I'm 'bout to get serious ya'll!
I didn't even go back and finish posting my workouts for September it was so bad. I figure you get burned out after a while. Apparently that's where I was.
Everybody come on back! I'll start...
My goal is 1500 minutes of mostly cardio (running). I hope to get in a couple of weight workouts each week.
10/1 - 25 minute cardio sculpt
25/1500
10/1 - 25 minute cardio sculpt
10/2 - 45 minute easy trail run
70/1500
10/1 - 25 minute cardio sculpt
10/2 - 45 minute easy trail run
10/3 - 40 minute easy trail run
10/4 - 30 minutes weights
140/1500
Okay!!! Hi!!! I know I've been gone a long time, but I PROMISE I have been keeping up with my workouts! I even started running, Lab. :) Four times a week.
In July, my 4 yo had a near drowning accident. It was very scary, as I am sure you can imagine. I've just had a hard time keeping up with things that are not such a big deal since then.
SO! Here is my October so far:
10/1 - 54 min banish fat boost metabolism
10/2 - 54 min no more trouble zones
35 min running
10/3 - 50 min extreme shed and shred
10/4 - 51 min last chance workout
244/1000
Lab, I started running in August. I ran a 5k last Sunday! My first ever, and I did it in 27:01. I finished 43rd overall, 4th in my age group. Is that good? I feel like it isn't so great, but I kinda don't care, because my goal was to run a 5k. :lol I am going to run another the end of October. If you have any tips for beginning runners, for racing or in general, I'd LOVE to hear them! Thanks. :)
Oh, you aren't gonna ask my age group are you? 
10/5 - 54 min calorie knockout
298/1000
Me me me me me me me me I'm in I'm in I'm in I'm in!
10/06 - 45 minutes walking
damselfly - Yikes! So glad for that word "near"! 
damselfly! YAY!! I am so glad you are back. I have MISSED you!
Sorry to hear about your baby. Sounds like you were pretty shaken. I wondered what happened. I bet your family was thrown for a loop. So glad to hear that things are getting back to normal.
AND YOU'RE RUNNING! My hero! I love love love running. It makes me a better parent when I run. As a matter of fact - I have a friend who's husband is terminal and I took all of my feelings about his cancer out on the trail yesterday. It was nice.
Your 5K time is very good by the way. That's a 9 minute mile. That is very good. And you JUST started training. So you can get an idea, my daughter is 17 and has been running cross country since she was a 6th grader. She ran a 5K race yesterday (granted it was a trail run which is slower) and finished it in 26 minutes. 27 minutes is great. We won't talk about my son who is running in college. He would put us all to shame! His PR (personal record) is 15:38. Crazy huh!!?!? I'm not too shabby - my pr is 21:40 ....that was a couple of years ago though. Do you plan to run more 5Ks? Are you competitive where you will try to run down the person in front of you? Or are you so proud of your achievement that you are planning to check that box? Congrats to you! Have you noticed a change in your body? I didn't lose weight when I started running but I did lose an entire size in my clothes. So what is your age bracket? Are you a baby compared to me? I'm 42 (ugh - I hated typing that)
I' glad to see you Mrs.Gregory! I bet you have been busy with that baby!
Dana popped in last month - I hope to see her again.
10/1 - 25 minute cardio sculpt
10/2 - 45 minute easy trail run
10/3 - 40 minute easy trail run
10/4 - 30 minutes weights
10/6 - 55 minute hard trail run
195/1500
Oh ! I just saw your questions about tips....
Yes - I have tips...and you will do better in October.
So you should not do too many miles too soon.
And you are planning to run a 5k at race pace then you should train your body to run 5 miles at an average pace. This way your body will be accustomed to running more miles and the 3.1 won't seem so bad. What is your weekly mileage? You should not increase your mileage too quickly. That leads to plantar's. Or shin splints.
I'm not sure if you want to get faster and PR at your next race?
I am constantly trying to get faster. I don't know why. It's probably not healthy to be that competitive but all three of my kids run so that is probably where it comes from. Anyway - I do interval or speed work outs. Basically these are just periods where you have a burst of speed. Your goal is maintain your pace during the burst of speed. So I do interval workouts on the high school track. So I will do a 6 minute mile around the 1/4 mile track. Then I'll slow down, recover and jog. And then do it again at the same speed. The goal is do the interval 4 or 5 times and keep the same pace each time. You are teaching your body to maintain a pace. This will help you increase your speed and maintain your pace for the entire race.
