When will I run faster?

andrea9873

Question for fast runners who were once slow I'm slow. I am new to running, just finished my first 5K. And I'm super excited and just ready to continue on this running journey! But I'm super slow, I may run as fast as many walk. How can I build up to a faster pace such! I've already improved from 15:00 pace down to a 12:55, my goal is to run a marathon at a 9:25 some day...

scottb81

How much are you running now. The answer may be as simple as developing your aerobic capacity more. If you are not doing this already then increase your runs to at least four days a week and your weekly mileage up to at least 30 miles a week. Build a base on that for around three months. After that your feet and legs will have gained the necessary strength to do some speed training.

But even without the speed training you will get much faster just by developing your aerobic capacity.

My 5k pace per mile dropped by 4 minutes in a year with mostly just a lot of base training and a minuscule amount of speed work.

toadiejones

Good question. I'd love to get faster as well! Not really interested in 10k but wondering if I have to train with longer runs to improve my 5k time.

gmpearson

Running 5Ks faster is a little different than preparing for a 10K, Half Marathon (HM), or a Marathon. Scott has a good point, building miles definitely will build your endurance and increase your aerobic capacity. It flat out makes running 3.1 miles much easier. On the other hand, it is very important to build in some speed training through intervals or fartleks. I also subscribe to the school of strength training to build up the speed and burst, as well as prevent injury.

Here is my quick 5K story - hoping to add to it after my upcoming 5K on Saturday:

Oct 2009: 34:07 (did little to no running to prepare)
Oct 2010: 34:02 (did very little running to prepare)
Jan 2011 (mid): 31:22 (started running 2-3 miles 3 times a week to prepare)
Jan 2011 (late): 30:32 (same amount of running as above)
Mar 2011: 27:08 (started running 3-4 miles 3-4 times per week to prepare)
Oct 2011: 25:13 (running 3-4 miles 5 times per week)
Jan 2012: 23:57 (running about 15-18 miles per week AND intervals AND strength training)

I am now averaging about 18-25 miles per week, and hitting weights 3x, as well as intervals no less than 2x per week. I can feel a huge improvement, and obviously going from 11+ minutes per mile down to 7:44 in Jan is proof that the training works.

My goal for Saturday is sub-23, which I think is completely achievable.

Keep on running, add miles (in increments - not too many per week - about 10%), intervals, and work in some strength training.

On top of all of this, I am down about 25 lbs from my first run, so that certainly helps too!!!

GOOD LUCK!!!!

BAMFMeredith

This isn't scientific or anything, but I've consistently been a slow 5mph runner, until I recently switched up my 2 short runs during the week for HIIT, getting about the same amount of mileage just in a different way, and I'm now running at around 5.2 mph. That's not a lot faster, but I've only switched things up in the last month. Might not work for everyone, but I've definitely seen a difference personally

BrianSharpe

I'm still slow but the simple answer is that you'll become faster when you train faster.

One of the previous posts mentions HIT or you could build intervals into one of your runs and (and I hate these) you could run hills once a week.

Another factor is body mass, running is your body vs gravity and friction; as you lose weight your speed will (modestly) improve. (This is why marathons are always won by runners who look like they'd blow away in a strong wind)

BAMFMeredith

Another factor is body mass, running is your body vs gravity and friction; as you lose weight your speed will (modestly) improve. (This is why marathons are always won by runners who look like they'd blow away in a strong wind)

Haha the half marathon I ran last month was in conjunction with a full marathon, and the top 2 finishers were guys from Kenya who appeared to weigh 12 lbs. The top finisher ran the full 26.2 in 2:12 I believe. Faster than I ran the half. INSANE.

khagador

5 things to run faster

1. lose weight (every pound = 2 seconds per mile off your time [up to a certain point])
2. run more miles (only increase 10% per week)
3. run some fast runs like intervals
4. run hills
5. weight train

khagador

Good question. I'd love to get faster as well! Not really interested in 10k but wondering if I have to train with longer runs to improve my 5k time.

