5k Training Fun

This is addressed to beginning runners – information about how to become fit. When we see people running, it looks so very easy. But when we do it ourselves, it isn’t quite as easy. And if you go too hard at it, too soon, you could get injured.

My first goal when I was starting was “don’t get hurt”. period. It took me several months in the gym (“pre running”) and several more months out, before I ran my first race, a 10K event.

Running was that tangible thing in my life about getting more fit. I could feel my progress as breathing came easier; and I could see the results in terms of resculpting my body. I ate more and better and I slept better.
Before my first race, I followed a 13-week plan – to the letter – which days were “on” and which were “off”, amount of time on each day, run or walk in each time interval. Totally. Warm up, cool down. And I wrestled with former “touchy” muscles, joints etc. And the s l o w 13-week approach allowed enough time to work through all these, injury-free.

Before my first 10K, I stood in the middle of the road, shoulder-to-shoulder with thousands of other runners, and stretched and warmed up. and warmed up. and warmed up. Anytime you’re starting with 10’s of thousands of people, you wait around.
After this first 10K run, I went to the medical area and got ice to put on a knee that had come to appreciate cold after a run. And that was that. One race down, and a lifetime of races to go.
And because I did all this without getting hurt, I was encouraged to continue running.

What I learned training for this first run. And this applies equally to 5K as to 10K and other distances –
1. to maintain or improve fitness all you need is one hour 3 or 4 times a week. (before you dismiss this as “too simple”, let me say, it is not (to me anyway). Just think about those 3 or 4 hours a week – check how you’re going to carve out this time, etc.

2. get enough rest – this varies for everybody. Your body will know if you don’t. Don’t “cheat” here. Do do get enough rest for you – your body will tell you what you need – if you’ll listen.

3. Pay attention to what your body is telling you. Pay attention to aches and pains. Try cross training until you don’t feel these any more. Don’t keep pounding what already hurts.

4. Cross training is good. I must admit, I have not mastered this – yet. This is my area for improvement. The logic of cross training appeals to me – spread around the parts of your body and the types of things you are doing; this means moderation for your body’s parts. But actually doing this, I do not find so easy, because I did not have this built into my training programme. I wish cross training had been specifically written in; then I would be better at it. Well, we’ll get going on this one.

5. If you do cross train, say for a few days, and then go back to your running, go back where you left off. No need to go backwards. DO NOT skip ahead. Just go back to where you were.

Training your brain to let you do these things was my biggest challenge. I think we all want to “do just a bit more” than we can or should. And this is a NO. Just stick to the programme.

That will be coming along soon in this writing.

I don’t know if you realize how important it is to me to keep this promise and get pics up today, but it is. So, without further adieu, here are a few pics from my first run this season, the April Fools Half Marathon. And the “party pics” are 2 weeks later, celebrating and toasting Tommy, because it was he who got me running a few years back…. This one’s for you, son!… the medal is for you.

While I have picked 6 great pics from the race, post race and celebration 2 weeks later, at which we “toasted” Tommy and placed the race medallion by his picture, I am not having any luck getting the pictures to show, only all that code that is supposed to make the pic work. So o I’ll take another look at what I’m doing wrong, and get the pics up as soon as I can – guess that will be tomorrow – make that later today, now.
Look for the pics later today. They’re worth a peek.

Here they come!

First picture is the Start Line for the April Fools Half Marathon on the Sunshine Coast. 2011. Had a few words with the “gester” at the start line.

In memory of my son's first anniversary

Success! I Made It! 21.5 km. Wow.

With my sister at the finish line - both wearing memory shirts for Tommy

Here are a few pics from celebration on April 15 – toasts to Tommy, race medallion placed with his picture…. fun and family and friendship at this celebration – in true Tommy style… Live Your Life To The Fullest!
Hey – I got two pics to work! When I figure out how to get the celebration pics to work, I’ll put these up, too. Sorry till then.

Toast To Tommy after my first half marathon in Tommy's memory, on his first first anniversary.

Quite A Celebration - Livin' Life to the Fullest ... celebration day is also my birthday!

Me with my mom - celebrating my birthday and thinking of Tommy

Running this summer has been different – but the same.

