I am currently doing a 5k, 1 hr (7K) then a 10K in about 90 mins with 2 days rest in between. I would really like to get faster but my little legs dont seem to want to do it. Cadence is around 175. My fitness age is 62 according to Garmin which is 10% younger than I am and it predicts a 34 min 5K. How do I get faster. I remember Tony Sutton at school running faster backwards than I could forwards!
I am also an ex smoking blast furnaceman so my lungs are not 100%!
Hills were what helped me get faster. That and more recently, running more mileage each week at a very easy pace.
Thanks. The North York Moors are within a 10K round trip. Perhaps a run up Urra!
Yeah it’s not like you’ve got a lack of hills! 🤣
To get faster, many authorities say you should do distance runs at a slower pace. Your cadence is fine.
I can't fault your regime of 5k, 7k and 10k. Are you doing any hills in that lot or speed intervals (eg. fartleks) in the 5k run?
Have you tried doing a much shorter run (eg. 1km or 2km) at a faster pace?
Hills are still my nemesis, though they are proving less of a problem the more I run. I did the route I did today because I knew the first half was pretty much all uphill (70m elevation gain over about 3km) and the last time I'd tried that route I really struggled with it.
Are you doing any exercise on your non-running days?
Hills again. I walk the moors outside lockdown. Maybe jogging up rsther than walking. Give the other old f.rts a shock! I have tried jogging the walk bits of C25K wk1 and running the jog bits. Will go back to that on my 5K bits. The longer runs are really to prove to my sons I can go further than them! Japanese jogging those.
I read something once that I thought was so profound, I’ll share it: to run faster, you have to run faster. 🤣🤣. Sounds ridiculous obviously but the point was that your muscles have muscle memory and they are used to a specific pace. Your pace is probably very consistent, that’s the pace that your muscles, and your brain, know. Your muscles (& brain) need to be shown what it feels like to run faster, otherwise how will they learn? So you should be doing speed work once in awhile. Like once a week at most. Maybe make your shortest run a speed day.
The Nike Run Club (NRC, a free app) has some great guided runs with lots of speed runs to choose from. Your speed runs will be short, 15 or 20 minutes, and the speed portion will be super short, 30-60 seconds of speed with recovery jog in between.
Try some speed days. That’s what I do when I don’t have much time to run on a particular day or it’s colder than I expected and I want to go home...I make myself a deal that I’ll do 6 or 8 30 second hard and fast runs with 2 minute recovery runs, then head on home. It’s quick but I still feel like I worked hard.
Thanks. Interesting concept and sounds correct. I am 68 and not run properly for 50 years so I think my brain and muscles are well locked in. Will give it a go.
I did a coached run yesterday. I wasn't sure what I would be expected to do but I was prepared to go along with it. The first km it kept telling me to slow down, which I did... stats as per picture.
I should have stopped at 4 km but kept going to 5km.
My point? I wouldn't usually go that slowly for the first 2 even though I have been doing slower, longer runs recently but nor would I hit that pace at 3 km.
My slower longer runs are what has given me the speed(ier) option, but I don't believe the faster runs are healthier, 40% of this run was in maximum zone, so not something I'd always want to be doing. Usually I will do 4km at a more relaxed pace and then finish on a faster pace for the 5th km
So I am 69 and started running age 66 and live a few minutes from the start of the NY Moors; and I have asthma. So not so different. Two things helped me speed up about 18 months into running; intervals and Park Run. I used JogRunSprint, a really simple free app which you can set for a period of jog, run and then sprint (I kept the latter phase to about 10 seconds from memory). Just that, and joining Park Run, knocked me down from the 33 minute bracket to 28:17. Partly it is about working out what your potential is and building confidence. Just be careful; injuries await those who try to rush this and most of our runs need to be slow ones; with so much countryside to go at, long and slow and no visits to the physio seems best to me.🙂
Thanks. Will look at that.
Your cadence is already impressive. What does Mr Garmin give you for an average step length? Lengthening it is one way to go, but you can do yourself a mischief stretching it.
About 0.7m. Think my arse is near the ground. One of my difficulties is tight hamstrings and I cant stretch the legs at right angles to the ground. Its interesting as a friend goes about 210 and she is tiny!
A small suggestion: try a 200m sprint using Garmin to see what your potential step length and cadence could be. My step length increased from 80cm to 100, and my usual 145 cadence to average 160 (tops 180). This has made me realise that a 30 minute 5km is the stuff of dreams, so I go for distance and enjoyment.
Haha. Just worked it out. 1m is impressive though.
It only reached that length for that sprint! I’m about your age and by now our bodies know what our step length limits are. That’s not to say we should go back to sofaslug ways 🛋
Mine averages about 0.7m. My 5 year old granddaughter can walk faster LOL
I’ve run uphill slower than some walkers. Betcha Tony Sutton isn’t running backwards so fast nowadays.
😂
How to keep up motivation without a plan!
Slowly, slowly increasing distance and now know why in the plan there's a short run.
Didn't expect that when I got up this morning!
Got there in the end! 10k 🥵
Scary Restart to half marathon plan! 
