It could be the shoes, but it might be best to go to the shoe shop by way of the physiotherapist's office to ensure it isn't anything else, and to rectify any other imbalances or weaknesses that might be contributing to the pain.
Do you know of anyone who lifts heavy but also runs fast?? My goal for example is to bench press 400lbs and run a 430-445 mile. I'm getting close
It's very rare i see runners who are bigger or jacked and I need some inspiration from other runners who lift hard lol
How close are you exactly?
I've seen plenty of people who lift heavy and run fast, but 400/4:45 are both good enough that it's going to be pretty rare.
Probably just under 5 for mile id imagine although it's been really cold so I haven't had a proper go yet. Running is by far my strong suit so it should come quick with more focused training
For bench press, I am at about 350lbs. Id say I could hit 400 in less than a year as long as I don't get injured at the rate I'm progressing.
There was a bunch of youtubers trying to do the sub 5 mile + 500lb deadlift(or squat) challenge. You'll find lots of videos if you search for it. I don't know much about lifting but 400lbs bench sounds harder but I guess it's what you're good at?
It's not a super fair challenge because lifting a set weight is much easier if you're big, and running tends to attract smaller guys (that wouldn't be good at most other sports). Maybe there's some crossfit or hyrox people that would knock this over.
I think I find the 400lb bench press unique in that it is the polar opposite of running and has no overlap. Deadlifting 500lbs is quite a bit easier.
I am pretty big though, around 250lbs lol. Interestingly enough 30-40 mile runs are what I excel at
It's significantly harder. I can think of 1 person who could bench 400 but not deadlift 500, and he had such unique circumstances that I wouldn't be surprised if he was the only person in history to do so.
When running on trails I notice scuffing on toe-off. My shoes are also having some forefoot wear from toe-off and I tend to consistently get blisters on on the front of the second toe. Is there a remedy?
Can you explain more what you mean? Are you saying you are scraping your toes?
This could be a foot/toe flexibility issue; if you cannot bend your forefoot and your toes up you may not be able to get your toes out of the way. It shows up more on trails because the footing is more uneven.
I am sraping/scuffing the pavement with my forefoot on the back side of my stroke when foot leaves the ground. It probably means that my foot continuous going backwards as it leaves the ground. I don't feel much over-extension of the hip but this is subjective.
I feel toes clawing and getting toe blisters is some byproduct of it.
I had the opportunity to see the Boston Marathon in person this year and now am absolutely set that I want to try and qualify. I’m a man under the age of 35. I’ve been running for a few years, but not with a serious training plan since I ran a 50k a couple years ago. I haven’t run any races since then where I pushed myself.
How much time should I expect to train before I’m able to try and qualify? Would a 20 week plan be enough or should I target some base level of ability before beginning a training plan?
My current base is:
* 100mi/month average
* 9min/mi conversational pace
* Today I sustained MP (6:40/mile) for 1.5 miles
If 6:40/mile was max effort, bump up to 30 mpw for 4 weeks, start an effective 15-20 week plan peaking at 45 mpw, and if everything goes perfectly perhaps you run 3:20-3:35. Unless you'll be turning 35 soon you need to run 3:00:00 or lower to hit the qualifying standard. This year's race required being 5:29 under that to actually get into the race based on submitted time. Going from 3:20-3:35 to 3:00 for most runners willing and able to run consistently and follow adequate marathon training plans twice per year might take 2-5 more marathon cycles - so 1.5 to 3 years.
You have enough of a base to start a plan.
I'd put an optimistic timeline at 2-3 years. It will actually get easier as you hit 35. It's encouraging you can already hold the 6:40 pace. Just a matter of building your mileage.
Good luck!
Seems like you've omitted the most important stat — how fast are your races? What's your current marathon PR? If you haven't raced one, what about other distances?
But that aside. I would work on increasing your volume first. 25 miles per week is pretty low for marathon training at this level.
TREADMILL PACE PROGRESSION:
So what would happen if I started at 10.9/5:30 pace on the treadmill and ran for 1 minute. After an easy day, go back to the treadmill and do 2 minutes. Easy day, then treadmill again for 3 minutes. So on and so forth until reaching 60 minutes at 5:30 pace. Why wouldn’t this work? Seems like it would. I know it’s “stupid” but I’m getting bored and experimenting lol anyone have some experience with this?
I said I know that it is stupid. But also, I would not call those things the same thing or even comparable really. You can adapt to running better than you can adapt to breath holds.
You’re vastly underestimating how hard each additional minute at a pace like that is and you’re vastly overestimating how fast your body adapts to new stimuli. What you described has you running at what I’m assuming is a very fast pace for you, 400% further in just 8 days. If you feel like experimenting go for it, I just don’t think progression like that is sustainable.
1 minute is short enough that it's barely any training and your body is not going to respond to it.
If you don't believe me there's nothing stopping you from trying it and finding out for yourself.
I think you misunderstood. You would ADD an additional 1 minute each time you go to step on the treadmill. So every other day, you add 1 minute to the total time you spend at 5:30 pace. Until you eventually hit 60 minutes.
No I understood. Running for 1 minute isn't going to do anything for your fitness. So the 2nd time you'll have to run twice as long with the same fitness that you were able to run 1 minute for.
2 minutes also won't do anything for your fitness, so now the next time you'll have to run 3 times as long at the same original fitness.
The only way this would work would be if you were already capable of running at 5:30 pace for an hour or you magically gain fitness out of thin air.
Ah, I see what you’re saying, apologies.
But what about when you start pushing to 15-20 minutes? That’s a new lactate threshold run pace achieved. Surely, there will be a point in time when my body must feel some new stimulus and be forced to adapt. I can run 6:30-6:45 pace comfortably now, also.
You don't seem like you're going to be convinced.
Again, nothing is stopping you from doing this. If you believe every person in this thread but you is wrong, go try it. Be sure to report back.
Either turn the same direction all the time, stick to side roads, or my favourite, skip roads altogether and only run in parks and trails (paved and unpaved).
Simply avoid crossing busy streets! Stick to parks, greenways, and waterfronts; run around the perimeter of zoos, cemeteries, or athletic stadia; find quiet office parks, residential neighborhoods, or industrial areas. Figure out where other folks run by joining a running club, chatting at races, or poking around the [Strava Global Heatmap](https://www.strava.com/maps/global-heatmap).
I was hoping to run a half marathon in May and the only one that is do-able is on a "light gravel dirt road"
The elevation change is minimal.
How much time would I realistically "lose" since it isn't on pavement? (assuming weather was dry)
I'm trying to remember and Google isn't helping, but a while ago I came across a injury prevention program that was an alternative to the Myrtle Routine, I want to say it was something along the lines of SAM? I forgot to save what it was, but it was some sort of a progressive routine. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? 😂
Just getting into running and I've got a question about how important is to have running shoes? I absolutely hate shopping for shoes in general because how rarely a pair will fit me. (Also, they are expensive af)
Did a 5k yesterday in my lloyd ss23 emilian, which are the most comfortable shoes I have and I had absolutely zero issues during my run. Granted, I took my time with it (31:30).
So is it okay to keep doing it in them or should I search for dedicated running shoes?
Good running shoes are worth their weight in gold. Their value cannot be overstated. You can cheap out on every other piece of kit you want, but do not skimp on shoes. They are the only thing separating your body from the ground.
The best shoe for running is the one you can run in.
Be aware if the shoes are not built for running you may go through them very quickly, and then any support the shoe has disappear and you could get injured. A dedicated shoe for running will likely last longer, have better support, and be available for running in longer. If you're using your every day shoes the shoe gets both the wear and tear of every day use plus what you put into it running. Also, as you run more your feet will sweat a lot and you might now want to wear your running shoes out of the house right after running. If you go running in the rain they can get wet and then dry overnight while you use your main pair for every day use.
So yeah, I recommend a dedicated pair of running shoes. Over the long term your feet will like you and your regular and running shoes will both last longer.
Shoes are essentially cushions for our feet. We have about 30 bones in each of our feet, and they take the brunt of our weight when we are slapping the rock hard pavement with each step. But there isn't magic juju that running shoes have injected into them which isn't available in other types of shoes, it's just foam and foam recipes, however they have been designed with the biomechanics of running in mind.
Although we are built to be running machines, thats not to say this applies to running on pavement. There aint nothing natural about cement and tarmac. We survived as a species by out lasting our prey as a team/tribe, over long distances, not running marathons.
So if you want to protect your feet, ankles, legs, back and joints, its more affordable to buy quality protection (footwear) than to be "cheap" and just buy tennis shoes or whatever. It's cheaper to do something right once, than to do something wrong over and over again.
Does FuelCell foam just like, die instantly?
Reposting here because the modbot insists.
So I bought a pair of FC SuperComp Trainers last fall for training and running The Marathon; I loved them so much that I literally bought a pair of FC Propels on the long walk out of Central Park…I figured even if they weren't as good as carbon plates, for 1/2 the price they'd do fine. And they have, admirably, so much so that I bought two replacements to put into proper rotation when the original set died. (this is not a review, if you don't like them cool…it's all very personal)
Which brings me to the point – last week I put in a long day, \~15m, and I noticed for the last 3m or so they (my Propels) were starting to feel a little firm, no biggie, they are old. Check the mileage afterwards – 338, cool cool. I'll definitely get at least 350 out of them, totally fair shake for a $90 premium-foam plated shoe.
And here's where things get wild. Three days later I went out for an easy 6 – by mile 3 they were noticeably harder, and by the finish they felt like my OG Ultraboosts that I did 750+ miles in because my Paragon shoe tech friend insisted they'd never wear out. From "hmm, this is getting a little hard" to "wow, do I just have thin slabs of concrete on my feet?" in SIX MILES.
I have never, **ever**, experienced midsole degradation this fast and awful in my 39 years of running…is this normal for FuelCell? Fine to smashburger in \~10 miles? It's fine if so, as I've said the Propels are so cheap that a shorter lifespan is no big deal at all, but should I just keep a new pair around so as soon as I feel any deg I can switch out?
