A few running ?s

Hi all!  I have been reading this board alot lately and have to say I really enjoy the atmosphere here!  Lots of encouragement and postivity, a nice change from the often nasty main board.

I started C25K 7 weeks ago and have been doing very well.  My endurance has improved by leaps and bounds, honestly I am amazed at how far/long I can run. 

I feel like I don't run efficiently though.  I don't feel like I cover enough ground with each stride.  So does anyone have any tips to help me learn how to extend my reach?  It just seems like I would be so much faster if I take longer strides.

My other question is less important.  I am doing my first 5K on October 2nd and I am so very excited!  I was wondering what is a good time to complete it in?  Most important  to me is that I run the whole thing with no walking, but I do best when I have a goal to work towards.  Currently I am running 2 1/4 miles in 25 minutes.

Thanks!

Amy

 

Welcome!

Sounds like your running is coming along great.  I don't have a particularly long stride myself.  I'm a little bit of a shuffler - but this works for me, so I don't question it too much.  My strides do get longer when I start pushing speed, but speed comes with time, so it might be something you gain with more experience.

Based on what you are running now, you are on your way to running a sub 40:00 5k.  with a month of training to go, sub 35:00 is also perfectly reasonable to go for! 

A good time for you may be different than everyone else...so don't worry about what anyone else's time is, just do your best, and next time, try and do better!

Be careful about trying to extend your stride. It is more likely to cause hamstring problems. What I might work on is a quicker turnover. If you are taking 70 strides per minute, try to consentrate on taking 80 strides per minute. That will quicken your pace without taxing the hamstrings.

As far as a good time, your first race will set your baseline. You can start deciding what kind of times you want to run from there. Good luck in your race.

This is a great board with a lot of great people. The best part is there is NONE of the crap from the other boards. Just people trying to help and motivate each other. Just give yourself a little more time and the stride will become more natural to you. The lighter you get and the stronger your legs get will make a big difference to your stride as well. As far as your 1st 5k goes , don't concern yourself with time just finish strong and soak it all in..... have fun!

welcome, it is a great board with plenty of motivation/inspiration to go around.  don't worry about time, just train well for the race and enjoy yourself, your first race will always be a PR, then you can use it as a base going forward to compare against.  good luck and have fun!

Thanks so much for the replies and encouragement!  I think I have found my new "home" board!

Hi! I just started running recently too. A few of my runner friends gave me a couple tips to focus on that helped me out.

1. Snap my foot -- I found I wasn't extending my leg all the way. Now I make sure to move my foot down and bac****il I feel my leg go completely straight.

2. Keep my arms close to my chest -- I had a lot of room inbetween my arms and my torso. Now I focus on lightly squeezing my arms close to my chest and it feels like I can move faster.

Hopefully these work for you if you haven't been trying them!

good luck