12 replies to this topic

[puffy]

Hey all,
Im pretty new to running,
decided to do the Entrance half marathon in December 07 with 8 weeks training and no running or race experience
(finished in 1 hour 54min) and now im addicted! looking at doing the Lake Macquarie half, and would like to prepare alot better this time,
and you guys seem to know what you are talking about!so any help, tips, hints would be much appreciated,
ive got approx 8 weeks, and am running approx 40km per week now (just recovered from a nasty hip injury thing)
how quick should i up the kms per week?
should i worry about speed?
how the hell do you look after your hips ....lol
thanks for ya help........

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[Danny]

Hi bronie,

Welcome to Coolruning! The Lake Macquarie Half is an excellent race over a scenic course! One tip straight away is to get some coolrunning gear so that others who will be there can call our encouragement to you!

The question of 'what do do' for training is a little difficult without some more information on your current training routine and your level of fitness. Having said that, if you are in the early stages, don't worry so much about speed in the first instance rather concentrate on slowly building up your volume to manage the distance. Make sure you keep your increases to about 10% a week and leave plenty of time for rest. As you get closer, depending on your own fitness you might like to introduce some speed sessions but don't panic too much on this particularly as you are starting out.

In terms of your hips, I am not sure what to say without further info however it may be linked to too much too soon depending on how you are increasing your training. In the absence of further info its best to see a physio.

Good luck with your training and see you at Lake Macquarie!

Cheers,

Danny

[puffy]

Thanks Danny,
yes i will grab myself some cool runnings gear.
and yes i think i did do too much too soon.

here is the plan for nxt weeks training

Monday - Treadmill run of 5km steady to fast pace followed by weights
Tuesday - i have a personal training session (weights 1hour) but i fit in another 5km treadmill run b 4 hand
Wednesday - i do a boxing class
Thursday - is a road run of 14km
Friday - 5km run & weights session
saturday - rest day
Sunday - 16km

is it wise to do weight training when running? or should i just run? sometimes i like to keep off my legs and do some sort of cardio instead.

cheers for ya help, and ill keep my out out for you...............leaving me for dead ha ha !!!

[Muzman]

bronie, on May 25 2008, 10:54 AM, said:

is it wise to do weight training when running? or should i just run? sometimes i like to keep off my legs and do some sort of cardio instead.

Hi Bronie

Some good advice from Danny - he is a very smart man, and leaves me for dead too!

Nothing wrong with runners doing weight training, I do two sessions a week. Nothing too severe, I'm not bulking up, I just want the ability to hold my body comfortable upright for two hours or more whie I run, and have the necesaary arm strength to pump them for the same amount of time.

Core strength and shoulders/tris/chest are the areas I focus on, going for reps rather than weight.

Hope this helps, and hope to see you at LMHM.

M

[otisr]

Hello bronie,

I was in the same situation about 12 months ago, that you are in now. I was doing a real hotch-potch of training, some weights, some bike riding and then did a few adventure races. I wanted a goal so I set my plan for the lake mac half. It was referred to me as a great run, so I entered not really knowing my ability - boy was I nervous for my first half - it sounded like a huge distance.

I took the event easy, too easy. Finished about the same time as you. I felt under run and learned a lot. But the distance did not scare me. I felt the weights helped my leg strength, all i needed now was a base to work on.

So I chose to pick up the distances, tried more trail running, set goals of doing the Black Stump in January, nailed that, and then took on the Six Foot. I have not been training too seriously but out there for enjoyment and a few races to give me some goals. I now really enjoy running. Especially the trails.

My tips:

Check out the Gold coast Marathon website - it has a great training schedule of the marathon, half, etc. Good to use for beginner, intermediate and advanced - i put myself in the "hacker" group. Keep up the weights but I would suggest easing off up to the last few weeks and aim for a taper if you want a serious run time.

If you want some great racing, go the the Newcastle Cross Country events, they are up to 12kms and good for time trialling where yuo are at - also good people and scenic races. A thread is in coolrunning under "Newcastle Cross Country". they are every Saturday about 2.00pm.

Keep up the good work.

[Danny]

Muzman - you're too kind!

Bronie - thanks for posting your training schedule, it looks pretty full. Just some advice for your longer runs. I notice you do your 5km at a fast pace, with your long ones around 14 - 16k. Think about doing these longer ones very slow. If you don't own a heart rate monitor, think about getting one. They are a good training tool and can help you pace your runs so you get the most out of your training. They aren't a must have but they do provide very helpful information. Here is a good link to some information on Heart Rate training and why this type of long slow training can add benefit to your schedule http://www.duathlon.com/articles/1460 You will also probably find that slowing down your long runs helps with the injuries too.

In regards to your cross training schedule it will really come down to your motivation for training. I come from a fitness background too so I mix up my training and find it keeps me interested. Other running purists in here can talk more about running schedules and how to balance a good running based schedule. For me I find there is a cross road that when running well/fast becomes your primary motivation you probably should tend more toward a running focus with running complimentary exercises if that makes sense. Being into triathlon I find it gives me more cross training in the three disciplines and there are more complimentary exercises to help me mix up my schedule.

Good luck with your training.