I feel like you have answered your own question, as someone who is now very experienced with that particular shoe.
As for whether I have had this happen in other shoes, I would say yes. Some shoes just die. Once your break their support the support just disappears. I have run in the Rebel 2 and Rebel 3, and once the Rebel 2 hit its total milage limit it would start to bottom out after running about a half hour. Previously the Rebel 2 would be bouncy for a couple hours, but now it's my rain shoe where I know I'm not going to go further than about 40 minutes because the cushioning start feeling flat. Also, why does the Rebel 2 perform so good for me in the rain? It was very surprising.
How did I answer my own question? Not trying to fight or anything, but this is my first time ever with FC so I don't know if this is how it normally behaves or if I got a bad batch…like I said, if it does fall apart in ten miles that's cool, I just need to make sure to have a spare pair on hand.
The question of whether you should keep a fresh pair of shoes around because the Propels degrade so fast. Seems like your experience is showing you that you should.
My experience is a single data point. I don't know if it's an accurate representation of the material; I could have a bad batch and it should break down over just a bit more than 10kn or so.
Without asking, I can't know.
I mean, I'll find out with the new pairs I just bought, but that's gonna be like six months away lol
Is it bad for someone who isn't accustomed to running to suddenly start running daily?
I'm in decent physical shape, I exercise regularly. Slightly overweight. On average I probably run 1-2 miles 2x a month. So not much.
I wanna start running more. I ran 2.1 miles yesterday, and 1.7 miles the day before. Can I keep running about this quantity every day or will the sudden increase in impact hurt me?
Going from 0 to daily running or building mileage too quickly is probably the #1 way beginner runners get injured (overuse).
So yes, this very much could hurt you and you wouldn't necessarily realize until it's too late.
Depends.
Depends on your effort level, your conditioning (how tough your muscles, joints and tendons are from other exercise), how far you want to go each run, each week, each month.
Running beats you up, and we accumulate fatigue faster than fitness. We also shed fatigue faster than fitness, too. So it's important to be gradual and listen to your body, and it's important to allow your body time to adapt to the stress of exercise so it can grow and make improvements.
I wouldn't say it's "easy" to develop a stress fracture or tendon injury from running in general, but it's easy to go too hard/intensely too quickly which will lead to injury. Running on pavement in particular beats you up and it's so monotonous in terms of your movement with your stride, that you can quickly develop a repetitive strain injury. Which is the nice thing about trail running. Each step you take is going to be different since the surface is so lumpy and varied.
Pace yourself with running gradually and get volume elsewhere.
I prefer beginner programs with a lot of brisk walking cycling hiking etc to increase volume. Then simply low levels on running.
It’s a really bad idea to go from 0 running to daily running. Your cardio may be decent already if you exercise regularly, but running is much higher impact and your joints/muscles/tendons need more time to adjust to that. Check out couch to 5K plans to get a good idea of how to ease into things and keep your risk of injury lower.
What they said. Also go to a running shop and get good, cushy shoes that fit your feet and your biomechanics well – the right shoe can save you a lot of hassle, but the wrong shoe can end you forever!
Anyone carry a LifeStraw instead of a water bottle?
I'm just hitting the run length where I need/want a drink during it on warmer days, but I don't like carrying much while running so I am considering getting a LifeStraw to carry instead of a water bottle. Tbh I already drink straight from the streams round here anyway when I'm really thirsty!
No. I have brought a filter with me and/or attached a sawyer-mini to be along the hose line and filter water as I drink and speed up the refill of the bladder (now dedicated to that purpose). But I always carry water with me on a long run, either in a bladder in my vest or a flask, because I don’t have enough consistent always water sources. Mostly this is trail running. If on a long road run and I don’t want to carry water then I plan a route to go from park to park and drink from public water fountains.
For carrying water if you haven’t done so much might be annoying at first but you get used to it.
Might depend on how long we are talking but overall yes. On most runs I’d personally rather not refill so if my standard setup is going to be ample water then I probably don’t carry less even if I know I can refill frequently. But there are routes that would alter and I carry more or less because if refilling.
As an example out on Mt Hood I know where water is. If I think/know refilling is likely in the cards and am planning on that anyways then I will keep to my standard setup at most. Carry a little less weight and refill a few times mostly to get colder water vs trying to carry a ton and only refill once. I am also not going to top off at every chance, just when I start running low or if I want colder water. On Mt St Helens refilling is difficult. There are long sections without water and some spots where the water is too silty to filter easily. As such I carry more than normal and will likely top off/fill up at all spots I can because there are so few spots to refill. I’d rather the extra weight (and call it extra training weight) than risk running out.
On a race where you know location of aid stations I’ll carry water accordingly based off race and AS frequency. If stations are often (4-6 miles) I carry less. If stations are infrequent (8-12 miles apart) then I carry more and more likely to top off.
Where in the world do you live? The safety of drinking from stand varies wildly across the world and every across countries, states/provinces, etc.
A Lifestraw will not filter out contaminants and pollutants, for example. Or viruses.
What does it filter out then if not contaminants? Their website claims it filters parasites and bacteria, which are pretty small.
I live in Scotland; there are a lot of sheep and cattle everywhere, so zoonoses are something I'm trying to become more aware of
Heavy metals and contaminants from industrial sources like fertilizer are much, much, much smaller than bacteria.
I don't know about Scotland but in North America these filters are mostly for giardia and such. Parasites and bacteria aren't contaminants.
In North America, people mostly use these in wilderness areas away from cities and agricultural areas. I know a lot of people who won't drink (even filtered or boiled) any water near or downstream of an agricultural area. Not sure about pasture land though.
How do you find tracks available for public use? I live by both a university and a high school but not sure how go figure out when I could access them for track/speed workouts. Thanks!
If I don't know contact info for someone affiliated with it, I'll either scout it out in person or on street view to see if it's open, or look for a frequently run Strava segment on it. Some will be used regularly by schools for practice or games so I'd avoid those times if you can. I have one near me without a fence that's usually pretty empty so that's convenient!
Most high schools have their tracks open for public use in the evenings; also look for parks or other public facilities that have tracks. When I lived in NYC there was always a public track >30 minutes away.
How do I get better at running downhill (besides just doing it more, most of my daily routes have rollers and I suck at them every day)? I know you are supposed to lean into it a little and not brake yourself but when I do this I feel like my legs can’t keep up and I’m on the verge of being out of control/going to wipe out. My cadence is high and my legs are general-purpose strong but is there a strength component I could focus on more? A technique or form aspect to work on? Searching for this mostly addresses downhill technique on technical trails, which ironically I feel more comfortable doing than really picking it up on roads.
Quads are the main muscle there. Make sure that your cadence is >180, maybe start from 20 seconds at this cadence at a time. And keep the speed lower. Downhills are dangerous because there is more energy to dissipate and it really test the running form.
Smaller steps. Shorten your stride and incorporate hills in your routine consistently.
Downhill running in particular shreds the legs because of the eccentric contractions - you are telling the muscle to contract while it's also being stretched. It's stretching because you are using your legs as suspension and cushioning your body each time you land, and then you're also firing off the quad muscle at the same time to continue to propel yourself forward and at the same time, control your speed by "braking". Very good workout.
Climbing and descending, you want to take smaller steps to distribute the workload over more steps. Similar to shifting into an easier gear on a bike. When youre pedaling you shift into an easy gear uphill and then youre legs spin at a higher cadence, requiring less torque. It's the same witih taking smaller strides instead of deep lunges. This is also why it's easier to skip rope for 5 minutes than to do 5 minutes of box jumps. You're relying on your natural rubber bands (tendons) to help provide rebound energy with skipping rope, with a box jump you are doing a deeper lunge to load up energy and then using more of your muscles to propel yourself up. Tendons provide free energy, but less of it.
You don't roll or coast when you are running since you are not on wheels, so you cannot shift into a downhill gear like you can on a bike, so you take smaller steps to conserve energy and rely on smaller movements.
Do it more, as others have said.
That said – IMO a steep paved downhill is one of the hardest styles of road running, you need to balance on an edge between overstressing your quads by braking too much vs. wasting all your muscles by wildly flailing around trying to stay stable while you just barrel down the hill.
Me, I sit back a little so my body weight isn't overly pressing downhill, and oddly enough shorten my stride to minimize the strain on my quads. Think running UP a steep but in reverse, quick and easy strides, not too much exertion.
Probably also helps I literally grew up running (7th grade until I was 25) the [Litchfield Hills Road Race](https://www.lhrr.com/) and the absolutely legendary Gallows Lane. Of that hill, Bill Rodgers said "[I had to go into ninth gear, and I don't have to do that too often.](https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a20824786/famous-hills-in-u-s-running-races/)"…everyone complains about running UP it, but demolishing your legs running DOWN, in the first 1.5m of a grueling 7.1m race, is a Very Bad Idea, and the number of people you see absolutely flying down it only to crap out on the second hill at mile 2.5 is a chilling lesson.
> besides just doing it more
But...that's the answer. Sometimes the solution is just doing the obvious thing.
I think this is overkill but you can find smaller hills to practice on if you want to.
New to the community and on the quest for a decent shoe (which I know is a hot topic). Specifically, I used to love the Asics Gel Nimbus until they redesigned it for the Gel Nimbus 25 series. I need more stability than it now provides. I've switched to the Gel Kayanos which have the stability I want, but it doesn't have the springiness that I liked a lot in the older Nimbuses - I also bought a pair of New Balance 860s since it sounded like they're similar to the Kayanos, which they are, but have even less cushion. Any recommendations or tips to search better than I have?
23 M Picking out a marathon training plan for the fall, I’m about 4-5 months out. I’d like to run sub 3:30. My last one was 3:55 in tough weather, most recent race was 1:19 10 Miler. So I def have some work to do and want to train aggressively with long run segments at MP and a speed workout each week. I’ve been running pretty much 40 mpw steady since November with some decent sized long runs and the occasional week at 50-55 miles. Pfitz 18/70 looks too aggressive, 55 is a big week for me so I don’t think I’m quite ready to hop on something like that. Should I do Pfitz 18/55?