I left you early June. It has been my loss. I missed talking to you. You’re becoming like friend. And this I like.
I wish I could say I’ve been on a “running circuit”; while I have been running, it has been more like a personal search circuit (see yesterday)…. and yesterday I promised I would update you on my running. So here goes.

I will add pics, but want to get the words out first… hope you’re patient, for today I “speak”.

O.K., here is a list of my running events this year. I actually started last fall, right after the 9.5 km run around the breakwall in Stanley Park. I had already collected a half marathon training programme, and gave it a try. Well, I got through the first half of these 13 weeks, and then life happened, I was away, and kept running, but not enough to keep up with this half marathon programme. So, I restarted – a few times. Likely I overtrained, in the end. Not good. I’m not sure which is worse, to overtrain or to undertrain. Anyway, whichever it is, on April 3, I ran my first Half Marathon, the April Fools Run.
The route on the Sunshine Coast is a tough one (at least I found it so). Because my goal was to finish, and I wasn’t really judging myself against time, I opted to start with the early starters, hoping to be at the finish line in time for the post race activities. And so I was, 3 hours and 47 minutes later. 21.5 km covered. For me, I left it all on the line. When they put that participation medallion around my neck, I looked skyward and “said”, in my heart, “this one was for you, son. To mark your first anniversary, April 1st”. And I brought it home and it still sits by Tommy’s picture. Guess it always will.

Two weeks and very sore feet later, I did the Vancouver Sun Run. For the second year in a row, I grouped with colleagues from Tommy’s company, along the race route and for lunch afterwards. Time: my best for this race – 1 hour 10 minutes. Guess there was residual from all my half training. A really great day. And lots of “business talk” about Tommy’s engineering skills and outdoor adventures with these folks.

In June, I ran with the Engineers without borders… this was my third year with these young engineers. Because my son was an engineer, this group has become very near and dear to my heart. I love that they see need in the world, and give of their talents and time, some of them, their best young years, to help folks around the globe secure the necessities of life – like water. They teach people how to do this and how to maintain the project, all the while providing the engineering know-how needed to accomplish the task.

Hats off to EWB. Because these “kids” are so young and quick (like running used to be with my son), I thought about doing the Half marathon with them that day – but only for a few seconds. I knew they’d all be long gone home before I came anywhere near the finish line. I’ll have to have a few other Halfs under my belt, first, and have a much better time. SO, I did the 5K run that day. Stanley Park again. It was an absolute blast. So many people having so much fun and for such a good cause. Social after with a bbq and a chance to catch up with these kids about what they are now up to. We “traded” supports – I support their cause, and some of these great kids are supporting Tommy’s memorial scholarship fund.

And here I am. I haven’t done a race since the end of June. I usually do a race in July… didn’t work, because, well, you know – life. This time the “life” was very special. My daughter just finished over 6 months travel in south east Asia and came to spend some time with family. wow. Maybe I’ll get a link from her for her pics etc.

I will do one or two more this season. I’ll keep you posted.

Since June, to make sure I kept running, I adopted a “summer model” …. ENJOY THE SUMMER! Knowing I HAVE to be out there running if I am to enjoy the summer, this is what I’ve been doing. – 5K morning and 5K evening. Interesting. BEAUTIFUL to watch the change along the wharf from morning to evening. Fun to watch the float planes coming and going as I pound out the distances. AND my feet so battered by all the training for the half marathon, seem to like this, as well.
This is “Mary’s Summer Programme”, and not necessarily based on scientific research about how much training “good” it is doing me. But at least I am still “in there” and can ramp up quickly, to train for anything 10K and under…. (half is not a quick train). And I’m sure lovin’ running like this. And 10K a day is keeping me fit – for now.

I will post race pics and captions …. I’ll try to do this tomorrow, for you.
Following this, I’ll talk about the specifics of some of my training schedules and post some of these for you to see.

Just a note about running on this coast in the summer. I love it. Running early a.m. (as long as it is daylight), and watching all the folks take off in their float planes. I especially love it when the pilot comes looking around the dock for his passengers “time to go”. You gotta feel that! At sunset time, you can’t beat the beauty of my dock and again, the last of the float planes coming in for the day and the sail boats quietly slipping in for the night. The mountains are a backdrop to all this, as you peer at them across the marina at the end of the dock. If I look in the right direction and far enough down the chain of mountains, i know Whistler is there… and my son spent considerable time on those mountains.

