Looking for some running advice

OtterAmber

Over the past 3 years, I've done quite a few half marathons, and smaller races. Although I enjoy the comradery of seeing some of my friends once a race. I'm getting tired of the distance, and that it is really hard for me to train with long distance runs. My times are pretty slow, even using the run walk method. My best half time is 3:00, my worst times are around 3:30, or about a 16 minute mile. I do enjoy 5ks, they are short and sweet and I feel like I get a really great workout, and I can run the majority of the way. My best race 3k is 38:42, so a pace of 12:30 per mile.

I want to stop doing the half marathons, and focus on just getting faster. I've lost 10 lbs so far, but I feel like my weight is also a big factor in how fast I am. I love doing the races because I get so see my friends, many of whom I only see when we do a race.

If anyone has any online resources that they could share or words of advice I would greatly appreciate it.

Tribonian

I also started running about three years ago and like the HM distance. I also swim and commute by bicycle when I can so get some cross training along the way. The only exercise that sped me up was interval training. My joints can't handle running on consecutive days so I use an elliptical trainer in the garage for my intervals. You might start liking the HMs again if they go by quicker.

Good Luck!

Mr_Knight

I'm finding Sprint/Olympic distance triathlons are perfect - reasonable distance, variety, and excellent results can be obtained by those with larger body frames (I'm 175 lbs of LBM!). Plus plenty of other people train for these, so comes with built in community.

CarsonRuns

The way to get faster at every race distance from 800m to infinity is to run more easy miles and to do it consistently. Build to 10 miles per week, then 20, then 30, then 40, etc. You will see you easy run pace naturally get faster. Also, if you continue to eat at a deficit, you'll see your weight come down as well.

OtterAmber

I also started running about three years ago and like the HM distance. I also swim and commute by bicycle when I can so get some cross training along the way. The only exercise that sped me up was interval training. My joints can't handle running on consecutive days so I use an elliptical trainer in the garage for my intervals. You might start liking the HMs again if they go by quicker.

Good Luck!

Ill look into interval training, thanks. I don't want to write off that I will never do a half marathon again but I know I am done with them for now.

OtterAmber

The way to get faster at every race distance from 800m to infinity is to run more easy miles and to do it consistently. Build to 10 miles per week, then 20, then 30, then 40, etc. You will see you easy run pace naturally get faster. Also, if you continue to eat at a deficit, you'll see your weight come down as well.

I'm not interested in continuing to log long run miles endlessly anymore, its not working for me.

CarsonRuns

The way to get faster at every race distance from 800m to infinity is to run more easy miles and to do it consistently. Build to 10 miles per week, then 20, then 30, then 40, etc. You will see you easy run pace naturally get faster. Also, if you continue to eat at a deficit, you'll see your weight come down as well.

I'm not interested in continuing to log long run miles endlessly anymore, its not working for me.

As you wish. I'd bet a dollar to a doughnut that if you consistently logged 30 miles per week for 6 months, you would chop huge chunks off your 5K time. Any of the FIRST or HIIT programs will give you short term gains, but they aren't sustainable. The path to long term success as a distance runner (defined as one who races 800 meters and up) is high mileage.

Our of curiosity, what type of mileage have you been running, how long and how consistently that isn't working for you?

OtterAmber

I do long runs one day typically Saturday usually at 13:30 pace for 3 minutes then 1 minute of walking. Short runs are 2-4 miles 2 days a week, I don't typically time them. My distance runs are building from 4 miles - 12 miles.

I usually Zumba once per week for fun.

I've been 'running' since 2011. I did initially start out totally walking, and have gotten faster in that I've been now doing my jogging intervals. So I have gotten faster, but I still feel very slow. Ya know?

I take winters (Nov&Dec) off typically because its rainy and dark very early. I just got a treadmill, so I will be trying that out this winter instead.

arc918

My $.02 - it sounds like you lack aerobic fitness, perhaps you should try cutting out the walk breaks entirely.

All the speedwork in the world will only get you so far without additional aerobic fitness. As per Carson wise words, this is built by logging lots of miles (most of them easy).

You could try adding some fartleks from time to time. Search the forum, I wrote a post about fartleks a while back.

OtterAmber

My $.02 - it sounds like you lack aerobic fitness, perhaps you should try cutting out the walk breaks entirely.

All the speedwork in the world will only get you so far without additional aerobic fitness. As per Carson wise words, this is built by logging lots of miles (most of them easy).

You could try adding some fartleks from time to time. Search the forum, I wrote a post about fartleks a while back.

So for my long runs I should eliminate the walks altogether? Would this be for both my shorter weekly ones too? No walking? I would probably have to do quarter mile distance increases instead of 1 mile step ups. Would I jog at 13:30 or go somewhere like 15:00?

snsmyth

I agree with the above. Stop worrying about your pace right now and increase your run/walk time until you are at 10 and 1's for all your runs. Then increase your pace for one run per week.

arc918

My $.02 - it sounds like you lack aerobic fitness, perhaps you should try cutting out the walk breaks entirely.

All the speedwork in the world will only get you so far without additional aerobic fitness. As per Carson wise words, this is built by logging lots of miles (most of them easy).

You could try adding some fartleks from time to time. Search the forum, I wrote a post about fartleks a while back.

So for my long runs I should eliminate the walks altogether? Would this be for both my shorter weekly ones too? No walking? I would probably have to do quarter mile distance increases instead of 1 mile step ups. Would I jog at 13:30 or go somewhere like 15:00?

I'm thinking you should try to cut them out of your shorter runs first. I bet you can go much further than you think once you change your mindset about it.

glreim21

I a not a fan of the traditional interval/speed work/hill training to decrease my running time. What helped me tremendously was trail running, started at 3 km now up to 16 km runs. So much fun, and when you start running your 5km and 10 km road races, they seem like a piece of cake after the trails.