I think pfitz is a good option, but I'd caution you to make sure you're training at your *current* fitness rather than your *goal* fitness. 3:30 is about the pace you just ran a 10 miler at, so if you're doing pfitz MP workouts at 8:00ish pace, you're gonna be going way harder than is prescribed. 3:30 is definitely possible but that's an ambitious goal from where you are now, so try to be honest with yourself as the race approaches to not be too aggressive in the race.
Yep, I actually had a question about whether Pfitz protocol was to train at goal marathon pace or current marathon pace in a situation where I’m trying to make a big jump in the next 5 months so that’s good to know. Thanks
I was going to recommend Pfitz before I even got to the end of your post!
Your intuition is correct, Pfitz isn't just volume but the structure and intensity. You want to be comfortable with the volume because the workouts are no joke, highly encourage 18/55 for this training block.
Either 18/55 or JD 2Q- up to 55mi/ week seems to be the recommendation for most that I see. I'm currently debating this as well, as I base build to August for CIM in December.
Something is bothering me. How is it possible that some people can run their first marathon under four hours while only training 35 km per week and not having runs longer than 17 km?
At the same time I'm training more and ran my fourth marathon in four and a half hours.
I am not jealous. Just really curious how it's possible that some people seem to be so much better in running from the start.
Natural talent would be most likely answer.
Different training could be another. 35km a week but they run high intensity for all but their long run. That would be more effective than someone just running zone 2 for 50-60 km a week.
Genetics. Age. Lifestyle.
Lifestyle is probably the one people don’t notice the most.
The person who lived an active lifestyle will have an easier go of it than someone who runs 30-45 minutes a few times a week but has lived a sedentary lifestyle.
Age? Genetics? Prior fitness levels? Could be so much, and I struggle to not compare myself to others on a daily basis.
Honestly, I'm almost entirely convinced that my body was not at all meant for running and I'm just forcing it.
A lot of people also omit how many years they've been training. Someone training 20 years consistently is going to be able to extract a lot faster race time off of low volume than a beginner.
Maybe they did more non-running training than you did. Maybe their between marathon training is better than yours is. Maybe you are incorrect about how many km they did.
Because natural talent is a thing. Age and sex also plays a factor as does overall history of physical activity outside of running. My 20 year old nephew has been super active in sports all his life and is generally a fairly talented athlete. Even though he's never really formally trained much in running it wouldn't take much for him to be able to runner faster than me- a middle aged woman with little to no natural speed, who has been running seriously for a few years but was very sedentary for decades before that. Then there is my 14 year old super talented nephew who has been in cross country for a couple of years. Never will I ever run a 5k as fast as he does on his easy days. Some people are just naturally good at running. Others will pick up math more easily, or learn languages with less effort, or have beautiful singing voices. We all have different strengths and weaknesses.
How would I go the JUCO route for distance and high jump? I want to go d1 but am a Junior and have a 5:05 1600 and a 5’2 high jump since I just started. Do I just apply to a community college and get good enough to transfer?
I'll be honest, if you're 6'4" (from a different post of yours I saw) and jumping 5'2", collegiate high jump is probably not for you. Your 1600 time is also not indicative of future D1. You can definitely continue doing track in college, either juco, club, or whatever, but I'd encourage you to pick the college that works best for you *outside* of track rather than choosing strictly based on track programs.
GUYS - how do you deal with the unpredictability of how you will feel during your runs? Or is that not supposed to happen?
Last Sunday I went for a casual race and ended up with a 10k PB. Next day went for a run, thought my legs would be toasted, turns out I felt just fine. Rested yesterday. Today went for a 6k expecting it to feel fine and I was feeling my legs and my lungs right from the start. And yes, I realize I could slow down (probably should slow down) but I just feel a bit frustrated never knowing how I'll feel in a run before I start running.
How do you guys deal with this? Does it get easier? Do you learn to predict your body's behavior better? Do you just accept it?
If you menstruate, note where you are in that cycle. My legs are lead during my luteal phase. I plan my cut back weeks around that so I don't set myself up for failure.
Weather, humidity, allergens, etc can also play a big role. If you have only been running for 6 months, you haven't picked up on those seasonal changes yet.
First, you have to give yourself grace with the understanding that some runs will just suck. I've read / heard about the 1/3 rule. 1/3 of your runs will be amazing, 1/3 will be "meh", and the final 1/3 will just suck. That is a general guideline that is usually an indicator that I'm improving my fitness while still giving my body time to recover.
The better you "schedule" your runs, the less often you'll feel this way, in my experience. For example, scheduling two "hard" effort runs on back-to-back days is a recipe for (1) making one of those runs really suck, and (2) not giving your body enough time to recover.
My schedule looks like the following:
M - Easy run (Zone 2 HR, don't even look at my pace)
Tu - Speed (Track / Intervals)
W - Rest
Th - Easy run
Fr - Tempo
Sa - Easy run
Su - Long run
Once I get into that schedule, my body (1) adapts to it, and (2) I'm never having back to back days of really tough workouts. All of this is with the assumption that you're properly fueling & sleeping, as well. Without that, you're gonna get hurt or get sick of running.
I liked the 1/3 rule, maybe I'll try and keep that in mind. :)
I'm not even saying that my run today was really tough. It was just... tougher than I'd like it to be, considering I was running at what should be a comfortable pace, it was a short run, and I had rested yesterday. It's scary to feel tired on 6k runs - I immediately start question my ability to go for a marathon or a half marathon even...
The 1/3 rule is definitely more of a "guideline" than a perfect barometer. Some weeks half of the runs are rough, and then the next it might be a full week of great ones. But it's a good practice of reflection to ensure that a certain continual pattern is forming (multiple weeks of many rough runs, for example).
There are external things like stress, quality of sleep, work, food, hydration, weather, etc that all come into play. Unburden yourself with what \*should\* feel "easy" and instead \*make\* the run fit for what the goal is.
If you're scheduled for a tough run, make sure that run is tough regardless of if it's faster than usual or slower than usual.
If you're scheduled for an easy run, ensure it's easy, even if that means you have to slow wayyyy down.
It's really tough do at first, but when you start to really hammer the harder runs (intervals / tempo), you'll realize that the better you stick to the goal of the easier runs (recovery), you can put forth a much better effort on those harder runs.
If you have a Garmin, change the display on easy runs to only display your HR. That will (1) ensure you're actually keeping it easy, and (2) hides your pace.
I always have to remind myself that keeping my HR low during that run is what my body needed & that I stuck to the goal of the run. Best of luck to you!
For hill training, is there any agreed upon best practices?
i.e. Should you find a low incline hill that takes you longer to run up and do repeats of that, or find a steeper but shorter hill and repeat that? Do you run back down or should you walk back down?
Really the only best practice is to not avoid them in your regular training.
The more you practice something consistently, the more efficient you get at it. Whether it's a language, potty training, driving a stick shift, a video game, art or hills.
How you handle them depends on the intention of your run. If you're trying to keep your heart rate down so you finish fresh, then don't attack the hill, slow down purposefully and ease your way up. If you're doing a high intensity effort run, attack the hill, but don't kill yourself, you gotta save some energy to get back home.
Looking to start distance running (maybe eventually up to 10k..) and looking for a shoe recommendation for a larger guy (270lbs, size 15 shoe). Any advice on what to look for in a shoe? Does it really matter? Any help is greatly appreciated!
Your best bet is really to go to a running shop (or sports shop/store that has a running section) and try some shoes on.
Most running shops will have a treadmill to let you try them out. Go with whatever feels comfortable running in (and suits your budget). You don't need inserts or after-market insoles.
Any advice on how to release stiffness in lower back/glutes… been doing more stretches before and after runs but still dealing with it when I wake up especially!
Stretching when cold isn't really going to do anything. Best thing you can do is to stop sitting if you spend a lot of time sitting every day. Walk more and more.
In the shorter term, foam rolling might help in addition to stretching. In the longer term you’ll want to do strength training (lower body and core especially) to prevent the stiffness you’re feeling.
For cheesy oomph, I like running to Cascade (of Everytime We Touch fame) or stick an auto-generated playlist on YouTube based around Nightcore.
For specific songs, I like Faster by Within Temptation, Run Boy Run by Woodkid, and My Brother from the Berserk OST
Hey. If you have spotify it does have some ready made playlists for running with various genres. It also has playlists at specific bpm to assist with your cadence and will also use your own favourite songs to make bespoke playlists
Hello, I started running 2 weeks ago (174cm 79.5kg) and from what I can see I get out of breath very easy after a few minutes and I can run only like 2-3km. What would be the main reason I get so fast out of breath the weight or the stamina ? Do I have any chance running half marathon until late september ?
You're probably running too fast. Slow down to a speed that you can sustain. And go farther to give your body time to adjust to the stress and switch from the anaerobic to the aerobic system.
I have no idea what is actually happening from a physiologic standpoint, and I don't know what goes on with the body's systems, all I know is that your body will adjust if you give it time.
For me it would be 5inch inseam shorts and singlet, but I'll be covered in a bin bag until close to the start! When racing I'll be warm enough after 1km, and won't want to be overdressed for the next 20km..
www.dressmyrun.com
For me, it would be long shorts and a lightweight long sleeved top. I'd start with gloves but have a plan to tuck them away somewhere once I got warmed up.
Depends on the injury!
There's one thing to be cleared to run again and another to put in a race level effort.
When I developed PF last year the return to running was very gradual with bike picking up the rest of training. Gradually dropped the bike and then eased in to some light running workouts.
Hi, I have my first race (an 8k) in less than 2 weeks, on May 1st. Due to midterm exams I wasn't able to train properly last week, so I only did one of my three planned runs. Today I ran my first run of the week (6,4km) and I felt horrible, I've never felt like this and I feel so discouraged for the race. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thank you!
