have a big run coming in 4-6 weeks

[hellokeith]

I have 4-6 weeks to get at least a decent 2-3 mile run. I ran cross country in high school but that was many years ago.

Should I be interval training every day, every other day, or some combination? My primary focus is to improve quickly but be very very careful to avoid injury.. I'd rather be slow and steady than unable to finish.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: hellokeith
I have 4-6 weeks to get at least a decent 2-3 mile run. I ran cross country in high school but that was many years ago.

Should I be interval training every day, every other day, or some combination? My primary focus is to improve quickly but be very very careful to avoid injury.. I'd rather be slow and steady than unable to finish.

I would probably run 3-4 times a week and do some sort of sprint workout or HIIT 1-2 times a week (really depends on how you feel though). In 4-6 weeks, you can condition to finish, but I'm not sure HOW fast you'll get. I inherently have a lot of fast twitch muscle so cross country isn't my strong point. I respect you for going for it Good luck. Remember to carb load the days before the race (3-4 days, maybe?).

 

[gramboh]

So it's a 5km run? I'd start off very easy this week if you haven't ran at all. I'd do a short run at a comfortable pace maybe 2km or 3km tops to test out your body and see if you are going to be in pain. If it hurts during the run, stop, if you force it you'll have to take more time to recover. Give yourself a few days and see how your body feels, if it's fine run again. For that distance I'd just do 3 times a week, one distance one short one interval/sprints. Unless you are trying to set a record, no point in going overboard since it's a relatively short training period.

 

[RagingBITCH]

http://www.runnersworld.com/cd...-278-0-0-0-0-0,00.html

Use that to figure out a training. 2-3 miles is pretty much cake. I don't know how much/far you can run now and at what pace. We also don't know what your goals are either. Also depends on how many days you want to devote to training, etc.

Either way, good luck. I can't run any short distance races anymore...even a 10K just seems far too short nowadays. (My 3 mile days don't even feel like a workout anymore, I remember the days when I used to be soaked in sweat after) Then again I'm running over 20 on my long days, so my body is used to it, but still.

 

[SWScorch]

For a 3 mile run, it's going to be completely aerobic (unless you have a big kick at the end) so just doing as many miles as possible is your primary concern. Of course, starting from scratch, you don't want to build too fast or you're likely to get injured. Do 3 weeks of just easy running, trying to get to at least 20-30 miles per week if possible, and then maybe incorporate some unstructured workouts like fartleks (run fast when you want to and slow when you get tired) and strides (100-200m at a fast but comfortable pace; not a sprint!) a few times a week. Run primarily on the surface you will be racing, and if its hilly, run a lot of hills. I would not recommend any intense workouts unless you are in reasonably decent shape already.

 

[hellokeith]

I really appreciate all the input from you guys.

Monday I covered 2 1/2 miles with a combination of walking/jogging intervals. Man let me tell you my legs hurt like hell when I went to sleep last night.

Today (Tuesday) I went to the gym and did upper body & stomach machines with jump rope between. On the way home I stopped by Walmart and bought a very basic digital watch with a stop/watch & countdown functions so I can do the intervals more exact next time.

I'm thinking I'll do the same interval tomorrow (Wednesday) as I did on Monday and see how my legs feel afterward. I can devote pretty much every day to some form of exercise, though I'd like to have one day off at least. Maybe 3 jogs, 3 gym workouts, 1 olympic pool swim workout, and then rest on Sunday? Then up the jog time interval next week?

My goal is to finish the run, averaging ~ 8 mins per mile, and not have any injuries / serious recovery period in case I want to do another run a week or two later.