Am i running slowly?
gillie80
Posts: 214 Member
Hi everyone. i started c210k and am on week 7. i have worked out that i'm running at about 5mph just now. is that slow? i start the inerval section in a few weeks so i hope my speed will increase a bit then, but i'm curious just now to know what others think. are there any new to running members who can chip in?
i've never run before, and before i started i couldn't run the length of my 15 foot drive and have jsut hit the 15 minute running milestone
i've never run before, and before i started i couldn't run the length of my 15 foot drive and have jsut hit the 15 minute running milestone
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Replies
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C25k is all about finishing the time interval regardless of pace. You are to run as slow as you need to finish the run interval even if you are running slower than you could walk that interval. Speed comes later.
I haven't checked out the C210k program before but I imagine it would be based on the same principle particularly since you are just starting to run.0 -
3dogsrunning wrote: »C25k is all about finishing the time interval regardless of pace. You are to run as slow as you need to finish the run interval even if you are running slower than you could walk that interval. Speed comes later.
I haven't checked out the C210k program before but I imagine it would be based on the same principle particularly since you are just starting to run.
Thanks
i know i'll get faster with time. a bit impatient i suppose. 2 -
you are lapping everyone on the couch!11
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"i have worked out that i'm running at about 5mph just now. is that slow?"
Not really. 5 mph is 12 minute miles. Keep that up and you've got a 1:12:00 10 K. Not too shabby. Continue at that pace and you have 2:36:00 Half Marathon. Again, not bad.
Run at a pace at which you can maintain a conversation and keep that going. Speed comes after endurance which comes after miles at a conversational pace. Slow is actually good.4 -
Hi everyone. i started c210k and am on week 7. i have worked out that i'm running at about 5mph just now. is that slow? i start the inerval section in a few weeks so i hope my speed will increase a bit then, but i'm curious just now to know what others think. are there any new to running members who can chip in?
i've never run before, and before i started i couldn't run the length of my 15 foot drive and have jsut hit the 15 minute running milestone
You've improved. That's all that really matters. While your speed may be slower than others', it would seem to be faster than where you were. Keep plugging on.
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While I have run a single 8 minute mile on a good day, if I run for an hour, the farthest I've gotten is five miles, and yeah I consider myself a slow runner. It doesn't matter, improve your endurance and enjoy the running; then at some point warm up and time yourself over a one mile run, you may find you are faster.
Slower is better for building up your distance.1 -
that's what i do and i've been running for over a year. actually my comfy pace is closer to 4.71
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Thanks guys.you are lapping everyone on the couch!
you make a good point there.[
You've improved. That's all that really matters. While your speed may be slower than others', it would seem to be faster than where you were. Keep plugging on.
another good point. i'll keep going as i am then and not worry. i'm quite competitive and don't like being slower than my brother and best mate who, in fairness, have been running a heck of a lot longer than me. onward and upward.
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Honestly don't take this the wrong way, but who cares! As long as you are running at a pace you are comfortable with, then there is no fast or slow, just keep at it, and your pace will change. Great job, and keep it up!3
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Don't get caught up in comparing yourself to others, be proud of the fact that you can now run several miles continuously (something the majority of adults can't do) and are working towards 10km / 6.2 miles.