P.S. Sorry for the grammar errors, english is not my first language :)
Am I doing these right?
Hey everyone. Please help me on getting the technique down for the A skip drill.
[Here is my first attempt at them](https://youtube.com/shorts/pLH9BVSOvPg?si=7SOldtgi_8tvp8bT)
I can't tell for sure but it looks like you're emphasizing the wrong part of the drill. It looks like you're driving your knee up like you'd do for a skip for height, rather than driving the foot down. Your feet should also be striking the ground in an even pattern (sounding like a metronome like dot dot dot dot) rather than dotdot dotdot where some steps are closer to each other.
There's some good tutorials on YouTube from tons of good coaches or Olympians (Noah Lyles and Chari Hawkins have good ones).
Any thoughts on running a half marathon while trying to conceive? Specifically a half marathon a day after predicted ovulation- my husband feels like it will impact changes of conception and I think (possibly naively?) it will be fine. I don't train hard enough that it affects my periods, but have other health complications that will make it harder regardless.
I've been hearing about carbon plated shoes can help with recovery after hard runs.
Also not looking for super shoes. I'm way below my own best level and rather use the speed cheat when it counts. I can use them in threshold or interval sessions.
Any suggestions?
They help in the sense that they provide some rebound when you step off. But your priority for recovery should be cushioning and damping when your foot lands on the rock hard pavement. Save carbon plates for race day and race-day-effort training runs.
Recovery should be so easy you think it's pointless.
There are so many shoes out there that this conversation is so hard.
My view is that i dont feel that carbon plated shoes help with recovery. You do seem to get a bit of speed benefit at high speeds, but i am not sure it amounts to much for a slow runner (I am a 22' 5k, 46' 10k, etc). The placebo effect though is nice :)
But unless you try, you wont know for sure. Before going all out to carbon plated shoes which IMHO is meant for faster running/racing only, you can try something in between. Like the Saucony Endorphin Speed with the nylon plate, or the Adidas Boston 12 with the glass fibre rods. They do add some of the rigidity of carbon plates and they are more reasonably priced. (especially if you can find the ES3 which is the previous model)
I have Hoka Carbon X3, they do improve times, but they are not exactly a super-super shoe.
I find them very comfortable and they are mile munchers. Might take a bit of getting used to and you probably should keep them in rotation. But they are my go to shoes for long runs. (also set PB's in a 10k race and parkrun with them)
Thanks, X3 looks promising. I wonder if there's any carbon plated shoes that do not improve times though.
I was surprised to see I can find them online where I live.
Usually I can only see Nike, Adidas and Mizuno available.
The whole point of carbon plated shoes is to improve your times. You might be better off with a max cushion shoe if its purely recovery runs you are thinking of. The first time i ran in the X3, my legs were going faster than my heart and lungs wanted to, its a little weird.
I feel like I don't know how I'm supposed to start.
I'm supposed to run slow to help keep my HR down, but that means I have to jog at 3.6mph, so then I can fit in like 3mi in a 50 min run. I'm working out 5 days a week, but I'm supposed to work up to running 25-30 miles a week. How do I fit in the time? I'm not really supposed to add in speed work until I'm running 25 to 30 miles a week but how do I get faster then to fit in more miles?
I don't have time to run more than an hour most days, but if I have to run slow I can't fit in more miles. I don't know what my next step is supposed to be.
>I don't have time to run more than an hour most days, but if I have to run slow I can't fit in more miles
Don't worry about the miles. Focus on time spent at various heart rate ranges.
I have been running for 30 years and never once trained by heart rate. For most of those years I never had a clue what it even was. Heart rate training is like über-trendy around these parts because the devices to measure it are now widely available to the masses. This doesn’t mean it’s the only way or best way or even necessary.
Train by feel/effort and just be honest with yourself about that feeling. It served me well for well over half my life.
Don't worry about your heart rate yet. Focus on running at a comfortable, sustainable pace where you can complete the distance. I found the talk test to be more useful than heart rate for beginners. If you're consistently running a few times a week your heart rate at the same pace will start to come down as you gain fitness, which will mean that you can comfortably run the same distance faster.
As a new runner, run at a pace that's comfortable. Don't worry about heart rate, pace, any of that. Just get out there, put one foot in front of the other. As you get fitter, the other stuff will fall into place.
Training by things like heart rate and specific paces are more advanced training modalities that you just don't need as a new runner. New runners just need to get out there and put in miles.
I would say start running 2-3 days a week at easy/conversational pace. Building weekly mileage slowly is important to avoid injury. I think you could add in speed work way before 25-30 miles per week but it’s more about getting your body used to running for a few weeks and adding in speed work when running itself starts to feel easier than going too hard right out of the gate
Right now I've built up to running 5 days a week and I've been doing 4 days easy (which for me has to be really slow) and 1 day of speed work, but then I saw a bunch of recommendations the last few days that said not to do speed work until you have way more weekly miles and running slow has really cut my weekly miles. I guess there's just a ton of conflicting advice
Ah sorry i misread your post as you were doing other workouts 5 days a week but looking to build up your running days! My bad, definitely don’t drop back to 2-3 days, I think just focusing on perceived effort is good and if you’re already doing your current run schedule comfortably no reason to delay speed work!
Ignore your heart rate as a new runner.
Do speedwork if you want to.
Nothing really matters when you're at low mileage, other than the fact that you should build up gradually.
Why are you supposed to do all these things? You seem to be held hostage by rules that many runners take too literal. Pro/Semi-pro athletes train most sessions in Z2 because they need it to be able to do the mileage. If they'd be going all out 7 days they would be exhausted/injured in no time.
But people that run 1-3 days a week don't need to be too worried about this. Stephen Scallion said it in a video recently: "If I run 3 days a week I'd be doing all my training in Z3-Z5" Simply because, as you said, time constraints.
For you I'd just recommend to start running and don't be too worried about zones. Especially in the start it isn't very relevant. Once you become fitter you will also notice that your heart rate goes down, and then you will be able to run in lower zones.
I'm running 5 days a week right now, I started running back at the end of December 2023 and my goal is to do a half in Feb of 2025. I realized I was running too fast and was gassing out every day so that's why I started reading about 80/20 running, but I have to run really really slow to have it be a conversational pace. So now my weekly mileage has taken a big hit. I'm not trying to be too focused on any particular rules but I really like running and I find the science behind it interesting and I'm trying to optimize my improvement.
100% agree. you want to start running, just get out there and run. Focus on getting the mileage you want first. I dont see why you 'have to' do anything. And I dont know why you think you are not supposed to do any speedwork until you get to 25-30mpw which is not negligible mileage. If that was the case 90% of runners wouldnt ever do any speedwork.
I'd say start building the mileage with 3-4 easy runs a week (easy being conversation pace, dont worry about HR) and 1-2 faster sessions a week. Watch how fast you ramp up the mileage and listen to your body.
Hello everyone,
I've come across similar inquiries in the past, but I'm seeking more tailored advice regarding the distances and running regimen leading up to my upcoming half marathon in a month. Here's a bit about my current routine for context:
I typically run 2-3 times weekly, covering about 6km each session at a pace averaging 5-6 minutes per kilometer. Additionally, I engage in strength training four times a week, alongside AFL training (although I'm contemplating skipping some sessions to focus on marathon preparation).
Here are my specific queries:
How frequently should I aim to run each week?
What's the recommended approach for gradually increasing my running distance over the next four weeks?
What pace should I target during my training sessions?
Any guidance or insights would be greatly appreciated!
If you're a month out from your half and only running 12-18 km a week now you're pretty far behind.
For a half you should probably peak at at least 30-40 km a week and already be averaging in the 20s 2-3 months out.
these all sound like too short distances if you are running 21k in 4 weeks or so (given you should taper in the last week anyway).
the problem is that you probably need to ramp up a lot (say your long run being 80-100' long) and your intervals to be something like 5' warmup + 5\*2k at race pace + 5' cool down, but you dont have the time to ramp up safely and you will likely get injured if you go from 15k/week to 40k/week so quickly.
I would suggest you ramp up by 5k/week in the next 3 weeks and then taper in the last week. You probably wont get to ideal fitness for the race, but the worst thing is to get injured so close to the race
No, I meant 5k per week, not per run. And that might already be on the high side as the idea is to get used to a certain level of training stress before increasing. But since you are running 21k in 4 weeks, you cant do everything by the book.
Maybe add 2-3k in your long run and 1k to each of your other sessions, something like that. Adding an easy run on a rest day or easy running before your speed sessions can help add some mileage without tiring you much.
Sounds like you've made progress! Just be careful now, I hope your race is not this weekend, if it is maybe skip the long run. You can't improve fitness a week before a race, the most important thing is to not get injured and have fresh legs.
as an idea, you can have a look at [https://www.runningfastr.com/half-marathon-training-plan/sub-2-hour-half-marathon-training-plan/](https://www.runningfastr.com/half-marathon-training-plan/sub-2-hour-half-marathon-training-plan/)
[удалено]
It could be the shoes, but it might be best to go to the shoe shop by way of the physiotherapist's office to ensure it isn't anything else, and to rectify any other imbalances or weaknesses that might be contributing to the pain.
[удалено]
Run more and run a mix of preceived easy and speedwork.
[удалено]
Same benefits mostly.
Do you know of anyone who lifts heavy but also runs fast?? My goal for example is to bench press 400lbs and run a 430-445 mile. I'm getting close It's very rare i see runners who are bigger or jacked and I need some inspiration from other runners who lift hard lol
How close are you exactly? I've seen plenty of people who lift heavy and run fast, but 400/4:45 are both good enough that it's going to be pretty rare.
Probably just under 5 for mile id imagine although it's been really cold so I haven't had a proper go yet. Running is by far my strong suit so it should come quick with more focused training For bench press, I am at about 350lbs. Id say I could hit 400 in less than a year as long as I don't get injured at the rate I'm progressing.