“Hoping isn’t an option; you have to do it.” Said many ways, it all amounts to the same thing- doing in the real world, not just hoping in the safety of your own mind…. I get it – and on more levels than ever before. Especially this summer. After all my years, I feel the connections to get what this really means in my life.

Why, after a long summer absent from DOING this blog, which is so important to me and which is a link to my son, would I write and say hope is not an option? For what was I searching that I finally found, that will allow me to connect all that is my past that I choose to take forward with me, to all that awaits me in a future? And how do I LIVE in the here and now, as though this might be all there is for me? (we never know-who would have guessed that Tommy would be gone after only 26 years?) …

Well, I was caught in a “hoping” loop, sprinkled with a little bit of online fear (common every six months or so, when online undergoes its usual massive shift in everything) and so retreated into hope, away from the pain of the doing. Do you ever do this? Retreat where it is safe? Well, I guess I did, or my blog would have 2 months more entries and would be much more evolved for the benefit of all who honour me by following it – even a little bit.
I see parallels with my personal life. Alone for many years while raising my children and working at a very demanding job, I finally decided, (now that this phase was over), that I would like to get back into the social scene and meet a special man. But, “hoping” hasn’t made this happen this summer. Well, why can’t it? I’m here, I’ve decided in-my-mind this is what I want to do, so why can’t people “read” this on me when I walk down the street or talk to them?…. dah … hoping doesn’t make this happen, or anything else in your life, for that matter…. and I know that, but I guess I was just “hoping”…

In running, I know how to DO, so I don’t have to sit back and “hope”. I love engaging in running. I run several times a week, in nice weather (like now) twice a day. Registering for races and encouraging friends who are contemplating adopting active lifestyles to DO IT…. wow, action, I love it..

But in the social realm … Getting back into the social scene, and meeting special men with like interests, etc. – well, I find my comfort zone deserted me on this one.
Plus I just found out from a friend (who recently found his soul mate here on the Sunshine Coast), that the ratio of women:men is 20:1. That’s rather dismal odds – for me – for any female.

So, what do you think I should do, to get back into the social scene in a small town with such odds? … I have a few thoughts, but am unsure which to follow or what else to do to find a special friend.

Maybe if I verbalize, bring my hope out of my mind and move towards action, maybe …..
I would like to have a running partner, for some training runs and maybe a few races. And if running is not #1 with that special man, I would like to share on some level with him about his sport(s) and hope he would be interested enough in what I do to share about my running.
Because I lost my son in the mountains, and because I see ocean and mountains out my windows and every time I sit down at my computer, (like now, as I sit here writing this, I see a float plane landing and another readying for takeoff. I see the Inlet Raider, a barge, waiting for its workers and their supplies so it can take them to a remote area to rebuild hydro equipment, I see the local pub shoving yesterday’s kegs out the back door and waiting for the delivery truck to replace the brew before they open for lunch in a while. And, unexpectedly today, a family of local geese is walking through my yard, pulling munching on something in my grass …. last evening, I saw this same family taking a little swim, just off the dock. There is a lot to do and “be” and share here, on this coast. … oh for that one special person who wants to share all this!

I would like to meet somebody who not only appreciates the beauty and soul of this coast, but somebody who knows a thing or two about the trails and climbing here. I’d love to do this. Also, kayaking – I would also love to learn a bit about kayaking and visit one set of Isles, in particular, my son planned to visit, but never quite made it. And moving beyond the beauty here to beauty in other areas, in other countries, in other parts of the world,. It is all there. Once we learn to appreciate what is before us, learn to live in THIS moment, then I believe we are ready to encounter beyond into other realms’ beauty…..

Watching sunsets out over the mountains (not the full red that paints the sky 5 km down the road at our beloved Bay, but the streamers along the edge of that beautiful red night sky), I feel such a connection to this beauty and an energy that never ceases. I’m sure my son is part of this energy. And I know that somewhere along my range of viewing, I look directly at places where Tommy once climbed and I’m sure I can still feel his spirit calling forth from those spots. This beauty, this energy, this everything that defines life here, is so worth sharing. And thus my passion to share it – not just to hope, but to do.

