Trail running & improving endurance

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kah12345
kah12345 Posts: 2 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi - I’ve signed up for a 10mile trail race in September. I’m about 7wks out. I started from 0 back in late April to now trying to do 5 Miles. My problem is that I still cannot run much more than a mile without walking. I don’t understand why my endurance hasn’t improved more. I only gradually increased my mileage and was told by numerous experienced runners that I could go from 0-10m in 4.5 months but now I’m starting to get discouraged from having to walk so much. I know I’m getting better but I want to figure out what I can do in these next weeks to continue training for the race (which I just want to finish and am only using for motivation purposes) but also trying to decrease my walking time. I’m currently averaging around 15mins/mile and my jogging speed is about 5.0mph so I don’t feel like I’m pushing myself THAT hard 😕 I’d love some advice. Thanks

Replies

  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
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    ^^^ what she said

    to learn to run without walking you need to slow down your gait so you are still 'running' (both feet off the ground at the same time). That will help improve endurance. Do not think in terms of minute miles or miles per hour.

    Trails work your body harder than road surfaces do, but ultimately are better for you as the ground is more forgiving, plus you will get stronger ankles, legs and core. Are you running trails at the moment? Run by time not mileage for the next few weeks. There is absolutely nothing wrong in walking the ups - you probably would find you'd powerhike the ups at the same speed as trying to run. Then take it easy on the flat and push on the downs. Learn to ascend and descend and you'll be fine.


    My very very hilly marathon last month was done at an average speed of 3.5mph. :)
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    Get a running app that tracks your miles and pace. I wear headphones so I can hear my music and feed back. I use special ones from plantronics that leak noise around them for safety. Anyway pick a landmark or distance and say "I am going to run past that before walking", Gradually increase that distance each run but don't up the overall distance until you can run the entire loop. Once you can then add a little distance each week.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,675 Member
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    As Tavistock Toad said, first of all, slow down. If you have a hard time breathing, you are going too fast. Continue to increase your mileage. When you are up to 13 mile runs, 10 miles doesn't feel so hard. Don't just increase the length of your long run though. Increase all your runs so the long run isn't too big a percentage of your total mileage. If your longest run is 50% of your total, it will feel a lot harder than if it's only 30%. If it's hot and humid where you are, that can also affect your runs, making it harder to run continuously. If it's warm and humid, slow down even more than you would normally. If you have to walk anyway, don't worry about it. Just cover the distance you have set. On trails there will be times you need to walk because of steepness, either up or down, because of technical difficulty (rocks and roots) or to take in water. It's normal.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,449 Member
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    Are you following a good plan or are you just 'winging it'?
  • funjen1972
    funjen1972 Posts: 949 Member
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    The tortoise wins the race!

    If your goal is to run a constant 10 miles - as many have said - run slower, really slow, almost painfully slow. This will help you regulate your breathing which will give you enough oxygen to do the work. My breathing is inhale two foot strikes, exhale two foot strikes, but find what works for you. Start regulating your breathing before you start breathing heavy. Speed will come over time.

    Also, there is absolutely nothing wrong with walking, especially 10 miles. I walked 11 miles tonight because I just didn't feel like running and I had extra time. I actually walk faster now than the pace I started jogging.

    I am certainly not an expert, just offering my personal experience. Best of luck to you!

  • WickAndArtoo
    WickAndArtoo Posts: 773 Member
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    Run slower.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Use c25k app for your trail work. Have fun!
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,224 Member
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    I see you mentioning your paces in miles per hour speeds. Are you training on a treadmill? Or are you on trails (as much as possible) and that’s just how you’re telling us your pace?
  • kah12345
    kah12345 Posts: 2 Member
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    Thanks for all the responses. The app I use is MotionX. It tracks elevation changes, speed, etc. It tells me things like “5 minutes. You’ve covered ... miles. Your current speed is 4.9mph.” I like this app because my husband can track my position if I get attacked by a bear or something 😜 I am loosely following a plan for increasing mileage (ex. Tues 4m, thurs 5m, sat 6m long run). But I’m still just building my base level endurance and strength so I’m ignoring things like “run 3m at 70% MHR.” The race is just to motivate me to get back in shape. I just want to finish and feel good about it. The start is steep - over 1000ft in the first 1.5m 😳 I need to see improvement in my endurance and strength just for my own mental sake - to feel like something is actually *happening* through all this time and effort I’m putting in. I appreciate the comments to run slower. I feel
    Like I’ve been pushing myself to run faster so this is counter-intuitive to me but it makes sense.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,449 Member
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    If you are just starting to run (or restarting after a long layoff), ALL of your runs should be slow and easy. If you've been running slow and easy for a year, then 80% of the runs should be slow/easy and 20% should faster (with a purpose). Either way you need a plan. Without a well designed plan you are just running with no end point in site.

    I'm have not heard of MotionX and a quick search reveals it is some sort of GPS tracker. Perhaps using an app designed for runners would be a good start? Try Endomondo, RunKeeper, Runtastic or similar.

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