running question

[ijack]

I know I'm being a total PW, but I'm so bored today.
I am a really, really slow runner. My normal pace for 3ish miles is about 13-13.5 min/mile. I realized this weekend that I can walk at the same pace :/ I've been trying to increase my pace, but it's not going very well. Do you think it would work to start in the later weeks of ease into 5k and have my "walking" intervals be me running at my slow jog and then have the "running" intervals be me running at a faster pace? I suck at keeping track of my own intervals, so having the app really helps. If you think that would work how fast should I try running (I'm on the treadmill)?
Thanks!

[Susie]

Do you mean 13 min/mile? Because 13 mph is fast!

I have a hard time picking paces on a treadmill. Do you have a track anywhere near you? Our high school track is open for community members to run on when the school's not using it. I think that's a much easier way to do interval work and figure out what kind of pace is comfortable for you than a TM.

[Deleted]

Can you run the entire 3 miles? If so, I would start doing interval training. Do 1/4 mile at an 11ish min. pace, then slowly jog 1/4 mile.

[Wines Not Whines]

Yes, that would work. Intervals are always a way to get faster. Don't worry too much about speed though. It will come with time.

[ijack]

We don't have a great track near us - and I run in the am and it's not light enough outside (and there have been a lot of attempted abductions in CO and crime in my hood).

[Kore]

I know nothing about "speed work" but I know it really worked for mfluder. She did it with a trainer. Let me get her in here.

[ijack]

I can run the entire 3 miles - I can actually run 4 (haven't tried more) and have been at this pace and distance for 2 months. Try as I might, I can't run faster for an extended amount of time.

[Deleted]

Oct 30, 2012 15:06:37 GMT -5 @redbellpeppers said:

Can you run the entire 3 miles? If so, I would start doing interval training. Do 1/4 mile at an 11ish min. pace, then slowly jog 1/4 mile.

This. Break it up into a sprint/run thing....interval. Can you add hills or something too? I feel that I get more out of my running workout when I go outside and run the giant hill next to me versus running around the park.

I typically run an 9-10 minute mile because I like that speed better than sprinting around keeping it between 5-6 minutes. So don't feel pressure to run faster, run at a speed you feel comfortable with and change it up through intervals or hills.

[Deleted]

If you are running on a treadmill, I'd start increasing your speed little by little. Maybe run 1 mile at 11 min speed and then slow down for the rest, do that for a couple of weeks, then add.

I honestly haven't been working on my speed either but I naturally run somewhere between 10-11 min miles. I do want to get faster but I haven't worked on it yet - I'm still working on getting more consistent with running on a schedule. So I'm interested in the replies too since I'm not really sure how to get to the next level!

Honestly I think that I'm running faster than I was starting out (which was difficult to track since I was walking in intervals so it messed up my average) and I think that's just come with it getting easier as time as gone on. So that might actually be the key?

[Deleted]

Oct 30, 2012 15:10:59 GMT -5 blissanity said:

Oct 30, 2012 15:06:37 GMT -5 @redbellpeppers said:

Can you run the entire 3 miles? If so, I would start doing interval training. Do 1/4 mile at an 11ish min. pace, then slowly jog 1/4 mile.

This. Break it up into a sprint/run thing....interval. Can you add hills or something too? I feel that I get more out of my running workout when I go outside and run the giant hill next to me versus running around the park.

I typically run an 9-10 minute mile because I like that speed better than sprinting around keeping it between 5-6 minutes. So don't feel pressure to run faster, run at a speed you feel comfortable with and change it up through intervals or hills.

I am kind of a slacker now, but I was in my best running shape when I did different kinds of workouts. Like Monday = intervals, Tuesday = hill repeats (run up a short hill and walk back down over and over), Thursday = tempo run, Saturday = long run. All of these are really helpful, and my best 10K time was after I trained for a half marathon, so distance helped me with speed too. But I think that interval training is the single best way to improve pace.

[Deleted]

Oct 30, 2012 15:19:06 GMT -5 @redbellpeppers said:

Oct 30, 2012 15:10:59 GMT -5 blissanity said:

This. Break it up into a sprint/run thing....interval. Can you add hills or something too? I feel that I get more out of my running workout when I go outside and run the giant hill next to me versus running around the park.

I typically run an 9-10 minute mile because I like that speed better than sprinting around keeping it between 5-6 minutes. So don't feel pressure to run faster, run at a speed you feel comfortable with and change it up through intervals or hills.

I am kind of a slacker now, but I was in my best running shape when I did different kinds of workouts. Like Monday = intervals, Tuesday = hill repeats (run up a short hill and walk back down over and over), Thursday = tempo run, Saturday = long run. All of these are really helpful, and my best 10K time was after I trained for a half marathon, so distance helped me with speed too. But I think that interval training is the single best way to improve pace.