Simple answer: YES

kateroot

You'll get there. It takes considerable time. Interval training helped me a lot (bursts of speed for a minute or two followed by a slow jog for two minutes). I do 30 minutes or so of interval runs twice a week, with 45-60 minute runs at a sustainable pace 2 or 3 more times a week. My pace is slowly but steadily improving, I started out running a 5k in about 30 minutes, and I'm trying to get down to 26 minutes or less by this summer.

MaggieMay131

I'm not an expert and don't run TOO much, but I used to... but my husband runs crazy fast. So I'll just briefly mention what HE does:
(he's training for his next marathon with a goal of under 3 hours. avg. right now about 7 minute mile. his first marathon was 3:29 I think? so he's improving by doing this!)

2-3 days/week of high intensity strength training
2-3 days of interval hill work on treadmill (5 minutes flat, 3-4 minutes at high incline, SAME PACE)
1-2 tempo runs (casual run, start out slow, work up to almost or at race pace, then taper off)

Our coach at our crossfit gym suggested the hill training. It might be worth your time to try it out - just adjust the incline on the treadmill while keeping the same pace. Good luck!!

loseweightjames

Question for fast runners who were once slow I'm slow. I am new to running, just finished my first 5K. And I'm super excited and just ready to continue on this running journey! But I'm super slow, I may run as fast as many walk. How can I build up to a faster pace such! I've already improved from 15:00 pace down to a 12:55, my goal is to run a marathon at a 9:25 some day...

you just finished a 5k with a 12:55 pace and you're worried about your marathon pace? O_O .... think you should get to the point where you can run 26 miles, then worry about your pace. The speed will come, first work on distance

Ilovedrinkingtea

When will I be famous?xx

lorac321

I have no fitness advice but I would be happy to loan you a big dog that loves to chase people and I'm sure can run faster than you.

vick9180

Having a solid base of junk miles certainly helps covering the distance easier. But to really increase your speed, it's about adding in some speedplay (or fartleks) and intervals. Getting your legs used to turning over faster helps tremendously in being able to pick up the speed, and the base miles will help you in maintaining the pace. You might try getting in a couple of days of intervals or fartleks each week to work on your speed.

An example of a good interval workout would be doing 6-8 repeat 400s (1/4 mile) at race pace with 2-3 minute recovery. Get a good warm up and cool down in there as well. That would be a good gauge to see where you're at.

I ran competitively for 8 years, both in high school and college, and coached for 5 years...also have my degree in exercise science. Feel free to friend me or message me for any other tips! Currently training for a half marathon.

popsical101

Im in the same boat dont want to add too many miles tho as suffered from shin splints the whole of last year I run 5k 3 times a week at the moment they are starting to niggle again tho so gonna keep the mileage at the moment and try some interval training. On a gud note have nocked 30 seconds off my time tonight hopefully things will only get faster

Coyla

When will I be famous?xx

I don't know, but if you look anything like your profile picture, you're a cutie. :smooched:

Coyla

Question for fast runners who were once slow I'm slow. I am new to running, just finished my first 5K. And I'm super excited and just ready to continue on this running journey! But I'm super slow, I may run as fast as many walk. How can I build up to a faster pace such! I've already improved from 15:00 pace down to a 12:55, my goal is to run a marathon at a 9:25 some day...

Weight makes a big difference, of course, but you may not need to lose.

I started "running" at a really slow pace. I was pulling 17 minute miles. (I'm not all that tall, so don't make fun.) I had to really work on my pace, which wasn't easy. Once you get used to a pace, it's hard to get out of that habit.

I started by adding a minute of faster running, on and off like that. Then I increased it to two minutes and so on, until finally I got used to the new pace. My pace now is a tad over 5mph, nothing great, but a marked improvement.

Have fun with it. Add biking to your workouts. Do high intensity cardio to build the aerobic stamina, and add time to your runs.

