5K - Endurance: check! Speed: negative

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mynewyorkad
mynewyorkad Posts: 39
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey everyone! So today I finally made it to 5k in jogging, but I jogged the 5k in almost 52 minutes. That seems rather slow to me.. I have always been a slow jogger, but I would like to pick it up a bit.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to pick up my pace without tiring out quicker?

Replies

  • Alysgrma
    Alysgrma Posts: 365 Member
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    Bump
  • BobbyDaniel
    BobbyDaniel Posts: 1,460 Member
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    There are interval training programs available, but if today was your first successful 5K, celebrate that and keep working on endurance and the speed will come over time.
  • jrlitt76
    jrlitt76 Posts: 52
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    if you gradually build up speed, you will improve and your overall endurance will also pick up. try doing one speed workout a week (then 2 slow, easy runs and one longer run for endurance) I do speed pyramids for example: start out with a nice 10 min warm up, then do 1 min at an easy pace (say a 4.0) then do one min of a faster pace you can handle (like a 4.7) then you pyramid up
    2 mins of slow, 2 mins of fast, two mins of slow, three minutes of fast, two minutes of slow, four minutes of fast, two minutes of slow, five minutes of fast, two of slow and back down again...so then four mins of fast, two of slow, three minutes of fast, two mins of slow...then cool down...this will gradually increase your speed with out feeling like you are doing too much too fast. If you have to modify at first, then do that, say if you can only go up to three mins of fast and back, then do that and work up from there.....

    good luck and great job!!!
  • cathcakey
    cathcakey Posts: 288 Member
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    As a general the best way to increase speed is (unfortunately) speed work! Try doing some of your runs as smaller distances - maybe 2 or 3Km to start, and take them at a higher speed. Alternate this with your full distance runs and after a while...voila! Increased speed!!
  • rhodes2b
    rhodes2b Posts: 304 Member
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    I was the same way. Do the C25K or the next version of that which I found helped my speed. Instead of running 3-4 miles an hour - I know run 5-6 miles an hour.
  • ChRiStA_1983
    ChRiStA_1983 Posts: 380 Member
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    Congrats on making the full 5K! I would say, try to up your speed incrementally....If you were running at 4.5 mph, for example, next week, try the 5K at 4.7 mph....then the week after, try it at 4.9 mph.

    Build it up SLOWLY, and steadily!
  • skrentz
    skrentz Posts: 67 Member
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    Try intervals of different paces. One interval a bit slower than normal and one a bit faster than normal. Try to do the faster interval for a minute longer than your slow interval. Soon you will be able to do both intervals a bit faster. This is not based on any training knowledge, -but it helped my endurance and speed.:flowerforyou:
  • jeffrodgers1
    jeffrodgers1 Posts: 991 Member
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    Check to see if you have any specialty running stores near you... Running Room is where I go. But others do it as well.

    They have numerous programs for the beginning runner all the way up to the experienced veteran.

    You may even find something at your neighborhood Y.

    Sometimes running in a group helps as you pick up tricks of the trade and can work on pacing in a supportive environment.
  • Foxerlina
    Foxerlina Posts: 51
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    Hey there!

    If you are new to jogging/running then this is fab! The main thing is that you've got out there and pushed yourself to do it. You've also set a bench mark to improve on :)

    I started running last year just to prove that I could (I actually hate running, but I just wanted to push myself!) and I started off doing a few minutes or jogging followed by a few minutes of walking. By the end of the year, I'd completed a half marathon in 2hrs 20mins. Don't get me wrong, I couldn't run that now BUT if you put the effort in (e.g. 3x runs a week) then you get the rewards back. I also found that keeping a log of dates, distance, time taken and general comments about how I felt on the run really really really helped as I could look back and see how much i had improved!

    I'm working on the whole running thing again this year but where I stopped dead in my tracks with running in September last year I've lost all my endurance I'd built up. I'm not a naturally fast runner, and my fastest mile pace is 10mins.

    Good luck and keep me updated on your progress!!xx
  • mynewyorkad
    mynewyorkad Posts: 39
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    Wow thanks for the great responses! Looks like I have a lot to get me started on increasing speed!
  • mynewyorkad
    mynewyorkad Posts: 39
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    Hey there!

    If you are new to jogging/running then this is fab! The main thing is that you've got out there and pushed yourself to do it. You've also set a bench mark to improve on :)

    I started running last year just to prove that I could (I actually hate running, but I just wanted to push myself!) and I started off doing a few minutes or jogging followed by a few minutes of walking. By the end of the year, I'd completed a half marathon in 2hrs 20mins. Don't get me wrong, I couldn't run that now BUT if you put the effort in (e.g. 3x runs a week) then you get the rewards back. I also found that keeping a log of dates, distance, time taken and general comments about how I felt on the run really really really helped as I could look back and see how much i had improved!

    I'm working on the whole running thing again this year but where I stopped dead in my tracks with running in September last year I've lost all my endurance I'd built up. I'm not a naturally fast runner, and my fastest mile pace is 10mins.

    Good luck and keep me updated on your progress!!xx

    Wow a half marathon is amazing! I'm not sure I will ever get there (I loathe running, too..haha) but I am digging the 5k's. I have been jogging for the last 2 months and when I started I could barely run 2 minutes, let alone a mile. I am shocked at how easily I built endurance. The speed is just bugging me that I can go for a long ways now just not very fast.

    It's embarrassing when someone fast walks the speed you are jogging. Hah!