When I run, I DO. And I have been running, consistently, all summer. Only I’m the only one who knows that. Tomorrow, you will know, too. I changed up a bit the how I train, but the daily doing is-has been-and will-be – there – always – as long as I can put one foot in front of the other….. I’ll tell you about this tomorrow. Interesting, if I do say so myself.

Will “see you” tomorrow. And I look forward to your input on making reality out of hope in the social scene!

Here are a few pics of my running adventures to date …

Tom myself Jenna ... Tom got me running ...

My son got me running by challenging me to live my life to the fullest a few years back.

Here is a picture of Tom, myself and my daughter in happier times – one of our last Christmases together.

Running has been lifegiving to me.

I know I’ve written a lot of “words” in my posts so far.  I love to write… in a world of many forms of media, I like writing.

My point here is to tell you that a few have asked me to  “distill down some of all those words, before you get into the meat-and-potatoes of all this running stuff”… to the most important 3 things it takes to succeed in 5K training…. ”

So here goes.

First is FOCUS – you do have to give it your attention – prepare in your mind, know you are going to do it, run per a schedule, and persuade your “inner voice” that this IS worth your focus, and you WILL do it… rain, shine, snow, work schedule, kids, life, anything – you WILL do it.  And enter your focus zone.  And Just do it.  People will get to know that when you are in your FOCUS zone, you ARE going to run.  And they will respect that – eventually – including your inner voice.

DETERMINATION – You have to have that compelling reason to run, whatever that is for you.  You need something to put that fire in you to run.  Whatever it is.  Different for everybody.  And whatever it is for you, is the right thing for you.  Just nurture your determination.

Note-for me, if you’ve been following me a bit, you’ll know it was my son, Tom’s “joie de vivre” and his joy at seeing me DO something I like, that got me running.  After he died, sitting at 10,000 ft. up the mountain which claimed his life , I looked up into the sky and promised him I would keep running, doing this thing I liked so much, just as he had done what was the fire in his soul – mountain climbing.  “I get it, I understand, just as you did so will I from now on ‘live my life to the fullest’.  Thanks for teaching me this, son.”  I felt this in my soul as I sat looking out from high up his beloved Mt. Shasta.

CONSISTENCY – Keep at it.  Good thing I am consistent in my running (unlike what I’ve been like in this blog so far, and I apologize to you for this).  You don’t have to demand that you perform “the best” before before each run.  You just have to consistently – RUN.  Just work at it, day after day, week after week, month after month.  Consistently.  Be there.  Every time you’re supposed to be there.  And run.

If you embrace these fundamentals, you WILL be rewarded.  You will hit that tipping point.  “Eureka”!! The day will come when your little voice in your mind will cease trying to talk you out of running and will prod you to SCHEDULE your run into your day.  And you will find that you will start to find excuses TO run, and won’t consider your day complete unless you DO run.  It happens to all of us.  It happened to me, as I was training for my second Sun Run, about a month before my son died.  I knew on that day that I was “hooked”.  And still am.

(If you want to read up on my son, I am starting a site at tomspirit.com to celebrate his amazing life of 26 1/2 years and to pass life on to all who will listen:  “live your life to the fullest” as he did, as I do now, as you, I hope are doing, too – or will, shortly, if you hang around here for any length of time)…..

CAN YOU DO THIS? How long before you can do a run? 10 WEEKS? (Some Say 9 weeks) (and others follow 13 weeks)
But the point is-can yo do this? YES. If I can, you can. And I did. And I keep doing it. and so can you.
We all have a starting point-with me it was my son’s impish grin that burrowed deep into my heart with his message “do it mom”. And so I started. What will bring you to the “running table”? …. want to lose weight? relieve stress? quit smoking? feel better? to race 5k, 10k or eventually a half or whole marathon? to give you a new interest in recreation, like doing a season of racing, so you can combine travelling abroad with races in other countries? to catch the wave of a new and fun way to travel and sight see by taking in races in your destination countries? could you support causes near and dear to your heart if you trained to run? do you wan to be sexier? meet people? keep that promise or New Year’s resolution? Or simply to be kind to yourself and pay some attention to yourself – which, by the way, you deserve.

