Skip to content
  • Register
    • Viewing the message boards in:

    Running for an hour question

    Posts: 4,855 Member
    edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
    About 3 weeks I accomplished running for an hour straight. I do it twice a week now- Wednesdays and Saturdays around an awesome lake here in my city.

    I have NEVER been a runner. I could hardly run a block a year ago, no kidding. So for my body to do it for an hour straight, well it's amazing.

    Yesterday I tried out my Nike+GPS for the first time because I wasn't sure how far I was actually going. I knew how many calories and time but not distance. Well in my hour I ran 4.6 miles.

    What is a good goal (as far as distance) to have for my hour? I really need to work on speed, as I'm a slow one. So that's what I'll focus on now.

    For now, I'll be working on making that 4.6 a good 5 miles in an hour. Just want some feedback on what's a good distance goal for myself.

    Thanks!

    Welcome!

    It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.
    Sign In
    Register

    Replies

    • Posts: 19
      Good for you for running for an hour! On the treadmill if I'm doing that long of a run I set the speed at 6 mph, or a 10 minute mile. That's 6 miles in an hour. I think 5 is a good goal to shoot for!
    • Posts: 209
      Any exercise for an hour is fantastic, you ought to be proud for being able to run that long! So many people can't.

      I use mapmyrun.com to track my mileage and pace. I don't have any fancy GPS gadgets to track my mileage so being able to map my route and enter in the time I did it has been really useful.

      As far as getting more out of your run and/or improving your time, I highly suggest tempo and/or interval runs. Tempo runs you start with a mile warm up or so, then run a moderately fast mile or two and then another cool down mile. Interval runs are moderate pace to fast pace to moderate pace and keep going for your goal distance. I'm not an expert so I may be a little off in explaining that but that's how I train. Google tempo and intervals runs, that's how runners who want to improve their time do it. I'm training for a 12k and my first half marathon this May!

      I suck at running on the treadmill, it's so boring, I struggle to keep a ten minute mile, but when I'm outside, I average more like a 9:20 mile. The fresh air really does me good.
    • Posts: 79 Member
      Hi there and congrats! What an amazing achievement.

      I'm really not sure what to tell you about times and goals etc as different people run at different paces. What's slow to one person could be record breaking to another. The most important thing is that you're out there in the fresh air running!

      An initial goal might be to run 5 miles in an hour. Once you've achieved that, and the more your body gets used to running you could think about changing your goals. If you're looking for tips to improve your speed, have a look here: http://www.helium.com/knowledge/1266-best-training-methods-to-improve-your-running-speed

      Hope it helps and well done again!
    • Posts: 1,865 Member
      I think 5 is a pretty good goal too. I do 6.2 miles in about 1:05.. that's my usual time. For me working on my stamina was more important than my speed. :smile:

      Will you be signing up for an K's? They are super motivating!!
    • Posts: 1,260 Member
      If you keep this up consistantly I promise in a month you'll have another quarter mile in an hour. Building a running base is tough, but as you do and as you stay more consistant you will be able to go farther, faster.
    • Posts: 4,855 Member
      I think 5 is a pretty good goal too. I do 6.2 miles in about 1:05.. that's my usual time. For me working on my stamina was more important than my speed. :smile:

      Will you be signing up for an K's? They are super motivating!!


      Once I get more confident I will sign up for a 5K at least. Some days it's harder than others so I want to at least feel steady.
    • Posts: 4,855 Member
      If you keep this up consistantly I promise in a month you'll have another quarter mile in an hour. Building a running base is tough, but as you do and as you stay more consistant you will be able to go farther, faster.

      Two times a week.. is this good enough?

      I work out 5 times a week with other types of cardio and strength training but really want to give running at least twice a week.

      And I completely agree.. something about running outside with other runners (who pass me up but eh lol) is amazing. I can't do it on a treadmill!
    • Posts: 1,133 Member
      show previous quotes

      You do 6.2 in a minute and 5 seconds?!?!?!?!?

      Im assuming thats an hour and 5 mins
    • Posts: 1,260 Member
      show previous quotes

      Two times a week.. is this good enough?

      I work out 5 times a week with other types of cardio and strength training but really want to give running at least twice a week.

      And I completely agree.. something about running outside with other runners (who pass me up but eh lol) is amazing. I can't do it on a treadmill!

      It's a good place to start. I run 3-5 but started out at 2. Watch out. Don't catch the bug. :P
    • Posts: 4,855 Member
      show previous quotes

      Im assuming thats an hour and 5 mins

      God I swear I'm so dingy sometimes. Oops. My bad.
    • Posts: 909 Member
      i honestly dont care how fast i run. i go for endurance and how long i can keep it up! but thats just me
    • Posts: 4,698 Member
      I agree that a 5K then a 10K would be a great goal. Why not have one of your runs seeing how far you can go in one hour and speeding up a little each week, and the other building up distance slowly to 10K (6.2 miles). I'd recommend another shorter run mid-week concentrating on speed, perhaps doing intervals or fartlek.

      Don't worry about speed too much - it takes me 1 hour 20 to get round a hilly 10K, and I'm never last!
    • Posts: 1,260 Member
      I agree that a 5K then a 10K would be a great goal. Why not have one of your runs seeing how far you can go in one hour and speeding up a little each week, and the other building up distance slowly to 10K (6.2 miles). I'd recommend another shorter run mid-week concentrating on speed, perhaps doing intervals or fartlek.

      Don't worry about speed too much - it takes me 1 hour 20 to get round a hilly 10K, and I'm never last!

      Just for an opposing viewpoint. I'd say build your base first. IMO speed work without the base is a recipe for an injury.
    • Posts: 4,855 Member
      show previous quotes

      Just for an opposing viewpoint. I'd say build your base first. IMO speed work without the base is a recipe for an injury.

      What do you mean by base? Where I'm steady at a certain distance/ time?
    • Posts: 1,260 Member
      Just until your comfortable running for an hour to hour and a half without being totally spent or really sore the next day.
    • Posts: 1,378 Member
      Just until your comfortable running for an hour to hour and a half without being totally spent or really sore the next day.

      When establishing base mileage, though, do you mean to do the above x a few days a week? How many, for example...
    • Posts: 4,698 Member
      When establishing base mileage, though, do you mean to do the above x a few days a week? How many, for example...
      While you're building try three times a week so you're not running two days, err, running! This can be as slow as you like, say 6 on a personal scale where 1 is strolling and 10 is hard as you can go.
    This discussion has been closed.

    Welcome!

    It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.
    Sign In
    Register

    Quick Links

    Categories