I keep seeing this advice pop up in replies from other runners giving tips about pace and speed. And I see seasoned runners having conversations on their phones or talking with their running partner. For my own part I’m always puffing and panting away through each run. Talking is the last thing I’d be able for. Surely that’s ok though? Either I’ve misunderstood something or I’ve got a serious respiratory condition. I’m pretty sure however that neither are the case. I’m running at a slow pace with small steps and spending a few weeks on each stage before I move on. I’m on week 3 and soon I’ll move up week 4. I’m getting so much out of the programme and I’m feeling really good about sticking with it and feeling tiny improvements as I progress. For me this is fantastic. And when ‘Laura’ is telling me to keep going even though my legs might be feeling it, I keep going, and I’m really puffing and panting at that stage. “ Having a conversation” is just not going to happen but I still feel good at the end and I get my breath back by the middle or the end of the 5 minute warm down walk. I’ve never yet stopped in any of the runs. But I have taken 2 weeks off at the end of week2 to rest my knee and dropped down a week when I restarted, wearing fab new trainers. What I’m trying to say is that I’ve listened to my body a lot during this whole experience and the changes I’ve made to pace, step size and footwear have been key to getting so much more out of this. So then, I suppose I’d like clearer advice about the idea of running slow enough (or is it just being fit enough?) to be able to talk during running.
Thankyou
Written by
Hutqueen
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A slow pace, one at which you can take full deep breaths and hold a conversation, is counterintuively, the one that builds the solid aerobic base needed to get faster. The speed at which you can run and hold a conversation is a good measure of your fitness.
If you're thinking 'run' ... stop right there. Starting thinking 'JOG' instead. Nice and slow, nice and easy ... your jogging should be nice and relaxed and your breathing is the best indicator of how hard you're working. Out of breath, gasping - very simply, you're going too fast!
For many, 'run' means speed or effort, sweating, breathlessness etc. All well and good, but if you're coming from the 'couch' that approach and mentality will result in only sad times. You may give up, you may get injured etc.
You should try and aim for a pace that means you finish feeling like you could on jogging for a lot more time if you had to. So that means, going at what we call a 'conversational pace' or a 'chatty pace' - one where you can comfortably hold whole sentences at.
I also feel like I couldn’t possibly have a conversation even though I’m jogging slowly BUT a couple of weeks ago I passed a friend on the park, I chatted as I jogged in her direction, carried on as I jogged on the spot for a bit, then jogged backwards as I said bye....what??!!!
What I’m trying to say is, you might be surprised. I try and make inane comments about the weather to people I pass, just so i know I can.
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How do you work out how far you have run?
Does anyone add runs during the podcasts? How many times do you actually run? What other exercises do you do in addition to C25K?
So unfit I couldn't run when I should have in week 1
How do you know when you have run 5K? How to measure the distance?
How long did it take you to actually run 5k?
