Question : How to improve your running/walking pace?

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  • arl1286
    arl1286 Posts: 276 Member
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    Honestly at this point, your goal should be sticking with the program and increasing distances. You're going to see slow improvement. The first 3 months that I started running, my average speed increased maybe 30 seconds/mile.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,473 Member
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    I think if you drink 2 bottle of beers really quick,,, you will go faster,
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    Hello All,

    I am a beginner and started with my exercise routine exactly one month ago from today on July 9th.
    I do jog/walk 3 times a week and my pace now is between 13:30 min /mile to 15 min /mile which was 15 min/ mile even when I started.
    I have noticed that I have not improved much after a month of very serious efforts...
    I am wondering if there is something that I could do to overcome that plateau for the pace.
    Everyday I start my jogging with a firm mind of improving the pace but end up same time as before... can't figure whats holding me up...
    Any ideas? Anyone noticed same thing?

    - Sam

    Hi Sam, a month isn't "serious effort". If you have a pace goal, that's awesome, but in order to reach it you can't just go out there and run, you have to have some very directed training. Firstly though, you probably are at a fairly low level of fitness and your body probably isn't ready to be putting in long hard time. Start slow, realize that it's a long process.

    To increase pace time from where you are, add in more miles. When I started running I was putting in 16:30 a mile and shin splints were horrid. That was 3 years ago. On a light jog I did saturday to prep for my tri tomorrow, I did 10:30 miles after swimming for an hour. What made that happen? Running, a lot, more than I want to. Also, running further distances on hard trails in more difficult conditions. I stopped doing an early morning mile, I started doing a mid afternoon 4 miler on hills. The fitness gain from that allowed me to go faster at a shorter distance like a 5k. I figure once I'm going comfortably for a decent time on a half marathon, I'll have a sub 20 minutes 5k time.

    Once you have a good distance base (and you get distance by running for time, then running for distance), you can work on strength and speed. Strength comes from running hills. Do it until you puke. ;) Speed comes from being fast. Go to a local uni or highschool track, and do sprints. Do not do them until you're comfortably running a decent distance, like a few miles at a go.

    Most importantly though, drop weight, and do some load bearing exercises.
  • sazzyanne14
    sazzyanne14 Posts: 77 Member
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    Doing the C25K is all about getting through the session. The speed you run has no bearing on the completion of each day. Therefore I advise to keep up the program and after finishing it then start to think about the speed of the runs. Maybe repeat it like one of the above suggestions by consciously running faster on the jogs.
  • mjpTennis
    mjpTennis Posts: 6,165 Member
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    You get faster by running more.

    Please don't rush into speed work or anything like that.

    Run more
    Run slow

    Speed/Endurance will come.
    ^^^This. It works.

    I have been doing this for almost 2 yrs now, and I have never had such a strong aerobic base. I have noticed this in all my other activities, and my running paces are at a level I didn't even think about reaching - training for a marathon this Fall. Enjoy and good luck to you.

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