So beginning runners should invest in shoes!!! And never never never increase your intensity or distance too quickly. That will lead to injury. This took me a while to learn. But getting sidelined for 6 months was a wake up call.
10/1 - 25 minute cardio sculpt
10/2 - 45 minute easy trail run
10/3 - 40 minute easy trail run
10/4 - 30 minutes weights
10/6 - 55 minute hard trail run
10/8 - 60 in the gym
255/1500
10/6 - 35 min running
10/7 - 35 min running
10/8 - 27 min 30 day shred
395/1000
AND YOU'RE RUNNING! My hero! I love love love running. It makes me a better parent when I run. As a matter of fact - I have a friend who's husband is terminal and I took all of my feelings about his cancer out on the trail yesterday. It was nice.
Your 5K time is very good by the way. That's a 9 minute mile. That is very good. And you JUST started training. So you can get an idea, my daughter is 17 and has been running cross country since she was a 6th grader. She ran a 5K race yesterday (granted it was a trail run which is slower) and finished it in 26 minutes. 27 minutes is great. We won't talk about my son who is running in college. He would put us all to shame! His PR (personal record) is 15:38. Crazy huh!!?!? I'm not too shabby - my pr is 21:40 ....that was a couple of years ago though. Do you plan to run more 5Ks? Are you competitive where you will try to run down the person in front of you? Or are you so proud of your achievement that you are planning to check that box? Congrats to you! Have you noticed a change in your body? I didn't lose weight when I started running but I did lose an entire size in my clothes. So what is your age bracket? Are you a baby compared to me? I'm 42 (ugh - I hated typing that)
Oh ! I just saw your questions about tips....
Yes - I have tips...and you will do better in October.
So you should not do too many miles too soon.
And you are planning to run a 5k at race pace then you should train your body to run 5 miles at an average pace. This way your body will be accustomed to running more miles and the 3.1 won't seem so bad. What is your weekly mileage? You should not increase your mileage too quickly. That leads to plantar's. Or shin splints.
I'm not sure if you want to get faster and PR at your next race?
I am constantly trying to get faster. I don't know why. It's probably not healthy to be that competitive but all three of my kids run so that is probably where it comes from. Anyway - I do interval or speed work outs. Basically these are just periods where you have a burst of speed. Your goal is maintain your pace during the burst of speed. So I do interval workouts on the high school track. So I will do a 6 minute mile around the 1/4 mile track. Then I'll slow down, recover and jog. And then do it again at the same speed. The goal is do the interval 4 or 5 times and keep the same pace each time. You are teaching your body to maintain a pace. This will help you increase your speed and maintain your pace for the entire race.
So beginning runners should invest in shoes!!! And never never never increase your intensity or distance too quickly. That will lead to injury. This took me a while to learn. But getting sidelined for 6 months was a wake up call.
Ok. That was my PR, but I would like to get faster. ;) (I'm 37, btw). My biggest problem, I think, is that I feel like I am running *almost* as fast as I can whenever I run, but that it feels slow too (clear as mud?). I don't really have any idea how to pace myself. So when you talk about a race pace vs. an average pace... I'm lost. I feel stupid saying that. I feel like there is something I'm just not getting. I run with my dh. He doesn't even get out of breath! It is frustrating. My weekly mileage is about 12-15 miles. We only run about 3.5 each time. Ideally, we would like to go 5. I just feel like how do I do that? I keep waiting for what I do run to feel easy, like my body will tell me I'm ready to go longer. How slowly should I increase my distance? We try to run at the track once a week so that we can work on our speed. I wish I could run with you so you could teach me irl!
I have two pairs of Nikes. My favorites are Pegasus 28 that my mom gave me last Christmas. The other ones are Dual Fusion ST. I use those when it is wet because they feel less slippery, but mainly they are what I wear when I do my usual workouts (indoors only, until I started running in them). I don't know which are better for me. I am slightly pigeon toed and I pronate. If I think of anything else, I will ask you! Thank you so much for your help!! 
