Running on a Tredmill: Speed Progression???

soldiergrl_101
soldiergrl_101 Posts: 2,205 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have been running intervals for about two/three months now maybe longer, I started at 4.8mph for 30min. Now I run for 45-60min from anywhere between 5.2mph-6.7mph But this is where I have stalled I cant seem to go any faster even during 1 min intervals. What do you think the best way to proceed is without getting injured, should I drop the amount of time that I run and invest more of my energy into increasing the speed during that time. What helped you to go faster? I used to be able to run at about 8.0mph or an 11:22 mile 1/2 after I graduated basic training, that is my goal to get back to

Thanks

Replies

  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    Best way is to get off the treadmill and run in the road.
  • butlersoft
    butlersoft Posts: 219 Member
    Best way is to get off the treadmill and run in the road.

    ...and HILLS will increase your speed.....
  • butlersoft
    butlersoft Posts: 219 Member
    Out of interest though - what is your motivation for going faster?

    Are you trying to improve your 5km race time? .... or just run faster for longer?

    I do 5km on the treadmill 3 times a week at speeds of anything from 5.1mph (8.2kph) and 6.6mph (10.6kph). Sometimes when I'm out of breath, I'll drop down to 3.9mph (6.2kph) for around 60 seconds and then take it back up. Over the distance, I typically average 8.4kph (5.25mph) and my time for the 5k / 3.1miles is betwen 32 and 36 minutes.

    I'm not quick but a lot of people's standards but know if I work on the hills, drop a load of weight (I'm 250lbs - down from 288 in Jan) I can probably make a sub 30mins eventually.

    I'm also running my 3rd marathon in just under 3 weeks having done times of 6hrs 12mins and 6hrs 45mins previously. My target this year is certainly sub 6hrs but I'd love a 5:30.

    This means I need to do 12min 35second miles ..... for 26.2 of them and I know that it means I have to run a consistent 8.1kph (5.04mph) for the duration.

    Whilst I can happily manage that over a 5km distance, I know it's going to be a challenge for the duration; my cardiovascular fitness just isn't there for that type of timeframe.

    Weekends, are my long runs ... outside - taking in hills, different surfaces under foot. Bizarrely, after some time, you should find outdoor running easier; what feels quick on the treadmill feels slower outside because you're not restricted to a specific cadence and gait like you're limited to on a treadmill due to the belt length. As a result, I can take LONGER strides and move my legs SLOWER to travel FURTHER QUICKER.

    Treadmills are great for a workout and a calorie burn ...... but you should take in outdoor running to truely improve speed, stamina and overall fitness....
  • soldiergrl_101
    soldiergrl_101 Posts: 2,205 Member
    Ive already lost 40lbs so going faster isnt about loosing weight for me. I am an extremly competitive person and when I joined the military and went through basic training I dropped a significant amount of weight in 6 weeks and my mile and a half time went from 32min to an 11:22 min mile and a half. Now my goal is to get to where I once was I dont need to beat that time but it would be nice to get significantly close or equal to the 11:22mark. Right now Im at about 14min mile and a half. So I dont need to get to 8.0mph per sae just meet that goal.

    I would like to challenge myself to a half marathon this summer and hopefully do the rock and r\roll marathon out here in vegas in December but those are long term goals. I plan to take my running journey outside eventually but right now it is just too cold for me :)
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    I would like to challenge myself to a half marathon this summer and hopefully do the rock and r\roll marathon out here in vegas in December but those are long term goals. I plan to take my running journey outside eventually but right now it is just too cold for me :)

    Oh that cold weather excuse.

    Call me ignorant but I live in a place where it can get cold too. You wrap up warm a bit. Then you run and your body heats up anyway. If you cant bear the cold, what are the chances you can hack a marathon in December?
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    What helped you to go faster?

    A combination of long slow, tempo and interval training. It depends how many sessions you can do in a week and what other training you're doing around it.

    I do one long slow at recovery pace - 6:30 per km, one short recovery run and three interval/ tempo sessions per week at the moment and I've come down to a 55m 10k. Aiming to bring that down to 50m by the end of the season.
  • soldiergrl_101
    soldiergrl_101 Posts: 2,205 Member
    I would like to challenge myself to a half marathon this summer and hopefully do the rock and r\roll marathon out here in vegas in December but those are long term goals. I plan to take my running journey outside eventually but right now it is just too cold for me :)

    Oh that cold weather excuse.

    Call me ignorant but I live in a place where it can get cold too. You wrap up warm a bit. Then you run and your body heats up anyway. If you cant bear the cold, what are the chances you can hack a marathon in December?

