How do I get faster?

[LoonyLoo]

I’m one run away from graduation. But I am pitifully slow!!

In the run section of it I do 2.16k in the 30 min!

How slow??!!!!

Once I’ve graduated does anyone have any tips on how to safely get faster.

I am very overweight, have one hip replacement and an arthritic other hip (I sound like a bundle of fun don’t I!!!).

I want to get to 5K by the end of September.

All tips welcome!

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

There are ways of doing it, but I think I’d let the process you’ve started go on for a while. After graduation consolidate what you have done and your joints and muscles will continue to strengthen and develop. You are also turning up your fat burning system that will become faster responding. Then slow jogging will tend to burn fat better than going fast (relative to your speeds) and by going longer rather than faster you may see some weight loss from running. This will speed you up naturally as the work gets easier and the load is lighter.

Then interval work will put speed in and long runs will build endurance.

For now, congratulations on a very impressive job and enjoy graduation and the health benefits of being able to run for 30 minutes plus.

[Ang33333 Graduate]

Slow is good! I'm never going to be fast! I'm a happy snail. Don't worry, slow,and steady will get you to graduation! Then you can slowly build on distance. It's taken me 7 weeks since graduation to get to 5k! 🐌🐌🐌😀

[LoonyLoo in reply to Ang33333]

Good to know!

[Tasha99 Graduate]

Don’t worry about pace if you’re aiming for 5k. If you went faster, you’d end up stopping before 5k. Stay at your pace and build up the distance. You could do some intervals though if you wanted, once a week.

[LoonyLoo in reply to Tasha99]

It’s the 5k I care about. So I’ll just keep plugging away.

[Tasha99 Graduate in reply to LoonyLoo]

Try a ParkRun. Best things ever 👌🏽

[LoonyLoo in reply to Tasha99]

I want to do a park run in September. But I’m assuming I need to be able to do 5k to do one?

[Tasha99 Graduate in reply to LoonyLoo]

No not at all! People run/ walk. People walk all. Go and watch one. They’re so fab!

[LoonyLoo in reply to Tasha99]

I’ve already got my tags ready for a park run! I’m all geared up with nowhere to go 😂😂😂 I might go and do this Saturday then and finish the C25K on a high. I thought you had to be able to do a 5K to participate

[Tasha99 Graduate in reply to LoonyLoo]

Where are you? I walked my first in 48 minutes 🤗

[LoonyLoo in reply to Tasha99]

Portsmouth.

[Tasha99 Graduate in reply to LoonyLoo]

Oh. Far 😞

Your best bet is a super busy one. If you go on the ParkRun page for the ones near you, click on results at the top and you’ll see everyone’s times.

parkrun.org.uk/portsmouthla...

parkrun.org.uk/southsea/res...

[LoonyLoo in reply to Tasha99]

Blimey.

Mind you, a woman walking on one crutch overtook me the other day!

[ArthurJG Graduate in reply to LoonyLoo]

Parkrun is 5k yes but you don’t have to run it all, you can walk part of it or even all of it. My first one I ran 28 minutes because I was on week 8, then walked the rest.

[Hidden]

There is a podcast that helps with speed you run to music that’s been chosen because it has so many beats per minute I’m sure one of the admins will know how to post the link for you I’m a technophobe so not got a clue. X

[lexi6 Graduate]

Hiya Loonyloo I wouldn’t worry about your speed at all, you’ve got this far and don’t want any injuries so close from graduating. Parkrun would be brilliant, you could do your graduation run on it. Do your 5 minute warm up walk, run for 30 and walk to the finish, graduation run and first parkrun Win win! Then just enjoy being able to run for 30 minutes for a while before thinking about speed. You are doing brilliantly 👍

[LoonyLoo in reply to lexi6]

Cheers Lexi.

[lexi6 Graduate in reply to LoonyLoo]

I didn’t lose any weight at first, but I’ve really toned up and lost inches. Now that I’m running regularly and cut down, the kilos are starting to shift 😀 good luck.

[Beccym Graduate]

Well done for doing it.

Pace comes with time, intervals and hills help with pace.

Do park run as it doesn't matter how long they take you and will get you used to the distance

[PollyThePlodder]

Just think at the start of your journey you would not have been able to jog the 2.16k that you are now doing. Think of the achievements you've made. 2.16k further than you used to run, 30minutes longer than you ever thought you would be able to do at week 1 run 1.

You have come so far, the more you get used to your route the quicker you will get, set yourself little targets to get too in a quicker time or (if you listen to music when running) before you get to a certain point in a song. But first off you must consolidate your graduation and enjoy yourself for a while so you continue to enjoy running.

[Phil56 Graduate]

Wow you’re doing amazingly well ! Don’t worry about speed just keep going and you’ll reach the 5k. All the time you’re improving your fitness level