Running

[BWNB]

Whats a good time for a 4.5km run? That the average person can achieve.
Also what are some good tips for increasing running distances from something like 5km to 10km runs?
Thanks

 

[Thomas]

A good time? Are you preparing for a race or something? An average person would probably trot along at around the 10-12kmh mark for that distance making a time around the 23-28 minutes. That’s for an average person with no stopping or walking.

The best way to increase distances is to gradually extend your running times and/or distances. Just once a week run a little further. When I started back running after a knee injury, I basically made myself exercise for 30 minutes. This included jogging, walking and standing there puffing. Gradually I reduced the amount of slower jogging and picked up the speed. I went from doing about 4 kms in 30 minutes to around the 6.5km mark.

Develop a running plan with 4 runs during the week. Two normal length runs, one a bit longer and one session of fartlek (interval running…medium paced jogging with bursts of fast running for 30 minutes). Fartlek helps a lot with speed. Also vary your runs with regards to slope. Do some hill running and so forth not just on a treadmill or a flat bike path.

 

[TheParraboy]

Another thing to do, is cross train for cardio fitness to enhance stamina

Circuit training at the gym is great, or make up your own routine at home which includes rope skipping, jogging up stairs, star jumps etc...

Also vary your running, eg run up small (initially) hills, on the sand at the beach etc...

 

[Copa]

Whats a good time for a 4.5km run? That the average person can achieve.
Also what are some good tips for increasing running distances from something like 5km to 10km runs?
Thanks

an average "regular joe" runner should be able to run that distance in around 25 minutes.

As Thomas said ... slowly increase your distance every week. This is something you can not hurry ... do it very gradually or the risk of all srts of injuries increase.

I run around 4 times a week. One flat and short (7.5km).. two x 10k runs that takes me to the top of Black Mountain in Canberra and back down again.. and one 16km (sometimes 21km) run around the lake burley griffin bike path on the weekend..

 

[Twizzle]

the best tip I can give based on my experience, get a decent pair of jogging shoes or you can damage yourself especially on hard surfaces

 

[BWNB]

Thanks guys, i do 4.5 in about 18-19 mins.. I just wanted to know how I go. ( the track i run is mainly flat ground but)

And yes Twizzle i do have good shoes so that couldn't be a problem. Yes running is still damaging on the knees, i considered skipping, if i were to start how long should I skip for to supplement my run that I would do 4-5 times per week.

 

[Thomas]

Start running more on grass to help your knees.

I went from being a super fit bloke to a fat slob and starting back up has been a real ego check. I was running 5kms in a tick under 20 minutes at one stage and getting back running has seen me push myself and break down purely because, mentally, I think I am better than what I am doing.

Speaking of shoes...I need some new ones.

 

[JoeD]

Speaking of buying shoes, should you spend as much as you can afford? is there a big difference between a $120 pair that fits and a $250 pair that fits?

 

[Dutchy]

Thanks guys, i do 4.5 in about 18-19 mins.. I just wanted to know how I go. ( the track i run is mainly flat ground but)

And yes Twizzle i do have good shoes so that couldn't be a problem. Yes running is still damaging on the knees, i considered skipping, if i were to start how long should I skip for to supplement my run that I would do 4-5 times per week.

That isn't too bad. I was doing it in around 14-15 mins when I was training for that distance. But I progressed just from doing 4-5km a long time ago. At the moment I am doing around 15km per run. Done Tri's in the past.

Your time is very good. Keep it smooth mate.

 

[Thomas]

Speaking of buying shoes, should you spend as much as you can afford? is there a big difference between a $120 pair that fits and a $250 pair that fits?

Oh most definitely. Spend as much as you can. I've always loved Asics but the $230 price scared me off. That is, until I tried a pair on.

My knees and shins love me for it

 

[Dirty Hoe]

you arent an elite athlete, i wouldnt bother spending too much, spend what you think is reasonable.

back in the day did they have these fancy shoes??

 

[Thomas]

you arent an elite athlete, i wouldnt bother spending too much, spend what you think is reasonable.

back in the day did they have these fancy shoes??

"Back in the day we didn't have this fancy thing called medicine...of course the life expectancy was lower..."

You don't need to be an elite athlete to have good shoes...or to buy good shoes. I suffered badly from shin splints. I was using a $120 pair of Nikes I bought at some huge retail chain. I saw a doctor who said straight away "get some new shoes. Good ones".

