I run a 5K in about 29 minutes But I have been stopping sooo Strava tells me my pace is about 5.28 to 5.45 per km roughly but in average elapsed pace it’s about a minute and a half longer sometimes more so am I kidding myself ???
I get obsessed with the numbers so really push myself to get under 30 minutes but then if I’m stopping all the time then it’s not sustainable 🙈🤷♀️🤷♀️ I don’t stop for long at all but I suppose my question is to all you “actual runners” 🙈🤣 should I possibly slow down so that I don’t have to stop?
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Tracytrace
Graduate10
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Well done for being able to consistently run a sub 30 minute 5k, some of us can only dream of going that quick 😁Why are you stopping? Out of breath? Cramps? These tell you that you aren't getting enough oxygen to where it needs to be so you need to regroup and get things back to where it's comfortable.
Instead of stopping you can slow down or walk intermittently. This need not bring your overall speed down, if you Google Jeffing you can find out more. It's a system of alternating running and walking and a lot of people find it very helpful.
Also, remember that not every run has to be flat out. Slower runs build up our resilience and can make us faster in the long run, pardon the pun.
I can get obsessed with numbers too so I work with that. Over the summer I'd concentrate on keeping my heart rate below a certain number rather than going at a given pace. It's really quite satisfying.
I stop from just pushing myself too hard I think but literally for a few seconds , yes I read about jeffing, I need to stop my obsession with numbers 😁 thank you
🍏 I find starting very slowly & then upping the gears works better for me then stopping … confuses my brain otherwise 🤣 By starting slowly it gives the leg muscles time to transition from walking into running… 🏃♀️ If I am having a particularly uncomfortable run I would prefer to walk some of it, rather than stop … xx
This is a great point Annieapple . Pacing yourself, starting slowly and speeding up works really well.
My Garmin watch has a feature called PacePro Pacing Strategies - go to the 3 dots at the bottom of the Connect app home screen, then 'Training and Planning' and you'll find it.
So, if you say you want a 29 minute 5k it says you could run the whole thing at 5:48. Alternatively start running at 6:23, then gradually increase so that by the 3rd km you're at about 6:00 and the final km at 5:16. If you have a Garmin it's quite good fun to play with the numbers if you like that sort of thing
Suggestion: go for a run and don't record it. No watch, no Strava or other app. See how your run goes when you're not focusing on what the numbers say. 😀
Playing devil's advocate here: if it were to take you twice as long, would it matter to you? Would you feel that the 5k somehow didn't count because it wasn't fast enough?
Being able to run sub-30 5ks is absolutely a valid goal, and if it's really important to you, go for it, there are plenty of plans out there. Starting off slower rather than overcooking it and then running out of energy will probably also help.
Running a sub-30 5k is an impossible dream for some, and a piece of cake for others, so I personally prefer to define "actual runners" as people who actually run! 😉
I’d be surprised if that was actually the case! If you ran at what would most likely be a very comfortable 7 minutes per km (I’m basing that on my own experience), it would take you 35minutes. Only a few minutes longer.
It’s hard not to focus on numbers. What about focussing on other numbers that might help avoid chasing the pace? Try keeping to a 5/10 effort for a half an hour instead? How far you go doesn’t matter-it’s time on feet. I find running for time helps massively with staying at a comfortable pace.
Walk breaks are fine if you've overdone things (I do them myself), but it's probably best to get into the habit of running just below the level that makes you need to stop. That level will obviously change over time.
It's OK to be slow. The first two times I tried to do 5km in under 30 minutes I got injured: first was a doubly sprained ankle, second was a tweaked knee.
A few months later I smashed that barrier as part of a longer run and didn't even notice at the time. Why? Because I'd been concentrating on increasing distances and also doing fast/slow intervals.
Run by feel, not by pace.
Do some hard runs and some easy (slower) runs.
If you can finish a distance and feel like you could have continued on and done that distance again, that's a good easy run. At least half of your runs should be at an easy pace.
Vary what you do.
I do record all runs but I don't look at the figures during the run. My watch is set to show remaining distance and elapsed time only by default.
Are you enjoying the runs? are you aiming to run in a race?
Personally getting caught up in numbers sucked the enjoyment out of my runs. Mainly because even if the run was not enjoyable the after run feeling was. Until I started feeling annoyed about pace etc, then no happy after run!.
I very nearly stopped running as there was no joy.
Nowadays I start off slower, probably gain 30 seconds each km and if I feel like it I'll go for a faster final km, but that's not essential.
Morning Jell6 , I hope you’re well! I agree 100%. I read so many posts on here and on Strava about people feeling disappointed with their numbers, whether it’s distance, pace, VO2 Max, HR. Why should it matter? If it feels like fun and it’s a run, job done surely?
99.9% of us on HU aren’t running for anyone other than ourselves (bet there’s someone elite out there!), and if you run at 10m/km or 3m/km, that’s a whole lot better than lounging on the sofa.
So Tracytrace , why not try Cmoi ’s idea of ditching the tech for a run or two (hard I know!), and seeing if that helps you run at a comfortable pace you can sustain, just for fun. 😀
👋 Cheeky, I'm OK how are you!!!. I'm busy, but on here for the first time in a while because I'm trying to occupy my mind whilst my mum has surgery for a newly diagnosed breast cancer 🤷🏻♀️ She'll be ok I'm sure, it's stage 1. I'll try to drop in more often. X
Aww Jell6 , lots of love and best wishes to you and I’m sure your mum is in the best hands. Running is therapeutic of course, so a perfect time for a lovely run. ❤️
Hi, I cannot add anything to the advice already given but there is just one point to make- you said in your post that you wanted suggestions from "actual runners" . If you can run 5k trust me YOU ARE AN ACTUAL RUNNER. Some of us run short fast runs some of us plod along much more slowly listening to our podcasts or enjoying the scenery. We're all runners and you are one of us.
Do they have a pacer day at your local parkrun? maybe try running with the 29 minute pacer to get the feel for it.
As well as stopping me going off too fast I find they are quite encouraging when I feel like taking a breather. Our runs are pretty hilly so a pace setter is really useful.
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My longest run so far
A “Don’t Wanna Run” Run
Did my first 10k (or doesn’t it count?)
