Longer distance? or Faster?

HeatherDee92

Which happened to you first when you began running?

I seem to be able to run a further distance than I ever thought I could, but I am not getting much faster at least not on a steady basis. I was just curious how it worked for everyone else?

Pebble321

Longer first, speed has been coming more slowly but I'm definitely faster than a year ago.

Just be cautious of trying to increase endurance and speed at the same time - I did this last year and ended up with an injury because I think it was too much too soon.

HeatherDee92

Longer first, speed has been coming more slowly but I'm definitely faster than a year ago.

Just be cautious of trying to increase endurance and speed at the same time - I did this last year and ended up with an injury because I think it was too much too soon.

Thanks! I will remember that!

BobbinTop

Yay for running!! It's hard work, eh?? I'm finding that it's getting easier to increase my distance the more I run though. So rewarding when you do it.

I increased my distance first. Then I tried to go faster, but I find that I get better results maintaining a moderate speed for longer. So I'm just going to keep slowly increasing distance. My goal is to get to 10km & then try to get faster.

runfatmanrun

Longer distance for me. The speed comes but my goal was always distance.

scottb81

As your endurance improves your speed will naturally improve also to a point. You will want to do some sort of speed training in the future though if you are looking to maximize your potential.

The right way to look at this is in the long term. The specific training adaptations you get from aerobic training can continue for up to 10 years with consistant and progressive training. At any given point during that time you can add some intense speed training and gain further improvement for several months. After that time improvement is limited until you further develop the aerobic system.

You didn't say how long you have been running but if it has been less than a year your biggest training payoff is to continue building the aerobic system and strengthening your body so that later you can begin to handle some intense speed sessions.

Don't run all your miles at a slow plodding pace though. Some days run longer at a slower pace and some days run shorter at a faster, but still aerobic pace. The pace should be tough and your breathing hard, but you should not be gasping for air - that is too fast. Do this once a week at a pace you can sustain for around 20 minutes. (the technical name for this is a tempo run)

The more days and the more mileage you can run, within your ability to recover, the faster and higher your aerobic fitness will build. Run what you are able to handle now. Every 3 to 6 weeks increase it a little. As you progress you will be able to handle increasing training loads. Within a couple of years if you stay consistant you will be running more, and further, and faster that you can possibly imagine.

BobbinTop

Nice post Scottb81