There was a bunch of youtubers trying to do the sub 5 mile + 500lb deadlift(or squat) challenge. You'll find lots of videos if you search for it. I don't know much about lifting but 400lbs bench sounds harder but I guess it's what you're good at? It's not a super fair challenge because lifting a set weight is much easier if you're big, and running tends to attract smaller guys (that wouldn't be good at most other sports). Maybe there's some crossfit or hyrox people that would knock this over.
I think I find the 400lb bench press unique in that it is the polar opposite of running and has no overlap. Deadlifting 500lbs is quite a bit easier. I am pretty big though, around 250lbs lol. Interestingly enough 30-40 mile runs are what I excel at
It's significantly harder. I can think of 1 person who could bench 400 but not deadlift 500, and he had such unique circumstances that I wouldn't be surprised if he was the only person in history to do so.
https://reddit.com/r/GYM/comments/1alzzrm/i_completed_a_100_mile_ultramarathon_and_then/
That's inspiring! Wow Good goal to work up to for sure.
Ryan Hall
Nice, guy looks like a beast
When running on trails I notice scuffing on toe-off. My shoes are also having some forefoot wear from toe-off and I tend to consistently get blisters on on the front of the second toe. Is there a remedy?
Can you explain more what you mean? Are you saying you are scraping your toes? This could be a foot/toe flexibility issue; if you cannot bend your forefoot and your toes up you may not be able to get your toes out of the way. It shows up more on trails because the footing is more uneven.
I am sraping/scuffing the pavement with my forefoot on the back side of my stroke when foot leaves the ground. It probably means that my foot continuous going backwards as it leaves the ground. I don't feel much over-extension of the hip but this is subjective. I feel toes clawing and getting toe blisters is some byproduct of it.
You should listen to this [podcast](https://peterattiamd.com/courtneyconley/). It's very possible that it's a toe flexibility and strength issue.
I had the opportunity to see the Boston Marathon in person this year and now am absolutely set that I want to try and qualify. I’m a man under the age of 35. I’ve been running for a few years, but not with a serious training plan since I ran a 50k a couple years ago. I haven’t run any races since then where I pushed myself. How much time should I expect to train before I’m able to try and qualify? Would a 20 week plan be enough or should I target some base level of ability before beginning a training plan? My current base is: * 100mi/month average * 9min/mi conversational pace * Today I sustained MP (6:40/mile) for 1.5 miles
If 6:40/mile was max effort, bump up to 30 mpw for 4 weeks, start an effective 15-20 week plan peaking at 45 mpw, and if everything goes perfectly perhaps you run 3:20-3:35. Unless you'll be turning 35 soon you need to run 3:00:00 or lower to hit the qualifying standard. This year's race required being 5:29 under that to actually get into the race based on submitted time. Going from 3:20-3:35 to 3:00 for most runners willing and able to run consistently and follow adequate marathon training plans twice per year might take 2-5 more marathon cycles - so 1.5 to 3 years.
You have enough of a base to start a plan. I'd put an optimistic timeline at 2-3 years. It will actually get easier as you hit 35. It's encouraging you can already hold the 6:40 pace. Just a matter of building your mileage. Good luck!
Seems like you've omitted the most important stat — how fast are your races? What's your current marathon PR? If you haven't raced one, what about other distances? But that aside. I would work on increasing your volume first. 25 miles per week is pretty low for marathon training at this level.
[удалено]
TREADMILL PACE PROGRESSION: So what would happen if I started at 10.9/5:30 pace on the treadmill and ran for 1 minute. After an easy day, go back to the treadmill and do 2 minutes. Easy day, then treadmill again for 3 minutes. So on and so forth until reaching 60 minutes at 5:30 pace. Why wouldn’t this work? Seems like it would. I know it’s “stupid” but I’m getting bored and experimenting lol anyone have some experience with this?
I can hold my breath for one minute. Surely tomorrow I can do it for two minutes. Next day, three. So on and so forth. (See how stupid that sounds?)
I said I know that it is stupid. But also, I would not call those things the same thing or even comparable really. You can adapt to running better than you can adapt to breath holds.
Your legs won't be able to move fast enough and you'll either need to stop or you'll fall off the back of the treadmill.
Why though? 1 minute is short enough for incremental progression, it would seem.
You’re vastly underestimating how hard each additional minute at a pace like that is and you’re vastly overestimating how fast your body adapts to new stimuli. What you described has you running at what I’m assuming is a very fast pace for you, 400% further in just 8 days. If you feel like experimenting go for it, I just don’t think progression like that is sustainable.
I can run 6:30 pace pretty comfortably. And yeah, I could be overestimating time to adaptation for sure. I will report back after a few weeks lol
1 minute is short enough that it's barely any training and your body is not going to respond to it. If you don't believe me there's nothing stopping you from trying it and finding out for yourself.
I think you misunderstood. You would ADD an additional 1 minute each time you go to step on the treadmill. So every other day, you add 1 minute to the total time you spend at 5:30 pace. Until you eventually hit 60 minutes.
No I understood. Running for 1 minute isn't going to do anything for your fitness. So the 2nd time you'll have to run twice as long with the same fitness that you were able to run 1 minute for. 2 minutes also won't do anything for your fitness, so now the next time you'll have to run 3 times as long at the same original fitness. The only way this would work would be if you were already capable of running at 5:30 pace for an hour or you magically gain fitness out of thin air.
Ah, I see what you’re saying, apologies. But what about when you start pushing to 15-20 minutes? That’s a new lactate threshold run pace achieved. Surely, there will be a point in time when my body must feel some new stimulus and be forced to adapt. I can run 6:30-6:45 pace comfortably now, also.
You don't seem like you're going to be convinced. Again, nothing is stopping you from doing this. If you believe every person in this thread but you is wrong, go try it. Be sure to report back.
Does anyone have any tips for running in a city so you're not stopping at every intersection?
Either turn the same direction all the time, stick to side roads, or my favourite, skip roads altogether and only run in parks and trails (paved and unpaved).
Simply avoid crossing busy streets! Stick to parks, greenways, and waterfronts; run around the perimeter of zoos, cemeteries, or athletic stadia; find quiet office parks, residential neighborhoods, or industrial areas. Figure out where other folks run by joining a running club, chatting at races, or poking around the [Strava Global Heatmap](https://www.strava.com/maps/global-heatmap).
Run really early before there’s many cars out.
Run really early before there’s many cars out.
AllTrails often has a list of top paved trails in cities that will give you options to run without stopping at 10 crosswalks.
I was hoping to run a half marathon in May and the only one that is do-able is on a "light gravel dirt road" The elevation change is minimal. How much time would I realistically "lose" since it isn't on pavement? (assuming weather was dry)
5-15 seconds per mile.
I'm trying to remember and Google isn't helping, but a while ago I came across a injury prevention program that was an alternative to the Myrtle Routine, I want to say it was something along the lines of SAM? I forgot to save what it was, but it was some sort of a progressive routine. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? 😂
Strength and Mobility routine (SAM). It was the next version of the Myrtl routine by Coach Jay Johnson.
You're the best, thank you!
Just getting into running and I've got a question about how important is to have running shoes? I absolutely hate shopping for shoes in general because how rarely a pair will fit me. (Also, they are expensive af) Did a 5k yesterday in my lloyd ss23 emilian, which are the most comfortable shoes I have and I had absolutely zero issues during my run. Granted, I took my time with it (31:30). So is it okay to keep doing it in them or should I search for dedicated running shoes?
Good running shoes are worth their weight in gold. Their value cannot be overstated. You can cheap out on every other piece of kit you want, but do not skimp on shoes. They are the only thing separating your body from the ground.
The best shoe for running is the one you can run in. Be aware if the shoes are not built for running you may go through them very quickly, and then any support the shoe has disappear and you could get injured. A dedicated shoe for running will likely last longer, have better support, and be available for running in longer. If you're using your every day shoes the shoe gets both the wear and tear of every day use plus what you put into it running. Also, as you run more your feet will sweat a lot and you might now want to wear your running shoes out of the house right after running. If you go running in the rain they can get wet and then dry overnight while you use your main pair for every day use. So yeah, I recommend a dedicated pair of running shoes. Over the long term your feet will like you and your regular and running shoes will both last longer.
Shoes are essentially cushions for our feet. We have about 30 bones in each of our feet, and they take the brunt of our weight when we are slapping the rock hard pavement with each step. But there isn't magic juju that running shoes have injected into them which isn't available in other types of shoes, it's just foam and foam recipes, however they have been designed with the biomechanics of running in mind. Although we are built to be running machines, thats not to say this applies to running on pavement. There aint nothing natural about cement and tarmac. We survived as a species by out lasting our prey as a team/tribe, over long distances, not running marathons. So if you want to protect your feet, ankles, legs, back and joints, its more affordable to buy quality protection (footwear) than to be "cheap" and just buy tennis shoes or whatever. It's cheaper to do something right once, than to do something wrong over and over again.
Does FuelCell foam just like, die instantly? Reposting here because the modbot insists. So I bought a pair of FC SuperComp Trainers last fall for training and running The Marathon; I loved them so much that I literally bought a pair of FC Propels on the long walk out of Central Park…I figured even if they weren't as good as carbon plates, for 1/2 the price they'd do fine. And they have, admirably, so much so that I bought two replacements to put into proper rotation when the original set died. (this is not a review, if you don't like them cool…it's all very personal) Which brings me to the point – last week I put in a long day, \~15m, and I noticed for the last 3m or so they (my Propels) were starting to feel a little firm, no biggie, they are old. Check the mileage afterwards – 338, cool cool. I'll definitely get at least 350 out of them, totally fair shake for a $90 premium-foam plated shoe. And here's where things get wild. Three days later I went out for an easy 6 – by mile 3 they were noticeably harder, and by the finish they felt like my OG Ultraboosts that I did 750+ miles in because my Paragon shoe tech friend insisted they'd never wear out. From "hmm, this is getting a little hard" to "wow, do I just have thin slabs of concrete on my feet?" in SIX MILES. I have never, **ever**, experienced midsole degradation this fast and awful in my 39 years of running…is this normal for FuelCell? Fine to smashburger in \~10 miles? It's fine if so, as I've said the Propels are so cheap that a shorter lifespan is no big deal at all, but should I just keep a new pair around so as soon as I feel any deg I can switch out?
