I started running on the 13th of February 2023. I ran 1.2 kilometres in 9 minutes. Slowly I built it up to my first 5k which I ran on the 23th of March 2023.
After I discovered a new potential within me now that I lost so much weight, I felt I needed some more structure towards my running training. Reddit, as always, comes to the rescue. On the r/running subreddit I discovered base training.
I focused completely on the distance ran while slowly working my way up to 5 kilometres. Base training, however, made me focus on the duration of the runs. This was quite an eye opener and changed my perspective.
The idea is that the duration is much more important for beginners because they experience more stress on the body while running. An experienced runner might finish 10 kilometres in 30 minutes, but a beginner will experience a lot more stress on the body doing 30 minutes of running on an easy pace because there are more foot strikes occurring and because the body is unadapted. The beginner first needs to build up strength in the legs and resistance in the joints and tissues.
So far it has been a good experience. I like the idea of running more often, but not pushing myself every single run. The schedule also allows for variation. Some days are easier than others, so it feels good to have the opportunity to go for only a short 30 minute run on the days where I’m not feeling up to it.
Here are the results of my first week:
Week 16 - 1
- Easy Run 1 Mon 30min
- Easy Run 2 Wed 43min
- Easy Run 3 Thu 36,5min
- Easy Run 4 Sun 43min
- Long Run Fri 50min
- Total distance: 20.59km
Goal
I currently don’t have a particular goal in mind. I have a knee injury which started to flare up again when I started running. So far the body has adapted, and the knee stopped hurting. I’m going to follow this program for 6 weeks, adding 5 minutes (or more if I feel good) per week to my long run, and see where this takes me.
Links:
202304241704
https://www.reddit.com/r/running/comments/3bckeh/base_training_a_guide_to_your_foundation_to/