C25K- speed advice please

_Clarana_
_Clarana_ Posts: 73 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I finished C25K without stopping today, 30 minutes! I was all excited until I checked Mapmyfitness and realised it was actually just 2.6 miles :( And that's with a sprint in the last minute, and with me feeling pretty tired about 3 quarters of the way through. I haven't been taking rest days though.

ANYWAY, I just wondered about how best to increase my speed- if I should start faster than normal, and slow down as I go on, or start as normal and just try to pick it up if I'm not on track? Or just keep trying? Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • aneary1980
    aneary1980 Posts: 461 Member
    I have finished 5k runner which is similar.

    I have found that only since increasing my distance have I completed 5k in under 35 minutes. So Maybe increase your distance or run 5k and keep running it and see if you can reduce the time.

    I would suggest that you start adding in rest days, I didn't until I hit 5k but it starts to get harder the more you push yourself.
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
    I did one in 38:12 on Saturday, but I am working on getting that time down to 30 minutes. I have found that gradually increasing the length and speed of the running intervals is really helping me improve my time.
  • TomZot
    TomZot Posts: 165 Member
    Generally your best bet is to run negative splits...start more slowly than you think you need to, then speed up and finish strong.
  • mymodernbabylon
    mymodernbabylon Posts: 1,038 Member
    I found that the more I ran it, the faster I would get.
  • lacewitch
    lacewitch Posts: 766 Member
    i am just getting my C25k under 35 mins ( with warmup walk)
    ut i wnet back and did the c25k program pushing speed at the intervals rather than run /walk
    I did gentle jog / run
    if that makes sense!
  • Samstan101
    Samstan101 Posts: 699 Member
    Speed will come as you get fitter. It took me a while after completing C25K to actually be able to run 5k in under 30mins. For now just add a couple of extra minutes of running on each time. As you get used to running for longer then you'll be able to run quicker for less time. After that if you enjoy it think about training for 10k and throw in a few speed sessions. If you have a local running club see if they have a beginners group as you'll get loads of help & support from them. Main thing is to enjoy your running! :smile:
  • PrairieRunner2015
    PrairieRunner2015 Posts: 126 Member
    I'd recommend adding distance/time on feet before worrying about speed. A lot of times trying to increase speed and distance at the same time will result in some type of injury. Generally speaking, most people will see an increase in speed when they just run more miles/time. I worked up to running 4-5 miles before working on speed (My time went from a 33 minute 5K to a 27:38 doing this with little/no focus on speed work.).

    I'm in the last weeks of training for a full marathon right now, but am taking the same approach......Building a solid aerobic base before trying to build speed.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    ^ PrairieRunner's advice is good. Wait until you've been running for 5 or 6 months before you work on speed. You want to ensure that your bones, tendons, and ligaments are well adapted to the stresses of running before you put additional strain on them from speedwork.

    Once you've gotten a base, you can do speed intervals: either moderate-length intervals at a pace that's faster than comfortable, or high-intensity intervals in which you go all out for a short period.

    You're currently running at just over an 11:00/mile pace. So you could try running 3-minute intervals at 9:00/mile, with a 3-5 minute rest in between (don't stop, but slow down to a comfortable pace). Or you could try Tabata intervals: run all out for 20 seconds, jog for 40 seconds to rest, and then repeat 5 or 6 times. It doesn't sound like much until you do it. Either way, the point of interval training is to push you beyond the limits of your comfort, but in a controlled fashion that will allow for you to be stronger after you recover. Intervals should be done only once a week unless you're experience and/or getting advice from a running coach.

    But first, build up that base.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    ANYWAY, I just wondered about how best to increase my speed- if I should start faster than normal, and slow down as I go on, or start as normal and just try to pick it up if I'm not on track? Or just keep trying? Thanks in advance!

    I'd suggest just getting onto a 10K programme and you'll find that with more miles under your feet then speed will come. Once you can run consistently for about an hour you can start thinking about speedwork, until then you haven't really got the aerobic base to really benefit

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