Don't worry about coming in last. I did it, and I'm happy!

AsellusReborn

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/782125-i-came-in-last-in-my-race-this-weekend-and-loved-nsv


Anyway, tl;dr - it's okay to be a slow runner. Coming in last isn't horrifying - what you're doing for yourself is infinitely more important than how fast you do it

funkycamper

I replied in your other thread as well but I'll also say something here.

I'm not done with C25k so I did a 2-mile run yesterday. They also have a 2-mile walk on the same course. Not only did I come in dead-last amongst the runners...but quite a long way...but the woman who got first place amongst the walkers beat me. I was running and she passed me by and I could not catch her.

I actually think you're speedy as I'm doing more like 17-minute miles right now. But that's up from 19-minute miles just a couple of weeks ago. I figure the speed will come but I will never be fast or in a competitive class. Even as a child when I ran a lot, I was slow. I don't think I was blessed with very many fast-twitch muscles. I do plan on doing more sprinting and such once I get my running endurance up a bit more so, hopefully, I'll turn a few of those fast-twitchers on.

I'm actually in pretty good shape so it does perplex me at how bad I am at running. I do bootcamp, spin, kickboxing classes with ease and regular ride my bike 30+ miles including a few back-to-back centuries last summer. So I'm amazed at how running is so much harder for me. I'm fine cardiovascularly but my running muscles are super-weak.

Anyway, congrats on how well you're doing. I hope to be as fast as you some day!

AsellusReborn

I think that's actually where I started too - I know I had over-mapped the route I was doing so my speeds recorded for my early C25K weeks are not accurate, but it was definitely more than the 14 minute miles I thought I was posting, so have hope. I will never be fast - but I will be faster than I am now, and so will you Keep running and congratulations on your 2 mile race!


And one other thing re: the woman who walked finishing faster than you - there is something to be said about that too and I am not sure what it is, but my natural walking pace is about a 20ish minute mile. I have not gotten injured while running other than a case of shin splints (and I am tired enough that I couldn't figure out what was wrong with shint splins lol) - but - I did hurt myself a week and a half ago walking. ...yes, walking. I did an experiment that is silly in retrospect but it was because I didn't like the MFP divisions between walking and running - 4mph sounded super fast for a walk, so I walked for 20 minutes at 4mph to see if I could do it. I covered 1.38 miles, so I did it, but you know what? I hurt my ITB doing it because it was definitely not a pace my body could handle walking, the muscles you use to walk just couldn't handle that kind of speed for me. It's so embarrassing!


So long story short - don't worry someone walked faster. After that little experiment and talking to my 1-foot-taller-than-me husband whose normal easy gait is 4mph, some people are built to walk faster than others. Some of us just aren't! :flowerforyou:

funkycamper

Yes, I know I'll get faster as my running muscles get stronger. I have no problems with the cardio aspect. I mean, I don't get out of breath unless I'm going up a hill. I need to work my glutes and hams more because they're my weakest areas and you need them to have power in order to run faster. It comes from the after-effects of an injury I sustained so it's just part of my healing and fitness process.

Yeah, MFP's speeds for walking/running are odd to me, too. In September, my husband and I participated in a 10k where some walked, some ran. It was over a long bridge that closed one lane to traffic for 2 hours so you had to be off the bridge at the end of that time. I thought it would be no problem to walk 3mph or faster in order to get across in time. Well, I ran a little bit but mostly walked and walked as fast as I could. I had people shorter and much more overweight than I am passing me walking. I would try to keep up with them but just couldn't. Also had some ITB issues afterwards. Nothing serious, went away in a few days, but I found it interesting how different we all are and how we all can handle a different pace. Anyway, we ended up crossing the finish line just a few seconds shy of 2 hours so the 3mph pace was obviously a challenge for us. Again, this is strange to me because I can go on a hilly 30+ hour bike ride and not even be tired, sore, winded, whatever, I don't even bother with classes like Zumba anymore because no matter how high I jump or how much I wiggle, it's just not challenging to me anymore, yet walking fast is tough? Go figure.

I appreciate your encouragement but I don't really need it as I know that it's just a different type of fitness that I need to work on. The other odd observation I have is that running is improving my bicycling. My average cycling speed has picked up from 13mph to closer to 15mph since I started running. And steeper hills that were challenging on my bike are a bit easier. However, some of the folks in my running group can't bicycle at all without the same kind of soreness and fatigue that I get from running. A gal that regular runs in 10k races told me that she did a 10-mile bike ride a few weeks back and couldn't walk well for days afterwards and she was exhausted, and that she huff-and-puffed a lot on the bike ride. I found that surprising. It's just interesting that we all have our strengths and weaknesses, isn't it?

Well, let's both keep on keeping on and maybe, someday, we won't be last, LOL.

AsellusReborn

Ah hah, sounds great to me!

funkycamper

:flowerforyou:

NatashaRuz

So happy to see this thread

I'm gearing up for my first 5K in a few weeks. Finished Week8 of the plan today, and I'm getting slower instead of faster with each run. Granted, this morning I ran after not having run for a few days, so I imagine that had something to do with it.
I've been stressing over the whole "coming in last" thing. I am determined to not care what place I come in....so to know that others have struggled with the same thing is a relief

You're both superstars in my book!!!!

funkycamper

You might also need a few extra days off now and then for proper rest and recovery. Just a thought.

The race I did last Saturday was just a 2-miler as I hadn't finished C25k yet and wasn't ready for the whole 5k. The longest I had run without stopping to walk up to that point was 1.7 miles. After Saturday's race, I was really tired and felt a bit beat up so I took several days off from exercising. I usually lift weights and do other classes besides running and I didn't do anything at all. So it was a real surprise to me when I ran last night and actually ran an entire 5k for the very first time. I wasn't planning on it when I started out the door but I just felt good and got into a nice groove and decided that I was so close that I should keep going until I finished.

Per Endomondo, I ran 3.14 miles (I had told myself to run to the next corner so I went that tad bit farther). My times on each mile got progressively slower. A big drop from the first mile to the second, and then another short drop from mile 2 to mile 3. No matter, I felt good and just kept going.

Quite frankly, I was amazed. I definitely need to work on speed and pace but it feels like a real milestone to go the distance. Now I know I can do it!

Anyway, if I had gone out with my running group on Monday, I know I wouldn't have run well because I was so beat from Saturday and I may not have been able to run so far last night because my body might not have been up to it yet. I really think that extra rest helped. Remember, our muscles build when they rest so it's important to find a good balance between working out and recovery.