From Disaster to a bit better...

[Sezza2u]

In my last post I said how on my return from holiday I'd found it hard to run and I had gone from running 25 mins a time to running for just half of it. Today I went out again, I slowed it right down and managed to run for 20 mins before I had to walk. I walked for a min then ran then walked then ran for the rest of the 25 mins. I know I didn't manage the full 25 mins but I'm pleased my fitness is returning.

One thing that confuses me is this speed v distance. Why is running a greater distance at a slow speed better than running a shorter distance at higher speed. Surely running faster burns more calories and you then just slowly build the distance. But the advice seems to be get the distance then build up the speed, why?

[Steve_L Graduate]

It's not the distance that's key, it's the duration.

[Redfraggle1 Graduate]

I assumed it was a stamina thing...building on distance means the rest follows because you have the ability to run for a longer time

Glad you're feeling more positive, I'm running tomorrow night and hoping for the same sort of thing...aiming for 20 mins and see where I go from there...x

[dagshar Graduate]

It seems a bit contradictory, but apparently it is actually the easier and longer (time) runs that are the best training zone for burning fat and building aerobic fitness. Regular runs like that usually improve your speed over shorter distances eventually as well.

See e.g. goodrunguide.co.uk/training...

[gary_bart]

You'll probably also find that with high intensity comes higher injury risk. If you're doing a long run at lower intensity, no individual impulse you're whacking into the ground via your foot is very high, but as you push, you might hit harder sometimes? Certainly you'd be placing more demands on joints and so on per stride. Of course the counter to that is it looks very much like injury is a cumulative thing, and if you're going at higher intensity maybe it actually just shows up the things you need to attend to better?

I basically went for speed when I decided to redo Week 2 (and others I'm now forgetting). I felt a bit uncomfortable running my struggling shuffle, and a bit freer running a bit faster, so I kept doing the early runs over, but faster all the time. Did it help? Maybe not? I'm on the IC, after all.

So in the end there I've said nothing, using two paragraphs to do so. (Speculation round and round in circles).

[ActonHighStreet]

As others have said the key isn't distance but duration. Once you can comfortably run 3x30minutes a week, you've got a solid base from which you can start speed or distance training - or even take up a completely different form of exercise if you wish.