Is 30:56 a good 5k time for my stocky fat ass?

creating_my_life · 2018-10-27T04:43:46+00:00

Treadmills are bullshit for times. Actually, they're kinda bullshit all around. Go outside.

Go to a specialty running store. Try on a bunch of shoes. Listen to their recommendations. You can get a nice $90 shoe. Or a nice $150 shoe. You can't get a nice $35 shoe.

Congrats, too!

Granite_Pill · 2018-10-27T05:20:01+00:00

No. That's a very slow time. 20 minutes is decent for an average healthy male. 17-18 minutes is good for a serious non-athlete. 16 minutes and below and you're entering the competitive world. Going from a 30 minute time to 15-16 minutes indicates you are really working hard. That's very athletic compared to your average modern male.. What is 90kg in Freedom Units? About 200 pounds and you're 5'6"? Doesn't sound lean, but whatever.

Running on the treadmill is better than nothing, but treadmills don't effectively train you for real world running because they don't simulate real world conditions. They cushion the impact on your feet and joints, there's no wind resistance, there's no variations in terrain, there's no obstacles, you're inside in the air conditioning, you can lean on the railings for support, you don't have to stay alert for any dangers like vehicles, vicious dogs, or robbers. On a treadmill, you only burn a fraction of the calories you would burn running outside on the ground. I can run forever on a treadmill, but I get exhausted very quickly running outside.

Good running shoes are THE most important and essential piece of gear you could ever own. If you take your running seriously, you should invest in good shoes otherwise you can mess your feet up very badly. I have different shoes for different purposes. A pair for road/sidewalk/urban terrain (Asics), a pair for softer/wetter off-pavement trail running (Solomon), a pair for more arid/rocky terrain trail running (New Balance), and a pair of cross trainers for the gym only (Adidas). Furthermore, I have different footwear for different purposes like casual/fashion, work boots, mountaineering boots, snow boots, and hiking boots dedicated to different terrain and weather conditions. Use the right shoe for the right task or you risk ruining your feet for the rest of your life.

I included the brands to demonstrate I am not loyal to any particular brand. I spend a lot of time trying on different pairs and find ones that are the most comfortable, best fit, and most well-made for the price. I generally don't buy shoes or clothes online because I don't like to deal with the hassle of sending items back and forth if they don't fit. I stick to what I can find available in the stores near me. If I find a really good price online, I will try on the shoes in the store and buy them online. I live in a big city, so I have many options. If you don't then you might want to look online.

I am willing to spend $100-$200 for running shoes right now. Running shoes only last 6 months to a year and then need to be replaced. I rarely run more than 10k-12k at a time. and usually run +-5k along with HIITs 1-3 times per week at most. In that price range I am able to find shoes that last an entire season and do what I ask of them. Above that price range, you get into some really nice high-performance shoes that are super comfortable. As you progress in running ability, you will need to invest in better and better shoes to handle the increasing demands of your higher performance.

If you grew up playing sports in school, you should have been taught how to run properly with good form and technique in such a way as to maximize efficiency. If you didn't grow up running a lot or you haven't run in a long time, it will take you anywhere from 6 months to a year to build up the strength necessary to be able to run efficiently. In the early stages, it is more important to focus on your form than your speed. The speed comes naturally once you build up the foundational strength. You, no doubt, have seen people out there running with really bad form and how they look terrible and miserable. Due to the sedentary domesticated human lifestyle, most people have very weak core, leg, and foot strength. It takes a good solid year to build that strength up, but when you do you, you'll shed minutes off your time pretty quickly until your next plateau.

I run as part of a training regimen for the sport I am into. That is to say I don't run for the sake of running, but to train for a higher purpose. I actually hate running and was never good at it. It took me 2 years of serious running to learn to like it. I never made any decent progress on my running until I was 30 years old. The most beneficial running is high intensity interval training. HIIT yields faster results, but you need to vary your routine between long distance runs, HIIT, and agility drills. And cross train with cycling, hiking, climbing to maximize results. It is absolutely essential to rest. You will be fine running no more than two days per week. I used to run 5 days a week and ended up overtraining.

I am not a natural born runner. I don't have good genetics for it. I don't have good endurance. My body is all beat up and out of whack from years of injury and abuse playing sports. I started out not being able to run more than 100 yards without stopping. Now I am doing 8k-12k trail runs every other weekend or so. I try to run 5k once or twice a week on the streets. I sign up for a couple of official 5k's every year and train for those which also improves my times. I downloaded an app on my phone to keep track of my running and help me train. It helps a lot because you can actually visually see what things you're doing in your life make you faster or slower. Like, for example, after a night of heavy drinking, my times would take a nosedive and take a month to recover to their previous level. This led me to reduce my drinking by about 95% and I think next year I will eventually stop drinking alcohol completely. Marijuana slows me down, but not that much, but I cut down on that too to shed a minute off my time. Eating less bread and sugary foods also made me faster. You'll see how little things you do here and there affect your times.

Title	Is 30:56 a good 5k time for my stocky fat ass?
Author	bf1bro18
Upvotes	0
Comments	2
Date	October 27, 2018 3:28 AM UTC (7 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/askTRP
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/asktrp/comments/9rr9j6/is_3056_a_good_5k_time_for_my_stocky_fat_ass/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/askTRP/is-3056-a-good-5k-time-for-my-stocky-fat-ass.135848 https://theredarchive.com/post/135848

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