Am I really supposed to be jogging so slow?

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  • Losershawn
    Losershawn Posts: 152
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    Thanks everyone for sharing. I am trying to do the C25K and this has been my struggle as well. This is all very helpful!
  • HolleeERL
    HolleeERL Posts: 313 Member
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    This is a great question -- i am alternating intervals to find the right pace -- and the biggest question for me (coming from a background of doing long distance walks) is how do you best build up the stamina in your legs for doing more distance? --

    I've been running only about a month usually 3 or 4 days about 5 - 7 K per run... Leg pain is what stops me now about 50 minutes to an hour in (street running and it's pretty hilly around here ,too<ouch!>)... not the cardio but the hammering mostly in my upper thighs and calves to a lesser extent

    The only way to build your stamina is to go more distance - work through the pain. There WILL be pain, but you have to determine if it's the kind of pain that is just dicomfort, or debilitating/injurous pain. Once your body gets used to going a certain distance, these pains go away. I heard a quote from a marathon trainer : "Try to make your short runs faster and your long runs longer." I try to live by that (I run half marathons). If you are trying to build up endurance, just work/focus on the distance rather than the speed. I do my long runs at about 5-5.5 mph (slower if I'm adding a lot of distance) and my short runs at 6.5mph. Hills hurt but great if you are training for a race! :o) Find a flat route if you can and try the longer distances there first. You know, it's fine to walk for part of your long run, too. Hope this helps.
  • HolleeERL
    HolleeERL Posts: 313 Member
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    Slow and steady wins the race.

    Absolutely!!!
  • jane77
    jane77 Posts: 489
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    your pace will get quicker? maybe maybe not I call myself a jogger. I have jogged off and on for years right now I jog just once a week but through other fittness programs I have worked my miles from 1 to now 8 every Sunday. am I any faster? no sometimes 12 min miles sometimes 13 + min miles I use to care and think I should be faster but htis would hurt my feet and knees so, really why. I love my run it's time for me ,its time in the great outdoor I don't feel I need to prove anything or rush that. Find your pace improve in distance or speed if you want if you don't thats ok it's your run not anyone elses.
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
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    Don't worry about your speed. Get yourself a heart rate monitor and train based on your heart rate. Aim to reach 60% of your HRM (Heart Rate Max).

    HRM (Women) = 206 - (0.88 x Age)

    To find out what your 60% range, take your HRM and multiply it by 0.6.

    Now listen to your body when your jogging / running and I bet you that 60 % will be lower than you "dying". Just maintain that for a while and over time you'll find you can run farther and faster because your cardiovascular system (and muscles) are becoming stronger and more efficient.
  • k2d4p
    k2d4p Posts: 441 Member
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    Slow and steady wins the race.

    Absolutely!!!

    I wanted to add that i agree with this. I wasn't trying at all to offend anyone with my comment earlier. When I first started, I had many, MANY workouts at 3.0/3.5. I certainly wasn't trying to say that 3.0 wasn't a work out. It absolutely can be!! Work at your pace and you will do great!
  • Newmammaluv
    Newmammaluv Posts: 379 Member
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    OMG I just about spit my drink out lol True though I guess.
    jogging is like walking while having a seizure you just kinda flail all around it burns more calories
    its called jogging not running

    I know, but doesn't it go walking > jogging > running...which would seem like jogging would be faster. Otherwise why wouldn't everyone just walk. lol
  • CherylYMerritt
    CherylYMerritt Posts: 114 Member
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    great post Jeff!

    I too started out slowly, in time you will get faster.

    One thing that I have found is that interval training ie: go 1 min up (faster speed), one min down (walk speed), two min up, two down, three min up-increase speed by one each min, three min down....well you get the picture. I found this interval training to be a great help. I noticed a difference in my speed the more interval training i did.

    Also, as my husband says, work on your distance first, then work on your speed.

    I started with running three minutes, walking three, etc. It all takes time.

    I found that my ipod was a great help. ..."just make it to the end of this song."..was my mantra.

    Just looked back at our times, when we first started our miles were 15 min miles, three months in were are closer to 8 min miles.

