Runner's Splits..HELP! I'm too slow..

shanae727
shanae727 Posts: 546 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Runners...I'm trying to get my splits to be consistently negative but I feel like I'm about to die when I speed up....I tried today on a short little 3-miler and this is how it went..

Mile 1 8:24
Mile 2 18:03 (+9:39)
Mile 3 27:03 (-9m)

My VO2 max is 50. I'm 30 years old, turning 31 in July. I'm 5'8 and 140-145 generally. Very athletic. My longer runs of 10-15 miles ALL have positive splits up to 11 minutes.

Why the HECK am I so FRIGGIN' slow..I'm not dying clearly but I feel like it when my speed gets under 8:30-8:45/mile, it's harder for me to sustain that speed but I can sustain 9 to 9:30 comfortably.

I really want to be faster, longer.

Any advice? TIA.

Replies

  • PaceMaka2dot0
    PaceMaka2dot0 Posts: 50 Member
    Is the elevation the same in mile 2 and 3?
  • litsy3
    litsy3 Posts: 783 Member
    Clearly the answer is 'start slower' but if you want to get to the stage where you can sustain a faster pace for longer it would be interesting to know how many times you run per week, what your total mileage is, if you ever do races and if so what your PRs are, and whether you try and go as fast as you can every time?
  • gobonas99
    gobonas99 Posts: 1,049 Member
    edited May 2016
    First off, averaging a 9 minute mile is NOT slow. :smiley:

    Second, start at a pace you're comfortable running at (9:30 - or even slower, say, 10 or 10:15), then drop 15-30 second intervals, depending on how long you're running for. I have a Garmin 920Xt that I can create a "workout" that will make the watch beep at me if I go above or below a set pace range (ie to avg a 9:30 mile, I would set my pace range for that mile to be 9:15-9:45).

    Third, don't shoot for negative splits for EVERY run. Switch it up. Do some sprints at the track (ie 200 on 50 or 45, walk 200, repeat x 5 or 8 or 10), do some slower paced runs, do some fartleks, do some hills (outside, treadmills are no replacement for actual hills). :smile:
  • shanae727
    shanae727 Posts: 546 Member
    @PaceMaka2dot0 yes..that was an experiment on the treadmill. I didn't change the elevation at all.
  • shanae727
    shanae727 Posts: 546 Member
    @litsy3 I run 3-7 times per week. It's hard for me to start slow. I have to constantly remind myself to slow down to conserve energy. I still end up with faster splits at the beginning and snailing it through the finish..maybe the VERY LAST mile is a bit faster but it's NEVER faster than the first. Only because I'm anticipating the finish, similar to my anticipation when starting.
  • shanae727
    shanae727 Posts: 546 Member
    @gobonas99 thanks! I just feel so slow and heavy.

    I'm going to look into the Garmin you mentioned, I have a Polar A300 and it doesn't do all of that. That would help because at times I don't realize I'm starting so fast but halfway through my runs I always notice I'm slower and I can't muster up the energy to go any faster. I tried drinking caffeine halfway through a 14 miler once and by mile 10, I was pretty much walking (sugar spiked and dropped 2 miles later).

    I started cycling assuming that would help, it didn't but my splits got faster in cycling. So I don't know what's going wrong with running. I'm going to attempt to switch it up and also try the 15 seconds drops and fartleks (although they scare me).

    Thanks for the advice, I guess I need to try harder and not so often.
  • litsy3
    litsy3 Posts: 783 Member
    Okay, so the best way to improve your running fitness is to do MOST of your running slow, as in, don't even try to compete with yourself. If you're constantly worrying about pace, don't wear a watch. Just decide how long you're going to run for and go for a nice, easy comfortable run. Don't push yourself. Going slowly shouldn't be about 'conserving energy' so you can finish fast, it's much more about a training strategy to make you fitter aerobically so that further down the line you WILL be able to go faster.

    Also 3-7 times is a big range. Is that usually 3 times? Or more often every day? And how many miles?
  • shanae727
    shanae727 Posts: 546 Member
    I'm going to try that. Although I'm really competitive with myself and pretty hard on myself when my runs are super slow. I think this is hindering my progress. I can't steady myself.

    Atleast 3 miles a day Monday through friday, Saturday or Sundays 5-7 miles and once a month 10 miles. Unless there's a half marathon.
  • shanae727
    shanae727 Posts: 546 Member
    I don't usually count anything under 5k because I walk that just playing with my kids, working, everyday activities etc. So I'm more concerned about 5+..I can't sustain speed on those. I'm going to take your advice though and focus on strategy.

    THANK YOU THANK YOU!

    I think I need a running coach.
  • litsy3
    litsy3 Posts: 783 Member
    A running coach or maybe just a training plan that'll have you running mostly easy and one or two faster sessions a week - that's when you compete with yourself. The rest is aerobic base building - and it'd be worth doing a longer 'long' run more often than once a month (but SLOW). :)
  • gobonas99
    gobonas99 Posts: 1,049 Member
    @shanae727 - don't be scared of fartleks! fartleks are fun! :smiley: And if you want to gain speed, you NEED to do speedwork - fartleks, track workouts, hills, fartleks, track workouts, hills, repeat. :)

    The 920XT is a multisport watch, so unless you're doing a lot of biking and swimming also, you may want to consider one of the running forerunners that garmin makes - some of them will have the "workout" feature also. :)

    Personally, I don't know how you can run every day...I'd be down with overuse injuries left and right (heck....I usually only run 2-3 times a week, and I'm down with a knee issue right now). Triathlon is great for me, because I HAVE to crosstrain. LOL :wink:
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
    shanae727 wrote: »
    I feel like it when my speed gets under 8:30-8:45/mile, it's harder for me to sustain that speed but I can sustain 9 to 9:30 comfortably.

