I'm not getting faster (question, not just a vent)

[ohgillian]

I started running last April/May. I am pretty healthy, by which I mean I don't have any injuries, don't smoke, and am at a healthy weight. 

I am not really improving in speed, just endurance. I didn't expect to be Mary Cain or anything, but I'm still huffing my way thru 15 minute miles. I don't do speedwork very often, but I really thought I'd be at like 12 or 10 minute miles by now. Is it possible that this is just as fast as I go?

[ebeth]

How many mpw are you running?

[clseale]

Ditto, ebeth. How many MPW, and how many miles per run?

[Deleted]

Although it's boring, I find the treadmill a good tool to get faster. I like doing intervals. For example, five minutes warm up at "normal" pace, then repeat the following:

- 2 minutes at "normal"
- 1 minute at "fast"
- 30 seconds at "really fast"

On the 30 second one, you should only just be able to finish 30 seconds.

Doing these gets your body to experience what going faster feels like. When running outside, it's really hard to run faster with nothing forcing you to do it.

[ohgillian]

2 or 3 runs per week for a few (2-3) miles each.

I'm guessing this is not nearly enough?

[runaways]

Thinking back, I had to sort of learn how to get faster. I ran for years just for fun and I didn't know what it felt like to push myself. I finally decided a few years ago (training for my first half) that speed, and I just had to make myself run faster. It was really uncomfortable but you get used to it. I don't know if I'm explaining this very well. I think it's actually been easier for me to move from 9 minute miles to 8 minute miles than it was to move from 10-11 minute miles down into the 9+ minute range.

[clseale]

If you go out and run just one mile now, will it be faster than when you were just running 1 mile a year ago? You said your endurance is growing, but I'm wondering if your pace really isn't getting faster at the shorter distances, now that you are able to go further.

Also, ditto the treadmill suggestion. As much as I hate the treadmill, it was a great tool when I first started running. I would do one minute intervals. 1 min fast, 1 min recovery jog, back & forth for 30 min at a time.

[woowoo]

Do you have a track nearby that you can use? This was great to do shorter distance speedwork on. Run .25-.5 miles...rest...then run it again and try and beat your time. I like to keep it simple. =)

[chitownbelle]

To run fast, you have to, well, run fast. Incorporate some speedwork into your routine. 3 runs per week? Why don't you try one run with speedwork, one tempo, and one nice easy paced run. You'll never be faster unless you train your body and muscles to run faster. Your leg muscles need a little shake up!! Be careful of shin splints and be sure to stretch before (aerobic) and after (anaerobic) your speedwork (and all runs).

[gt7301b]

I think you need to run more miles before you focus on speed work. I didn't get faster until I was routinely running 15-20 miles a week.

[sadlebred]

If you are huffing and puffing, could you have asthma? It might pay to see your doctor to find out.

[water*drop]

It took me a long time to start getting faster. Once I was consistently running maybe 12-15 miles per week, I slowly started getting a little faster on the shorter distances (so when 5 miles was comfortable at a slower pace, 3 miles was comfortable at a slightly faster pace). It still only dropped a little on its own, though - I had to make a conscious effort to run faster to drop it more than that. Maybe try increasing your mileage a little and then try incorporating some speedwork.

[emilyinchile]

So the basic idea of "speedwork" should be a short bit of fast (whether that's 1 min or .25 miles or whatever) and then the same-ish amount of recovery jog?

I am another slow-y who has never gotten faster. I am way fitter than I used to be, but I just chug along at the same pace regardless of how far I'm running, which gets a bit annoying, so I might actually put some effort into getting a bit quicker.

[ebeth]

Feb 7, 2014 22:42:38 GMT -5 gt7301b said:

I think you need to run more miles before you focus on speed work. I didn't get faster until I was routinely running 15-20 miles a week.

agreed.  more mpw before you worry about working your speed.  I'd work towards slowly doubling your weekly mileage before you try to do devoted speed workouts.  in the meantime, I'd limit any 'speed' to kicking it in a little at the end.

