Slow runners - just how slow do you go?

BerryH
BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
edited October 7 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm in awe of the speed and race times many of the lovely runners on MFP and I'm completely inspired by them. However, I've been running for 15 years and despite following training programmes to the letter, adding in sprints and intervals, hill training, fartleks (snort) tempo runs, cross-training, weight training and joining a running club, I've barely improved past the "happy speed" I achieved a year after I started.

So let's hear from all you happy chuggers. What kinds of speeds do you trundle out, happily waving the gazelles past you as you take in the scenery?

Looking at my past few weeks on Cardiotrainer, my regular cruising speed is 4.7mph (12.7 minute miles). My fastest (perhaps my fastest ever - it was cold!) was 3 miles at 5.5mph (10.9 minute miles). My slowest was 4.5mph (13.3 minute miles) - no, I wasn't walking! I often go faster on my long runs when I take walk breaks - Jell Galloway is right!

On the dreadmill my go-to speed is 8.2kph (5.2mph).

In races I think my fastest 5K was 36 minutes and 10K was 69 minutes. My one and only marathon to date doesn't really count as I was ill and injured but running it for charity so had to finish. I crawled across the line in 7 hours 15.

I have finally win a non-charity ballot entry in the London marathon this year which in perfect conditions I'd love to finish in 5.5 hours but would be happy to get over the line in 6 hours.
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Replies

  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    My average is 5.1mph. I'm just too heavy to get much faster that that. When I push myself I can go at about 6 for a little while, but can't maintain it.

    My 5k run (up and down little hills) takes me 35 minutes.

    I'm sloooooooowwwwwww. :-)
  • hastalawaista
    hastalawaista Posts: 5 Member
    I did two 5Ks in 2011: one at 39:05 and one at 36:23. I am slow. The competitive side of me is bothered by the fact that I'm so much slower than lots of other people. OTOH, 2011 was my first year of running in events, so I should cut myself some slack there. My motto? "Forward is a pace."
  • sandy2006
    sandy2006 Posts: 483 Member
    I think Im the slowest runner ever! I can be running on the treadmill at 4.5mph and the guy next to me is WALKING at 4.5. I can run faster but I won't last as long. So I run at 4.5 for 3-4 miles. I am just a newby at running though. About 3 months into it.
  • cparter
    cparter Posts: 754 Member
    Just fast enough that I am not walking but slow enough not to have a heart attach. :^)
  • TheGoktor
    TheGoktor Posts: 1,138 Member
    I was averaging 4.5-5.5mph, although if I'm doing my uphill route, by the end of 3k I'm lucky if I'm doing 4mph! I *have* got up to 7mph.....which I kept up for all of 5mins...but that was in the autumn, before I got every bloody virus going. I dread to think how slow I am now!

    OTOH, I don't really mind going slow - as long as I'm getting out there, I'm happy. :bigsmile:
  • xSophia19
    xSophia19 Posts: 1,536 Member
    i cant jog for long for starters!! 3 mins max that i can jog for? i then have to power walk for a little to catch my breath and drink down lots of water (thats how unfit i am!) soo im not entirely sure on my fastest or my slowest. but hopefully when i can jog for longer periods of time i will know just how slow or fast i can jog :)
  • kmillers
    kmillers Posts: 144 Member
    Somedays I run intervals at 5mph for 90 seconds and 30 seconds at 8mph and can go for 40 minutes no problem. Somedays I steady pace at 5.5 mph. However, today my legs were like lead and I struggled at 4.5 mph. But I ran it for 45 minutes, cursing the whole time (Hail Mary, full of grace....X40) and I finished. I am proud of any of us who run, walk, work out at any capacity when God knows it would be much easier not to. I was not built to be a runner, I was built to be a couch potato. So any time I get up and move my *kitten*, I win.
    Be proud of what you do, I will run those races with you and we have more time to see the scenery and talk. That sounds more fun to me.
  • whiskey9890
    whiskey9890 Posts: 652 Member
    i'm currently doing c25k so can't even run 5k at the moment but just looked at my stats and including my warm/up cool down walks my average pace is in the 13 min miles area just started week 5 today
  • kmillers
    kmillers Posts: 144 Member
    Somedays I run intervals at 5mph for 90 seconds and 30 seconds at 8mph and can go for 40 minutes no problem. Somedays I steady pace at 5.5 mph. However, today my legs were like lead and I struggled at 4.5 mph. But I ran it for 45 minutes, cursing the whole time (Hail Mary, full of grace....X40) and I finished. I am proud of any of us who run, walk, work out at any capacity when God knows it would be much easier not to. I was not built to be a runner, I was built to be a couch potato. So any time I get up and move my *kitten*, I win.
    Be proud of what you do, I will run those races with you and we have more time to see the scenery and talk. That sounds more fun to me.
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
    Apparently I can sustain 4.5 mph. That's about it.
  • jlewis2896
    jlewis2896 Posts: 763 Member
    I've been running for 3 years, but my 'happy pace' is always a ten-minute mile, despite adding intervals and such. I'm not super competetive, though, so maybe that's why I don't really ever see much in terms of speed gains.