Cheers,

Danny

[puffy]

Muzman, on May 25 2008, 11:11 AM, said:

Hi Bronie

Some good advice from Danny - he is a very smart man, and leaves me for dead too!

Nothing wrong with runners doing weight training, I do two sessions a week. Nothing too severe, I'm not bulking up, I just want the ability to hold my body comfortable upright for two hours or more whie I run, and have the necesaary arm strength to pump them for the same amount of time.

Core strength and shoulders/tris/chest are the areas I focus on, going for reps rather than weight.

Hope this helps, and hope to see you at LMHM.

M

Thanks muzman
that is what my focus is for weights, core, and upper body, find it helps me out a bit on the hills!
thanks for ya help and will see you at LMHM

[puffy]

otisr, on May 25 2008, 12:13 PM, said:

Hello bronie,

I was in the same situation about 12 months ago, that you are in now. I was doing a real hotch-potch of training, some weights, some bike riding and then did a few adventure races. I wanted a goal so I set my plan for the lake mac half. It was referred to me as a great run, so I entered not really knowing my ability - boy was I nervous for my first half - it sounded like a huge distance.

I took the event easy, too easy. Finished about the same time as you. I felt under run and learned a lot. But the distance did not scare me. I felt the weights helped my leg strength, all i needed now was a base to work on.

So I chose to pick up the distances, tried more trail running, set goals of doing the Black Stump in January, nailed that, and then took on the Six Foot. I have not been training too seriously but out there for enjoyment and a few races to give me some goals. I now really enjoy running. Especially the trails.

My tips:

Check out the Gold coast Marathon website - it has a great training schedule of the marathon, half, etc. Good to use for beginner, intermediate and advanced - i put myself in the "hacker" group. Keep up the weights but I would suggest easing off up to the last few weeks and aim for a taper if you want a serious run time.

If you want some great racing, go the the Newcastle Cross Country events, they are up to 12kms and good for time trialling where yuo are at - also good people and scenic races. A thread is in coolrunning under "Newcastle Cross Country". they are every Saturday about 2.00pm.

Keep up the good work.

cool, i will check out the sites you mentioned, esp the newcastle cross country events, sounds good. Yes i plan to ease off b 4 the race, im sure my body will be telling me to do the same! you guys are great! im heaps motivated to get stuck in.
thanks so much,
Bronie.

[puffy]

Danny, on May 25 2008, 02:42 PM, said:

Muzman - you're too kind!

Bronie - thanks for posting your training schedule, it looks pretty full. Just some advice for your longer runs. I notice you do your 5km at a fast pace, with your long ones around 14 - 16k. Think about doing these longer ones very slow. If you don't own a heart rate monitor, think about getting one. They are a good training tool and can help you pace your runs so you get the most out of your training. They aren't a must have but they do provide very helpful information. Here is a good link to some information on Heart Rate training and why this type of long slow training can add benefit to your schedule http://www.duathlon.com/articles/1460 You will also probably find that slowing down your long runs helps with the injuries too.

In regards to your cross training schedule it will really come down to your motivation for training. I come from a fitness background too so I mix up my training and find it keeps me interested. Other running purists in here can talk more about running schedules and how to balance a good running based schedule. For me I find there is a cross road that when running well/fast becomes your primary motivation you probably should tend more toward a running focus with running complimentary exercises if that makes sense. Being into triathlon I find it gives me more cross training in the three disciplines and there are more complimentary exercises to help me mix up my schedule.

Good luck with your training.

Cheers,

Danny

hey Danny,

wow great info, im looking forward to putting it into action,
i do own a heart rate monitor, and most of the time im at about 180, so i guess i need to back off a bit, and do longer slow runs,
id love to do a triahlon but im sad to say im a bit of a chicken when it comes to ocean swimming, thank you guys so much for all your input, i feel like im heading in the right direction now!
thanks again much appreciated.

[Danny]

Hi bronie - no problems.. hey and look at all you have done now. Putting that into perspective, an ocean swim is not that daunting - you can do it!!

[otisr]

I wish i could train at 180 bpm for my heart rate, but i'm over 45 and i get can just get my hr up to 180 during a 10km race. I usually try to long slow run at about 135-140, but thats me. These are usually up 2hrs length, the loner trail runs i don't know i just get out and go, the hr varies so much.

See you at the lake maq half. Check out the Fat Ass runs - they are usually onger trail runs but great for the legs and mind....

[littleblackpug]

otisr, on May 25 2008, 07:22 PM, said:

I wish i could train at 180 bpm for my heart rate, but i'm over 45 and i get can just get my hr up to 180 during a 10km race. I usually try to long slow run at about 135-140, but thats me. These are usually up 2hrs length, the loner trail runs i don't know i just get out and go, the hr varies so much.

Off topic slightly, but 180bpm is totally irrelevant for you otisr, whether you're 45+ or 20. It's percentage of max HR, and threshold HR that is important if you are training to HR, not the number. The number is as unique as a fingerprint.

[otisr]

ooops. It is a little off thread. Time to get back on track. Plus max hr, threshold hr, etc, gets me lost. I think for bronie my advise is to listen to the good ideas suggested from danny, etc.

Good luck - and see you on the road, trail, track, etc.