[katinthehat]

Feb 8, 2014 10:57:34 GMT -5 emilyinchile said:

So the basic idea of "speedwork" should be a short bit of fast (whether that's 1 min or .25 miles or whatever) and then the same-ish amount of recovery jog?

I am another slow-y who has never gotten faster. I am way fitter than I used to be, but I just chug along at the same pace regardless of how far I'm running, which gets a bit annoying, so I might actually put some effort into getting a bit quicker.

all depends, there are different kinds of speed work.  Intervals are done over a certain distance (from 100 yards to a mile) with a recovery period of about the same length.  These are usually your fastest paces.  Tempo runs are longer than intervals but shorter than your race distance.  So usually between two miles to up to ten(ish?) miles.  These are faster than race pace but slower than intervals.  There are also more ways of mixing it up, like fartleks, where you are just on a regular run put pick up your pace for thirty seconds or to the next stop light, things like that.

[skwcm80]

Feb 7, 2014 22:42:38 GMT -5 gt7301b said:

I think you need to run more miles before you focus on speed work. I didn't get faster until I was routinely running 15-20 miles a week.

This! This is the first training cycle that I'm doing speed work
regularly, but I managed to get quite a bit faster just by running more.

[foundmylazybum]

Getting faster means incorporating speedwork into your workouts and it means doing it intentionally.

Sometimes it's short and fast, sometimes it's running faster and longer distances.

OP, running 2-3x a week at 3 miles on average is going to make it kind of difficult to get in speed work because typically you also need to do at the very least a warm up, and if you did a warm up of a mile, then..quite frankly a mile of speedwork isn't going to be that effective to helping you get faster--plus a mile cool down.

You might try simply pushing yourself harder on your runs. If you know you are at 15 min mile, then set the pace for 14:45-14:50 for as long as you can go. If you go for 1 mile then need a rest, good job, the next run work for 1.25 miles...we all had to get faster by pushing ourselves in this way.

[gt7301b]

Feb 8, 2014 10:57:34 GMT -5 emilyinchile said:

So the basic idea of "speedwork" should be a short bit of fast (whether that's 1 min or .25 miles or whatever) and then the same-ish amount of recovery jog?

I am another slow-y who has never gotten faster. I am way fitter than I used to be, but I just chug along at the same pace regardless of how far I'm running, which gets a bit annoying, so I might actually put some effort into getting a bit quicker.

There are so many different ways to incorporate speed work. You can go to the track and do 200s 400s, 800s,1200s, you can jog In-between or just rest. I usually rest You can also do this during a regular run, cause we don't always have time to go to the track.

You can also do tempo runs where you run faster for a longer distance. I personally find longer speed work to be most effective, say 800's to mile repeats. I also recommend reading Pete Pfitzinger's Racing Weight if you want to get more into the details.

[pamela]

I disagree that you need more miles per week to get faster. Just pick one of your runs a week to use as your speed work and just practice what it feels like to run faster. It doesn't even have to be all that much faster for the fast stretches. Your muscles just need to practice what it feels like to react that way (and how to not overstride doing it). It will come with some pushing yourself.

[Stingyshark]

Feb 7, 2014 18:26:22 GMT -5 chitownbelle said:

To run fast, you have to, well, run fast. Incorporate some speedwork into your routine. 3 runs per week? Why don't you try one run with speedwork, one tempo, and one nice easy paced run. You'll never be faster unless you train your body and muscles to run faster. Your leg muscles need a little shake up!! Be careful of shin splints and be sure to stretch before (aerobic) and after (anaerobic) your speedwork (and all runs).

This is my philosophy. 

Take what I say w/ a grain of salt since I haven't run in a year, and i'm currently on the gimped up for life list.. BUT, when I did run..... I hated speed work, I just could not ever get into it. 

The thing that I found most helpful was running with a group. There was a group of people that ran slightly faster than me and in order to keep up with them, I had to run faster. It took me a long time, but I finally started to run as fast as them and I became part of that group. They unknowingly pushed me to run faster.