    My race PR's are:
    5k -- 27:11 (that was my very first 5K and I don't think I've ever gone that fast again!)
    10k -- 57:37
    HM -- 2:11:41
    FM -- 5:15:01
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    I run at about 6mph, jog at about 5.5. Any less than that and it feels like I'll trip over my own feet.
    Any more than that, and my legs/shins will feel like hell the next week!
  • nopeekiepeekie
    nopeekiepeekie Posts: 338 Member
    My one and only 5k I did in 41:23 (I ended up having to walk most of it) - I cannot run fast at all. In fact, my husband walks faster than I run. I would say I run about ..... 4 - 4.5mph
  • KLo924
    KLo924 Posts: 379 Member
    My motto? "Forward is a pace."

    ^^ I love this! Also, thanks for starting this thread! As a new, verryyy slow jogger (well, jogger/walker most of the time - 5mph on the treadmill, averaging about 4.5-4.7mph outside) this is heartening. :flowerforyou:

    PS: I've not done many races yet, but a recent 8K was 1:05
  • Meggles63
    Meggles63 Posts: 916 Member
    I "jogged" a mile and it took me 14 mins. When I walk, I usually hit about 3.6 mph - I guess I should call it speed walking, lol.
  • shavonne
    shavonne Posts: 46 Member
    5 - 5.5 mph is a comfortable pace for me, i'm hoping i'll gain speed in time.
  • dngortegae
    dngortegae Posts: 27 Member
    I have always been a very slow runner. Even at my best weight (5'5", 145) and fitness ever (Army, biathlons, triathlons, etc.), I typically ran 5.0-5.5 on the tread mill. I would go to a 6.0 or 7.0 and sprint for a few seconds/minutes and then go back down to my cruising speed. I was not built for speed. I use to hate it. However, I can run for days, if I want to. You may be the same.

    I figure, it isn't how fast you go or how far you go, just that you go!
  • kellykaye_xo
    kellykaye_xo Posts: 66 Member
    I love this post! I'm a slow runner, too. I usually run at a 5.0 - 5.2 mph. I can walk almost as fast as that! A fellow MFP friend calls it "wogging". I really like to focus on increasing my distance and endurance and don't worry to much about speed (obviously). :)
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    Jeff Galloway IS right! If I run longer intervals, my overall pace ends up being about the same as if I run shorter intervals. Incidentally, I'm hoping to meet him at Disneyland in a few weeks when I'm there for the Tinkerbell race. He'll be speaking several times over the weekend.

    I can sustain 5.5 - 6.0 MPH running and my walking intervals are about 3.5 - 4 MPH. My overall pace is usually around 5.0 - 5.2 MPH although during cooler runs I can go a little faster. Yesterday, it was 75° and sunny and my pace stunk.
  • roxyjomar
    roxyjomar Posts: 12
    I just started running again after a bad ankle break/surgery 4 months ago. I can only go 4.5-5mph. However, after being on crutches for 2 months & a walking boot for additional month, I'm happy with that. I really didn't expect that I would be able to run again so soon. I guess I should send my ortho surgeon a thank you card.
  • msg621
    msg621 Posts: 1 Member
    I just completed my first half marathon in East Hampton, NY training with Team In Training for the Leukemia & Lymphomia Society and finished in under 3 hours after training for almost 6 months. 2.58.59 - that last 1/2 mile was VERY challenging. Since that race I've taken a break and now it's harder than ever to get back into the swing of things again . . . I average between a 13-4 minute mile on an average day when I was training.

    Now that I've stopped, I feel sluggish and know that if I got back into the routine of walking fast/run-walking I would start to drop some weight. So I'm ratting on myself out loud so I get a boost of mind energy to get back in the game.