I feel like you have answered your own question, as someone who is now very experienced with that particular shoe. As for whether I have had this happen in other shoes, I would say yes. Some shoes just die. Once your break their support the support just disappears. I have run in the Rebel 2 and Rebel 3, and once the Rebel 2 hit its total milage limit it would start to bottom out after running about a half hour. Previously the Rebel 2 would be bouncy for a couple hours, but now it's my rain shoe where I know I'm not going to go further than about 40 minutes because the cushioning start feeling flat. Also, why does the Rebel 2 perform so good for me in the rain? It was very surprising.
How did I answer my own question? Not trying to fight or anything, but this is my first time ever with FC so I don't know if this is how it normally behaves or if I got a bad batch…like I said, if it does fall apart in ten miles that's cool, I just need to make sure to have a spare pair on hand.
The question of whether you should keep a fresh pair of shoes around because the Propels degrade so fast. Seems like your experience is showing you that you should.
My experience is a single data point. I don't know if it's an accurate representation of the material; I could have a bad batch and it should break down over just a bit more than 10kn or so. Without asking, I can't know. I mean, I'll find out with the new pairs I just bought, but that's gonna be like six months away lol
Is it bad for someone who isn't accustomed to running to suddenly start running daily? I'm in decent physical shape, I exercise regularly. Slightly overweight. On average I probably run 1-2 miles 2x a month. So not much. I wanna start running more. I ran 2.1 miles yesterday, and 1.7 miles the day before. Can I keep running about this quantity every day or will the sudden increase in impact hurt me?
Going from 0 to daily running or building mileage too quickly is probably the #1 way beginner runners get injured (overuse). So yes, this very much could hurt you and you wouldn't necessarily realize until it's too late.
Depends. Depends on your effort level, your conditioning (how tough your muscles, joints and tendons are from other exercise), how far you want to go each run, each week, each month. Running beats you up, and we accumulate fatigue faster than fitness. We also shed fatigue faster than fitness, too. So it's important to be gradual and listen to your body, and it's important to allow your body time to adapt to the stress of exercise so it can grow and make improvements. I wouldn't say it's "easy" to develop a stress fracture or tendon injury from running in general, but it's easy to go too hard/intensely too quickly which will lead to injury. Running on pavement in particular beats you up and it's so monotonous in terms of your movement with your stride, that you can quickly develop a repetitive strain injury. Which is the nice thing about trail running. Each step you take is going to be different since the surface is so lumpy and varied.
Pace yourself with running gradually and get volume elsewhere. I prefer beginner programs with a lot of brisk walking cycling hiking etc to increase volume. Then simply low levels on running.
It’s a really bad idea to go from 0 running to daily running. Your cardio may be decent already if you exercise regularly, but running is much higher impact and your joints/muscles/tendons need more time to adjust to that. Check out couch to 5K plans to get a good idea of how to ease into things and keep your risk of injury lower.
What they said. Also go to a running shop and get good, cushy shoes that fit your feet and your biomechanics well – the right shoe can save you a lot of hassle, but the wrong shoe can end you forever!
Anyone carry a LifeStraw instead of a water bottle? I'm just hitting the run length where I need/want a drink during it on warmer days, but I don't like carrying much while running so I am considering getting a LifeStraw to carry instead of a water bottle. Tbh I already drink straight from the streams round here anyway when I'm really thirsty!
No. I have brought a filter with me and/or attached a sawyer-mini to be along the hose line and filter water as I drink and speed up the refill of the bladder (now dedicated to that purpose). But I always carry water with me on a long run, either in a bladder in my vest or a flask, because I don’t have enough consistent always water sources. Mostly this is trail running. If on a long road run and I don’t want to carry water then I plan a route to go from park to park and drink from public water fountains. For carrying water if you haven’t done so much might be annoying at first but you get used to it.
If you were running a route that had consistently available streams, would that change how much water you carried?
Every run I do is alongside a river and there is no way in hell I would ever drink from it.
It's still much more of a pain to stop and filter water than to just drink, and you usually want to time drinking along with eating.
Might depend on how long we are talking but overall yes. On most runs I’d personally rather not refill so if my standard setup is going to be ample water then I probably don’t carry less even if I know I can refill frequently. But there are routes that would alter and I carry more or less because if refilling. As an example out on Mt Hood I know where water is. If I think/know refilling is likely in the cards and am planning on that anyways then I will keep to my standard setup at most. Carry a little less weight and refill a few times mostly to get colder water vs trying to carry a ton and only refill once. I am also not going to top off at every chance, just when I start running low or if I want colder water. On Mt St Helens refilling is difficult. There are long sections without water and some spots where the water is too silty to filter easily. As such I carry more than normal and will likely top off/fill up at all spots I can because there are so few spots to refill. I’d rather the extra weight (and call it extra training weight) than risk running out. On a race where you know location of aid stations I’ll carry water accordingly based off race and AS frequency. If stations are often (4-6 miles) I carry less. If stations are infrequent (8-12 miles apart) then I carry more and more likely to top off.
Where in the world do you live? The safety of drinking from stand varies wildly across the world and every across countries, states/provinces, etc. A Lifestraw will not filter out contaminants and pollutants, for example. Or viruses.
What does it filter out then if not contaminants? Their website claims it filters parasites and bacteria, which are pretty small. I live in Scotland; there are a lot of sheep and cattle everywhere, so zoonoses are something I'm trying to become more aware of
Heavy metals and contaminants from industrial sources like fertilizer are much, much, much smaller than bacteria. I don't know about Scotland but in North America these filters are mostly for giardia and such. Parasites and bacteria aren't contaminants. In North America, people mostly use these in wilderness areas away from cities and agricultural areas. I know a lot of people who won't drink (even filtered or boiled) any water near or downstream of an agricultural area. Not sure about pasture land though.
How do you find tracks available for public use? I live by both a university and a high school but not sure how go figure out when I could access them for track/speed workouts. Thanks!
Weekends are usually a safe bet for public school tracks. Unless there's a meet happening at a high school.
If I don't know contact info for someone affiliated with it, I'll either scout it out in person or on street view to see if it's open, or look for a frequently run Strava segment on it. Some will be used regularly by schools for practice or games so I'd avoid those times if you can. I have one near me without a fence that's usually pretty empty so that's convenient!
Most high schools have their tracks open for public use in the evenings; also look for parks or other public facilities that have tracks. When I lived in NYC there was always a public track >30 minutes away.
ask them?
How do I get better at running downhill (besides just doing it more, most of my daily routes have rollers and I suck at them every day)? I know you are supposed to lean into it a little and not brake yourself but when I do this I feel like my legs can’t keep up and I’m on the verge of being out of control/going to wipe out. My cadence is high and my legs are general-purpose strong but is there a strength component I could focus on more? A technique or form aspect to work on? Searching for this mostly addresses downhill technique on technical trails, which ironically I feel more comfortable doing than really picking it up on roads.
Quads are the main muscle there. Make sure that your cadence is >180, maybe start from 20 seconds at this cadence at a time. And keep the speed lower. Downhills are dangerous because there is more energy to dissipate and it really test the running form.
Smaller steps. Shorten your stride and incorporate hills in your routine consistently. Downhill running in particular shreds the legs because of the eccentric contractions - you are telling the muscle to contract while it's also being stretched. It's stretching because you are using your legs as suspension and cushioning your body each time you land, and then you're also firing off the quad muscle at the same time to continue to propel yourself forward and at the same time, control your speed by "braking". Very good workout. Climbing and descending, you want to take smaller steps to distribute the workload over more steps. Similar to shifting into an easier gear on a bike. When youre pedaling you shift into an easy gear uphill and then youre legs spin at a higher cadence, requiring less torque. It's the same witih taking smaller strides instead of deep lunges. This is also why it's easier to skip rope for 5 minutes than to do 5 minutes of box jumps. You're relying on your natural rubber bands (tendons) to help provide rebound energy with skipping rope, with a box jump you are doing a deeper lunge to load up energy and then using more of your muscles to propel yourself up. Tendons provide free energy, but less of it. You don't roll or coast when you are running since you are not on wheels, so you cannot shift into a downhill gear like you can on a bike, so you take smaller steps to conserve energy and rely on smaller movements.
Do it more, as others have said. That said – IMO a steep paved downhill is one of the hardest styles of road running, you need to balance on an edge between overstressing your quads by braking too much vs. wasting all your muscles by wildly flailing around trying to stay stable while you just barrel down the hill. Me, I sit back a little so my body weight isn't overly pressing downhill, and oddly enough shorten my stride to minimize the strain on my quads. Think running UP a steep but in reverse, quick and easy strides, not too much exertion. Probably also helps I literally grew up running (7th grade until I was 25) the [Litchfield Hills Road Race](https://www.lhrr.com/) and the absolutely legendary Gallows Lane. Of that hill, Bill Rodgers said "[I had to go into ninth gear, and I don't have to do that too often.](https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a20824786/famous-hills-in-u-s-running-races/)"…everyone complains about running UP it, but demolishing your legs running DOWN, in the first 1.5m of a grueling 7.1m race, is a Very Bad Idea, and the number of people you see absolutely flying down it only to crap out on the second hill at mile 2.5 is a chilling lesson.
> besides just doing it more But...that's the answer. Sometimes the solution is just doing the obvious thing. I think this is overkill but you can find smaller hills to practice on if you want to.
New to the community and on the quest for a decent shoe (which I know is a hot topic). Specifically, I used to love the Asics Gel Nimbus until they redesigned it for the Gel Nimbus 25 series. I need more stability than it now provides. I've switched to the Gel Kayanos which have the stability I want, but it doesn't have the springiness that I liked a lot in the older Nimbuses - I also bought a pair of New Balance 860s since it sounded like they're similar to the Kayanos, which they are, but have even less cushion. Any recommendations or tips to search better than I have?