Doesn’t really matter what your burning reason is, doesn’t matter what tips the scales, as long as there is a reason compelling enough for you to give it a try. Even if you’ve done it in the past and not stayed with it…. we all have baggage and “reasons for not”…

We’ve learned a bit about getting out that start shute to run, these last few years. And I promise that, if you get yourself to the “start line”, the fun and excitement and the whole experience of running will take it from there… you’ll keep going.

Does it matter the number of weeks before you run 5K for the first time? No. Not really. Some plans promise you’ll do it in 9 weeks. And you can. Others say 10 weeks is more realistic. And for you it may be. As long as you follow one programme, stick to it and make sure you DO run your 5k before the end of the training…
I followed a 13-week walk/run programme, did a 5K in the last quarter of the training, and then finished the programme, at which time I toed up for my first ever 10k – and loved it…. it was my son who “got me” to the start line, and the race, itself that kept my interest in coming back for more.

I can show you how to get access to varying training programmes, so you can pick one that seems to “talk” to you. Not all do. I found this. You HAVE to be comfortable with your training. You spend a lot of time in the company of the training you do … so, like with people, it goes down a whole lot better if you like it!

A word of caution here. You may be enthusiastic about running, especially if it opens up new doors of fun and opportunity for you. BUT be warned. Do the training, as it is laid out. Do not compress it. Do not skip ahead hoping to complete your training in less weeks than it is intended to take. WHY? Well, there is good reason. When you first look over your training plan, whether you follow a 9 week or 10 week or 13 week, you may think it looks too easy. Or you may wonder what walking has to do with running. The answer is that your bones, your ligaments, your tendons and your muscles require a very slow and gradual buildup to activity. This is particularly true if your bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles haven’t seen much action for a while. Walking is vital, it helps prepare them for the stress of running. So DON’T jump ahead. In the case of learning to run, “slower is faster”, meaning stick to your plan even if it seems too slow at the outset. In the long run, it will get you to your goals, to your first 5k or 10 k, faster… and healthier.

And, one more idea at the outset. What about training with a buddy? or a group? Both are great ideas. Not necessities for everybody, but helpful for some. Training with others, whether a buddy you go with every time or a group you join up with once a week, helps you keep committed, helps you BE there every time, and gives you an opportunity to chat with others about their running issues. And socializing, associating running with the social, helps keep you coming back. So, if you have the opportunity, go for it. Groups usually have at least a few of the more-experienced in their numbers, and this can help you get questions answered, learn how to focus on both time and distance you cover (some group runs do exactly this).

Personally, I spend a lot of time training on my own; I’ve started to develop judgement about selecting/ designing my own training programmes. On my own, I can flex my time, be singularly minded about what it is I WILL accomplish during any one session, and talk to myself-without distraction. Occasionally my brother will train with me, and he adds other dimensions to my running. Everybody runs different – he focuses a lot on time for distance, from his first step out the door to his last; I tend to focus on WHAT I must do this session, no matter how long it takes… but more on this another time, and I’ll also tell you, then, about a local group I finally joined to train with once a week – sometimes.

I found the advice and “nurturing” two women in what is really a timeless article worthwhile. This is from Mahwah and these ladies are doing a high level of mentoring for the town’s new crop of 5k wanna-bes.. And to think, after just a few short seasons, these women, who were once the ones shaking in their shoes as they faced their first ever training session, were actually training for half marathons when this little article was written about them … you can check it out here ….
Two women from Mahwah are beacons for 5K runners

Link:
http://www.northjersey.com/news/health/other_health/118727949_Two_women_from_Mahwah_are_beacons_for_5K_runners.html

When you look up 5k training, mostly what you comes back is running. And so it is, here – for a time, anyway. We will weave other 5k fun activities over time, but not just yet.
For now, we’ll talk 5k training fun as it relates to running. And a lot to new runners, as 5k is a good starting point…. on your mark … get set ….. GO!
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My name is Mary. This is my “story” about running….. how I started and why.