Like you, when I started out I could barely get around the block without feeling like I was going to die. Now (a slow) 10km is a relaxing mid-week training run. Be patient with yourself and be consistent in your training..... you'll be amazed with what you can accomplish.3 -
Thanks Brian. I can be quite self-deprecating at times. You're right, I should be proud of what I've achieved so far, and I am. Looking forward to my next run tomorrow.0
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I agree with the others! You are running, so be proud! There are days I run fast, there are days I run slow. There are days I do a walk/run combo. Point is, your moving. Great job! Keep it up! 1
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I think it's right for a new runner. I ran my first 5k at that pace (36 minutes) and I was (and still am!) very happy with that. I've been running for a while and I've recently been trying to improve my time and it has improved a lot. I think it takes a bit of patience to get quicker!1
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As as been stated earlier speed comes with endurance just keep adding distance to your runs, I go thru this every year last few years have not run in the winter then come spring I get myself all bummed because my pace is not where it was 3 months ago so not that I have to start over I just need to start slower. Once you get to the point where you can go let say 8 or 10 miles you will really start to notice your pacing increase on the shorter runs 3-5 miles. As what was stated earlier something is better than nothing and you are pacing everyone sitting on the couch or in their computer chair.1
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That's totally fine. Run at a speed where you can maintain it. If I'm running 1 mile, it's going to be a lot faster than if I'm running 5 miles, so don't compare yourself to people who say they run a 6 minute mile. That's 1 mile, and you're working toward 6!1
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The best piece of advice I was given when I started running was to run slowly - so slowly that it's not even that much faster than walking pace. You see hundreds of posts on here by people saying how much they are struggling with C25k etc and how hard the run sections are and it's likely that in most cases they're trying to sprint the run intervals (at whatever pace is sprinting effort for them) because they're thinking 'running: that means fast'. If you're going slowly you're doing it right! You'll be building the aerobic fitness you'll need for when you're a superfast racing whippet.2
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You are going faster than I ever will, unless i'm being chased by a bear.1
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The best piece of advice I was given when I started running was to run slowly - so slowly that it's not even that much faster than walking pace. You see hundreds of posts on here by people saying how much they are struggling with C25k etc and how hard the run sections are and it's likely that in most cases they're trying to sprint the run intervals (at whatever pace is sprinting effort for them) because they're thinking 'running: that means fast'. If you're going slowly you're doing it right! You'll be building the aerobic fitness you'll need for when you're a superfast racing whippet.
I could not agree more. I've seen so many new runners either get injured or burned out from trying to run too fast, too far, too soon. It's a journey. Your runs should be at a pace where you can carry on a conversation with a partner. If you can't - you're running too fast. A base of fitness takes time. Be patient and take satisfaction that every time you lace up your shoes for a run, you're doing more than 90% of your friends and neighbors. Enjoy and embrace the run! Happy running!0 -
That is my speed.0
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The best piece of advice I was given when I started running was to run slowly - so slowly that it's not even that much faster than walking pace. You see hundreds of posts on here by people saying how much they are struggling with C25k etc and how hard the run sections are and it's likely that in most cases they're trying to sprint the run intervals (at whatever pace is sprinting effort for them) because they're thinking 'running: that means fast'. If you're going slowly you're doing it right! You'll be building the aerobic fitness you'll need for when you're a superfast racing whippet.
thanks Iitsy, that's really helpful. i'll keep going the way i am then. just to throw another question out there, i don't do that many hills, but i'd like to get a few in there so i'm used to them. whaddya think? i don't mean huge hills just rises in the road. the biggest one i think rises like 30 feet, along a country lane.0 -
The best piece of advice I was given when I started running was to run slowly - so slowly that it's not even that much faster than walking pace. You see hundreds of posts on here by people saying how much they are struggling with C25k etc and how hard the run sections are and it's likely that in most cases they're trying to sprint the run intervals (at whatever pace is sprinting effort for them) because they're thinking 'running: that means fast'. If you're going slowly you're doing it right! You'll be building the aerobic fitness you'll need for when you're a superfast racing whippet.
thanks Iitsy, that's really helpful. i'll keep going the way i am then. just to throw another question out there, i don't do that many hills, but i'd like to get a few in there so i'm used to them. whaddya think? i don't mean huge hills just rises in the road. the biggest one i think rises like 30 feet, along a country lane.
Hills are speedwork in disguise. Definitely add in hills/inclines at least once a week.
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Looks like you're on the right path. Hills are definitely good, especially if you're thinking about running races at some point. I've yet to run a race that didn't have at least a couple small ones and a few that had small mountains in the middle. If you look at my pictures I have the elevation map from one of those. It was a half marathon with a steep 400' "hill" at around mile 6. I walked much of that one.
