Running--Physical Differences in Pace

jenno369

I have long been aware that a speed that is walking for (seems like most) people is actually running for me. When I used to go to the gym with my husband, if we set our treadmills at the same speed, I would need to run and he would just walk. Since I have started dipping my toes into racing, knowing I am still building my running base, I have become very comfortable with taking things at my own pace and embracing the fact that I am slow, but I do get myself there. :-)

This morning I was at the gym and on the treadmill, I was running at 5.5/5.6. The person next to me was also running and we were step by step, in synch. When I got off, she was cooling down and I happened to notice her treadmill was set at 5.0...she was walking, much slower than when we were running. That means that when we were running, her treadmill had to be set to way over what mine was.

This really got me thinking..what is the difference? If our feet are landing on the same timing, it must be a difference in our stride length, with mine being much shorter than hers. The thing is, I can't imagine mine changing that much without feeling really unnatural (and I would guess risking injuring myself).

I am so curious about this as it has been a long standing thing with me, through varying levels of fitness, I am just a slow mover. It just seems so inefficient for my legs to be moving so much but for my body to be advancing slowly. In terms of form, or even strength, is there anything I could/should be working on to try and improve?

Elise4270

I suppose it would be stride length. I wouldn't worry about it. Run at your comfortable pace otherwise you may injure yourself.


5.0 on the TM, is running for meeting too. Anything above 3.5 is running.

deannalfisher

normally I would say something like cadence, but if you said you guys were in sync - probably something like efficiency in stride

kimlight2

I am also very slow and comfortable running for me on a TM is 4.7 with sprints at 6.0. Yes it sounds like stride length may be the difference but if you unnaturally lengthen your stride you may hurt your self or throw something else out of wack.

girlinahat

I can both walk at 3.6mph and run at that. It's about side length and how you are placing your feet. Technically running is having both feet leaving the ground at once, so a power walker can easily be faster than a runner. Short steps beneath your body are what I aim to do, with a fast cadence. It feels like running to me, and gives a better effect on cardio. A taller person or at least one with longer legs may be doing more of a walking fair, but we are both moving at the same speed.

kmarc33

Also, don't take speeds on different treadmills too seriously. They are notoriously inaccurate. Try to use the same one at the gym every time. If you're curious, set one at, say, 5.5 and run for 5 minutes. Then move to a different one and do the same. Did they feel the same? I mean, your gym might be great, but the gyms in my area aren't reliable.

jenilla1

Some people's legs are longer than others, and that's OK. Anything over 4.0 is a run for me. My husband is still just walking at 4.5 while I'm at a nice jog. My short Mom would be starting to run at around 3.5. Just means that if you have a shorter stride, you're going to have to work harder to keep up with the long-legged folks. You might have to take 2 steps for every 1 they take. (But I don't worry about keeping up. They can just get done early and wait...and wait...and maybe wait some more for me to make my grand finish.) It's all good.

mreichard

Many runners work to shorten their stride and pick up their cadence as part of improving form. I second the notion of not trying to lengthen your stride.

dewd2

If you have one foot on the ground, that is walking. If you have 1 or 0 feet on the ground, that is running (regardless how fast or slow you are going).

Proper running requires short, quick strides. You feet should land under or just a little ahead of you. Walking is longer strides that almost always land in front of your body.

Lastly, your cadence when running should be consistent regardless of speed. You should strive for170-190 steps per minute. For example, I am within 178-184 steps per minute when I am running a fast 5K or a slow marathon. The difference is distance I propel myself (stride length but not landing with my feet in front of me). If you were beside me and we were in sycn, it would not matter if I was running 5, 6, or 7 mph. We'd still be in sync.

rybo

Speed is determined by turnover & stride length. You can increase your speed by increasing cadence and/or lengthening your stride. But you don't want to over stride or you could mess everything up and set yourself up for injury.

Fruitcake1972

What a great question. Do you warm up and cool down on the TM.
If you do try the following:
walk your warm up 2 minutes at 2.5mph,
run 3 minutes at 4mph,
walk 2 minutes at 2.5 mph,
run 3 minutes at 4.5 mph,
walk 2 minutes at 2.5 mph,
run 3 minutes at 5 mph,
if you now slow down and walk at 3mph it will feel more or less the same as walking the 2.5mph at warm up. an indicator that you have now properly warmed up and your personal running cadence should feel comfortable.
Its all about having fun and understanding/ listening to your own body.

MeanderingMammal

jenno369 wrote: »

I am so curious about this as it has been a long standing thing with me, through varying levels of fitness, I am just a slow mover. It just seems so inefficient for my legs to be moving so much but for my body to be advancing slowly. In terms of form, or even strength, is there anything I could/should be working on to try and improve?

As long as your gait is appropriate, as described by Dewd upthread, the main thing that's going to change your stride length is the power that you drive off with; pushing yourself forward for a greater distance. That means that you're in the air for longer.

A lot of the progress comes from practice, getting the miles under your feet, and building in speedwork. You can help that with either weight training or something else that develops glutes, hamstrings and quads; cycling, rowing.