Hello all! I am Bad Ass, and you may know me from DP UU, my incredible experiences with drugs and hot dogs, or as a Genuine Nice Guy. I would like to introduce to you to the Smogon 5K challenge! Here is how it goes:
1. This thread is posted. There will be a 1 week period (Monday - Sunday) to sign up and take your initial 5k time. It doesn't matter if you can run a single mile -- as long as you put forth your best effort, you are doing excellently.
2. A month long training and improvement period. While a month is not a long period for seasoned runners to improve dramatically, Smogon is not a cross country forum and the average person WILL see significant improvement if they train over the course of a month.
3. Lastly, a 3 day period to record and turn in your final and (hopefully best!) 5k time. I'll place this on a weekend so that most people will have some time to slot it in. If you're too busy, feel free to take it directly before or after!
4. I will tally up the times and post various awards (best in gender, best overall, most improved, whatever!)
Here is the format you should use to sign up:
Username: Bad Ass
Gender: M
Age: 15-19 (15-19, 20-25, 26-35, 36-50, 50+)
Current 5k PR: 19:58
5k time taken during the first 1 week period (important): 25:26
Goal Time: 21:00
Q&A
Q: How can I keep track of my times and distance? How can we be sure that people aren't cheating and posting that they are faster than they really are?
A: Method 1: If you have a smartphone, you can download Nike+ or Runkeeper (also available on iPhone). These apps utilize your phone's GPS capabilities to track your distance, speed, and pace. I have only used Nike+, and it is quite good. You can see your distance run by day, week, and month, set a specific distance to alert you at (standard alert is every 1 mile, it calls out distance, current time, and current pace). Seriously, this app is awesome for keeping track of everything you do and makes it possible to cover distance if you don't have a track nearby. Also, you can get a GPS sensor and download the app on your iPod too, I think. I live in rural Georgia and I don't have problems with it tracking me.
Method 2: Track and a stopwatch. I actually prefer running on a track rather than a trail or pavement because it is softer than pavement and you can keep track of distance (for doing things like 400m, 800m, 1600m repeats). Easy to use. Only thing is that you cannot share your stuff online so you would have to use the honor system, but really I trust anyone signing up for this to not cheat since there is very little on the line except your personal health and satisfaction.
Also, I live near a rural "highway" which has mile markers so I often use that for my long runs. Don't really recommend this for busy highways, though!
Q: Yeah, this sounds great but how am I supposed to start running? I know literally NOTHING!
A: A few useful links, if I may:
Hal Higdon's Training Program, which contains a different program for those of you who may be considered "intermediate". Very good, though I would ramp up the mileage by a half a mile to three quarters of a mile per week as opposed to his suggested 1/4 mile. Stresses the importance of not overtraining early on as well as consistently building onto the base that you form, both of which are crucial skills to have.
The ever-famous Couch to 5k! If you absolutely positively cannot run 1-1.5 miles at ~11:00/mile then this program may be better for you. It is basically alternating walking and running until you are able to run the entire 5k. However, this is a 9 week program, so you may need to either speed it up or not be able to reap the entire benefits of it (though there will be improvement either way).
/r/running. Reddit's running community, very noob friendly with helpful guides on the sidebar. Every Monday they have a thread where you can ask your "moronic noob questions". A quick search will yield you years worth of threads of questions from new runners. Just type in some keywords from your question and you are bound to find SOMETHING.
Lastly, a few words of advice from me. Firstly, don't overtrain. I know that progress is exciting and you want more of it, but if you start out running a 30:00 5k, you have to accept that you won't be able to break sub-20 in a month, no matter how hard you train. All that overtraining does is make you sore in a bad way and make you more prone to injuries. Seriously, nearly every dangerous injury associated with running is caused by new runners getting into the sport and running too much at once. If you are a totally new runner, I recommend running only 5 days per week (M/Tue/W, F/Sat)
The second greatest cause of injury is your form. Generally, you want a good mid-strike (that is, when your foot hits the ground you hit with the middle of the foot). Heel strikes are the main cause of shin splints (and really, fuck shin splints).