BrianSharpe

Another factor is body mass, running is your body vs gravity and friction; as you lose weight your speed will (modestly) improve. (This is why marathons are always won by runners who look like they'd blow away in a strong wind)

Haha the half marathon I ran last month was in conjunction with a full marathon, and the top 2 finishers were guys from Kenya who appeared to weigh 12 lbs. The top finisher ran the full 26.2 in 2:12 I believe. Faster than I ran the half. INSANE.

I know that feeling, I ran a half in January in 2:17;43 and was pretty happy with it (my excuse is that the course was snow covered & slippery or else I would have made my 2:15 )

TNTwedell

Hills and HIIT
start slow but incorporate hills and/or HIIT in 1/2 your runs - will build muscle/endurance/etc

toadiejones

I did a treadmill class yesterday at my gym where we did "ladders?" For an hour, she had us running through sets of increases in incline & speed. Is this essentially the idea you guys are talking about? It was intense!

brandimacleod

bump

sjtreely

I'm not gonna tell you when you'll get faster because many have addressed that already. It will happen all in good time.

What I am gonna say is, "Bwhahaha ... I told you so!" Ha! I knew you'd get the desire to do a full marathon. I'm just smart like that.

andrea9873

I decided to continue on with the 10K training group my coach had. Honestly without this group, I'm not sure I would have even made my goal of under 45 mins, let alone even want to run!

Okay so here's my schedule thru April:

Mondays - Easy run at (conversation pace) 2-3 miles
Tuesdays - Cross Train 60 mins (bike, elliptical, rowing)
Wednesday - Track Workout (Speed Intervals) OR whatever Josh our running coach tells us to do. However for Today he told us we are running trail hills! :bigsmile: for an hour.
Thursday - Rest day, but I'm doing either yoga, stretching, or walk
Friday - Cross Train 40 mins, strength train
Saturday - LOOONG RUN (our last long run was 5 miles so not sure what I have in store for this Saturday just yet) stay tuned...
Sunday - Strength train

Need more days in a week

andrea9873

What I am gonna say is, "Bwhahaha ... I told you so!" Ha! I knew you'd get the desire to do a full marathon. I'm just smart like that.

You did tell me so!!! AHHH! Now I'm starting to dream of running...I am a "weirdo".

andrea9873

Having a solid base of junk miles certainly helps covering the distance easier. But to really increase your speed, it's about adding in some speedplay (or fartleks) and intervals. Getting your legs used to turning over faster helps tremendously in being able to pick up the speed, and the base miles will help you in maintaining the pace. You might try getting in a couple of days of intervals or fartleks each week to work on your speed.

An example of a good interval workout would be doing 6-8 repeat 400s (1/4 mile) at race pace with 2-3 minute recovery. Get a good warm up and cool down in there as well. That would be a good gauge to see where you're at.

I ran competitively for 8 years, both in high school and college, and coached for 5 years...also have my degree in exercise science. Feel free to friend me or message me for any other tips! Currently training for a half marathon.

Thanks so much! I will! Those track workouts are what helped me! I dread them but love them afterwards. the first time I had some calf discomfort from the speed, I guess I was running high on the balls of my feet. Not landing full heel.

lirparolyat1

My first 5K (since I started tracking my times) was about 36 minutes. I just finished the last one I did in 26:56. Several things have helped me. Once a week I get on my treadmill and do 1/4 mile intervals of my desired 5K pace and speed walking. I do this for about 3.5 to 5.0 miles depending on how much time I have. I also train on my 4-5 mile runs outside doing long gradual hills. I have found that these things have really helped me. I try not to run any less than 3.5 miles on a regular run day. Keeping these runs longer than a 5K, helps on 5K race days because my body feels like it can keep going when i have increased my pace for the race. Right now I am working on decreasing my longer distance run pace. That has been a bigger challenge. I am consistently at a 6mph pace for anything between 4 and 7 miles. Working to try to get that down for my next half marathon next month.