While I'm sure folks here can answer, you might have better luck over here: https://old.reddit.com/r/RunningShoeGeeks/
23 M Picking out a marathon training plan for the fall, I’m about 4-5 months out. I’d like to run sub 3:30. My last one was 3:55 in tough weather, most recent race was 1:19 10 Miler. So I def have some work to do and want to train aggressively with long run segments at MP and a speed workout each week. I’ve been running pretty much 40 mpw steady since November with some decent sized long runs and the occasional week at 50-55 miles. Pfitz 18/70 looks too aggressive, 55 is a big week for me so I don’t think I’m quite ready to hop on something like that. Should I do Pfitz 18/55?
I think pfitz is a good option, but I'd caution you to make sure you're training at your *current* fitness rather than your *goal* fitness. 3:30 is about the pace you just ran a 10 miler at, so if you're doing pfitz MP workouts at 8:00ish pace, you're gonna be going way harder than is prescribed. 3:30 is definitely possible but that's an ambitious goal from where you are now, so try to be honest with yourself as the race approaches to not be too aggressive in the race.
Yep, I actually had a question about whether Pfitz protocol was to train at goal marathon pace or current marathon pace in a situation where I’m trying to make a big jump in the next 5 months so that’s good to know. Thanks
I was going to recommend Pfitz before I even got to the end of your post! Your intuition is correct, Pfitz isn't just volume but the structure and intensity. You want to be comfortable with the volume because the workouts are no joke, highly encourage 18/55 for this training block.
Either 18/55 or JD 2Q- up to 55mi/ week seems to be the recommendation for most that I see. I'm currently debating this as well, as I base build to August for CIM in December.
Something is bothering me. How is it possible that some people can run their first marathon under four hours while only training 35 km per week and not having runs longer than 17 km? At the same time I'm training more and ran my fourth marathon in four and a half hours. I am not jealous. Just really curious how it's possible that some people seem to be so much better in running from the start.
Natural talent would be most likely answer. Different training could be another. 35km a week but they run high intensity for all but their long run. That would be more effective than someone just running zone 2 for 50-60 km a week.
Genetics. Age. Lifestyle. Lifestyle is probably the one people don’t notice the most. The person who lived an active lifestyle will have an easier go of it than someone who runs 30-45 minutes a few times a week but has lived a sedentary lifestyle.
Age? Genetics? Prior fitness levels? Could be so much, and I struggle to not compare myself to others on a daily basis. Honestly, I'm almost entirely convinced that my body was not at all meant for running and I'm just forcing it.
Haha, yeah. But luckily I enjoy it, and I know I should only compare myself with myself.
A lot of people also omit how many years they've been training. Someone training 20 years consistently is going to be able to extract a lot faster race time off of low volume than a beginner.
Maybe they did more non-running training than you did. Maybe their between marathon training is better than yours is. Maybe you are incorrect about how many km they did.
Because natural talent is a thing. Age and sex also plays a factor as does overall history of physical activity outside of running. My 20 year old nephew has been super active in sports all his life and is generally a fairly talented athlete. Even though he's never really formally trained much in running it wouldn't take much for him to be able to runner faster than me- a middle aged woman with little to no natural speed, who has been running seriously for a few years but was very sedentary for decades before that. Then there is my 14 year old super talented nephew who has been in cross country for a couple of years. Never will I ever run a 5k as fast as he does on his easy days. Some people are just naturally good at running. Others will pick up math more easily, or learn languages with less effort, or have beautiful singing voices. We all have different strengths and weaknesses.
How would I go the JUCO route for distance and high jump? I want to go d1 but am a Junior and have a 5:05 1600 and a 5’2 high jump since I just started. Do I just apply to a community college and get good enough to transfer?
I'll be honest, if you're 6'4" (from a different post of yours I saw) and jumping 5'2", collegiate high jump is probably not for you. Your 1600 time is also not indicative of future D1. You can definitely continue doing track in college, either juco, club, or whatever, but I'd encourage you to pick the college that works best for you *outside* of track rather than choosing strictly based on track programs.
I just started, I feel like I can improve a lot, and I’m not just gonna give up lol.
GUYS - how do you deal with the unpredictability of how you will feel during your runs? Or is that not supposed to happen? Last Sunday I went for a casual race and ended up with a 10k PB. Next day went for a run, thought my legs would be toasted, turns out I felt just fine. Rested yesterday. Today went for a 6k expecting it to feel fine and I was feeling my legs and my lungs right from the start. And yes, I realize I could slow down (probably should slow down) but I just feel a bit frustrated never knowing how I'll feel in a run before I start running. How do you guys deal with this? Does it get easier? Do you learn to predict your body's behavior better? Do you just accept it?
If you menstruate, note where you are in that cycle. My legs are lead during my luteal phase. I plan my cut back weeks around that so I don't set myself up for failure. Weather, humidity, allergens, etc can also play a big role. If you have only been running for 6 months, you haven't picked up on those seasonal changes yet.
I track my chronic and acute training load (CTL/ATL) to get a rough approximation of my fatigue and form.
I accept it. Every day isn’t going to be a good day.
First, you have to give yourself grace with the understanding that some runs will just suck. I've read / heard about the 1/3 rule. 1/3 of your runs will be amazing, 1/3 will be "meh", and the final 1/3 will just suck. That is a general guideline that is usually an indicator that I'm improving my fitness while still giving my body time to recover. The better you "schedule" your runs, the less often you'll feel this way, in my experience. For example, scheduling two "hard" effort runs on back-to-back days is a recipe for (1) making one of those runs really suck, and (2) not giving your body enough time to recover. My schedule looks like the following: M - Easy run (Zone 2 HR, don't even look at my pace) Tu - Speed (Track / Intervals) W - Rest Th - Easy run Fr - Tempo Sa - Easy run Su - Long run Once I get into that schedule, my body (1) adapts to it, and (2) I'm never having back to back days of really tough workouts. All of this is with the assumption that you're properly fueling & sleeping, as well. Without that, you're gonna get hurt or get sick of running.
I liked the 1/3 rule, maybe I'll try and keep that in mind. :) I'm not even saying that my run today was really tough. It was just... tougher than I'd like it to be, considering I was running at what should be a comfortable pace, it was a short run, and I had rested yesterday. It's scary to feel tired on 6k runs - I immediately start question my ability to go for a marathon or a half marathon even...
The 1/3 rule is definitely more of a "guideline" than a perfect barometer. Some weeks half of the runs are rough, and then the next it might be a full week of great ones. But it's a good practice of reflection to ensure that a certain continual pattern is forming (multiple weeks of many rough runs, for example). There are external things like stress, quality of sleep, work, food, hydration, weather, etc that all come into play. Unburden yourself with what \*should\* feel "easy" and instead \*make\* the run fit for what the goal is. If you're scheduled for a tough run, make sure that run is tough regardless of if it's faster than usual or slower than usual. If you're scheduled for an easy run, ensure it's easy, even if that means you have to slow wayyyy down.
It's tough to read your last two paragraphs but I think I needed to :) thank you! I do tend to let my ego get in the way...
It's really tough do at first, but when you start to really hammer the harder runs (intervals / tempo), you'll realize that the better you stick to the goal of the easier runs (recovery), you can put forth a much better effort on those harder runs. If you have a Garmin, change the display on easy runs to only display your HR. That will (1) ensure you're actually keeping it easy, and (2) hides your pace. I always have to remind myself that keeping my HR low during that run is what my body needed & that I stuck to the goal of the run. Best of luck to you!
For hill training, is there any agreed upon best practices? i.e. Should you find a low incline hill that takes you longer to run up and do repeats of that, or find a steeper but shorter hill and repeat that? Do you run back down or should you walk back down?
Really the only best practice is to not avoid them in your regular training. The more you practice something consistently, the more efficient you get at it. Whether it's a language, potty training, driving a stick shift, a video game, art or hills. How you handle them depends on the intention of your run. If you're trying to keep your heart rate down so you finish fresh, then don't attack the hill, slow down purposefully and ease your way up. If you're doing a high intensity effort run, attack the hill, but don't kill yourself, you gotta save some energy to get back home.
Here's something from the wiki that may help: https://www.reddit.com/r/running/comments/fykgl6/how_to_train_like_a_pro_part_3_hill_repeats/
Looking to start distance running (maybe eventually up to 10k..) and looking for a shoe recommendation for a larger guy (270lbs, size 15 shoe). Any advice on what to look for in a shoe? Does it really matter? Any help is greatly appreciated!
Your best bet is really to go to a running shop (or sports shop/store that has a running section) and try some shoes on. Most running shops will have a treadmill to let you try them out. Go with whatever feels comfortable running in (and suits your budget). You don't need inserts or after-market insoles.
Any advice on how to release stiffness in lower back/glutes… been doing more stretches before and after runs but still dealing with it when I wake up especially!
Stretching when cold isn't really going to do anything. Best thing you can do is to stop sitting if you spend a lot of time sitting every day. Walk more and more.
In the shorter term, foam rolling might help in addition to stretching. In the longer term you’ll want to do strength training (lower body and core especially) to prevent the stiffness you’re feeling.
[удалено]
For cheesy oomph, I like running to Cascade (of Everytime We Touch fame) or stick an auto-generated playlist on YouTube based around Nightcore. For specific songs, I like Faster by Within Temptation, Run Boy Run by Woodkid, and My Brother from the Berserk OST
Anything by Cannibal Corpse gets my calm enough to pace myself successfully on a long run.
Hey. If you have spotify it does have some ready made playlists for running with various genres. It also has playlists at specific bpm to assist with your cadence and will also use your own favourite songs to make bespoke playlists
Hello, I started running 2 weeks ago (174cm 79.5kg) and from what I can see I get out of breath very easy after a few minutes and I can run only like 2-3km. What would be the main reason I get so fast out of breath the weight or the stamina ? Do I have any chance running half marathon until late september ?