My final piece of advice is to just have fun with this. If you go in with a negative attitude then you're gonna have a bad time. Use your time running as personal time, away from the computer, time to clear your mind. If you'd like to lose some weight, use this challenge as a catalyst to get your weight in order. Running is what you make it, and I sincerely hope that you enjoy this challenge.
If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me via PM or on IRC (i'm on as badass). I'll post any pertinent ones in the OP as well.
note: your goal time does not have to be a PR. PRs are often run on easy courses (which you may not have access to) or when you were training harder or in better shape. your goal time represents what you would like to run compared to your pre-month time. also, please share your nike+ usernames if you'd like, it would be great to be able to look at your progress!
1. This thread is posted. There will be a 1 week period (Monday - Sunday) to sign up and take your initial 5k time. It doesn't matter if you can run a single mile -- as long as you put forth your best effort, you are doing excellently.
2. A month long training and improvement period. While a month is not a long period for seasoned runners to improve dramatically, Smogon is not a cross country forum and the average person WILL see significant improvement if they train over the course of a month.
3. Lastly, a 3 day period to record and turn in your final and (hopefully best!) 5k time. I'll place this on a weekend so that most people will have some time to slot it in. If you're too busy, feel free to take it directly before or after!
4. I will tally up the times and post various awards (best in gender, best overall, most improved, whatever!)
Here is the format you should use to sign up:
Username: Bad Ass
Gender: M
Age: 15-19 (15-19, 20-25, 26-35, 36-50, 50+)
Current 5k PR: 19:58
5k time taken during the first 1 week period (important): 25:26
Goal Time: 21:00
Q&A
Q: How can I keep track of my times and distance? How can we be sure that people aren't cheating and posting that they are faster than they really are?
A: Method 1: If you have a smartphone, you can download Nike+ or Runkeeper (also available on iPhone). These apps utilize your phone's GPS capabilities to track your distance, speed, and pace. I have only used Nike+, and it is quite good. You can see your distance run by day, week, and month, set a specific distance to alert you at (standard alert is every 1 mile, it calls out distance, current time, and current pace). Seriously, this app is awesome for keeping track of everything you do and makes it possible to cover distance if you don't have a track nearby. Also, you can get a GPS sensor and download the app on your iPod too, I think. I live in rural Georgia and I don't have problems with it tracking me.
Method 2: Track and a stopwatch. I actually prefer running on a track rather than a trail or pavement because it is softer than pavement and you can keep track of distance (for doing things like 400m, 800m, 1600m repeats). Easy to use. Only thing is that you cannot share your stuff online so you would have to use the honor system, but really I trust anyone signing up for this to not cheat since there is very little on the line except your personal health and satisfaction.
Also, I live near a rural "highway" which has mile markers so I often use that for my long runs. Don't really recommend this for busy highways, though!
Q: Yeah, this sounds great but how am I supposed to start running? I know literally NOTHING!
A: A few useful links, if I may:
Hal Higdon's Training Program, which contains a different program for those of you who may be considered "intermediate". Very good, though I would ramp up the mileage by a half a mile to three quarters of a mile per week as opposed to his suggested 1/4 mile. Stresses the importance of not overtraining early on as well as consistently building onto the base that you form, both of which are crucial skills to have.
The ever-famous Couch to 5k! If you absolutely positively cannot run 1-1.5 miles at ~11:00/mile then this program may be better for you. It is basically alternating walking and running until you are able to run the entire 5k. However, this is a 9 week program, so you may need to either speed it up or not be able to reap the entire benefits of it (though there will be improvement either way).
/r/running. Reddit's running community, very noob friendly with helpful guides on the sidebar. Every Monday they have a thread where you can ask your "moronic noob questions". A quick search will yield you years worth of threads of questions from new runners. Just type in some keywords from your question and you are bound to find SOMETHING.
Lastly, a few words of advice from me. Firstly, don't overtrain. I know that progress is exciting and you want more of it, but if you start out running a 30:00 5k, you have to accept that you won't be able to break sub-20 in a month, no matter how hard you train. All that overtraining does is make you sore in a bad way and make you more prone to injuries. Seriously, nearly every dangerous injury associated with running is caused by new runners getting into the sport and running too much at once. If you are a totally new runner, I recommend running only 5 days per week (M/Tue/W, F/Sat)
The second greatest cause of injury is your form. Generally, you want a good mid-strike (that is, when your foot hits the ground you hit with the middle of the foot). Heel strikes are the main cause of shin splints (and really, fuck shin splints).
