Beginner to run 5 miles

Hi How long, approx., will it take for a 52yr old beginner to run a 5 mile race safely?

One or Six months?

do you exercise other sports? did you exercise other sports? (when, achievements?) are you overweight?(howmuch) how far can you run? have you ever ran?

as a complete 24yo beginner with no real exercise ever, 4-8 kg too heavy, I've take 6 months - a year for myself before being able to run 5-ish miles at decent pace with not too much risk of injuring myself. Taken into account that to run a race (I have no intention), you'd be able to do long runs of about double that length.

René van Belzen told me strengthening the tendons is important and is a slow proces. Btw, I'm hoping to run my 8km/5miles long run after 1 month and three weeks from the start (next weekend), but I would not dare to enter a race in that distance for a long time.

slowing down a bit helps a lot. also had pains the first week, but were gone the next.

Maybe you can use http://www.sportscoach.com.au/runcoach.html

to make a training program for you?

my program:
http://members.nbci.com/x_411/rc1.gif

as you see I my goal was 5km begin july starting 5 days/week and a long run of 2 km.

the 2km's are 2.5 and 1km is 1.5 because this is the std 'run around the block'.

I'm thinking a daily 2 mile run is maybe a bit hard to start with from

Why the concern? Do you have a bar bet going? <g>

Seriously, don't worry about it. If you work at it systematically, slowly increasing the time (and therefor distance) that you run, you'll get there.

It may be one month, it may be six, but it'll come if you work at it.

Enjoy the journey, not just the destination.

Mike Tennent 'IronPenguin' Ironman Canada '98 Great Floridian '99, '00

Good advice, as usual! I'm placing a bar bet that he'll be ready in about 4 to 5 months. He should probably run a 5K first...

I am 54 and I started back seriously running about 2.5 years ago. I would agree that the 6 month estimate is good. Some will be faster and some slower. Try to be a little slower. If you push too much, and it is easy, you may well end up injured and end up taking more time because of it.

Good Luck

I'm 40 and about 30lb overweight. some months ago I started out walk/jogging six days a week - just 10-20 minutes a day (VERY slow!), but even that was too much and I knackered one ankle and the other foot. So I stopped for about two months til everything was better. Now I go out just three times a week, walk/jog 25-30 minutes - again VERY slow, but getting marginally faster, jogging more each time, and NO pain anywhere in my feet! I have entered a 10 mile race in October, exactly six months from my new regime walk/jog, which was walk 1 min, jog 1 min x 10 (I couldn't keep to it after the first three reps and walked most of theway!). Now I'm managing 3:3 x 4 - and that's just in three weeks! So - slow and steady might not win the race, but it should get you to it with a lower risk of injury.

go for it.

Thanks for your advice This is so f r u s t r a t i n g I just want to get up and run.

I know exactly the feeling. When you can't run, it feels like you're trapped in a prison. But nothing says you can't run. Just keep in mind the further you want to run, the slower you must go. If you plan to run 2km you must go a lot slower than if you planned to go 1km. It's not the distance that'll hurt you so much, but rather the distance and the speed.

Sean Chester Vancouver Island, Canada

Begin Quote This is so f r u s t r a t i n g I just want to get up and run. End Quote

I know the feeling. been there, done that, paid for it.