Speed, stamina and stepping stone gripes

[shinyhappy123]

I have tried all 3 of the podcasts and have decided I must be doing something very , very wrong! On stepping stonesI was practically walking, stamina was a bit better but still very slow, and for speed I barely get out of the blocks.... Left to my own devices, I run 5k in about 32 minutes, and 10k in about 66 minutes. I wanted to 'turn the screw' and try and improve on these times... But am I missing the point? Stepping stones and stamina came in at about 40 minutes, and speed I don't know timings because I didn't turn on Lady GaGa properly, but I know I did about 2.9 km. I keep to the beat like Laura says, because if there's one thing I'm good at its doing what I'm told. Help! All other posts I have looked at says the podcasts are great. I am 5ft 6 and weigh about 9st 10, so bang average I guess. Any comments or suggestions welcomed x

[MarkyD Graduate10]

I had the same problem, and gave up with this podcast.

Turns out that my natural cadence is much faster than the beat/tempo of the music, so I was actually running slower than normal.

Try and work out your cadence, either by counting steps for a minute, or by experimenting with music of various tempos / bpm until you find on that 'works'. Once you know your cadence, go running with a metronome app set to 5bpm faster than normal.

But the 'official' way to improve your speed is to do intervals. Some folks swear by the 10,20,30 method and you can search for JuicyJu's posts about the subject.

[shinyhappy123 in reply to MarkyD]

Thanks for the advice MD, I like the sound of the 'metronome' app so will give that a go. Agree intervals seems the way to go - will work on it. Really want to get the sub 30 5k ...

And glad it's not just me being a goof!

[ju-ju- Graduate10 in reply to MarkyD]

Thanks for the mention Marky Mark

runnersworld.com/peak-perfo...

This will work for you shinyhappy

[shinyhappy123 in reply to ju-ju-]

Thank you ✌️

[Bazza1234 Graduate10]

Yes -- I found that the tempo of the music in those podcasts to be ridiculously slow -- they may suit a long striding heel striking kind of runner - but for anyone who runs at a higher cadence, they are not suitable (IMO) . You will remember that Laura says at one point of her C25K podcasts to run by landing on your heels!!!!

[shinyhappy123 in reply to Bazza1234]

Ha ha yes ... i'll sack off those pesky podcasts and ramp it up another way. Thanks for the reply 👍

[simonwilliamstutor Graduate10]

Despite being only 5'8, I must have quite a slow cadence and long stride then as I find Speed and Stamina quite tough. With Stamina I can do 5k in under 26mins but I have never completed it. And after 5 goes at Speed I still can't do that either.

[nhs2015 Graduate10]

Doing stepping stones, I find I prefer 160 beats. I usually replay the podcast During my run and find it very hard to start again at 150 beats. It is like slow motion.

[Sarah-A Graduate10]

You can change the bpm on the mixes on the rockmyrun app. (either to a set number, to your steps beat or heartbeat)

I haven't to be honest as i'm still building to 10k and want to take it steady following an injury. But I will definitely try when i'm looking to increase my speed.

[Curlygurly2 Graduate10]

I have a very low cadence, I think when I started running it was about 120! Now 150 is about right, so I still find those podcasts a bit of a stretch. They don't suit everybody!

[TurboTortoise]

I found the Stepping Stones beat bafflingly slow too - in fact I pulled a calf muscle trying to keep to 150 bpm (and overstriding) the first time I tried the podcast. Never did it again! We are all different...

[misswobble Graduate10]

Yes but to get to run faster we don't always do faster runs, we mix things up. Some fast work, some jogs, some comfortable, some tempo. These podcasts do that.

[tangomel]

I went running with my partner this weekend using Stepping stones and he said he felt that I was running slower than when I was doing C25K. So yes, it isn't helping to increase my speed either. I will try an search for information on using intervals. Not sure what that means yet!

[Deals1 Graduate10]

🤔 I tried the stamina one this morning and struggled. Good advice from Laura.. but I found sticking to those beats difficult..