How to get faster?

[Jailbird]

So having completed Wk 9 on Thursday I was curious to see how far I was running in 30mins.Ive just completed a run and used Runkeeper to track my run. I'm just under 3miles is this a reasonable time for a newbie 59 Yr old? How can I get faster?

[DiscoRunner Graduate]

You get faster slowly! A key thing to remember is that when we graduated we’ve run a little over 8 hours. This makes us very novice runners and prone to injury. You need to build up many more hours/miles before addressing speed. And elite speed athletes do about 80% of training slowly. Just carry on consolidating your running until the 3x30 is comfortable then I’d recommend adding duration to one run per week to build strength and stamina, and then look at addressing speed. Also it is worth noting that as we age it takes longer to heel so the need to avoid injury is high for us. Some people though do find they don’t enjoy the running so much when working on pace, and slow down again! And here’s the thing - you burn the same calories running 5k if you run it fast or slow - it’s the distance not the speed that counts!

[Jailbird Graduate in reply to DiscoRunner]

Very good advice - thank you!

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

It is a brilliant time for you and comparison is a pretty futile exercise.......we are all different.

If you read the guide to post C25K running healthunlocked.com/couchto5... you will find links to articles about getting faster and doing intervals or fartlek etc.

The basic principle of getting faster is to spend 75-80% of your running at an easy conversational pace, to build stamina, then push hard for pace only on the remainder. Pushing hard on every run is a newbie error.

[Jailbird Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Thanks for your advice. It is always good to know where the pitfalls are and how best to improve.

[misswobble Graduate]

Stronger comes first. slow running and rest days build legs It takes quite some time to build running legs. Eg 18 - 24 months There’s no short-cut without risking injury

If you keep running every other day, increasing distance by no more than 10 % a week you”ll be getting stronger. Add in some cross training on rest days and you’ll amaze yourself

C25k+ Stepping Stones podcasts are a great follow-on and a natural place to start the next phase of your running journey These include running at all speeds - a bit kangaroo petrol 😁 but really good for bringing your running on

There’s a link for where to go next

Have fun 😃👍🏃‍♂️

[Jailbird Graduate in reply to misswobble]

Thanks for tips. I don't have time for the gym. Are there any strength exercises that can be done at home?

[misswobble Graduate]

Cross training is anything but running, so swim, walk - aim to walk absolutely as much as you can - cycle etc. Lots of cross training to be done at the park now they have equipment At home for sure ! I like own-body weight stuff as it means no equipment but I have got a set of hand weights. There are tons of places on you tube for workouts you can do in front of the telly, or dvd’s I tried do Nike Training club on my little phone the other day but I think there must be an easier way 😁. That’s free and loads of moves. Yoga is brilliant for runners My Tamal Dodge beginners was a fiver and it’s ace I do Jillian Michaels dvd’s as she incorporates all sorts so you get a good workout Her male sidekick was Bob Harper and I think he invented spinning - and he has dvd’s Out. A popular guy in YouTube was Millionaire Hoy

Have fun 😃👍