The only person you should be competing with at this point is you and you should be aiming at endurance, not speed as your goal. There's been a lot of study lately on slow training runs actually being better than fast ones. Recovery is faster and it puts a lot less stress on the body. Even elite runners are going at slow paces (for them!) during their training runs. Speed comes with time and more training miles. One thing I've realized is that the more training miles I put in before race season starts the faster I get. I'm sure you'll notice the same thing over time. One final thing, if it's summer where you are, too, heat slows you down and it's supposed to. The guideline is to slow down 30 seconds per mile for every 5 degrees above 65F. For me, since the lows here rarely dip below 80F, my morning run would nearly be at a walking pace
but I definitely slow down a bit when it's this hot. 1 -
Thanks Sue. That was really useful. It's supposed to be summer where i am, but where I am is Scotland so, you know, we had the summer the first week in June lol. It's really miserable outside today and yup, it's a running day. I actually prefer running in the cool/cold/bit of rain.2
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Thanks Sue. That was really useful. It's supposed to be summer where i am, but where I am is Scotland so, you know, we had the summer the first week in June lol. It's really miserable outside today and yup, it's a running day. I actually prefer running in the cool/cold/bit of rain.
Me too. My first ever half-marathon was run on Memorial Day in temperatures of 90+ deg F, and it nearly killed me. I did another one in the November of the same year and I was scraping ice off the car before I set off (gotta love that New England weather) and I knocked 15 minutes off my time.0 -
"The guideline is to slow down 30 seconds per mile for every 5 degrees above 65F."
Just so I'm clear on this. My coach for training for my Half Marathon on September 25, has me running this Saturday 13 miles at a 12 minute mile pace. If, at 6 A.M. when I start, it already 75* my 12 minute mile pace becomes 13 minutes?0 -
I have wanted to run for a year now and I cant. I have feet issues that won't allow me to run at all and I cant walk faster then 3.5 miles per hour. I've went to a pt and I bought special shoes and insoles and I still can't run. So while you may think 5 miles an hour is slow, you have a jealous admirer right here.0
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Thanks Sue. That was really useful. It's supposed to be summer where i am, but where I am is Scotland so, you know, we had the summer the first week in June lol. It's really miserable outside today and yup, it's a running day. I actually prefer running in the cool/cold/bit of rain.
I live in Tucson, Arizona. Weather most people think of as "summer" starts here in March or so and lasts through October. Winter highs are often in the 70s and it rarely goes down below freezing overnight.
I rarely run in any kind of rain because it just doesn't rain that much; we have 300+ days of sunshine every year. Last week we had a lot of rain and it started to really come down in the middle of a morning run; it was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. The streets flooded curb to curb so I was running on the sidewalks, which I never do because they are concrete, but when I had to cross the roads the water was over my ankles. I was soaked to the core; my shoes were squishy. But I wasn't hot and I knocked a couple of minutes off my typical 5K time even with the time I spent dodging some of the larger puddles at the beginning. I'm just glad my phone, Fitbit and GPS watch all held up!"The guideline is to slow down 30 seconds per mile for every 5 degrees above 65F."
Just so I'm clear on this. My coach for training for my Half Marathon on September 25, has me running this Saturday 13 miles at a 12 minute mile pace. If, at 6 A.M. when I start, it already 75* my 12 minute mile pace becomes 13 minutes?
Generally speaking, yes but you don't have to purposefully slow down; it'll just happen because your heart has to work harder when it's hot so your heart rate will be much higher than normal. It's important to realize, though, that heat has an effect and if you don't compensate for it the consequences can be dire. You can actually train yourself to run in higher temperatures simply by running in them. I don't have any choice but to do that every year because the temps very rarely dip below 75F in the mornings from June to Sept. I have a lot of tricks I use to make things easier on myself, especially when it's really dry (running with an evaporative cooling wrap around my neck, soaking my shirt in water, carrying a frozen water bottle, etc.) I've found that it's harder for me to run in the heat when the humidity is really low (single digits to teens) than it is when the humidity is 60-70% during the summer rainy season (now!). Having a sheen of sweat on your skin actually keeps you cooler and in really low humidity the sweat dries almost instantly so your skin stays dry. Once I get acclimated to the heat, it doesn't affect me as much and I get a bit faster. One benefit is that once it does cool down I'm definitely faster. I can go run a race someplace like San Diego during the summer and really turn on the speed because it's so much cooler.
There have been many articles written about this topic over the years. Do a Google search and read a few of them. This one in particular has some interesting information about the effects at different temperature ranges: http://www.runnersworld.com/advanced-training/summer-running-how-to-stand-the-heat0 -
You passed me by..so I'd say you're zipping right along..I'm trying to get to that 15 minute mile pace for a 4 mile stretch..0
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