to be faster and in better shape. I want to race as I missed the opportunity in high school as I have never had the luxury of having a coach or a xc team at my school but I feel like I'm too slow to participate as it stands. When I'm sub 20 I'll look into racing.
The question still stands...what distances are you wanting to tackle? Training for a miler is different to that of a XC runner, a 5k racer, a 10k racer etc. If you want progress you need to determine your targets, plan and train for them. Following generic programmes will get you some benefits but will eventually lead to performance plateau and frustration.
LaurenK wrote:
This forum is an extremely douchey place.
Well, no argument there. But don't leave out the boors, drunks, creeps, clowns, and assholes - they deserve some love too!
Yorkie Coach wrote:
LaurenK wrote:You're right. I want to be faster and in better shape. I want to race as I missed the opportunity in high school as I have never had the luxury of having a coach or a xc team at my school but I feel like I'm too slow to participate as it stands. When I'm sub 20 I'll look into racing.
The question still stands...what distances are you wanting to tackle? Training for a miler is different to that of a XC runner, a 5k racer, a 10k racer etc. If you want progress you need to determine your targets, plan and train for them. Following generic programmes will get you some benefits but will eventually lead to performance plateau and frustration.
Eventually, I want to get better all round. But right now I'm focused on the 5k. I'd say my training right now (this summer) is mostly geared towards reducing my 5k from the 22-23 min range to the 21-22 min range.
It should be a pretty straight forward progression. I would look to add a little more running and have two 'quality' speed based session (one intervals / repeats and the other more tempo) during the week.
I'll have a think and post something later....
I do 400 or 800 repeats once a week and a tempo run every 7-10 days :)
LaurenK wrote:
Yorkie Coach wrote:The question still stands...what distances are you wanting to tackle? Training for a miler is different to that of a XC runner, a 5k racer, a 10k racer etc. If you want progress you need to determine your targets, plan and train for them. Following generic programmes will get you some benefits but will eventually lead to performance plateau and frustration.
Eventually, I want to get better all round. But right now I'm focused on the 5k. I'd say my training right now (this summer) is mostly geared towards reducing my 5k from the 22-23 min range to the 21-22 min range.
If you want to get faster for 5K, Pete Magill's program is a good one. It's certainly better than what you're doing now.
LaurenK wrote:
Can you all explain to me why you think I'm trolling?
2/10. The using kgs instead of stones and ft in instead of cm was a dead give away. But you did get a lot more responses than I thought.
LaurenK wrote:
I am 5'1 and 52kgs. Would it be healthy and beneficial to my running for me to lose any more weight? Realistically, how much faster would losing 5lbs make me? My best mile so far is 6:04 which was a couple of months ago.
If you weigh 115lbs and lose 5lbs you will likely be able to run about 1.5-2.5% faster. 6:04 might be more like 5:56. Don't tell anyone I told you that, though, because we all know women are too fragile to handle the truth when it comes to these things. If you even try to lose 5lbs you'll for sure develop an eating disorder, end up losing your job, and next thing you know you'll be turning tricks to support your heroin addiction.
still not sure ur not a troll wrote:
LaurenK wrote:Eventually, I want to get better all round. But right now I'm focused on the 5k. I'd say my training right now (this summer) is mostly geared towards reducing my 5k from the 22-23 min range to the 21-22 min range.
If you want to get faster for 5K, Pete Magill's program is a good one. It's certainly better than what you're doing now.
Thanks, will check that out.
Sara Palin wrote:
LaurenK wrote:Can you all explain to me why you think I'm trolling?
2/10. The using kgs instead of stones and ft in instead of cm was a dead give away. But you did get a lot more responses than I thought.
So I can use both metric and imperial, what does that have to do with anything? I don't get y'all. I really don't.
LaurenK wrote:
still not sure ur not a troll wrote:If you want to get faster for 5K, Pete Magill's program is a good one. It's certainly better than what you're doing now.
Thanks, will check that out.
Sara Palin wrote:
2/10. The using kgs instead of stones and ft in instead of cm was a dead give away. But you did get a lot more responses than I thought.
So I can use both metric and imperial, what does that have to do with anything? I don't get y'all. I really don't.
Lauren you sound like a teenager.
Join a track club and get some proper coaching not advice from idiots on this forum.
I'm 24/no local tracks or I would.
LaurenK wrote:
You're right. I want to be faster and in better shape. I want to race as I missed the opportunity in high school as I have never had the luxury of having a coach or a xc team at my school but I feel like I'm too slow to participate as it stands. When I'm sub 20 I'll look into racing.
You're not too slow. In my experience, people who wait to race until they are fast enough never race. Getting your ass kicked in a race is a very good motivator, as I was recently reminded. Races give you the feedback you need to improve your training.
To answer your original question -- don't lose weight. Worry less about your diet; at your age, if you're training hard it's mostly about getting enough to eat.
It's hard without seeing your frame/tone. I'm 5'3 and 105 but I'm also really small boned. My ideal race weight is around 104. If I creep up to 110 I start to see a decrease in my performance. Experience and 10 years of focus on 5/10k has taught me that. If you feel like you are carrying extra weight (fat, not muscle), it doesn't hurt to focus on cross training and clean-eating to see if it improves performance. But if you have little or no fat to lose, don't do it. Not worth hurting your performance. It's hard to get people's opinions when we're already small women because of the dangers of eating disorders, but I don't get that sense from your post at all.
A Nobot wrote:
LaurenK wrote:I am 5'1 and 52kgs. Would it be healthy and beneficial to my running for me to lose any more weight? Realistically, how much faster would losing 5lbs make me? My best mile so far is 6:04 which was a couple of months ago.
If you weigh 115lbs and lose 5lbs you will likely be able to run about 1.5-2.5% faster. 6:04 might be more like 5:56. Don't tell anyone I told you that, though, because we all know women are too fragile to handle the truth when it comes to these things. If you even try to lose 5lbs you'll for sure develop an eating disorder, end up losing your job, and next thing you know you'll be turning tricks to support your heroin addiction.
This is the real answer. Everyone else seems to think you're this weak, fragile little thing, and I'd be insulted by it too (if I heard the same b.s. and was a woman).
I had a 22.5 bmi and am now at 21.5. I'm trying to get to 20.5. You're at 21.7 right now and I see no reason why getting down to 20 or 20.5 would be so terrible.
That said at 6:04, you likely still have a ways to go before maxing out gains given a constant weight. Personally, I'd include some longer repeats (1200 or 1600) in lieu of your tempo every once in awhile. Also start racing.
No no no wrote:
Idk if this is a troll or not but in case it isn't.
It is. Only a troll would switch from metric to English in the middle of the question.