    Slow and steady wins the race and success starts with the first step. ok That's my mantra this week.

    p.s. I agree with Jeff Galloway's method too!
  • callikia
    callikia Posts: 226 Member
    I average a 14-15 minute mile. And, no, I'm not walking through any of that (I'm one of those people who can't take walk breaks or I can't get running again). Of course, I'm a semi-new runner. Ran my first ever mile straight last year. By the end of the year I'd hit the 5 miles run straight point. Keep in mind I'm also just over 300 pound with some pretty serious back and hip issues. Unfortunately I haven't had a good run in months, thanks to a major screw up with my back/hips/pelvis (I actually have pelvic misalignment and that throws everything else off), but I'm hoping to start adding it back in slowly again very soon (maybe as soon as tomorrow, depending on how I feel). I don't stress over it too much. Considering my only first 5k goal was to do it under an hour (I was almost 400 pounds and walking), I like my new pace and was even working on speedwork for a little while there (once got up to 5.0 for a full minute interval! *lol*). I agree - "Forward is a pace"...and my pace is improving over time, but I think I'll always be what others consider "slow".
  • Primalgal
    Primalgal Posts: 742 Member
    Just finished Week 8 of C25k and this morning I did 28:07 minutes of running, covered 2.21 miles, so that's a 12:43 pace & 4.72 mph. I'm "hauling" about 30-40 lbs too much weight, so I can't expect to be speedy! :wink: I'm hoping that speed comes with weight loss and time.

    You'll do great in the marathon!!

    Lori
  • stylistchik
    stylistchik Posts: 1,436 Member
    I'm trying not to be a slow runner but I'm starting to train for distance and my average time is about 10:30 per mile. I'm okay with this and for my longer runs I take walk breaks which ruins my time but I'd rather finish feeling good than die. haha Now I feel better about running under 6mph which used to be my "comfortable" 5k pace.
  • Edithrenee
    Edithrenee Posts: 546 Member
    that sounds like me! well i go from 11 min to a 10 15 was my very best. Today i actualy busted butt to get two miles in at 20 minutes to see if i could and i did so i did a 10 minute pace but i can only keep it up so long. I feel like im getting slower!
  • Edithrenee
    Edithrenee Posts: 546 Member
    that sounds like me! well i go from 11 min to a 10 15 was my very best. Today i actualy busted butt to get two miles in at 20 minutes to see if i could and i did so i did a 10 minute pace but i can only keep it up so long. I feel like im getting slower!
    Oh but most times if i dotn care really and i just want to get out and enjoy it i do 12 min miles.
  • lazyspice
    lazyspice Posts: 8,258 Member
    I only started running on the treadmill in October (C25K) so I've no idea what is generally considered fast or slow but a comfortable speed for me at the moment is between 4.5 and 4.8mph - I can do 5mph for a few minutes but I can't sustain it any longer yet.

    I have timed myself over two miles a couple of times - the fastest was 25m16s.

    I started on 4mph so I'm pretty chuffed to have made so much progress already :smile:
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
    i dont think ill ever be a fast runner, but then again the smallest i have ever been when running is around 170-180lbs, maybe it will be easier when i get below that weight. i usually run at 7.5kmh (4.6mph) on treadmill, a little bit faster outside but i think that might be just because some parts are downhill!! intervals i do at 5.5knh (walk) and 9-10kmh (run) for max 1 minute.
  • piccolarj
    piccolarj Posts: 488 Member
    Yea I'm pretty slow too but I'm also new to running. My happy spot on the tredmil is 4.5-5. Don't know if I will ever be any faster but I do like saying "I'm going running"! It just sounds good! LOL Maybe once I shed some poundage I'll be a little faster on my feet!
  • Osu2k1
    Osu2k1 Posts: 116 Member
    I think Im the slowest runner ever! I can be running on the treadmill at 4.5mph and the guy next to me is WALKING at 4.5. I can run faster but I won't last as long. So I run at 4.5 for 3-4 miles. I am just a newby at running though. About 3 months into it.

    Same here!!! I got 4.5 on the treadmill, but I am on w1d2 of the C25k program. So I know speed will come with training. I just need to focus on breathing first so I can last. I am doing my first 5k in 11 weeks! I don't care about speed, just finishing and saying I did it. Even if I walk a few moments!
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