And you also asked about changes in my body! I have lost 20 pounds since last November. I have not lost anymore since February though. I'm not trying to lose more, 20 was my goal, but I am kind of surprised that I haven't since I added more exercise. But since you mentioned it, I did go ahead and measure my waist and I have lost another half inch since I last measured in late spring!
10/09 - 85 minutes walking
10/9 - 27 min last chance workout
33 min running
10/10 - 40 min extreme shed and shred
10/11 - 30 min cardio max
525/1000
10/1 - 25 minute cardio sculpt
10/2 - 45 minute easy trail run
10/3 - 40 minute easy trail run
10/4 - 30 minutes weights
10/6 - 55 minute hard trail run
10/8 - 60 in the gym
10/9 - 70 minutes trail run
10/11 - 70 minutes mountain run/jog/hike - mostly exploring new trail
10/12 - 80 minutes mountain run!
10/14 - 67 minute mountain run
542/1500 I'm going to make my goal at this rate....
Ok. That was my PR, but I would like to get faster. ;) (I'm 37, btw). My biggest problem, I think, is that I feel like I am running *almost* as fast as I can whenever I run, but that it feels slow too (clear as mud?). I don't really have any idea how to pace myself. So when you talk about a race pace vs. an average pace... I'm lost. I feel stupid saying that. I feel like there is something I'm just not getting. I run with my dh. He doesn't even get out of breath! It is frustrating. My weekly mileage is about 12-15 miles. We only run about 3.5 each time. Ideally, we would like to go 5. I just feel like how do I do that? I keep waiting for what I do run to feel easy, like my body will tell me I'm ready to go longer. How slowly should I increase my distance? We try to run at the track once a week so that we can work on our speed. I wish I could run with you so you could teach me irl!
I have two pairs of Nikes. My favorites are Pegasus 28 that my mom gave me last Christmas. The other ones are Dual Fusion ST. I use those when it is wet because they feel less slippery, but mainly they are what I wear when I do my usual workouts (indoors only, until I started running in them). I don't know which are better for me. I am slightly pigeon toed and I pronate. If I think of anything else, I will ask you! Thank you so much for your help!!
Morning!
I'm sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. I had a nice long post typed out on my tablet and my browser froze!
I wish we could run together too! I run alone all the time. I should join a running group....but I don't. I need a running buddy. You'll have to be my virtual running partner!
So a couple of things......race pace is how fast you run during a competition, 5K or whatever. This is when you are working hard. Race pace is always faster during an actual race or 5K because of the excitement of the crowd and the adrenaline you have. Your average pace is how fast you run on a normal day, just when you are out for a jog. If you are running with your husband and he is not out of breath, then his pace is faster than yours and you should probably not be running with him. Unless he is going to slow down! Since you are just a beginner it is very important for you to start off slowly and build. The worst thing you can do is to increase your mileage or your intensity too quickly. That is guaranteed injury. I would suggest that you run at a pace where you can easily carry on a conversation without getting winded. This should be a daily workout pace. Easy jog. You should have weeks of easy jogs with only slight increases your mileage. You need to get an overall body strength before you start jumping up mileage or intensity.
When you do start to bump up your mileage there is formula for that! You take your total miles per week and never increase more than 10%. So if I am running 20 miles a week, I would not increase my mileage more than 2 miles each run. So if I average a 5 mile run, 4 times a week. I would not want to increase that run by more than 7 miles. Makes sense?
It sounds like you are really not enjoying your runs a whole lot. I didn't in the beginning either. I honestly forced myself to run. The only reason I did it was because it was so healthy and I enjoyed what running did for my body. But I didn't like it. I love it now. I hear songs on the radio I want to run to. I wake up in the morning and picture where I want to run for the day. I love it! My favorite thing to do is to run in every city that I'm in. So when I go on vacation, I can't wait to find a spot to run. I've run the streets of Atlanta, Charleston, DC, Jamaica, Cancun.....etc
Anyway - about increase your speed. If you want to work on getting faster,you can do speed workouts. Or if just want to learn a good way to pick up your pace a little, say if you are finishing a 5K and you want to kick hard at the end...
