W1 R2 - Am I covering too much distance?

[Fraz73]

So I did my 2nd run this morning and felt great. I had really tight quads from run 1 on Tuesday so stretched for ages first, took it easy and made sure to work through my feet when making contact rather than heel leading which I've read everywhere can shoot your knees out. It was soooooo much easier than run 1. Only the last 60 second run felt like pretty hard work but I pushed through and completed it. I just checked my route on runmyroute.com and I'm kind of shocked to find I covered 2.31 miles aka 3.7k and that's with only running 8 minutes out of the 30! I am a quick walker - always have been but I'm still surprised at the distance covered. But I wondered if this was really too far and am I still running too fast?

[swanscot Graduate]

No, it's not too far if you're a fast walker. I've just checked my route from Week 1 and I covered between 3.4 and 3.8km in the 30mins (I don't remember exactly where the podcast finished on the final stretch of the road back to the house). You may find that as the runs increase to 10 minutes and longer that your wish to slow down a little until you're confident with the distance.

Oh, and don't forget to stretch after the run. I do yoga stretches and yoga thigh openers as part of my routine on non-running days too.

[happierswimming Graduate]

Speed is a very personal thing. Some will run further than 5k in 30 minutes and some less. Go for whatever is comfortable for you and at a speed which is sustainable in the long term. You may have to slow down to manage the longer runs, but, with this programme, it's time that matters not distance. The aim is to get you exercising vigorously for the 30 minutes recommended for health. Happy running

[EnVadrouille]

You might have very long legs!