ZenInTexas

My $.02 - it sounds like you lack aerobic fitness, perhaps you should try cutting out the walk breaks entirely.

All the speedwork in the world will only get you so far without additional aerobic fitness. As per Carson wise words, this is built by logging lots of miles (most of them easy).

You could try adding some fartleks from time to time. Search the forum, I wrote a post about fartleks a while back.

So for my long runs I should eliminate the walks altogether? Would this be for both my shorter weekly ones too? No walking? I would probably have to do quarter mile distance increases instead of 1 mile step ups. Would I jog at 13:30 or go somewhere like 15:00?

I'm thinking you should try to cut them out of your shorter runs first. I bet you can go much further than you think once you change your mindset about it.

I really agree with this. Drop the walking and continue to run at your easy pace. You have been running long enough that this shouldn't be a problem. And as Carson the wise once told me the key is consistent training. Don't take 2 months off in the winter, you lose your fitness and have to start over. Also judging by your picture you don't appear to be very overweight so that shouldn't be a determining factor.

froeschli

How is your technique looking? i only started this year, and just talking to a marathoner who gave me some points on proper running form has already changed near about everything i do. if you run more efficiently, it causes less stress on your body and makes the whole experience more pleasant.
i'd point you to look at natural running technique - there's a book called "natural running" by danny abshire (sp?) which covers the basics without being too esoterical....
ok, the transition from heel strike to forefoot was a bit painful at first, but after two weeks and a bit of stretching, it made a world of difference... (i started running this february, beganseriously looking into running techique around july, and through the summer i shaved 4 mins off my 5k time)
other than that, there's not much i can say; in theory the longer distances should really help you make it through a 5k in faster time... and hills are supposed to help a lot with speed too...

OtterAmber

I think I'm going to drop back my mileage, and drop my walk breaks completely. I'm going to do a 5k, novice plan, followed by a 5k intermediate plan, then an advanced 5k plan. After 6 months I'll reevaluate.

OtterAmber

How is your technique looking? i only started this year, and just talking to a marathoner who gave me some points on proper running form has already changed near about everything i do. if you run more efficiently, it causes less stress on your body and makes the whole experience more pleasant.
i'd point you to look at natural running technique - there's a book called "natural running" by danny abshire (sp?) which covers the basics without being too esoterical....
ok, the transition from heel strike to forefoot was a bit painful at first, but after two weeks and a bit of stretching, it made a world of difference... (i started running this february, beganseriously looking into running techique around july, and through the summer i shaved 4 mins off my 5k time)
other than that, there's not much i can say; in theory the longer distances should really help you make it through a 5k in faster time... and hills are supposed to help a lot with speed too...

Honestly I'm not sure. I never really was a runner ever. I dont have anyone who can critic me on my form.

arc918

I think I'm going to drop back my mileage, and drop my walk breaks completely. I'm going to do a 5k, novice plan, followed by a 5k intermediate plan, then an advanced 5k plan. After 6 months I'll reevaluate.

Nice plan! Reset and rebuild that aerobic fitness. Let us know how it goes.

Lisah8969

Over the past 3 years, I've done quite a few half marathons, and smaller races. Although I enjoy the comradery of seeing some of my friends once a race. I'm getting tired of the distance, and that it is really hard for me to train with long distance runs. My times are pretty slow, even using the run walk method. My best half time is 3:00, my worst times are around 3:30, or about a 16 minute mile. I do enjoy 5ks, they are short and sweet and I feel like I get a really great workout, and I can run the majority of the way. My best race 3k is 38:42, so a pace of 12:30 per mile.

I want to stop doing the half marathons, and focus on just getting faster. I've lost 10 lbs so far, but I feel like my weight is also a big factor in how fast I am. I love doing the races because I get so see my friends, many of whom I only see when we do a race.

If anyone has any online resources that they could share or words of advice I would greatly appreciate it.

Most of this could have been written by me! LOL! I have done 5 Halfs with my best time being 2:55. I do have one each 5k and 10k under my belt with just under a 12mm pace. All done with walking/running intervals. I love completing those Halfs (I am currently signed up for one in December and another in February) and I love the feeling of pride I get from them. But I also start to resent how much time it takes up! I long for those weeks back in April when my "long" day was over in an hour. I have all my race results and my training times from the past year and a half, so I can see how I am getting faster which I attribute to both training and weight loss. That does help keep me motivated.

If this is about seeing friends, I would continue to train and do the shorter races. And if they are doing a Half that you don't want to train for, why not still go to the race and cheer them on? That would be the best of both worlds...still seeing friends AND not being sore the next day. You may see that once you do get the speed up a little, you might eagerly want to do another Half. Or you might not. It's all up to you!

OtterAmber

I think I'm going to drop back my mileage, and drop my walk breaks completely. I'm going to do a 5k, novice plan, followed by a 5k intermediate plan, then an advanced 5k plan. After 6 months I'll reevaluate.

Nice plan! Reset and rebuild that aerobic fitness. Let us know how it goes.

Thanks for the help!

Runs4Wine

While I like the 1/2 Marathon races - I understand what you're saying about the training etc. It wears on you. I also find I don't lose weight while training - the opposite in fact (my PR is 2:30:00).

I have a half next month - the Disney Wine and Dine - but after that I'm going to focus on 5K/10K distances. I find that is a tolerable for me and I can actually lose weight when I focus also on diet.

I agree with others, reduce your mileage and work on your time naturally that way. You can do some intervals during the week to increase speed if you like. I personally like to just do the distance running and improve my time. I also avoid getting burned out because I'm giving up so much time on weekend long runs.