One Month untill my first 10K, any advice, tips, anything

First let me tell you all I'm not trying to win, I just want to complete the 10K. I'm not a big runner but I stayed on the elliptical for an hour just to see if I had the stamina and I completed about 7 miles. The 10K is in a about a month. Does anyone have any advice or tips. My plan is to started running on the treadmill 7 miles, monday wed and friday for the next 3 weeks and the last week  run the course outside on a track. Does anyone have any advice or tips?

If this is your first 10K, then it will probably take you and hour or a little more to complete, which is fine.  I suggest setting up your training sessions over the next few weeks so that they last that long or a little longer.  It's ok if you can't run that whole time, just take lots of walk breaks.  As you feel stronger, run a little more and walk a little less, until you are running almost the whole time.

This will help mentally prepare you for the challenge, and you won't be surprised by the length of the effort on "race day".  It will also allow your joints to get used to the sustained impact of running.  Believe it or not, you need to condition your skeleton as well as your muscles and lungs.

On that note as well, scrap the elliptical.  It is good for your cardio fitness, but does nothing to get you into "running shape".  Since you can already go for an hour without stopping, your heart and lungs are already ready, now it's time to get your body up to the same level!

Best of luck, and don't train to hard (you shouldn't ever be in agony).  You don't want to risk injuring yourself and ruining the whole effort up to this point.

Hope all goes well!

Mike

Hi, I would start running outside earlier.  Running outdoors is different from the treadmill. It would be smart to have one workout per week be outside starting now. You may find you need to start with a shorter distance like 15-20 minutes, and switch off walking and jogging.

Also, you don't need to run 7 miles three times per week -- that's more distance than you need! If you just did an hour on the elliptical for the first time, then starting to do that 3x per week risks overuse injury, and you don't even need it for a good training program.  You're 100% fine with one long run per week. Use your other workouts to practice running outside, and maybe to practice hills or intervals if the course has hills and/or you want to get a little faster.

Thank you both for your advice. The course had a big @$$ hill I'm not looking forward to lol. This is the one I'm running my 10k

Since the race has a hill, you'll also want to be practicing hill running, building up to the length and steepness of the hill(s) in the race.   Also, if the course is not that far from you, you might want to do a practice on the course itself to be familiar with it.

Excellent.  Good luck, races are a lot of fun!

Going from zero running to 21 miles per week seems extreme, honestly. At the first sign of shin splints I would ratchet down immediately. I broke my leg from running a few years ago and it took me 11 months to get back to running. It was from going 0 miles to 30 miles per week in about 3 months.. The rule of thumb is 10% increase per week. 

I second running outside - the treadmill does not simulate that very well. 

Good Luck. 

I've thought about the hill and will defenintely incorporate some incline action on the treadmill.

It's not really 0 -21. I've run before just not this much consistently. Today I'm going to run on the treadmill as long as I can to see how my body feels. I will definitely stay on top of my health that is very important to me. I'm 26 and in relatively good health so I'm hoping I can handle it. I'll post tonight or in the morning and let you know how it went.

Instead of 7 miles, I'll aim for 6.5 :-)

Congrats on having a goal of running a 10K.

I've run 2 in the last year and I would suggest you run outside earlier than just the week before.  Running on the road is WAY different than treadmill running and it is more difficult than you may think to maintain your pace outside that you normally keep during your treadmill running.

Also - just have fun!  It's a great challenge and the perfect distance when you're just starting in group runs.

I did my first 10K two years ago in May, and I had the benefit of working with several runners at a health food store, so I could always ask questions.

Remember to take it REALLY easy for a week before your final 10K run, so your muscles have  a chance to store up glycogen. And if you know the route that the 10K will take, I totally suggest getting familiar with it. I started walking the route of my race a few weeks in advance. Anyhow, have tons of fun and good luck!

My advice is on race day be careful you don't get caught up in the starting rush.  Make sure that you start and maintain your own running pace.  On my first official race I got caught up in the rush and my first half was much faster than my last half.  I didn't get close to my personal best time because of it. 

Good luck, have fun and let us know how you do.

Thanks for the advice.

Actually I had done 10ks (28 years ago) and did my first 10k after losing my weight in April this year.  My advice is plan ahead...if you plan to do a hilly 10k then train on hills prior...the next thing I would tell you is plan for the worse...have a bag of spare clothes, a snack (bagel or bananna and water),  and sneaks for after the race.  I would also recommend have a friend bring you to and take you home.  Seeing you really arent sure how you will feel after the race you might have muscle cramps or an injury so plan ahead.  Also you wont have to carry keys or even your spare gear the extra person can do it for you.

Also the night prior ensure you get plenty of rest and carbs for the race.  Everything I am telling you is some classic errors made...I know I made all of them at one time or another.  Best of luck...oh and one last recommendation have a friend take a picture of you hitting the finish line for prosperity :)

My advice would be to carb load the night before the race.

The date is quickly approaching and I'm getting more intimidated by the hour. I actually drove the course by accident and I was just thinking how am I going to do this, lol. I'm sticking to it though. I have yet to but some new sneakers yet, but I will this week so I can break them in. I also haven't found a good outdoor course yet so I think I'll just run around my complex it's pretty hilly. I ve also started only running my 6.25 miles twice a week, to give my knees more of a break. I bought some new work out pants :-)

Hey there, best of luck with the 10k. My advice would be to check out www.runnersworld.com for training tips, I started running a couple of years ago, it really is the best excersise, they have lots of tools on there and also recommendations for running gear etc.

When I started, I could only run for a couple of minutes - now I can comfortably run a 10k.

Apart from that, I would say - start slowly - many people run out as fast as they can at the start, keep your pace and you will pass many of them later on, vary your pace a little for interest and... enjoy it.

Hayley

Thanks I'll definitely check out the website. My KNEES are really sore after my runs, so much I've converted to running every 2 days instead of my usual m/w/f. I can barely walk the day after my runs but hopefully I'll find something on the site to help me.

Congrats and good luck!  I have my first 5K in a month, and am hoping to do a 10K around May or so.  Here's a link for some good tips and training ideas: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_4/145.s html

Hi Amayou... okay I need you to help me get on your level! ...LOL  can you make me a fitness plan that i could possibly stick with .... and go easy on the weight lifting i need to avoid feeling like im gaining weight even if it is muscle cause if i dont see a difference in how i look but i notice that i might have gain weight then it's over (mentally) for me!--nell

I can't beleive I cam e accross my post from last year and I never updated it. Well I ran the 10K successfully not stopping or anything. I cried when I saw my parents at the finish line :-)