    Good luck with rebuilding your endurance!
  • rodneyderrick
    rodneyderrick Posts: 483 Member
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    Keep counting calories, losing weight, and running, and your speed will increase. Use the treadmill, stationary bike, and elliptical as tools to help you build speed and strength. When running on a treadmill, gradually try to incline it to 2% or more and keep increasing the speed. Don't over do it, listen to your body, and rest when you need to rest. Since you're only at the beginning stages of running, it's probably not a good idea to run more than three times a week. If you push yourself too hard, you can crack your hip, develop shin splints, and so on.
  • dante402
    dante402 Posts: 6
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    I'm not a coach, but back in the day I was a long distance runner and I remember what my coaches would tell me.

    If 5k is your goal distance or the distance you are setting a standard to then what you probably want to do first is be able to run farther than 5k but slower to build up endurance. So maybe when you can run 8k but at a slower pace then it might be time to build up strength and speed. That's when you run shorter distances faster repeating them with rest in between. For example 1km faster than you want to go x 3 with walking in between each km to recover. You can also run hills or stairs to build up strength.

    Finally you'll want to be good at gauging the speed at which you will run to meet your goal. That will take "pace practice." So if you want to say run a 40 min 5km then you'll have to run every kilometer in 8 minutes. So if you can find a 400m track somewhere you would try to run each lap in 3min 12 seconds exactly. (math= time desired divided by laps necessary to make distance) You could run a lap, walk a lap, run...

    Hope this helps, best of luck!
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    At this point the best thing to do is simply run more. You need to build endurance in order to be able to hold a faster pace over the distance. You also need endurance in order to be able to recover and benefit from the hard workouts. Build you weekly mileage to somewhere between 20 and 30 miles over the next 12 weeks. These runs should be done comfortably hard (not max effort) at a pace you can maintain over the distance. Doing this alone will speed you up considerably.
  • forthefab5
    forthefab5 Posts: 187 Member
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    bump
  • Foxerlina
    Foxerlina Posts: 51
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    Wow a half marathon is amazing! I'm not sure I will ever get there (I loathe running, too..haha) but I am digging the 5k's. I have been jogging for the last 2 months and when I started I could barely run 2 minutes, let alone a mile. I am shocked at how easily I built endurance. The speed is just bugging me that I can go for a long ways now just not very fast.

    It's embarrassing when someone fast walks the speed you are jogging. Hah!

    Good luck with rebuilding your endurance!

    Honestly, all I did was made sure I ran every other day....I started off with a small distance and gradually increased over the weeks. To help build endurance I would run the first part of the mile quicker and then slow down to a jog/walk towards the end and then keep repeating that until I could run the whole mile that quickly. I don't know if you are a member of a gym or swimming pool, but mixing it up with other exercises will help as well. I found that spin classes at my gym helped LOADS with losing inches but also improving my running form and time.

    Interval and speed training seems to be key to improving times, but don't get too caught up in improving speed. Some of us are built for endurance (like myself) and others for speed. Maybe when you go for your next 5k you can try running at your comfortable pace and then speed up for 30s fast jogs/sprints and then back again.....should knock off some time eventually....might be super red faced by the end of it though :P xx
  • tamcrit
    tamcrit Posts: 340 Member
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    Hey there!

    If you are new to jogging/running then this is fab! The main thing is that you've got out there and pushed yourself to do it. You've also set a bench mark to improve on :)

    I started running last year just to prove that I could (I actually hate running, but I just wanted to push myself!) and I started off doing a few minutes or jogging followed by a few minutes of walking. By the end of the year, I'd completed a half marathon in 2hrs 20mins. Don't get me wrong, I couldn't run that now BUT if you put the effort in (e.g. 3x runs a week) then you get the rewards back. I also found that keeping a log of dates, distance, time taken and general comments about how I felt on the run really really really helped as I could look back and see how much i had improved!

    I'm working on the whole running thing again this year but where I stopped dead in my tracks with running in September last year I've lost all my endurance I'd built up. I'm not a naturally fast runner, and my fastest mile pace is 10mins.

    Good luck and keep me updated on your progress!!xx

    Wow a half marathon is amazing! I'm not sure I will ever get there (I loathe running, too..haha) but I am digging the 5k's. I have been jogging for the last 2 months and when I started I could barely run 2 minutes, let alone a mile. I am shocked at how easily I built endurance. The speed is just bugging me that I can go for a long ways now just not very fast.

    It's embarrassing when someone fast walks the speed you are jogging. Hah!

    Good luck with rebuilding your endurance!

    Don't think you will never get there...when I started the C25K program last February I could barely run the 60 second intervals between walking. I completed my first 5K last May (walking about half), but continued to build up from there. I ran my first 10K in October and my first half marathon this January, so I literally went from couch to half marathon in less than a year. This year, I have a goal of running an event each month. In addition to January's half, I ran a 5K in February, a 10K this month, and have my second half in April. Mind you, last year when I starte, I was a 42 year old married mother of two. I also lost 50 pounds in the process. I never thought I would be a runner. I am still not very fast, 11-12 minute miles, and yes, I still sometimes take short walk breaks, but if I can do it, anyone can. Stick with it, build up a little faster and a little farther each week and you will get stronger. I am now amazed by how far I have come in a relatively short amount of time...your body is an amazing thing, just keep pushing it slowly and it will deliver. Good luck!! You are doing great...celebrate it!!

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