Help running faster

Tagging to see the advice given. I'm also a slow new and slow runner, but I'm trying interval training to speed up a bit. It is working slowly but surely. This link talks about the methods I hear of most often.

http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/whats-difference-between-fartlek-tempo-and-interval-runs

But it would be interesting to hear what more experienced folks have to say.

Intervals and speedwork are great tools, but honestly, without a decent aerobic base, they won't really get you anywhere. For a new runner, the biggest gains are going to come from doing long slow miles. Once your body is conditioned to run, then you can worry about 'sharpening' with speedwork. Even for an advanced distance runner, tempo or interval runs will only make up about 15% of the weekly mileage.

Thanks for the direct reply. My situation is a bit diferent than the OP's. I run 5k 4 to 5 times a week. I think I'm in a decent spot to add some variety to my routine for the purpose of increasing pace. On first reading, I thought the OP was coming to the end of C25K and was looking for ways to improve from the end of the program.

There is some really thoughtful advice here. Thanks to everyone who shared their experience and good wishes OP.

Tagging to see the advice given. I'm also a slow new and slow runner, but I'm trying interval training to speed up a bit. It is working slowly but surely. This link talks about the methods I hear of most often.

http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/whats-difference-between-fartlek-tempo-and-interval-runs

But it would be interesting to hear what more experienced folks have to say.

Intervals and speedwork are great tools, but honestly, without a decent aerobic base, they won't really get you anywhere. For a new runner, the biggest gains are going to come from doing long slow miles. Once your body is conditioned to run, then you can worry about 'sharpening' with speedwork. Even for an advanced distance runner, tempo or interval runs will only make up about 15% of the weekly mileage.

Thanks for the direct reply. My situation is a bit diferent than the OP's. I run 5k 4 to 5 times a week. I think I'm in a decent spot to add some variety to my routine for the purpose of increasing pace. On first reading, I thought the OP was coming to the end of C25K and was looking for ways to improve from the end of the program.

There is some really thoughtful advice here. Thanks to everyone who shared their experience and good wishes OP.

Oh, definitely then. You are a good candidate for varying your runs. How you do that will depend on your goals. A basic racing plan would be at least 3 runs a week (one long, one interval/tempo, and one recovery), with progressive mileage increase. I think 4 days is better for an intermediate plan, and you can add something like hill repeats. If you don't have a specific goal race/distance in mind, this is a good article about how to start incorporating speedwork into your running

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/general/speedwork-for-every-runner/167.html

Hey Folks,

I am cleaning this topic up a bit as its derailed pretty far from the starting line. Let's try to focus on the helpful advice and discussion that so many of you are already contributing to in this thread. If the thread keeps being derailed, please report posts and use the ignore user options.

Thanks!
Olivia
MFP Community Manager

My 2 cents:

I think she should complete the app before even reading about this!!! And after completing the app, she should work on beeing able to run at least 3 miles 5x a week....

OP: don't listen to people telling you to do speedwork.. I don't even do speedwork and I can run a 5k in less than 23min... The key is increasing SLOWLY your weekly mileage.

I will agree a beginner should focus on the basics, but I did not read her question that way. So if my answer is more advanced than her present skill set, I apologize. That being said, telling someone to ignore anyone talking about speedwork is an error (for my two cents worth). You may not need speedwork, and congrats to you for your run times. You are in a minority, however, and your advice goes against cross country/running coaches across the country.

She should have a lot more mileage under her belt before starting speedwork... Her muscles, tendons etc etc are not ready to go through the stress of speedwork... Injury waiting to happen!

good point

My 2 cents:

I think she should complete the app before even reading about this!!! And after completing the app, she should work on beeing able to run at least 3 miles 5x a week....

OP: don't listen to people telling you to do speedwork.. I don't even do speedwork and I can run a 5k in less than 23min... The key is increasing SLOWLY your weekly mileage.

I will agree a beginner should focus on the basics, but I did not read her question that way. So if my answer is more advanced than her present skill set, I apologize. That being said, telling someone to ignore anyone talking about speedwork is an error (for my two cents worth). You may not need speedwork, and congrats to you for your run times. You are in a minority, however, and your advice goes against cross country/running coaches across the country.

She should have a lot more mileage under her belt before starting speedwork... Her muscles, tendons etc etc are not ready to go through the stress of speedwork... Injury waiting to happen!

good point

Yeah, ^this.

:ohwell:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/30-couch-to-5k-running-program-c25k

I would have killed for a 14 minute mile before week six. You are probably going to get slower before you get faster, but you'll find that you'll drop minutes in a few months after finishing the program. And you will be a lot faster this time next year. Give your body time to catch up to being a runner. It's going to be awesome!

I'd suggest focusing on endurance first and finishing the C25K. Your pace will improve naturally with time and practice.

Pace will improve even quicker if she actually run's quicker

I believed this, but not anymore. After a strong base has been built, then speed work will definitely help. Doing speed work without the base will risk injury and won't give the same benefits that it would give later on.

The faster you run, the more anaerobic of an exercise it is. The more anaerobic it is, the less aerobic it is. The less aerobic it is, the less you will be working your aerobic system and the slower you will develop. When I slowed down and started running all of my runs at a conversational pace, I got faster more quickly than I ever had when running harder. I started getting PRs at distances during easy runs!

At some point, you're going to want to add speedwork to continue to improve, but it will be safest and most effective after a significant base has been built.

I haven't done any speedwork since my last 5K in July, but will probably start adding it back in soon to prepare for summer races. Right now, my easy pace is as fast as it's ever been (~9:05 per mile).