A bit more about speed

[Yesletsgo]

Recently a lot of you have been posting about how to get faster. A lot of us who have graduated have realised that speed isn't the be all and end all of running. The more I run the more I realise that it really isn't the most important metric of 'success', whatever that looks like.

I've run twice this week, about 3km both times. The first was on a paved path, the second over muddy fields today. It's been windy, and on Wednesday the wind was in my face on the way out, behind me on the way back. Today it was the opposite. When I checked my stats my fastest pace today was slower than my average pace on Wednesday.

What do these numbers, my pace in minutes per km, tell me about my runs, other than I got home to my breakfast quicker on Wednesday?

It tells me nothing about my effort. On Wednesday I was skipping around like an elderly gazelle at times, today it was a teeth gritted plod.

It doesn't tell me about my physiology, specifically my heart rate. This was a lot higher on Wednesday but I didn't actually notice it much. Today I felt the need to slow it down.

It hasn't made much difference to how I feel after the run. I'm equally content to have managed to get outside and miss the rain.

It tells me nothing about my fitness. I really doubt that, in the absence of illness or injury, this could change so significantly in 2 days.

What is does tell me is that terrain and weather are probably the biggest determinants of how fast you go. If you want to go faster run somewhere hard and flat, but where's the fun in that if that's all you do? There's a whole outdoors of parks, countryside, beaches calling and these beat being in a gym or suburban streets any day of the week.

So, enjoy your running. Find out what makes it meaningful for you, and never get hung up on the numbers, they are not necessarily your friend.

[Annieapple Administrator Graduate]

🍏🥰 Thank you for this excellent post and for sharing your experiences with us. Sound advice to our up and coming graduates! Thank you!

[Yesletsgo Ambassador Graduate in reply to Annieapple]

Thanks Annieapple

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Thanks for this.. another to be pinned! X

[Yesletsgo Ambassador Graduate in reply to Oldfloss]

Thanks Oldfloss

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Yesletsgo]

Just done x

[Sax64 Graduate]

Very true and well said couldn't have put it any better

[Yesletsgo Ambassador Graduate in reply to Sax64]

Thanks Sax64

[SueAppleRun Graduate]

Absolutely well said. I'm mostly really slow and when I am my heartrate plods along, when I go faster it goes up accordingly. When I do run walk intervals I feel less tired at the end especially on longer runs, but I also feel less accomplished, nothing like a steady 5 or more k all run, however slow.

[Yesletsgo Ambassador Graduate in reply to SueAppleRun]

Sometimes the best thing you can do is have a bit of a walk, no point in pushing yourself beyond the point where your heart tells you it's all getting a bit too much. A slower run (with or without walking bits) generally leaves me feeling much more energised than a faster one.

[nowster Graduate]

Totally agree. My numbers have been going downhill since a peak this summer. Mainly it's been because I haven't been running anywhere near as regularly as I was then.

[Yesletsgo Ambassador Graduate in reply to nowster]

It's all about consistency isn't it? Between the heat of the summer and the general gloom of the winter it can be all too easy to make an excuse and miss a run which doesn't help at all.

[pinkglen Graduate]

I love your post. I used to care about numbers, speed , pace etc etc. Now, I just get out there and run. 🏃

[Yesletsgo Ambassador Graduate in reply to pinkglen]

Thank you, great minds think alike

[Yesletsgo Ambassador Graduate in reply to pinkglen]

The numbers aren't important unless it's actually your job to run faster than anyone else. Much better to run how you feel

[RunMyWay Graduate]

Great advice 👍🏻