ma2828

My goals are to get fit! I'd like to run another 5K in March if I can and then go from there. :0)

handcycle2005

What's your current fitness routine?
I'm a former runner so I've had some experience with such matters.

ma2828

Just getting started really. I ran a 5K last fall with a friend with no training at all and did it in 38 min. I ran about the first 1.5 miles then walked/ran the rest of it. Of course my body thought I had died the next day! I had my friend's dog with me and I think she set the pace! I've never been much for running but I did enjoy that. Which cracks me up because my ex-husband was a marathon runner and always wanted me to run with him.

I think what I really like the best is trail running for the solitude, lack of traffic and the scenery. But I would like to do the occasional race now and then.

My plan is to do 45-60 min of cardio each day (which has been tough this past week since I am visiting my fiancee in the UK and it's been rainy every day. I don't have proper rain exercise gear here... yet! Once I have that established as a good regular routine, then I will add in weight training. At home it will be on the treadmill until the winter thaws. Then I have a lot of trails around my house. Once I get moved to the UK in the fall I can run along the seafront in the town my fiancee lives in.

I'm 42, walk about 5 miles with stairs on a busy night at work, work nights/sleep days. I weigh about 170 and am about 5'8", an apple shape. I have a complete and total addiction to carbohydrate and a sweet tooth that can really set me back. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

handcycle2005

Is your cardio all running or a mix? Have you built up to the time you plan or are you starting from scratch?

The fact you did a 5K on no training says a lot about your potential but you still paid for it.

The Couch to 5K plan is the best there is.

Just jump in at whatever point you're at right now.
You should still be able to do the 5K you're planning but do a walk/run from the beginning.

Trail running is great but if the race is on asphalt/concrete, you need to do some training on those surfaces.

Have you been tracking your diet? I find that personally a sweet tooth means either not enough carbs to support my workouts or not enough protein to support recovery.

mdayle

My goal is to run a marathon next January.

handcycle2005

What's your current training and have you set up a schedule to build to the marathon?

mdayle

Im running 2 miles 3 times a week. Been looking for a good schedule. For now just bumping it up slowly on my own. Was born with 3 holes in my heart so was banned from PE in school. Recently cleared but still have pretty painful scoliosis and misaligned hips.

handcycle2005

This has me concerned. Best thing to do is put the marathon into the future and focus on reaching the intermediate steps -5K, 10K, 15K, 20K/half marathon.
By then, you should know if your spine and hips are holding up.

The training to get through a half mara. will develop the proper base for marathon training.

First goal is to work up to running every day or combine cross training and running to minimize stress on your body.

Once you can do 2-3 miles a day(or equivalent effort/time cross training), you can start increasing the distance of one of your runs mid-week and weekend(ex:Weds and Sat.)

Keep in touch here with your progress, we'll take this one step at a time.

RunbikeSki

I'm not a doctor (well actually I am, but a plant doctor. If you were a plant I could speak authoritatively ), but I agree with HC. Half marathons have become the most popular races around. I think as long as your doc gives you the clear, shooting for a 1/2 with HC's suggestions and guidence is a super goal. As you progress, try a 5k and a 10K. Most of us find a distance that works best. For me marathons just take too long to train for and the one that I did was fun, but didn't make me want to continue at that distance.

The Death Valley 1/2 is next Sat - I am pretty stoked. I over did at X-fit on Thurs, it was a brutal workout and I decided to really push my limits, which I am not sure was a great idea . But other than that the taper is going fine. A 5 miler tomorrow - "easy" pace, and probably 1 more next week. I'll continue with yoga, but layoff the X-fit.

sw07

I've got a goal of running a 1/2 on April 28 and I've put together a few races leading up to that goal.
I'm hoping HC will chime in and let me know if its a reasonable race schedule.

I'm running a 10k this Sunday (2/5)
2/26 10k
3/17 10k
4/1 10 miler
4/28 1/2 marathon

For the last 1 1/2 months, I've been doing a long run on the weekends and slowly increasing the distance and furthest I've gone so far 11.5 miles.