    I wouldnt really call it an excuse as I am running more than 4x a week, so its not like i am sitting on my *kitten* eatting potatoto chips, just saying. However because I am anemic I am always extremly cold and therefore I would perfer to wait until it gets warmer outside before I start migrating my runs outdoors. As I get used to being outdoors and the months pass I am sure that I will adapt to the weather and be accustommed to the weather to run a marathon in December, where as if i was to go outside tomorrow in the freezing cold I wouldnt be used to it and rather than enjoy the run id be miserable. To each there own
  • soldiergrl_101
    soldiergrl_101 Posts: 2,205 Member
    What helped you to go faster?

    A combination of long slow, tempo and interval training. It depends how many sessions you can do in a week and what other training you're doing around it.

    I do one long slow at recovery pace - 6:30 per km, one short recovery run and three interval/ tempo sessions per week at the moment and I've come down to a 55m 10k. Aiming to bring that down to 50m by the end of the season.

    That sounds like a good routine. I do more interval training aka 1min at 6.4mph, one min at 3.2mph then alternate for an hour, than I do full length runs without stopping. Do you think I should incorporate more long and short runs where I just run straight through at a consistant pass rather than do intervals?
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
    Do you think I should incorporate more long and short runs where I just run straight through at a consistant pass rather than do intervals?

    Yes.

    Aerobic base is king. You get that be running slow, easy runs and by compiling lots of distance over time (think in the magnitude of months and years, not days and weeks). Easy runs at a conversational pace, which should be around 65% to 80% of MHR will develop your aerobic base the most effectively. So, add more mileage, more time on your feet at that easy pace and you'll start to see the results you are looking for.
  • gkauf744
    gkauf744 Posts: 128 Member

    Bizarrely, after some time, you should find outdoor running easier; what feels quick on the treadmill feels slower outside because you're not restricted to a specific cadence and gait like you're limited to on a treadmill due to the belt length. As a result, I can take LONGER strides and move my legs SLOWER to travel FURTHER QUICKER.

    Treadmills are great for a workout and a calorie burn ...... but you should take in outdoor running to truely improve speed, stamina and overall fitness....

    I always wondered why I felt like the treadmill required so much more effort for the same speed. I thought it was just me.
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
    ...what feels quick on the treadmill feels slower outside because you're not restricted to a specific cadence and gait like you're limited to on a treadmill due to the belt length. As a result, I can take LONGER strides and move my legs SLOWER to travel FURTHER QUICKER.

    I'm sorry, but this is complete hogwash.

    Longer strides just mean you are in the air for a greater amount of time. Longer strides don't occur because you are reaching further forward with your foot, they occur because you have a higher heel kick out the back because you are pushing off with greater force. Not to mention, one component of good running form is to have a faster turnover rate, not a slower one.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    As a result, I can take LONGER strides and move my legs SLOWER to travel FURTHER QUICKER.

    Following a discussion in the Long Distance Runners group I've found that shorteng my stride and increasing my cadence led to increased speed and better endurance. It's also led to less stress on my joints, so I'm more comfortable.

    Essentially much more of my energy goes into moving me forward than lifting my body mass up and down vertically as I pull my body forward over the lever of my leg. the rotational stress on the knee and ankle is lower so doesn't exacerbate historic injuries.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    That sounds like a good routine. I do more interval training aka 1min at 6.4mph, one min at 3.2mph then alternate for an hour, than I do full length runs without stopping. Do you think I should incorporate more long and short runs where I just run straight through at a consistant pass rather than do intervals?

    I'm working on 10K improvement, so at the moment my LSR is 15km and my short recovery run is 3-5km all at steady pace. The interval sessions are between 6 and 9 km all in, with 10-15 minutes warm up at recovery pace of 6:30 per km, then a variety of drills taking me to 4:00 or 3:30 per km.

    Tempos tend to be 20-30 minutes at between 5:00 and 5:30, following 10 minute warm up and with a 10 minute cool down both at recovery pace.

    Both interval and tempo sessions have extended warm up and cool down, so forcing more miles at recovery pace as well as the speed work component.

    It took me about six months of predominantly steady paced runs to get to the stage where I was finishing 10k in 65 minutes, and since then I've used the speed drills to take time off that. But the aerobic base makes it possible.

    All that said I couldn't do more than 20 minutes on a treadmill myself, I do all my running outside. As you're already spending an hour on the infernal machine these approaches should be achievable for you, but I appreciate that shifting speeds can be one of the few ways to liven up a treadmill session.
  • BamaBreezeNSaltAire
    BamaBreezeNSaltAire Posts: 966 Member
    Hills, sprints and run on the road!
  • numsquat
    numsquat Posts: 133
    What helped you to go faster?

    A combination of long slow, tempo and interval training. It depends how many sessions you can do in a week and what other training you're doing around it.

    This worked for me, took almost 40 min off my HM time in 7 months which was my largest time increase ever. Did my long run on Sun, cycled on Tue, tempo on Wed and Fri and intervals on Thu.

    And ditto the last few posts on cadence. I also worked on increasing my cadence and improved my time with less effort (based on my HRM reports). I could run as fast with a longer stride but used more energy to do it compared to shorter, faster strides.

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