[wilpert]

i'm now about 3 weeks into my new discipline of running.
i'm still cycling but as the season has virtually ended, i'm now putting on the trainers more often.
Well, now i know how i enjoy it, i have considered a duathlon in october and a 10k (my 1st ever) in november.
The point is, when i am in the time trial season, i punish myself with hard training and hard racing week in week out, it keeps me fit but i'm hard on myself and it's mentally tiring.
BIG question is, how can i be competetive without going down the punishment route again.
i want to race but i want to enjoy the training and racing.
How soon should i see improvements in my current 5k p.b of 22 mins.

 

[richardsimkiss]

but of an open question to answer to be honest wilpert... expect improvement in your 5k time almost instantly if you're regularly training - but with regards to how quickly you will progress? that's an entirely personal thing... just see how you get on?

to be competitive in running, emphasis needs to be on training... it's not massively productive to race regularly as 'racing yourself fit' is generally considered not the way to go Therefore a decent emphasis on training is key. Bare in mind what your future goals are and that will help dictate the training you do.

 

[Badz]

Ello m8

Its very subjective.
From what you are saying - you are not looking to train so hard that you stop enjoying running, but you want to at least be competitive?

I'm afraid no-one can answer that one but yourself - the harder you train - the more improvements you will see (and quicker), but its up to you to judge when its going too far. What may seem punishing to you may not to another or vice versa - its very personal.

I would say that you already have a high level of fitness so as Richard said - you should see improvements straight away.

If you specifically want to concentrate on improving your 5K time - I'd suggest getting some miles under the belt to build up strength, and then perhaps start doing some smaller reps (say 800m, 1K and 1 mile reps) just to get your legs pumping that bit faster. Its debatable how much strength you will need to build up as your legs must already be strong from the cycling - but as you use different groups of muscles you would still need some work.

I am no expert though - so perhaps someone with more knowledge/experience can confirm what sort of training plan to follow specifically for 5K?

 

[wilpert]

yep, i'm trying to get a few more miles in now. i reckon it's late for the improvements i want in the short space of time before my planned races but i'll try.
The legs are pretty used to working from the bike rides but i hurt quite a bit after a run, different muscles as you say.
I think i'll mix it up with the bike n run thing, but keep tabs on my running times, to monitor my progress, (assuming i do progress).

Craig