I’ve been running for a couple of years now and have surprised myself by being a complete convert. I love it!
A couple of things are driving me nuts though ...
1. I just don’t seem to be able to speed up at all. I still use the NHS couch to 5k to keep me motivated and judge my time. In the past I used Map My Run to gather a bit of data on distance run etc but it never seemed very accurate so I stopped. I tried again last week and it told me that I’d only managed 4.3k in the 30 mins which I can’t believe - I don’t feel that I’m going particularly slowly! This is also less than I would run a year ago when I used Map My Run. I am only 5’1” or so, so my short legs will make a difference I guess. Any tips on speeding up? I know it’s not important to get to 5k in 30 mins but I’d like to!
2. Already alluded to - Map My Run accuracy. What are people’s opinions on it? On my last run, I started it at the same time that I started running, so it should have shown me that I had run for 30 mins when Jo Whiley told me I had, but actually it hit 30 minutes almost a minute before. Which do you think is most accurate? Or is there a better (free!) app I should be using?
Thanks in advance for all your great advice !
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Nikkip1
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Are you going to up your distance? Move to 10k? That would help. You also need to slow down for most of your runs and do one harder run a week - fast or hilly. Doing 5k all the time at the same pace isn’t going to help. Get a garmin watch to measure with. Far more accurate. The 45s is a good decent one not too pricey. Honestly, short people are faster as they have a higher cadence. Or this is what I’ve noticed.
I was regularly doing 45 min plus runs before the first download but haven’t done so many for the last year. Great tips, thanks. Will investigate the Garmin. New tech is always a good idea!
I second the recommendation for a Garmin watch! It’s much more accurate and so useful. It will tell you your pace throughout your run, so you can see if your first km is really fast and then you slow down for the next few, or maybe you do the opposite. And it can tell you your cadence which is the speed of your foot steps, and lots of other things besides. And mix it up. Do a long run once a week or so, and do a speed workout once a week or two. Speed workouts are really tough for me but I read something once: You can’t expect to run faster if you never run faster. Haha obvious but true. You’ve got an internal clock telling your legs to move at a pace that they’re used to, you need to expose your legs and your brain to what it feels like to go faster. And by the way I still can’t get to 5km in 30 minutes! My pace started at about 8 or 9 minutes per km, now I’m at 7-8 minutes per km, with my best being 6:27...and all those stats come from my Garmin watch.
I agree with the others, up your distance and invest in a garmin. Free apps will never give accurate results . Longer slower runs can help increase pace on shorter runs. A 30min 5k isn't essential though, in my book happy runs are best. Maybe give yourself a break from that 5k target by challenging yourself in other ways eg a total monthly distance, a new maximum run distance etc. Happy running 🤗
Great ideas, thanks. I think I’ll aim for a certain distance in a month. It’s harder to fit in with the kids not at school though- I feel guilty being out for too long!
Yes to all of the above! 👍 I have a Garmin vivoactive 3 and I love it! Just one button, everything else done through its touchscreen, and it's also waterproof. Worth the investment 😊 In terms of getting faster, it helps to do slower long runs and then shorter interval runs, maybe check out the Nike Run Club app, it has a huge range of good guided runs, longer, shorter, faster, intervals, you name it! I do enjoy them when I'm in the mood for them and they do help with speed. Having said that, I'm still very slow, nowhere near 5k in 30. I've also never been able to run a 'faster' 5k on its own, my 5k PB was during a 10k run, and that one beat my previous PB achieved as part of a 9k 🤷♀️ good luck whatever you decide to do 🏃♀️🏃♀️
Up the distance (gradually). Also do short fast runs (10 min max) occasionally. And try different types of interval runs. You're already used to those from the early weeks of C25K.
There are 2 versions - exteniding to 60mins ir distnce to 10k. Uite a few if us on here went fir the 60 min goal first then jumped across to the equivalent point on the distance version. Good luck!
I find Strava to be accurate, what helped me was going slower but further at least once a week, also I have slowed down in general and aim to do most of my run in the cardio zone, but once a week go much faster on the last km. It also makes it more interesting. You could also try the Bridge to 10k plan...
Thanks for all your helpful comments and tips. I think I’ll start up Bridge to 10k again, make sure I vary my speed and look into a Garmin! Had been hankering after an Apple Watch but they are out of my price range anyway 😂
Hi Nikki, I’m little too and I use Strava and Nike at the same time on my Fitbit. I’ve been running for 18 months and couch25K, then the Nike 10k programme. It trains you to run at and recognise different speeds. So you might run for a few minutes at 10K pace, then rest or switch up to 5K pace. There are lots of different runs and programs on it. I’m sure you are running faster than your app is reporting. I run the 2 apps at the same time & I get a different result from both! Goodluck 😀
The other thing you might want to try is the C25k+ podcasts. One of them (Speed) is interval training. The music is truly ghastly though so you might be better looking for something on Nike Run unless you are hankering after more coaching with Laura??
I would suggest the Nike Run Club App, choose the 5k guided run and you’ll find the wit and wisdom of Coach Bennett will help you reach 5k in a good time.....it’s free too 👍
I am 5 ft 1 in and treated myself to the Garmin 45s before Xmas. My natural pace isn't that slow and I struggle to go slower. I found the C25k+ Stepping Stones difficult. I thought I was going as slow as possible, but the Garmin stats showed otherwise! My typical cadence is around 180 spm so I will have to work on going more slowly if I am to increase my distance. I have set myself a target to increase from running 5k to 10k by June, so aiming to do JuJu's magic plan.
That’s interesting. I do think I could do with looking at my data too. Do you recommend the 45? I might have to wait for a sale - the price at the moment seems a bit high compared to sometimes.
Hi, I like the 45s because it is a simple watch and was easy to get to grips with. I got it on special offer on Black Friday which was a bonus as I had been thinking of getting a smart watch. Before deciding I read lots of reviews. If you are going to get a watch do make sure it has all the options you would like.
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