When I started, I couldn’t imagine doing even 5K. I was so afraid of getting hurt and if I did, I knew that would be it for my running career. I hadn’t run in over 2 decades. So, in the back of my mind, I was thinking 5K…. something I knew I could walk, if my body wouldn’t keep running. Didn’t want anybody watching over my shoulder just in case I didn’t do it. Didn’t want to tell my friends-again just in case. Low key, solo training, no group runs.

I undertook running (this time) with the consistency born of a passion for what I was about to do. I felt it deep inside… THIS TIME IT WOULD BE!

Knowing why will help you understand my passion, my reason for running. In a word: my son. It still brings a tear to my eye when my mind settles there, knowing this “gift” he gave me. … It tugs my heart, and keeps my feet moving forward.

A few years back my son, who was then in his earlier 20’s, took me to a rather rustic path and he ran the path – and he ran. My 5’2″ trying to keep up with his 6’3″ , mostly legs that moved like a gazelle. .. well I didn’t keep up. (surprise?)… When he finished, we had a “chat”, or rather “he” had a chat with “me”.
Tom: “Mom, you really need to start running for yourself. Get a life. You liked running years ago, so do it again now. You need to be active.”
Me ” You got me kid. I understand. And I will. But it’s been a long time and …. ”

.. and that was the last time we ever ran together.

Running was a long way off… I joined a gym and slowly started to come up to minimum levels of fitness. The gym took on a life of its own. I hired a trainer to set up a few different programmes for me over time.

It took me a very long time to get to the point where I would venture outside and “run” following my workouts… like a year and a half. Once I hit this point, something magical happened. Running in the beauty of my (now) west coast town, changed my life. I was having fun. I loved the scenery. I loved running.

Other people were doing the same, soaking in the beauty of the outdoors as they ran. It became social. I was having so much fun and meeting new people. Runs along the ocean were especially inspiring. As I chatted with other runners, I realized they were mostly training for “runs”. My gosh, the last organized “run” I did was over 2 decades ago-a “fun run” back east.

And they say timing is everything. The next annual Vancouver Sun Run would take place in 13 wweeks. AND, they had a 13-week training plan for beginners. Run with over 50,000 other folks? Why not. There is always a blast of party-like fun after the Sun Run. And lunch with new friends. I’m in. My son, Tommy, was happy, and this spurred me on. Except he had “bigger” outdoor activities planned that same day (a climb), he might have run with me (er, ahead of me). My sister ran it with me.

Thirteen weeks later, after over one hour and 20 minutes of “conflict” – running vs walking and looking at the incredibly scenery along the race route – I crossed the finish line – uninjured, except for a chronic knee condition. And the atmosphere, being in the company of 10’s of thousands of other like-minded folks was simply inspiring.

And my son? Well, he was so proud of my first run. He realized that I “got it” – finally. I’ll always remember him telling me how proud he was –
“Hey, I’m proud of you mom”.
He smiled at me with his big trademark smile. This, alone, made it all worthwhile. And sent me in search of what to run next.. I found 5K’s and 10K’s, causes like Engineers without Borders (my son was an engineer) and arthritis (through my local running shoe store). I knew I’d never turn back; I never have.

This is the hard part – running has become even more engrained in my life this past year, because now I run in my son’s memory.

The month before my second Sun Run, my son, Tom Bennett, died tragically, at age 26 atop Mt. Shasta in Northern California. That year I wore a memory t-shirt in his honour. Many of his work colleagues joined me and did the same. as we moved along the Sun Run course in his memory.

So you see my passion for running…. I view running as a “gift” from my son. Every time I run I know he is proud, I feel his presence. Running will always be part of the fabric of my life.

And I’ll do everything I can to encourage and help you in your running, and to have fun doing it.
There is so much I have begun to explore and wish to share with you about running. For example, “destination runs” – take a trip, do a run, then have fun vacationing in and around the trip location. Two years ago I didn’t even know this existed…

I also have found out things about training. Which I’ll share. In case it helps. What I found to use has helped me. And kept me injury-free.

Together we can have some “serious fun” – learning and exploring everything about running that we can. Let’s go… On your mark … get set …..LET’S GO!

Welcome to 5K training fun.  Hope you enjoy the journey.