10K, Too Much For A First Timer (Walker)???

So, I really want to do a marathon! I am currently doing 3 miles a day on the ellip daily and water aerobics 2x a week, I want to bump myself up up to 5 miles eventually and I am working on learning how to run for the first time in my life.<br />
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The next Marathon in Omaha is September 28th and I have a drive to do it, here is the info:<br />
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<a href="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y110/AirForceFamily/10k07.gif">i4.photobucket.com/albums/y110/AirForceFamily/10k07.gif</a> (map)<br />
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<p><i><u>COURSE DESCRIPTION - 10K</u> </i></p>
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<p align="justify"><i>10K Start is Located On Riverfront Drive Between Ricks Café and National Park Service (601 N Riverfront Dr). Start is Located 52&rsquo;3&rdquo; S. of Trail Crossing Riverfront Drive to Lewis and Clark Landing. Proceed S. On Riverfront, Course Turns to the W. At Merger With 8th St, Turn N Onto 8th Which Curves W. and Becomes Capitol Ave. Continue W On Capitol Ave., Turn N. Onto 12th Remaining in the E. Lane, Turn W. Onto Cass St. in the S. Lane, and then Turn S. Onto 13th St. Remain in the E. Lane Until Reaching Capitol Ave. Turn W On Capitol, Remain in the N. Lane and Continue W. On Capitol to 19th St. Turn N. At 19th and Proceed to Lake St. Turn E. On Lake and Cross 16th St, and Turn S. Continue S. On 16th in the E. Lane, Crossing Nicholas. Cross Cuming St. and Turn E. On Cuming and Proceed E in the S. Lane. At 14th and Cuming, Exit the Street and Continue E. On 12&rsquo; Trail On the S. Side of Cuming. Continue E. On this Trail, Crossing 12th, 10th, and Riverfront Dr., and Continue to Gallup Dr. Turn S. On Gallup in the W. Lane, and Continue Towards the Office Complex. Turn Sharply W. At the Front of the Office On Gallup Dr., and Proceed to the Intersection With Riverfront Dr. Turn S. Onto Riverfront Dr., As You Continue S. On Riverfront, Stay Alert For the Trail Turning to the E. Onto Lewis and Clark Landing. Continue On this Trail to the Finish Located On Lewis and Clark Landing Just N.E. of Ricks Café.<br />
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Tell me what you think. I have a few weeks to work on walking and my family is behind me, I have a drive inside of me that I've never felt before....I want to someday RUN an entire marathon but think this may be a good starting point.<br />
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Hi Aims.  Walking a 10K is definately do-able even if you aren't in that great of shape.   I walked the Crescent City Classic 10K 3 times before I lost the weight and I was in terrible shape.   You're exercising now so you shouldn't have a problem with it.

Chad

Is the 10K on Sept 28 or is there a Marathon that you want to do on the 28th.  I got a little confused reading the post.

You can do a 10K with no problem by Sept 28 if you are currently doing 3 miles at a time.  Assuming that your long run can be done on a Saturday, extend your long run 1/2 of a mile every weekend until the race.

Your long runs will be as follows:
Aug 16 - 3.5 miles
Aug 23 - 4 miles
Aug 30 - 4.5 miles
Sept 6 - 5 miles
Sept 13 - 5.5 miles
Sept 20 - 6 miles

You will be ready for the 6.2 by the 28th.

Good luck

Sounds like with what you are currently doing, walking the 10k will be a snap.  If you are only now starting to run, you could probably RUN a 5k by 9/28.  A marathon on 9/28 (walking or running) is a long shot (IMHO). 

I have done the Breast Cancer 3-Day (20 miles/day for 3 days) twice and with training for a solid three months ahead, I completed both in great shape (soreness, blisters - none).

Way to get out there.  Whatever you do, do it well!

J

Thanks everyone. Yes, this 10K will be on Sunday 9/28 and I plan on walking the entire length but my goal would be to run/job at some points during the race.

I am going to talk to my Doctor today about some pain I've been having in my left knee and if all is okay I am going to start with a running program today!

I am so excited and sorry about the original post, it went haywire with my links, oops!

Hey Amy,

It's gong to be important to get some 'feet time' in between now and then.  You can totally do this, just get used to the idea that you'll be spending 1.5-2 hours on your feet. 

Elliptical trainers are good, but they aren't equivalent to running.  You'll think, "man this is soooo much harder than it was on the elliptical" and you'll be right.  That's OK.  Find yourself a good couch to 5k plan and get started that way.  My plan started with walking 4 minutes, jogging 1 minute and I did minimum 30 minutes.  Most plans call for doing this 3 times/week, but I did mine 5.  Here's the link to the plan I used.  http://www.prevention.com/cda/article/burn-fat-faster/8bc7d0 8f88803110VgnVCM20000012281eac____/fitness/walking/walking.g oals/walking.for.weight.loss/

Please, please, please get fitted for running shoes at a running store rather than foot locker or some department store.  They are so happy to help you get started and your whole body will be happy you spent the time.  You'll be a LOT less likely to get injured, and if you don't hurt, you'll be far more likely to stick with your program.  A good sports bra is another important investment.

Any questions you may have along the way, feel free to ask.  There are lots of runners here all with different goals and abilities and viewpoints who are more than willing to answer according to their personal philosophy and you can just glean the info that seems to apply to your situation the best.

Linn

Great advice, Linn.

Thank you Linn, I was looking for something like this to help me plan a training routine. I am able to run 3miles on a treadmill, but have only vetured outside a few times. It seems harder to run at a faster pace outside without the aid of the treadmill. Do you run on a treadmill or outside to train for a run?

I have not braved any 5K's or up yet. I think I want to now.

Kelli

Kelli,

I do nearly all my training on the tread, but I've done enough races now that I have a pretty good idea of how fast I'm going.  I also run a little slower on the ground, but I continue to work on that.

I'm not young (I'm 42) and have had 3 knee surgeries on the right and 2 on the left so part of the reason I use the tread is that it's a little easier on my body.  The other part is that I'm prone to the runner's trots and it's best if I'm close to a potty - especially during long runs.

If you're now able to run 3 miles, I'd start trying to increase the distance a little bit each week on one run during the week, and work on doing your 3 miles a little faster on another.  You're fitness and endurance will improve faster than you might think and you'll be up to doing 10k's in no time.  I started this plan in June and was able to run my first 10k in early October.  Also, the more experienced you get, the easier it is to judge your speed outside.

Have a great time!

Linn