Tatyanne

Do you run in flat terrain?
I noticed improvments after starting running ups and downs roads.
Be carefull with the downs, the impact is more aggressive in the ankles.
My average pace was 9km/h (5.59 mph) and it's now 10km/h (6.21 mph).

Kisses,
Tatyanne

jonesdav254

I was in the Army for almost 10 years. During this time, I was the Master Fitness Trainer for our company and worked with soldiers that needed to improve their fitness testing scores (or be discharged for lack of sufficient fitness). HIIT was a key part of helping these soldiers improve their time. Here is the formula I had the male AND female soldiers follow. I hope this makes sense.

Your pace per mile (PPM) on the best 5K was 12:55 (roughly 13mins PPM). On a typical running track, this means you would be doing a 1/4 mile lap in roughly 3:15. With this in mind, use the track to help you apply the concept of higher intensity running. After warming up properly, begin a run and do 1-2 laps at an easy pace (slightly less than your ~ 13min PPM). On lap 3, increase the pace of the run on the straight portion of the track. If you divide the track into quarters, each straight portion is roughly 110 yards. Using your 13min PPM, this means you are running this distance in roughly 49 seconds. What you want to aim for is doing the straight portions in 42-44 seconds. This will be a 10% increase in your PPM on the straight portions. When you hit the curved portions of the track, immediately resume the PPM you initially started the run. Repeat this higher intensity running on EACH straight portion through the next several laps. Conclude your run with 2 laps running at your best PPM. Additional goals can be increasing the PPM you run during the curved portions of the track....or increasing the pace at which you run the straight portions. Obviously, the goal will be to apply any increase you are able to make in your PPM.

One other tip that helps IF you are a runner motivated and driven by music and rhythm (in the ARMY we often ran to cadence, vocal chants). I no longer run to these cadences, but use music to help me maintain pace when exercising/running/cycling. That's all fine and dandy...but the trick is to find music that matches your present or objective PPM.

Enter PodRunner (available on iTunes or at http://www.djsteveboy.com/mixes.html). BTW, PodRunner is free, but there is a request to make a small donation (although it is NOT a requirement to get any music selections)

When you are running at your objective PPM, count the number of times your feet are striking the ground in a 15 seconds. Multiply this by 4 and you have your BPM pace. Then look through PodRunner for music that aligns with your BPM. The length of the music varies and there are different styles of music offered. Next time you head out for a run, take your iPod, and turn on the PodRunner selection that matches your objective PPM (aka BPM). I've shared this tip with numerous friends looking to improve their run or cycle pace. Almost everyone of these people said they had successfully used this technique to improve their PPM and overall performance.

athensguy

I started C25K in the middle of October '11; before that, I had never run except a little in high school. I ran my first 5k in January at 22:15. I have another one this weekend which is on a hillier course than the first, but I hope to beat my first time at least a little. I personally did not do any speed work until recently because I didn't feel that I needed it yet and was still improving with just base mileage. My current training plan involves Easy Runs 4 days per week, a Tempo Run one day and a Long Run one day.

First, figure out your training paces. You can go to the following sites and get them:
http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/index.php/site/calculator
http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/trainingcalculator

Now that you know your training paces, go find a training plan.

Here's one: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_4/142.shtml

In that plan, regular runs during the week should be run at your Easy Runs pace, and the longer weekend runs should be run at the Long Runs pace. The speed work day varies in pace.

andrea9873

Do you run in flat terrain?
I noticed improvments after starting running ups and downs roads.
Be carefull with the downs, the impact is more aggressive in the ankles.
My average pace was 9km/h (5.59 mph) and it's now 10km/h (6.21 mph).

Kisses,
Tatyanne

the race was mostly downhill and flat. Charm City AKA Baltimore, MD

Josh challenged us with lots of hills, speed interval work and of course running past 3.1 miles up to 5 miles for our long runs.