    I really want to be faster, longer.

    Twins!!



  • shanae727
    shanae727 Posts: 546 Member
    _Waffle_ wrote: »
    shanae727 wrote: »
    I feel like it when my speed gets under 8:30-8:45/mile, it's harder for me to sustain that speed but I can sustain 9 to 9:30 comfortably.

    I really want to be faster, longer.

    Twins!!



    Yippee! We can be slow together!
  • PiperGirl08
    PiperGirl08 Posts: 134 Member
    The polar m400 has the workout feature. I plan mine out several weeks in advance, add them to my diary, and the right workout appears on the watch each day.

    You need to build your aerobic base. Look into heart rate zone training and research on the base building aspects.
  • Aed0416
    Aed0416 Posts: 101 Member
    Do you race? During tempo runs I feel like I am running at my fastest sustainable pace. Then I will race and my pace will be faster than my tempo run is and that knowledge that I can and have already run faster helps me improve my pace regularly. And repeat.

    It might be physical but it might be mental.
  • shanae727
    shanae727 Posts: 546 Member
    @PiperGirl08 I do heart rate training in cycle but I don't know how that correlates to running?..Not to sound stupid but please explain. I genuinely am trying to run longer, faster. :)

    thanks for the help
  • shanae727
    shanae727 Posts: 546 Member
    @Aed0416 yes my pace is faster when I'm competing or running with someone or running behind my husband (7:30-8m/mile) but I still can't maintain anything below 8:30 for more than 3-5 miles. Now, if I let my pace drift to 9:30-9:45 I'm fine for up to 15 miles (never ran any longer out of boredom LOL).

    So I just got what you meant half-way through typing. I'm just not trying because I don't have any competition when it's just me. How to overcome that? UH!!!

  • austin0321
    austin0321 Posts: 131 Member
    I don't have any running friends or anyone to compete against daily so always compete against time. Outside hill work will help with getting faster also I have yet to try this but I read an article in RW that talked about walking for a very short period of time at different points in long distance runs to give your legs a small recovery so by the end you would be able to push harder and make up time.
  • scorpio516
    scorpio516 Posts: 955 Member
    shanae727 wrote: »
    @PiperGirl08 I do heart rate training in cycle but I don't know how that correlates to running?..Not to sound stupid but please explain. I genuinely am trying to run longer, faster. :)

    thanks for the help

    It's generally the same, but you'll have a different LTHR for running. Mine's about 5 bpm faster running.
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
    I'm not sure I understand the issue here?

    The reason you can't hold the pace you want over the distance you would like is that you are not aerobically well conditioned enough to do so and especially your ability to run at threshold (the point where lactate clearing is still possible) for any suitable length of time.

    That can be improved by a sensible training programme where, as has been well stated before, you run most of your runs at an easy pace and a minority where you target pushing up threshold (this kind of structure helps minimise injury which means greater total volume of running meaning better improvement generally.)
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
    edited May 2016
    Well, you are already a lot faster than me, but the advice I gave the kids when we ran a 5k was "slow until the turnaround. If you feel good then, go faster for the second half. When you see the finish line, run as fast as you can." That worked, they went faster than they had trained.

    In other words, make your first mile the 9:39.
  • shanae727
    shanae727 Posts: 546 Member
    I'm working on it. Thanks for the advice. I looked into running groups (with coaches) and fartlek training.

    @msf74 yes, you're correct! I'm not aerobically fit enough to sustain the faster pace for a longer distance. I'd like to get there. Possibly finish a half with all negative splits, everything under 8:30.
  • ROBOTFOOD
    ROBOTFOOD Posts: 5,527 Member
    I'd recommend you to run more easy pace runs. And look into a race specific program.

    I did a 70mi week a couple weeks back with mostly running easy ( 8-9min/mi) and ran a 43min 10k (6:55/mi) and had more left in the tank. For me, just increasing my mileage will make my times drop. Some days, I speed hike up steep mtns instead of running and I still maintain or improve endurance.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    edited May 2016
    shanae727 wrote: »
    I'm working on it. Thanks for the advice. I looked into running groups (with coaches) and fartlek training.

    @msf74 yes, you're correct! I'm not aerobically fit enough to sustain the faster pace for a longer distance. I'd like to get there. Possibly finish a half with all negative splits, everything under 8:30.

    Try training with a heart rate monitor. Look at your heart rate and not your pace. There are tests out there to help determine your lactate threshold HR (use Google to find out how, or I recommend the book "80/20 Running") and then you can try to stay at about 85% of this HR for most of your runs. At first it will be really hard to run this slow, but once you get used to it, your runs become so easy and you have plenty left in the tank for a "fast finish". When I first started trying this method, I thought my easy pace was around an 8:45, but turns out it was closer to 9:35. I stuck with it and gradually got faster. I used this method of training for a marathon last fall and my quarter splits were roughly 8:35, 8:30, 8:20, 7:55. Starting out slow is hugely important for negative splits!

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