Running Speed on Treadmill

[Redrunner77]

Hi All, I completed my 3rd run of week 7 last night and have surprised myself that I managed to keep going for 25 mins. I was actually mentally giving up my 7 mins in!!

Now I’m managing to run this sort of time I wanted to see what others are doing in terms of speed please? I know at this stage the stamina is more important.

Thank you 😊

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Welcome to the forum and well done on your progress.

Speed is wholly irrelevant in comparison to other people and answers may leave you despondent or unbearably smug. Neither is very desirable.

Compare yourself to your former self, nobody else. We are all different.

The pace you need to achieve is one at which you can speak aloud clear ungasping sentences as you run, which will maximise your development. Faster is not better.

This guide to the plan is essential reading healthunlocked.com/couchto5....

and includes advice on minimising impact, stretching after every run, hydration and strengthening exercises, all of which will help.

Enjoy your journey.

[Redrunner77 in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Thanks for the info and link. I fully appreciate that it’s not necessarily about the speed. However with it being couch to 5k I would like to think I was on track to run 5k at the end of it. So not really worried about comparing myself to others just wondering what sort of speed I should eventually be aiming for.

Thanks for the response ☺️

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to Redrunner77]

Only a small proportion of graduates from this forum who responded to a poll, managed 5k in 30 minutes by graduation healthunlocked.com/couchto5....

Graduation requirements are that you complete three thirty minute runs, regardless of distance.

[nowster Graduate in reply to Redrunner77]

The scheme is actually misnamed (at least in the form in which the NHS app uses) in that there's no target of 5km at all. The only requirement is to finish with three 30 minute runs in the last week.

[Redrunner77 in reply to nowster]

Ha yes a little deceiving, they should remove the 5k part entirely. Thanks for info

[John_W Graduate Ambassador]

This should help you :

healthunlocked.com/couchto5....

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

My happy pace and my quick paces are very different… I run my happy pace much more often. Find the happy comfortable pace and use it, that’s what gets fitness and stamina up, and from those your fast will emerge… occasionally… all in good time!

If you can breathe easily, finish feeling like you could do a bit more, and talk on the way round, you’re running the right pace… and in that respect you’re running the same pace as me… wether you or I is physically faster will never matter, I’m not planning on any olympics!

[Redrunner77 in reply to UnfitNoMore]

Thank you, I appreciate the advise. I am currently just trying to build stamina and understand that speed will come after that. I am working on breathing technique etc too beforehand as I’ve not quite got that down yet.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to Redrunner77]

Perhaps read the FAQ Posts here healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

[Redrunner77 in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Yes thank you it’s very useful I am working my way through it 😊