Help With Running

I ran with a friend who was already seasoned to get me doing more than a mile. Lots of walking for ke in the beginning! Some folks love the C25K program. I looked into it and it has you running multiple days per week. Some you walk/jog while others you walk to a light post and run like mad to the next.

Big thing is don't get frustrated and give up. I have done the same thing and even ran races but life happened and slowly had to build back up. What kills you at 2 miles? Boredom? Pains?

Have you thought about switching your measurement and running kilometres rather than miles, it's easier to run an extra K than an extra mile. That might help increase your distance

myoung15523 wrote: »

Have you thought about switching your measurement and running kilometres rather than miles, it's easier to run an extra K than an extra mile. That might help increase your distance

I set my splits up as half miles. Easier to run an extra half than a km ;-)

sarahbarbara012345 wrote: »

I used to be able to run 5 miles. But then I stopped running for a while and now can barely do 2 miles. I want to, at the very least, run a 5K again. Any tips to help me get past this 2 mile mark?!

Do your 2 miles, walk a quarter and then jog a quarter then walk your last quarter to cool down. Add a quarter each week, ending with the walk. Once you increase your distance lengthen your jogs/runs, shorten your walks. I used Personal Running Trainer 8 weeks to 5 K. Up from 4 weeks to one mile.

While the advice on building slowly, adding small increments, and perhaps doing walk/run intervals till you are able to run continually is all on point, there is another consideration: Are you running slow enough? Frequently, beginners find they can't run further than (fill in the distance, or fill in the time) because they are running harder than they should for endurance. Try slowing your run down a bit, and see how you feel at 2 miles then. Don't worry; as you improve your fitness, your speed will return.

Advice on the best way to get past the C25K? I've been following it and just finished week 7. I noticed around week 6 the app started assuming 10 minutes = 1 mile. I currently run a mile in about 13.5 minutes and I know from you all that running slower to build up endurance is better than trying to run fast - I can feel it for sure! Yesterday I started out faster than usual and was getting out of breath so I slowed to the slowest possible jog to get my breathing under control and finished all 30 minutes without walking (for the third time). Last I calculated, I did about 2.3 in 30 but at this rate I will not be up to a 5K at the end of the program. So to get there, what do you guys suggest? Every week add another couple minutes?

I went from zero to 5K in eight weeks so I know it is possible for you to go from 2 miles to 5. Work your way up in increments, giving your body time to adapt.

SpecialKH wrote: »

Advice on the best way to get past the C25K? I've been following it and just finished week 7. I noticed around week 6 the app started assuming 10 minutes = 1 mile. I currently run a mile in about 13.5 minutes and I know from you all that running slower to build up endurance is better than trying to run fast - I can feel it for sure! Yesterday I started out faster than usual and was getting out of breath so I slowed to the slowest possible jog to get my breathing under control and finished all 30 minutes without walking (for the third time). Last I calculated, I did about 2.3 in 30 but at this rate I will not be up to a 5K at the end of the program. So to get there, what do you guys suggest? Every week add another couple minutes?

Everyone that has any doubts in this area. Running faster will not make you faster. It goes against all the research in training. It seems like backwards thinking but it works and makes sense if you know the science behind it. Every single running activity that requires more than 90 seconds to complete requires that your body make use of oxygen. If you are new to running, your body has over the years adapted negatively through atrophy in the area of making efficent use of oxygen. The faster and longer you run, the more oxygen your body requires to provide the energy you need to power the activity you are trying to do. This is why new runners have to understand the concept of building up an aerobic base.

When new to training, your body will make unefficient use of the oxygen you are breathing in. However, every time you run and for every extra second you are able to run, you stress your body and aerobic system to make improvements. You train your body to develop more hemoglobin (red blood cells) that will carry more oxygen in your blood. You train your body to make more capallaries near the muscle cells that will carry the oxygenated blood to your muscles that contract during running, you train your heart to pump that blood to the muscles more efficiently, you train the mitochondria in your muscle cells you accept and make use of that oxygen to actually turn fuel into energy to make run further.

When your body cannot make efficient use of the oxygen to power your runs, you are forced to run in a primarily anaerobic condition which puts you into a lactate buildup situation which causes immediate fatigue. This is why it is a bad situation to run faster if you have not built up the proper aerobic base. You have to run slower than the pace that back logs your aerobic system so you can run longer. The longer you can run, the better you can train your aerobic system to make better use of the oxygen. It seems backwards, but you actually have to run slower but for longer distances to train your aerobic system. This is the way to actually get faster. The proper pace is what we call conversational pace which is about 65% of your maximum heart rate. You should be able to hold a conversation with a running buddy (or be able to recite your ABCs or sing the Happy Birthday song out loud) as you run without worrying about breathing. If you can't say more than 2 words without struggling for a breath, then you are running way too fast and will go into lactate buildup and will fatigue way too fast. Run slower to run farther. As you train for further distances, then your body will adapt and will then allow you to run a faster pace before this lactate buildup happends. In essense, you will actually be able to run faster by initially running slower but for longer distances.

It seems strange, but for more details, just do a google search for "running aerobic base building" to see that I am not making this up.


You asked:
""So to get there, what do you guys suggest?""

To get to running a 5K? You said you can run for 30 minutes without walking at the slowest possible pace to keep your breathing under control. First off, be very concious not to start off too fast. Then see how close you can get to 5K despite the time. Keep the pace slow and if it takes you 45 minutes then go for 45 minutes, but keep the pace slow. The more often you can do this (assuming you allow yourself enough rest days in between) the faster you will notice improvement. Try for maximum distance (close to your 5K goal) despite the time limit. If you need a small walk break in between then do that in the initially couple of weeks. Once you can run the entire 5K without walking, then you are ready to start slowly building on that mileage.

When you hit that 2 mile mark, walk a 1/4 mile, then run 1/4 mile, and etc. until you reach the 5K distance.

Each workout, try to walk a little less and run a little more. Eventually you will be running the entire 5K.