I agree with RBP. I definitely gained more speed after running up and down the massive hill. The first time I made it up without stopping or burning legs was like reaching the moon. LOL.

Do you live near a school with a track that you could run? Intervals are easier for me when I can see the distance I'm going, if that makes sense.

[mfluder]

Oct 30, 2012 15:08:03 GMT -5 Kore said:

I know nothing about "speed work" but I know it really worked for mfluder. She did it with a trainer. Let me get her in here.

Oh, boy, pressure .

I started pretty much where you are. What's running at 4.5 mph, because that's where I was in January. 5 minutes of that wore me out. My quest for speed was two part (both helped with a trainer plan). First, my trainer emphasized the need for muscle. I overlooked this a lot, because I figured I could run, plus, weight training made me sore and less able to run. I'm glad he made me do it - he said it was like trying to push down a wall, you can keep pushing all you want, but its just going to frustrate you when yo don't get anywhere.

Part Two, fartleks. Start "easy" (I'm not going to lie, these suck). During weight training I'd do five minutes, otherwise I'd try for 20 minutes, of sprint/walk. For me, starting out at 1/4 mi was just to far to sprint at that point for me. I'd do 30 seconds sprint, 60-90 seconds rest. Eventually it became 60 second sprints, 30 second rest (rest is walk).

I feel like sometimes speed work is counter-intuitive, because I feel like I spend most of time walking, and not running. But really, it does it make a difference, even when you are sprinting for 30 seconds and walking for 90 seconds. You should be giving yourself plenty of time to recover.

On one hand, no, I don't think speed is something that naturally comes as you run more (didn't for me), on the other hand, it is soon for you. It takes a lot of time (and a lot of really uncomfortable minutes) for change to happen. I can only really look back and see the change in 10 months, but while I was in it, nothing seemed to happened.

Other things that can help:

Hill running if you can (find a hill, run up it, walk back down it to recover - we don't have hills, so this is mainly theory for me...).

Running distance - I'm not going to lie, I stalled at 3 miles the longest time. But going on long runs (at much slower paces) I think helped me too.

[aurora]

Oct 30, 2012 15:07:35 GMT -5 ijack said:

We don't have a great track near us - and I run in the am and it's not light enough outside (and there have been a lot of attempted abductions in CO and crime in my hood).

You definitely don't need a track to do interval training. If you're running 13 min/mile in general, that would mean you cover a 1/4 mile in 3:25. So, you could approximate a faster 1/4 mile with running "fast" for ~3 min, then slow down for ~4 min, and repeat a few times (3-4) along with a warm up and cool down.

When you're first getting into intervals, it's usually a good idea to get back down to your "level 1" heart rate (the rate at which you could keep running your whole workout) between intervals, so if you need more than 4 min to recover that's OK. Later on you might be doing some intervals when you don't fully recover between them, but that's a lot more specialized.

I also like to run telephone poles and shorter intervals. For example, I'll sprint from one pole to the next, then jog for another 2 poles, then sprint again. Repeat 6-10 times. This sort of thing reminds your body that you can run at a faster pace without killing your cardio system.

Good luck!

ETA - I just realized I had a reading comprehension fail on the treadmill so the telephone poles specifically won't apply to you, but you can still follow the same idea of picking up your pace for short time intervals of 10-15 s.

[ijack]

thank you everyone!!

[Deleted]

You can also try a Tempo run. If you run 4 miles, do the first mile at your normal pace, the next 2 miles at a faster pace (like 11 mins per mile) then the last mile at the slow pace again. It's another good way to gain speed over distance. Good luck!

[Kore]

I totally googled to see if fartlek was a typo. What an unfortunate word, even if it's Swedish.

[mfluder]

PS: If time/schedule allows, I'd consider looking into a running club. Don't for a minute think you have to be somehow advanced for it, my experience with running clubs has been great, they really welcome everyone and are just excited that want to run too. Execution is my biggest problem - I'll claim I'm going to speed work, but I can't actually push myself to be so uncomfortable. A trainer and running groups have "made" me do this more.

[aurora]

Oct 30, 2012 16:39:40 GMT -5 Kore said:

I totally googled to see if fartlek was a typo. What an unfortunate word, even if it's Swedish.

You can imagine how entertaining we found fartlek runs in high school. Never a dull moment.

[moandjo]

All good responses. I run a 10ish min/mile. I do 2, 3-milers a week, a day of hill repeats and a 6-miler. I've done tempo and intervals in the past. All of these plus distance help a lot. I'd like to get a lot faster, but I've accepted I won't ever be a 7 min miler. Congrats on running - it has changed my life.