Faster isn't always better...

schmidtka70
schmidtka70 Posts: 33
edited November 11 in Fitness and Exercise
Start by saying I'm 5'2"...so I don't have a long stride to begin with. I mostly run on the treadmill (Bridge to 10K) and set the speed to 5.0. Lately, I have been concentrating on my form and want to eventually pick up some speed. Yesterday, a tall lean girl with long legs got on the treadmill and started off at 8.0. I was like "WoW...let me watch this girl to see if I can get some tips". She was HIDIOUS!! Arms and legs flailing everywhere! She mostly held onto the treadmill or had her hands resing on her hips. At times it seemed she was holding her self up and galloping. She kept the steady pace of 8.0 for about two miles and I was so happy when she was done...I was afraid she was going to get hurt. Oh...she didn't even wipe down the machine! So, note to self: Slow and steady isn't always a bad thing as long as you're doing it right!

Replies

  • kag1526
    kag1526 Posts: 210 Member
    I have to fight myself to not hold the treadmill when I run on one... I hate the treadmill it kind of scares me.. I'm afraid I'll fall off the back, even with the little stop thing. Then I'm afraid the stop will activate and I will fall since I was in mid stride... I have to actively fight my body to swing my arms.

    I have none of these issues on the road though, I actually run faster on the road, because the road doesn't scare me.
  • schmidtka70
    schmidtka70 Posts: 33
    I have to fight myself to not hold the treadmill when I run on one... I hate the treadmill it kind of scares me.. I'm afraid I'll fall off the back, even with the little stop thing. Then I'm afraid the stop will activate and I will fall since I was in mid stride... I have to actively fight my body to swing my arms.

    I have none of these issues on the road though, I actually run faster on the road, because the road doesn't scare me.

    Hope I didn't offend you...I think she was actually trying to "Beat" her boyfriend...he was next to her and running just fine at 7.5.
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
    There is a girl at my apartment gym that does the same thing. She sets the treadmill at 8-9 mph and props herself up on her arms using the side rails. She sort of skims the belt rather than putting her feet all the way down.

    I'll bet she's getting a great workout, based on how much she sweats, but I'll also bet she'd get just as good a workout by slowing down and letting go of the rails.
  • kag1526
    kag1526 Posts: 210 Member
    I have to fight myself to not hold the treadmill when I run on one... I hate the treadmill it kind of scares me.. I'm afraid I'll fall off the back, even with the little stop thing. Then I'm afraid the stop will activate and I will fall since I was in mid stride... I have to actively fight my body to swing my arms.

    I have none of these issues on the road though, I actually run faster on the road, because the road doesn't scare me.

    Hope I didn't offend you...I think she was actually trying to "Beat" her boyfriend...he was next to her and running just fine at 7.5.

    no you didn't offend me. I would agree that going that fast that was probably the issue... me I'm going at 4.5 or so (so quite slow) and am just scared I'm going to fall off...
  • tatertotfishstick
    tatertotfishstick Posts: 91 Member
    I am also 5''2 and there's no way my small stride can keep up with my hubbys! I am running at 5 mph... that a walk for him.
  • sailorsiren13
    sailorsiren13 Posts: 460
    I hold onto the hrm handles because i set an incline and i'm scared to death i'm going to fall off (i was damn near attacked by an old man on a treadmill years ago never got over it) ...I'm 5 ft 4 and i can't go that fast either so i agree slow and steady!
  • jcpmoore
    jcpmoore Posts: 796 Member
    Start by saying I'm 5'2"...so I don't have a long stride to begin with. I mostly run on the treadmill (Bridge to 10K) and set the speed to 5.0. Lately, I have been concentrating on my form and want to eventually pick up some speed. Yesterday, a tall lean girl with long legs got on the treadmill and started off at 8.0. I was like "WoW...let me watch this girl to see if I can get some tips". She was HIDIOUS!! Arms and legs flailing everywhere! She mostly held onto the treadmill or had her hands resing on her hips. At times it seemed she was holding her self up and galloping. She kept the steady pace of 8.0 for about two miles and I was so happy when she was done...I was afraid she was going to get hurt. Oh...she didn't even wipe down the machine! So, note to self: Slow and steady isn't always a bad thing as long as you're doing it right!