    Patience is a great thing.

    Good Luck!
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    I always tell people I'm slow as molasses. It's not about speed, it's about getting out there and moving and doing it. My theory is that I do what I can, and next time I do it better. I've been jogging the same route for the past 2 weeks and I'm excited to get out there tomorrow because when I was out on Wednesday I set a goal for tomorrow to conquer the "big hill" and then walk instead of the other way around.
  • Mamapengu
    Mamapengu Posts: 250
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    "Jeff Galloway thinks that you must be a competitive runner who wins races before you can call yourself a real runner."

    I've always thought that was a bit drastic. Recreational basketball players still play basketball even though they won't ever play on a pro team, recreational golfers still golf even though they may never win an event, etc. So recreational runners who won't will a race still are runners.
  • drad81
    drad81 Posts: 28 Member
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    As others have said, it's not the speed that matters, it's the motion in which you do it. Notice how much more tired and sweaty you get jogging rather than walking?

    Keep up the jogging no matter what pace it is.

    As Gpoitras said, a great idea to measure your progress and know if you're jogging to fast or slow is to get a heart rate monitor (great to calculate how many calories you're actually burning too) and work out what heart rate works best for you.

    First time I tried to jog 7km (and like you I swore I could walk faster than jog), I did it in just under an hour (55-58mins) and had to stop and walk a number of times. After using the heart rate monitor, I found that if I kept my heart rate at 150-160bpm I could do the whole 7kms only stopping once to walk. After a month that, I was doing the 7km jog in 43 minutes straight at a faster pace.
  • jlbay
    jlbay Posts: 473 Member
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    Just going to "second" what several have said here.

    You should go at a pace that is comfortable so that you can keep running longer. You build endurance, then speed. I'm a former runner returning after many years off. I was amazed that my beginner jog was as slow as walking. It is normal! Keep at it and the speed will develop.

    If you run too fast for your level you: Won't enjoy it and won't stick to it; Might injure yourself; Won't be able to run as long and you want ENDURANCE first; Might cheat on form in order to maintain speed (thus developing a bad habit and possibly injure yourself). When I started running again, I didn't even look at speed or distance - just time! That's where you have to start: time spent running.

    When you're a beginner, your progression is faster and more dramatic. So, don't worry, you'll get faster before you know it. Just stick with it! Congrats on your new adventures in running!
  • sarahbear1981
    sarahbear1981 Posts: 610 Member
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    3.0 is not jogging. It is not even walking very fast. My opinion is that the slowest jog is 4.0 at least. Personally I consider 6.5 a jog.

    Put back on the 102 lbs you have lost and then say 3.0 isn't a jog. Could you in all honesty really jog at 6.5 back then? Congrats on the weight loss though...Amazing.
  • RecliningFigure
    RecliningFigure Posts: 214 Member
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    I love jogging and usually don't go over 5 mph. But I hurt my foot recently so I decided that I wasn't going to hurt it more by landing on it with the jog. So I slowed it down to a natural walk for my height and leg length and up'd the level really high. Low and behold, I burned 100+ more calories in the same time that I normally burn while jogging. My point is this, it's about what you can safely do at this point in your training. When I first started running, it was really really hard. I'd thought I would die after a minute. Even today, it takes a little effort and focus to get over the "hump." It may feel hard, but if you keep at it, you'll get there. Just pick a reasonable goal and go for it. If you can't do 3 miles, then start with 1 or 1 1/2. If it takes you twice as long to get there, so be it so long as you try to get there. And as it gets easier, and believe me, it WILL get easier slowly add difficulty either with speed or with level (incline). But I would like you to think about how you run if you're a beginner. Think about how you land and your joints. There are many wonderful sites on running. I tend to think of running as cardio work. It's about your heart rate and if you can walk faster than you can jog right now, I'm wondering if walking would be the more effective workout (for now). You may want to test it out by wearing a heart monitor to find out where you're burning more calories. Whatever you decide is best for you (where you can most safely last the longest and burn the most) just make sure to focus and stick to it! Before you know it, by next year, 5k will be nothing to you.

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