My final piece of advice is to just have fun with this. If you go in with a negative attitude then you're gonna have a bad time. Use your time running as personal time, away from the computer, time to clear your mind. If you'd like to lose some weight, use this challenge as a catalyst to get your weight in order. Running is what you make it, and I sincerely hope that you enjoy this challenge.
If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me via PM or on IRC (i'm on as badass). I'll post any pertinent ones in the OP as well.
note: your goal time does not have to be a PR. PRs are often run on easy courses (which you may not have access to) or when you were training harder or in better shape. your goal time represents what you would like to run compared to your pre-month time. also, please share your nike+ usernames if you'd like, it would be great to be able to look at your progress!
Username: Lee
Current PR:
Goal Time:
Username: MikeDecIsHere
Current PR: 21:24
Goal Time: 20:30
Username: BattleStar
Current PR: 6:31 mile, extrapolated to 22:00
Goal Time:
Username: More Cowbell
Current PR: 25:30
Goal Time: 27:00
Username: Django
Current PR: 26:00
Goal Time: 22:00
Username: Deinosaur
Gender: M
Age: 15-19
Current 5k PR: 28:54
Goal Time: 22:00
Username: uragg
Gender: M
Age: 18
Current 5k PR: 36:07
Goal Time: 25:00
Username: Eo Butt Mortus
Gender: M
Age: 19
Current 5k PR: 26:37
Goal Time: 21:00
Username:Myzozoa
Gender: M
Age: 20-25
Current 5k PR: I haven't recorded for a while, I usually just run 4 miles when I do distance, but I bet it's around 22-23 minutes.
5k time taken during the first 1 week period (important): Yet to be taken and maybe not takable until I get back to school.
Goal Time: 21:50
Username: windong
Gender: m
Age: 15
Current 5k PR: 18:50ish but that was a few months ago and UGH HOLIDAYS i'm so out of shape :(
Goal Time: 18:40
Username: #az
Gender: M
Age: 20-25
Current 5k PR: ihni
5k time taken during the first 1 week period (important): ihni
Goal Time: 0 secs
Username: vonFiedler
Gender: M
Age: 20-25
Current 5k PR: 61:36
5k time taken during the first 1 week period: 61:36
Goal Time: Pffff... is 50 minutes reasonable? [yes it is]
Current PR:
Goal Time:
Username: MikeDecIsHere
Current PR: 21:24
Goal Time: 20:30
Username: BattleStar
Current PR: 6:31 mile, extrapolated to 22:00
Goal Time:
Username: More Cowbell
Current PR: 25:30
Goal Time: 27:00
Username: Django
Current PR: 26:00
Goal Time: 22:00
Username: Deinosaur
Gender: M
Age: 15-19
Current 5k PR: 28:54
Goal Time: 22:00
Username: uragg
Gender: M
Age: 18
Current 5k PR: 36:07
Goal Time: 25:00
Username: Eo Butt Mortus
Gender: M
Age: 19
Current 5k PR: 26:37
Goal Time: 21:00
Username:Myzozoa
Gender: M
Age: 20-25
Current 5k PR: I haven't recorded for a while, I usually just run 4 miles when I do distance, but I bet it's around 22-23 minutes.
5k time taken during the first 1 week period (important): Yet to be taken and maybe not takable until I get back to school.
Goal Time: 21:50
Username: windong
Gender: m
Age: 15
Current 5k PR: 18:50ish but that was a few months ago and UGH HOLIDAYS i'm so out of shape :(
Goal Time: 18:40
Username: #az
Gender: M
Age: 20-25
Current 5k PR: ihni
5k time taken during the first 1 week period (important): ihni
Goal Time: 0 secs
Username: vonFiedler
Gender: M
Age: 20-25
Current 5k PR: 61:36
5k time taken during the first 1 week period: 61:36
Goal Time: Pffff... is 50 minutes reasonable? [yes it is]
