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mlb929
mlb929 Posts: 1,974 Member
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Does the height of the runner or length of ones legs make you faster. I'm short 5'4". My Dh is 6'6". He was "walking" on my parents treadmill then told me he was walking at 6 mph. I'm not fast but not super slow either. I do some training runs on a treadmill and at 6 mph I'm running. dH is so not a runner and he really doesn't exercise much. This is a new thing for him But I was quite frustrated he was walking at my running speed. 6 moh for me is a long slow distance training run.

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  • cowgirlslikeus86
    cowgirlslikeus86 Posts: 597 Member
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    His strides are longer than your so that makes perfect sense.. My mom is 4" shorter than me and a few years ago we decided to go jogging in the park. It was pretty funny because I was walking while she was running and we were going the same speed. 6MPH is running for me too. Thats my pace right now when I run 3-6 miles. I hope to be faster in the next couple months but I am working on distance right now.

    A good way to look at it is, your actually burning more calories while covering the same distance he is because you have to work harder at it. I use to never run with my ex husband. He was 6'4" and ran like a gazzell. I couldn't keep up with him if my life depended on it, even when I was in the best shape of my life.
  • sunleigh
    sunleigh Posts: 84 Member
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    oh i so think this is true. i am 5 feet and my friend is much taller then me and my running is her walking...you should see how much work i have to do when we speed walk...i am panting and she is strolling a long. these little legs surely get a workout :)
  • bjbixler
    bjbixler Posts: 258 Member
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    Yep. What cowgirl said. It's all about stride length.
    I am 5'8" but have short legs and a long torso, so I have a feeling I'll never really be fast.

    One thing that is interesting though, is that most olympic runners ae only average height, so there is definitely more to speed than height alone.
  • jaymek92
    jaymek92 Posts: 309 Member
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    i've got super short legs, so that definitely makes a difference! i have a 28 inch inseam and my boyfriend has a 32 inch inseam. one day last summer we were running together and, even though my footfalls were faster than his, he pulled ahead quickly.

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