To pick up the pace - swing your arms. Your body will follow suit. Google an image of proper running form. Your arms should be a 90 degrees at the elbow. And you should not cross your arms in front of your body. You can also lengthen your stride and pull your knees up higher. That will make you go faster.
Speed workouts help to increase your overall pace so that you run faster during the entire race. Pace is important because you want to maintain your pace for the entire race. For example - during the 5K you ran in August, you averaged a 9 minute mile. You probably started off faster because of the excitement then got too tired and ended the last mile at a slower pace than you started. My husband always starts off a race at a 7 minute mile. He can't maintain a 7 minute mile so he flat out dies! He ends up finishing the race at a 9:30 mile pace. But he won't slow down at the start. He's funny! Anyway - I go to the local high school and use their track to do speed workouts (interval training). Do one lap around the track at a speed that is faster than your race pace. You want to do 4 - 6 laps at that same speed every time. You need to have a recovery in between each lap. Get water. Walk around and get your heart rate down. Then do it again. I found this information about interval/speed workouts. It sums it up better than I do.
Defined as “repeated bouts of high intensity activity, each followed by a limited rest period”, interval training involves running a short distance repeatedly, at a speed that is always greater than could be sustained continuously for the full session.
In other words you run shorter bursts faster than you would race, with much slower recovery intervals between these fast bursts. This is how it gets the name “intervals”. And by manipulating the length and speed of the recovery interval we create the desired training effect. e.g. short recovery intervals create an oxygen debt, enabling us to tolerate more lactic acid, so we are better prepared for races.
What are the benefits of interval training?
Improves competition performance - interval training simulates the stress of race pace and conditions athletes for competition.
Improves neuromuscular coordination - your nervous system gets used to running at a faster pace.
Less lactic acid accumulation at a given pace - interval training trains the athlete to race faster and accumulate less lactic acid at a given pace.
Thermoregulatory system is not as stressed - body heat does not accumulate as rapidly as during continuous endurance sports.
Runners of all abilities can use it - Joseph and Kimberlie Nitti, in their book Interval Training for Fitness write “Interval training can benefit almost any healthy person, from beginning exercisers to world-class endurance athletes”.
Key Guidelines to Using Intervals Successfully
It’s critical that you recover completely between interval workouts so your energy reserves are replenished and your muscle tissue has time to recover and rebuild.
Adjust your recovery interval distance to get the desired training effect for your racing distance. You should be able to complete your workout feeling like it was a challenge, but attainable.
Interval workouts should not become the focal point of your weekly training program--avoid becoming over competitive with yourself.
I hope that wasn't TMI!
Keep me posted on your next race. I'm excited for you! I would visit a running store for shoes. If you pronate you should be fitted for a stabilizing shoe that will help compensate for that. A decent running store will put you on a treadmill and watch you run for about a minute or two. Then they will measure your gate and determine what shoe fits your body type etc. Like my husband is big guy and needs a shoe with a lot of support to help his frame when he hits. He is also doing a lot of trail running so his shoe needs to be a stabilizer. My son is small framed and doesn't need that level of support for his petite frame. He needs a lighter shoe. Make sense?
Good luck!
Lab! I love you! Thanks for all the fantastic info! It is SO incredibly helpful!! I am printing out everything and putting it into practice.
10/12 - 48 min kettlebell
10/13 - 27 min run
42 min jog/walk/bleachers with kids (so it was light 'n' easy!)
10/14 - 33 min run
10/15 - 58 min at home challenge
10/16 - 40 min extreme shed and shred
32 min run
10/17 - 50 min sculpt and burn body blast
855/1000
10/1 - 25 minute cardio sculpt
10/2 - 45 minute easy trail run
10/3 - 40 minute easy trail run
10/4 - 30 minutes weights
10/6 - 55 minute hard trail run
10/8 - 60 in the gym
10/9 - 70 minutes trail run
10/11 - 70 minutes mountain run/jog/hike - mostly exploring new trail
10/12 - 80 minutes mountain run!
10/14 - 67 minute mountain run
10/16 - 25 minutes yoga
10/17 - 65 minute trail run
10/18 - 75 minute long run
707/1500 I'm NOT going to make my goal at this rate....too many days off
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