Trying to improve speed and stamina after completing week 9 runs

[gongman]

Hi, I finished my last run of week 9 of the c25k programme back in March, and have been repeating the last run 3 times a week ever since, using the same route, as it has a good variety of flat and gentle uphill sections, as well as me making a note of certain points I reach when the 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 mins are up. But I do not seem to be improving in speed or stamina at all. I always feel as if I am working as hard on my runs or harder, but since about April, my speed has actually been decreasing, and I am not getting to the same points at the time intervals mentioned on the podcast. Also, some runs, I just completely run out of energy part way through and cut them shorter than normal (as if I was right back at the beginning again of the c25k). Lifestyle, eating and sleeping habits have not changed, so not sure why such great variations in times taken or why some runs are completed in full without difficulty and others not, as well as why speed is not improving by now, after doing this same run for so many months - what is going on here, any tips or advice welcome. Thanks

[Beatlesforever Graduate10]

It can be so frustrating when that happens! I experienced something similar after a few consolidation runs. Taking a break for a few days or even a week can help, give your muscles time to recover. I would also take a look at some of the plans and guided runs on apps like Strava, Nike Run Club, Garmin. They have a lot of resources. Mixing things up with intervals, slow runs, short and long runs can also help with motivation. A lot of us have found that JuJu's magic plan (one of the pinned posts) has done the trick. It hasn't made me any faster but it's helping me build up stamina and mileage, which will (hopefully) also help build up speed. Good luck, let us know how you get on! 👍💪

[SadlyBroke Graduate10]

I feel your frustration. I don't feel particularly qualified to offer advice but will share my experience in case there's anything that might help. I also graduated back in March and celebrated with a Parkrun (penultimate one before lockdown). With the buzz of the crowds I got pulled along and recorded a sub-30min time, much, much faster than any of my c25k long runs. I was knackered but nevertheless chuffed, however, that time remained my pb up until very recently. During the rest of March and into April my pace/stamina plateaued, and couldn't figure out what was going on. A longer than usual break between runs proved to be hugely beneficial, and mixing long slow runs with faster short ones has helped with overall pace and stamina (week usually has 5k, 7-8k, 10k runs). The next big improvement has come by counting a 30-60s fast pace at the start of each km - nothing too precise but by doing this rather than sustaining high pace over longer distance helps to stop heart rate from maxing out. Smashed my pb twice in quick succession! I think it's also helping with stamina for the longer runs. I also vary my route and I've 'gone naked', ditching the headphones. This was horrifying at first but without the noise in my ears I've realised just how heavy footed I had been during C25K! During lockdown I've also stayed motivated by logging (not)ParkRun times, recognising some times will be good, others not. Good luck. I'm sure improvements will come.

[WeavingWonk Graduate10]

I can totally relate. I finished in June and started consolidation runs. More often than not I couldn't make myself run the 30 minutes. And some days were even slower than usual.

Everyone is different but for me it was the lack of a goal that was problematic. And I knew I wanted the 30 minutes to feel easier. And I knew that would only happen if I ran for longer than 30 minutes eventually. I was at a "get better or give up" moment.

So...I told myself that I couldn't move on to getting to 5k until I had successfully done 30 minutes 9 times consecutively. Sometimes I took 2-3 days off in between but I ran on average three times every 8 days. And I made it through the 9 runs without having to start over. I also ran several different routes to take my mind off those markers...it somehow made it easier when I didn't know where I should be by when.

Right after that, knowing I wanted to get to 5k before my birthday (goals!), it was raining and I decided I had slept well and was well hydrated. So I went for it. And managed 5k. It was exhilarating!! Took almost 45 minutes. But I did it! I ran 5k twice more over the next couple of weeks, in between 30 minute runs, to be sure it wasn't a fluke!

I am now *sort of* doing Juju's magic plan, but over a longer time with smaller additional increments (adding .5k to my long run each week). I also started really mixing up my routes. So some days I do hills. Other days I choose a flat route. I choose pretty flat every time I am extending my time, and hilly on the shorter ones.

Now, just a few weeks in, a 30 minute run feels like a short one to be honest, and today I will start using the short run to improve pace by doing intervals. And now my goal is to get to 10k before the end of November. And then I will scale back to 5k runs over the winter, and focus on improving strength and pace. And then train for 10k again in the spring.

So for me it's all about goals and a plan. And something I can do alone to give me breathing space.

Good luck! I hope you are able to find some mojo!

[Grannyhugs Graduate10]

I feel that if you keep repeating something that doesn’t work it’s likely to continue not working. Give yourself a break now and try a mix of new routes and new distances, longer runs at a slower pace will result in faster shorter runs. It’s quite demoralising always chasing the same goal. Have fun with your runs and mix them up. Happy running 🤗

[Elfe5 60minGraduate]

First, one of the things that Iannodatruffe suggests is all runners should take a week off from running occasionally- it sounds like you might benefit from that. 😄

Second, it might be helpful to have a careful look at your “easy pace”. - I have recently reread Iannodatruffe’s pinned post for new graduates which has a lot of useful information about “easy pace”(& many other things). I noted in his post /the linked articles, a comment that many amateur runners do too much running at a pace that is not truly your easy, slow pace - but a bit too fast. One link said that a helpful way to recognise your easy pace is if you can pootle along breathing 3 steps in & 3 steps out. (For myself, it made me realise that my own “easy pace”, which was 3 steps in and 2 out, was a whisker too fast. I changed this to 3 in & 3 out when trying my first 7K run recently and it made a noticeable difference to how long I was comfortable for. Even though I am a very slow runner anyway, I really had to keep concentrating on going a little more slowly.

Hope this helps a bit. 😄

[Beatlesforever Graduate10 in reply to Elfe5]

This is so true. I think one of the most difficult things to do as a beginner is to let go of the 'need for speed' and force yourself to run slowly. This is something that the Nike run club guided runs keep banging on about and it's really helped me 👍

[Elfe5 60minGraduate in reply to Beatlesforever]

Absolutely right Beatlesfe! I also discovered the calculator (one of the links in Iannodatruffe’s pinned post), to advise you about what your slow pace should be - and it was a shock! It was a lot slower than I had anticipated. - It has been very helpful, because it has been given me “permission” to go even slower and not feel bad about it. 😄

[Beatlesforever Graduate10 in reply to Elfe5]

I so know what you mean! 😃

[damienair Administrator]

Last year i was running 5K, enjoying it, but stuck like you at a consistent pace of about 32-33 minutes for 5K. I really wanted to improve. So I started mixing it up. I ran on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and a long slow run on Sunday. Tuesday and Thursday were for 5K interval training. I did 1K intervals after a warm up. I ran 1K at a faster pace, took a short break and repeated until I got around 5K. I also started doing intervals where I would pick a faster pace, maintain it for 1K, slow down for 1K and go back to faster pace for the next K. On Saturday mornings I did parkrun and each week ran to do my best 5K pace for the course. On Sundays I ran a nice gentle 10K.

Between January and August last year I improved my 5K times from an average of 33 minutes to a PB time of 25.36 at a parkrun. It is slow, but training consistently you can really improve. I also brought my 10K times down too to 56 minutes. I must also admit that during this time I really worked on my eating habits too and managed to lose 2.5 stone in weight which greatly helped with my fitness and running.

The secret is to push yourself with interval training, and do one long slow comfortable run per week. The slow run builds endurance and the interval training will train your mind and your body to faster running.

Damien