Been a while since I posted - had short time on IC 😟 for very minor ankle hurt which I didn’t want to make worse.
That said, I went out 3 times this week - sort of recoveries. Mon 3k very gentle, Wed 5k intervals and Fri 3k (today) - unheard of 6 months ago ! 👏💪🏃♀️
I’m now a bit muddled and would like advice please ? 🤔
I can (and have) run for 80 mins+ but my distance compared with others seems to be very poor - I estimate it would take me 95 mins to do 10k 🙄
I seem to naturally fit into a running rhythm which gets me to 5k in 45 mins although PB is 38 something. 🐌🐌🐌
Not particularly fussed about speed but I seem to be slowing down no matter how hard I try. Surely this isn’t right? 🤔
Can someone explain where I’m going wrong please ? HELP !!
I’m so proud of myself for actually going out running in the first place 💪 but really in a quandary about how I get the most benefit next ... speed, time, pace, cadence ... definitely in a muddle
While I sort my brain out and wait for advice, hope all is well with my running buddies ❤️
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I know that feeling as well. I seem to be going slower now as well so can’t help you but just want you to know it isn’t just you. I can’t get anywhere near my PB on 5k now. I have just taken to doing longer runs and enjoying them. Better running than no running 🏃♀️
It’s a real puzzle isn’t it but thanks for responding - kind of reassuring to know I’m not alone. I do enjoy the headspace of running but did want see some sort of progress more than just running for longer
I think you’re doing well to be able to run for 80+ minutes. I agree with TotalNewbie1, better to be out there running than not. Perhaps you could try the Nike Running App to check out fartlek runs to improve speed with shorter distances, or strength exercises to help as well. I’m still on 30 minute runs rather than 80 min ones, & doing the above is my plan to extend myself further, a little at a time & mixing it up to keep it interesting. Although at the moment I’m perfectly happy to just do consolidation runs with some good music in my ears for 30 mins, enjoying it, & my speed is getting a little better each time. Baby steps, happy with that for now 😃 Best wishes for your running journey 🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🌈
I think it’s usual to slow down although I don’t know why We got slower and slower and have been running for just 30 minutes, but we embrace the slow and have started pushing g for short intervals of our run and recovering and our speed is beginning to increase slightly
Thank you. I just had a thought ... when I first started this I really concentrated on the run itself. Now I use the time to clear my head and my thoughts wander all over the place. Do you think this could be a reason for slowing down ? If it is, I’m happier going slower as the headspace and thinking time is very good for me
Well done for running, and getting out there after being on the IC. Have you being doing exercises to help strengthen your ankles? Just standing for a minute at a time on one leg really helps the ankles and your balance.
First I have to say, do not compare your times with others as there will always be some people who run faster . But concentrate on varying the speed of your runs each time. A short run can be done as hill work or intervals, a 5k at race pace and a slow run for your longer distance. You cannot expect to run 8k at the same pace as 4k.
Thanks for taking the time to respond. I re-started Tai Chi while on IC for just that reason ... must try and keep it up as it definitely helps.I’ll have a think about how to vary speed more often. Think I’ve got a bit of research and planning to do 😁
Dexy5 has captured the formula which has worked for many of us; 3 runs per week, one short but with intervals, one 5k and one longer slower run. The magic of interval runs, with a mix of slow, normal and then faster paces is that, over time, you find that you are able to maintain the faster pace for longer periods and before you know it the other two weekly runs show the benefit. Typical intervals would be 30 seconds slow, 20 seconds your normal pace and then 10 seconds as fast as you feel comfortable....then repeat the cycle as often as you can on each occasion until you reach say 3k; I used to take a long slow walking rest in the middle of interval sessions too; because I needed it! It took me from 35 min down to 28:17pb for 5k runs in the second half of my sixties and it happened quite quickly. It was helped by starting Park Runs.....roll on their return!! Finally, only speed up if you want to do it; not a measure of success or failure, just a choice.🙂
Not sure I can give advice on how to get faster, but can give my experience of running even slower! I’m probably one of the slowest on this forum, also am struggling with weight and a health condition , but have been running 3 times per week since April.
I still need an hour to do my regular 5k, but it’s an entirely enjoyable hour. I have also bought into Tamaka’s slow running and this gives me the confidence to keep it slow.