    I've learned over the years the best person to compare yourself to is YOU. It doesn't matter what someone else can or cannot do. You don't know what they do or don't have going for them. If you can run at 5.0 you are doing fantastic in my book. That is one of my goals for losing weight-to be able to run. Right now I can't run for even 2 minutes at any pace. So if you think 5.0 is slow and steady, then keep it up and know that you are being the best YOU that you can be. That's what matters.
  • its_sania
    its_sania Posts: 93 Member
    When I first started running I used run on the treadmill set to 10 for as long as I could, which was usually 5minutes lol after a few weeks I decided to just run at 8 and try to improve my endurance and learnt that going slow is the way to go! I can now run for 30minutes and I know i'm just going to keep improving!
  • Cruz2Fit
    Cruz2Fit Posts: 159 Member
    [/quote]
    [/quote]
    I've learned over the years the best person to compare yourself to is YOU. It doesn't matter what someone else can or cannot do. You don't know what they do or don't have going for them. If you can run at 5.0 you are doing fantastic in my book. That is one of my goals for losing weight-to be able to run. Right now I can't run for even 2 minutes at any pace. So if you think 5.0 is slow and steady, then keep it up and know that you are being the best YOU that you can be. That's what matters.
    [/quote]

    AMEN!!!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I look bad at any pace I run. When I first saw a video of me crossing a finish line I thought, "I look like I have to poop." Which I did, but that's besides the point.

    At one race, there was this tall, gorgeous woman with legs up to her chin who ran like a gazelle. I saw her warming up before the race, and felt like a Pekingese next to a Greyhound. I finished several minutes before her, even with my "gotta poop" shuffling run. :smile:
  • McMeggers
    McMeggers Posts: 22 Member
    Im almost 6 feet tall so i have the "stride" everyone is talking about but it dosent get me very far, i always feel so stupid on a tredmill i cant hold a run for more then 3-4 mins , what i do is put it on 3.5 and power walk for a bit , then amp it up to 5 and run for aslong as i can hold it. i know i look hideous jiggling every which way but i love how i feel after im done
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    This is just unimportant trivia, but a lot of the elite female marathoners are 5'4" and shorter. A recent study notwithstanding, size/stride length don't have much to do with speed. Running speed is more affected by fitness level. There are always some outliers, but, biomechanically, tall people tend to be not as efficient in their running gait as those who are shorter. I guess I am just saying, don't sell yourself "short" about your running ability just because your stride length is not that long.
  • david_swinstead
    david_swinstead Posts: 271 Member
    Having a big stride isnt as much of an advantage as you shorties might think.

    Us tall people are usually carrying a hell of a lot more weight too. At 6' 3", even at my goal weight i'd still be carrying 210lbs with every step. That gets very tiring very quickly.

    I think shorties make for much better distance runners, as long legs only help with short-distance speed.
  • L00py_T0ucan
    L00py_T0ucan Posts: 1,378 Member
    Cadence (or stride rate) is also a factor of speed, not just stride length.

    For anyone lacking graceful, streamline running form, don't feel bad. I have two words for you: Emil Zatopek.
    Look him up.
  • Mommawarrior
    Mommawarrior Posts: 897 Member
    I am 5 feet even. If I set the treadmill to 10 I would slide right off the back of it before the second step. LOL

    I hate treadmill running but when it is a must I have it set between 5.5 and 6.2.
    My outdoor running pace is at about a 10.5 min mile. It is slow, but I can run till the cows come home at that pace and that is what I like. I prefer long runs at a steady pace over short pushed ones. I will never be a competitive runner cause I run to burn stress, not beat someone else.
    Some days I will do just a short run and see how long I can run as fast as I can but that isn't enjoyable to me so I don't bother.

    Enjoy your pace, whatever it is. It is always faster than those sitting on the couch!
  • Shayztar
    Shayztar Posts: 415 Member
    I too am concerned about form. The faster I go, to more I lean back. When I lean back, my stride goes out in front of me. Then I'm injured and then have to take a week off to rest and heal my knees. It's taken me weeks to figure this out! I've started from scratch now. I'm paying attention to my posture and not going any fast than....2.5! LOL It's going pretty well so far. Some aches, no injuries. I never hold the hand rails, tho I might rest my hand on one every once and a while if I'm watching TV to make sure I'm still in the middle of the track. haha

    Even tho I've slowed down, I'm still losing weight. Must work for me!


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  • karinaes
    karinaes Posts: 570 Member
    There is a girl at my apartment gym that does the same thing. She sets the treadmill at 8-9 mph and props herself up on her arms using the side rails. She sort of skims the belt rather than putting her feet all the way down.

    I'll bet she's getting a great workout, based on how much she sweats, but I'll also bet she'd get just as good a workout by slowing down and letting go of the rails.
    i think she sweats from propping herself up, not the actual "running" hehe.. people are silly.

    edit: i could never go faster than 7.3 (ish) without losing form.
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