I got my feet measured and was offered several varieties and they make running a joy (almost). Just get a shoe that fits you and offers support for the type of foot you have.

Ask any runner (not elite ones) what the most important thing to have and they'll say "good shoes". Good shoes can prevent injuries and keep you out getting fit instead of sitting on the couch whinging you can't run because your feet hurt.

Afterall, you wouldn't just buy cheap retreads for your car with the statement "only racing drivers get good tyres..."

 

[Dirty Hoe]

price is no indication of a good shoe.

 

[Thomas]

price is no indication of a good shoe.

True, to a certain extent.

There are shoes out on the market that are stupidly expensive but are no better than the rest. I dare say a $200 shoe is a bit better than a $50 shoe.

The most important thing is to pick a shoe that fits you perfectly. As in matches your foot...especially if you are an under or over pronator. Cheap shoes simply do not offer support in critical areas.

A certain shoe store chain will go straight to the top in recommending a shoe but if you tell them to find a similar shoe that does the same job then they will. I was offered 3 shoes:

$230
$175
$140

They all did the same job but the most expensive one fit better and in the long run helped me a lot with my shin splints.

 

[BWNB]

That isn't too bad. I was doing it in around 14-15 mins when I was training for that distance. But I progressed just from doing 4-5km a long time ago. At the moment I am doing around 15km per run. Done Tri's in the past.

Your time is very good. Keep it smooth mate.

Gee, thats a great time... I eventually want to do times like that, maybe practice on hills?

As for shoes, I have run in both cheap and expensive shoes, you can feel the difference and its not uncommon to see runners on my route running with Asics Gel Kayanos' which aren't cheap!
So dont go cheap on shoes, its your ankles, knees and shins that are going to suffer.

 

[Sir Biffo]

Go to a podiatrist or specialist running store. In Brisbane there is a good one called InTraining who have a podiatrist on the staff who will examine your running gait and reccomend shoes. They let you run in the shoes, not just walk around a shop. Places like the Athletes Foot are okayish I guess but at the end of the day the people who work there are normally dummies with no understanding of the mechanisms of the human body, and that foot print thing is a bit of a crock really.

Once you have a good shoe there is no need to change, I normally buy at least 2 pairs if I see my shoe on sale - I buy them online because even though I like to help out local businesses there is simply no way I can afford to go and spend $240 every 4-5 months when my shoes need replacing.

 

[Misanthrope]

Whats a good time for a 4.5km run? That the average person can achieve.

That depends on what you're training for. My girlfriend and I are training for a half marathon, and so we need to keep to a pace that we'd be able to maintain over the course of 21kms. In that case, 4.5km takes us about 30 minutes. That's in training.

My partner's sister is in the process of training for the iron man, and she runs at about a 9 minute mile pace for a long run.

But we're talking about sustaining it over a long distance. If your aim is just to run a 10km, I don't have much advice for you on the subject.

Also what are some good tips for increasing running distances from something like 5km to 10km runs?

Check out www.coolrunning.com.au

They have a variety of plans you can use, based on what you're currently capable of.

 

[Red Bear]

When im running i have a variety of variations of a few basic courses, usually run between 8 and 16km. 8 km takes me 38-40 minutes but it has a couple of very big/slowish hills which knock the time up again. a bit over ten km i usually knock off in 47-50 minutes, depending on weather etc. It's only when i push up above that 16km distance that the times start to increse in how long i run per kilometre, but then i do much of my speed work at soccer training twice a week, so usually when running im not pushing myself too hard, except up the hills, just doing it to run decent endurence into my legs.

The racing tiem compared to training time is a huge difference, when i raced 5km last year i did it in 17.55, even when i ran a half marathon on pretty minimal training i did that in 100 minutes and 5 seconds (that damn close to under 100), but you definately need those kilometres to be able to confidently run the distances well and thus know you can kick on at a certain point.

 

[JoeD]

After the talk of barefoot running in the other thread I tried on a pair of $80 Nike Free 5.0 and they felt really good so i bought a pair. First run in them felt good. I'm not a hard core runner but i'll keep you posted.

 

[Misanthrope]

I really want a pair of those. I've got a great pair of Nike running shoes, but the barefoot thing sounds like it'd make for a really good run.