Am I really supposed to be jogging so slow?

its called jogging not running

I had to majorly slow down my jog today for day 2 of C25K. (Day one 1 about died) I tried the "pledge of allegiance" test, and in order for me to jog & talk at the same time...well...I was really really slow. It felt more like a bouncy walk than a jog. My husband says thats what a jog is...a bouncy walk. :laugh: But I always thought jogging was faster than walking, I can WALK faster than I was jogging today.

Is it normal to be jogging at around 3mph, or slower when you first start?

I know when you get above 5 mph walking is more difficult than jogging, but I don't remember about slower (I'm thinking jogging is harder).

More appropriately, jogging (and running) is just a series of short, one legged jumps.

jogging is like walking while having a seizure you just kinda flail all around it burns more calories

its called jogging not running

I know, but doesn't it go walking > jogging > running...which would seem like jogging would be faster. Otherwise why wouldn't everyone just walk. lol

You're not "supposed" to be going any specific speed - if your jog is 3 mph, then your jog is 3 mph. Your body will adjust (it may take some time) and soon you'll find that your jog is definitely distinct from your walk and that a run is a clear exertion (i.e. you can't have a conversation with someone while you're doing it). Everyone has their own jogging speed. When I'm at the gym, the guy next to me on the treadmill might be 6'6" and consider 7 mph a jog, while I consider 7 mph a run. It's all relative.

I don't know if this will help at all, but I consider my walking range to be anything beneath ~4 mph, my jogging range 4-5.5 mph, and my running range anything that's above 5.5. Those are arbitrary cutoffs, of course, and they have changed since I first started running (which was only a few weeks ago).

I only started running about a year and half ago and in all honesty....even though I can run at 5.5 on the treadmill having a conversation at that speed is still not going to happen for me. I live at high altitude which sort of complicates that problem but if I were to jog at a rate that I was able to talk at I would just be walking. I just figure I will keep getting better if I keep working at it. Good luck with your jogging!

I had the same question when I first started the c25k. This is the advice given to me and it has worked so far. The c25k is not about speed, it is about endurance. Getting you to that point where you can jog for the 30 minutes at a time. Then start to worry about speed. Once you have the endurance increase your speed and distance a little each week until you are where you want to be. At first I was walking at 3.5 and jogging at 4.0 Now I am on week 4. I still walk at 3.5 and I now jog between 5.5 and 6.0 but I am not feeling like I am going to pass out. Listen to your body and do not over do it.

3.0 is not jogging. It is not even walking very fast. My opinion is that the slowest jog is 4.0 at least. Personally I consider 6.5 a jog.

3.0 is not jogging. It is not even walking very fast. My opinion is that the slowest jog is 4.0 at least. Personally I consider 6.5 a jog.

Way to be supportive.....

A 6.0 is a 10-minute mile, and that is certainly not jogging. She's doing fine whether she meets your standards or not.

Patience grasshopper, you weren't born walking, you had to learn. It's the same with jogging/running, it takes practice but with regular training you'll be surprised how quickly your stamina improves.

I all my years as a jogger/runner I have NEVER been able to talk and run at the same time! Plus, however fit I am, my heart rate goes way up really quickly although it drops back down just as quickly if I walk. So I stopped listening to what I 'should' be doing and started listening to MY body. Which is what we all should be doing!! It doesn't matter if you jog is the same speed as your walk - you are springing up more off the ground so therefore putting more effort in. And if you are doing the C25K programme you WILL get quicker!

Full marks to you for even starting - thats more than most people will do.

And pete - if you are suffering from leg pain after 50 minutes have you tried getting your footwear checked? I was shocked to realise that running trainers are only designed for about 500 miles of running before the cushioning doesn't work. Just a thought.

B x

3.0 is not jogging. It is not even walking very fast. My opinion is that the slowest jog is 4.0 at least. Personally I consider 6.5 a jog.

Way to be supportive.....

A 6.0 is a 10-minute mile, and that is certainly not jogging. She's doing fine whether she meets your standards or not.

I wasn't saying that she had to meet anybody's standards. Certainly not mine. She was asking about jogging at 3.0mph. The OP even acknowledged that they thought it was slow. I was agreeing with them.

I go with Covert Bailey's books on this; it depends on one's fitness level. Walking up stairs is interval training for someone overweight and out of shape. The key is doing it purposefully and staying with it then speed will improve. But for the record, if both feet leave the ground at the same time it is not walking. Call it jogging or call it running, it is not walking regardless of speed.

I wouldn't worry at all about your pace. If you feel like you are running then you are. Just keep moving and as you get more comfortable with running our pace will naturally increase. Also, if I remember correctly the C25K program recommends just running by time (30 minutes, etc) and not worrying about the rest, right? Don't stress it. Welcome to the running world!!!!!

I think that it is worth noting that probably the two most well known columnists at Runners World have very different approaches on defining running. John Bingham says that if you think of your activity as running then you are a runner. Jeff Galloway thinks that you must be a competitive runner who wins races before you can call yourself a real runner. Surely most of us will agree that Galloway is being more than a little extreme. As others have pointed out here, if both feet leave the ground at the same time while you propel yourself forward then you are running, or if you prefer, jogging. The exertion level of even slow jogging far exceeds that of fast walking. Walking is great exercise, but running or jogging will yield much better gains in fitness. Keep it up! It gets easier and you get faster just by doing it.

Sounds like an alright starting pace. I jog around 6 mph or so.
Anywhere from an 8-10 minute mile pace depending on how I'm feeling that day.