I’m now on my way to 10k, have done a 6k, and these distances now seem really doable to me, but I now have to consider for the future that I will be running rather closer to 2 hours when attempting a 10k.
I do have sometimes some wobbles about my speed, and have also sought guidance from this lovely community. But for now I do confidently stand by my snail speed. It’s great for my joints, it’s great for my endurance and the runs are entirely delightful. I’m loving it.
So I hope I can convince you that speed really only matters if speed is important to you. But if you are looking for the general benefits of running, and to have delightful runs, I’d say stay with the speed that maximises your enjoyment!
Thank you for finding time to respond. I too have weight and health issues but have managed three runs per week every week since May except for a couple of brief IC visits. This is something I’m very proud of - hope you are proud of your achievement too.👏👏👏I’m really not focussed on speed it’s just that I didn’t anticipate gradually getting slower and slower. 🐌🐌🐌
The wonderful people on this forum offer such sound advice and everyone is so supportive.❤️
All the best with reaching the 10k target - something I would like to do too but just like you I need to set aside a couple of hours.
Thank you and yes, we will run on! I also spend a bit of time over on the Strengths and Flex forum, and doing workouts has been also fun! So not sure if you were aware there is a dedicated forum for cross training. Might just help a little bit as well.
You are doing really well, all the answers on here are fantastic, keep doing what you are doing, 3 times a week 3-5k is perfect, when you feel ready from this consolidation, really think about doing JuJu’s magic plan I found it really beneficial in improving my times over the plan due to the different distances and came down on average from about 45min for 5k to 35mins for 5k just by regular running, improving my stamina and having a plan to focus on. Hope that helps but above everything else enjoy going out running.
Thanks for the support and reassurance. I did actually finish Ju-ju’s magic plan (timed version) - perhaps I should revisit it for distance as I did like the structure or even maybe re-do same version - thanks for the reminder
We had a similar experience, absolutely loved our consolidation runs but we seemed to be getting slower...
We started the time version on the Magic Plan and have started doing little fartlek sessions for the short runs. We do a few minute warm up jogging then for the middle 10mins speed up between lampposts, then recover, then run to the next tree, then recover etc, then do a few minutes jogging to finish. It’s so much fun, and it seems to have helped with our pace.
I’m a confirmed slow jogger, I love it, and my advice would be not to overthink it! Everything takes its time, and so long as you’re enjoying your runs and not injuring yourself, it surely doesn’t matter how fast or how far you go, just that you got out in the first place. Keep on running, be safe and enjoy yourself cus you’re doing brilliant! 🏃🏻♀️🏃🏻♀️🌟
Thank you HG. I’m wondering now if it’s because I spend the time to clear my head so it’s not only a run - it’s sort of mindfulness for me too in other words not particularly focussed on running
I fully accept the conventional wisdom that running further, slowly, builds endurance and makes you capable of running shorter distances faster - but firmly believe that it doesn't happen unless/until you consciously increase cadence or stride length or both - and obviously you will initially only be able to do this over a much shorter distance. So .....
30:20:10 jog-run-sprint intervals as recommended by Beachcomber66 are good, but a bit brutal if done properly, which for me means eyeballs out 😜 for the 10 sec sprints, and needing to walk/stagger a few paces before settling into a slow jog for the rest of the following 30. Going off your current pace, walk-jog-sprint might actually be better, provided you do push the sprints. A 5 to 10 minute warm-up jog, then 2 sets of 4 30:20:10s, with a 5 min slow recovery jog between the sets, would be a challenging start, moving up to sets of 5 when ready .... You should be able to clearly see the difference between the phases if you look at a Garmin (or similar) pace trace.
Alternatively, and a lot simpler 😀, you could follow a warm-up 1k at your natural 9'00"/k pace with 500m or 1k at something closer to, say, 7'30". Maybe repeat once if you've anything left, but don't fret if you haven't. Next time, try to go a little further at the faster pace.
But whatever you do, keep on running!! Best of luck.
Thank you for responding and in such detail - much appreciated. My intervals have been just 2 paced so will definitely try your suggestion of 3 speeds. You’ve offered some alternatives which is what I need. I’ll have a go to see what suits me best - happy running 🏃🏻♂️
I think you’re right ... I thought I was putting variation in but I don’t think I’m doing enough. Need to work on plans to make runs a little bit different.Thanks for responding
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