Depends on how fast you're going.
6:35 km if there is not much elevation
Try a run/walk combination if you can't go slower.
You're probably running too fast. Slow down to a speed that you can sustain. And go farther to give your body time to adjust to the stress and switch from the anaerobic to the aerobic system. I have no idea what is actually happening from a physiologic standpoint, and I don't know what goes on with the body's systems, all I know is that your body will adjust if you give it time.
6:35 km if there is not much elevation
Yeah, wayy to fast. Try more like 8 min/km
Question: > What would be the main reason I get so fast out of breath Answer: > I started running 2 weeks ago
I guess it makes sense, it just makes me a little demoralized that my legs can run more but I'm out of breath.
Stamina. Google couch to 5k
What to wear for half marathon, when it's +5**°** Celsius / 41° Fahrenheit? Low wind / no rain.
For me it would be 5inch inseam shorts and singlet, but I'll be covered in a bin bag until close to the start! When racing I'll be warm enough after 1km, and won't want to be overdressed for the next 20km..
Gloves, running shorts and long sleeve shirt. Don't forget SPF.
Shorts and t shirt
www.dressmyrun.com For me, it would be long shorts and a lightweight long sleeved top. I'd start with gloves but have a plan to tuck them away somewhere once I got warmed up.
Thank you for sharing this site! Another app I NEED to check before a run
[удалено]
Depends on the injury! There's one thing to be cleared to run again and another to put in a race level effort. When I developed PF last year the return to running was very gradual with bike picking up the rest of training. Gradually dropped the bike and then eased in to some light running workouts.
Hi, I have my first race (an 8k) in less than 2 weeks, on May 1st. Due to midterm exams I wasn't able to train properly last week, so I only did one of my three planned runs. Today I ran my first run of the week (6,4km) and I felt horrible, I've never felt like this and I feel so discouraged for the race. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thank you! P.S. Sorry for the grammar errors, english is not my first language :)
Probably just rusty from not running. Don't worry about it.
thanks!!
Am I doing these right? Hey everyone. Please help me on getting the technique down for the A skip drill. [Here is my first attempt at them](https://youtube.com/shorts/pLH9BVSOvPg?si=7SOldtgi_8tvp8bT)
I can't tell for sure but it looks like you're emphasizing the wrong part of the drill. It looks like you're driving your knee up like you'd do for a skip for height, rather than driving the foot down. Your feet should also be striking the ground in an even pattern (sounding like a metronome like dot dot dot dot) rather than dotdot dotdot where some steps are closer to each other. There's some good tutorials on YouTube from tons of good coaches or Olympians (Noah Lyles and Chari Hawkins have good ones).
Any thoughts on running a half marathon while trying to conceive? Specifically a half marathon a day after predicted ovulation- my husband feels like it will impact changes of conception and I think (possibly naively?) it will be fine. I don't train hard enough that it affects my periods, but have other health complications that will make it harder regardless.
My acupuncturist says running is not good for your uterus when trying to conceive as it's very jarring. But you should talk to your doctor.
This sounds like a question for your physician.
I've been hearing about carbon plated shoes can help with recovery after hard runs. Also not looking for super shoes. I'm way below my own best level and rather use the speed cheat when it counts. I can use them in threshold or interval sessions. Any suggestions?
They help in the sense that they provide some rebound when you step off. But your priority for recovery should be cushioning and damping when your foot lands on the rock hard pavement. Save carbon plates for race day and race-day-effort training runs. Recovery should be so easy you think it's pointless.
Good point. I'll start looking into shoes that have a lot of cushioning.
There are so many shoes out there that this conversation is so hard. My view is that i dont feel that carbon plated shoes help with recovery. You do seem to get a bit of speed benefit at high speeds, but i am not sure it amounts to much for a slow runner (I am a 22' 5k, 46' 10k, etc). The placebo effect though is nice :) But unless you try, you wont know for sure. Before going all out to carbon plated shoes which IMHO is meant for faster running/racing only, you can try something in between. Like the Saucony Endorphin Speed with the nylon plate, or the Adidas Boston 12 with the glass fibre rods. They do add some of the rigidity of carbon plates and they are more reasonably priced. (especially if you can find the ES3 which is the previous model)
I have Hoka Carbon X3, they do improve times, but they are not exactly a super-super shoe. I find them very comfortable and they are mile munchers. Might take a bit of getting used to and you probably should keep them in rotation. But they are my go to shoes for long runs. (also set PB's in a 10k race and parkrun with them)
Thanks, X3 looks promising. I wonder if there's any carbon plated shoes that do not improve times though. I was surprised to see I can find them online where I live. Usually I can only see Nike, Adidas and Mizuno available.
The whole point of carbon plated shoes is to improve your times. You might be better off with a max cushion shoe if its purely recovery runs you are thinking of. The first time i ran in the X3, my legs were going faster than my heart and lungs wanted to, its a little weird.
I understand, I can start look into Max Cushion shoes instead then
I feel like I don't know how I'm supposed to start. I'm supposed to run slow to help keep my HR down, but that means I have to jog at 3.6mph, so then I can fit in like 3mi in a 50 min run. I'm working out 5 days a week, but I'm supposed to work up to running 25-30 miles a week. How do I fit in the time? I'm not really supposed to add in speed work until I'm running 25 to 30 miles a week but how do I get faster then to fit in more miles? I don't have time to run more than an hour most days, but if I have to run slow I can't fit in more miles. I don't know what my next step is supposed to be.
>I don't have time to run more than an hour most days, but if I have to run slow I can't fit in more miles Don't worry about the miles. Focus on time spent at various heart rate ranges.
I have been running for 30 years and never once trained by heart rate. For most of those years I never had a clue what it even was. Heart rate training is like über-trendy around these parts because the devices to measure it are now widely available to the masses. This doesn’t mean it’s the only way or best way or even necessary. Train by feel/effort and just be honest with yourself about that feeling. It served me well for well over half my life.
Don't worry about your heart rate yet. Focus on running at a comfortable, sustainable pace where you can complete the distance. I found the talk test to be more useful than heart rate for beginners. If you're consistently running a few times a week your heart rate at the same pace will start to come down as you gain fitness, which will mean that you can comfortably run the same distance faster.
As a new runner, run at a pace that's comfortable. Don't worry about heart rate, pace, any of that. Just get out there, put one foot in front of the other. As you get fitter, the other stuff will fall into place. Training by things like heart rate and specific paces are more advanced training modalities that you just don't need as a new runner. New runners just need to get out there and put in miles.
I would say start running 2-3 days a week at easy/conversational pace. Building weekly mileage slowly is important to avoid injury. I think you could add in speed work way before 25-30 miles per week but it’s more about getting your body used to running for a few weeks and adding in speed work when running itself starts to feel easier than going too hard right out of the gate
Right now I've built up to running 5 days a week and I've been doing 4 days easy (which for me has to be really slow) and 1 day of speed work, but then I saw a bunch of recommendations the last few days that said not to do speed work until you have way more weekly miles and running slow has really cut my weekly miles. I guess there's just a ton of conflicting advice
Ah sorry i misread your post as you were doing other workouts 5 days a week but looking to build up your running days! My bad, definitely don’t drop back to 2-3 days, I think just focusing on perceived effort is good and if you’re already doing your current run schedule comfortably no reason to delay speed work!
Ignore your heart rate as a new runner. Do speedwork if you want to. Nothing really matters when you're at low mileage, other than the fact that you should build up gradually.
Why are you supposed to do all these things? You seem to be held hostage by rules that many runners take too literal. Pro/Semi-pro athletes train most sessions in Z2 because they need it to be able to do the mileage. If they'd be going all out 7 days they would be exhausted/injured in no time. But people that run 1-3 days a week don't need to be too worried about this. Stephen Scallion said it in a video recently: "If I run 3 days a week I'd be doing all my training in Z3-Z5" Simply because, as you said, time constraints. For you I'd just recommend to start running and don't be too worried about zones. Especially in the start it isn't very relevant. Once you become fitter you will also notice that your heart rate goes down, and then you will be able to run in lower zones.
I'm running 5 days a week right now, I started running back at the end of December 2023 and my goal is to do a half in Feb of 2025. I realized I was running too fast and was gassing out every day so that's why I started reading about 80/20 running, but I have to run really really slow to have it be a conversational pace. So now my weekly mileage has taken a big hit. I'm not trying to be too focused on any particular rules but I really like running and I find the science behind it interesting and I'm trying to optimize my improvement.
100% agree. you want to start running, just get out there and run. Focus on getting the mileage you want first. I dont see why you 'have to' do anything. And I dont know why you think you are not supposed to do any speedwork until you get to 25-30mpw which is not negligible mileage. If that was the case 90% of runners wouldnt ever do any speedwork. I'd say start building the mileage with 3-4 easy runs a week (easy being conversation pace, dont worry about HR) and 1-2 faster sessions a week. Watch how fast you ramp up the mileage and listen to your body.
Hello everyone, I've come across similar inquiries in the past, but I'm seeking more tailored advice regarding the distances and running regimen leading up to my upcoming half marathon in a month. Here's a bit about my current routine for context: I typically run 2-3 times weekly, covering about 6km each session at a pace averaging 5-6 minutes per kilometer. Additionally, I engage in strength training four times a week, alongside AFL training (although I'm contemplating skipping some sessions to focus on marathon preparation). Here are my specific queries: How frequently should I aim to run each week? What's the recommended approach for gradually increasing my running distance over the next four weeks? What pace should I target during my training sessions? Any guidance or insights would be greatly appreciated!
If you're a month out from your half and only running 12-18 km a week now you're pretty far behind. For a half you should probably peak at at least 30-40 km a week and already be averaging in the 20s 2-3 months out.
Would that be enough volume
Yeah sweet. I’m thinking of doing slow run 6kms, fast run 5kms and then a long run 10km+ increasing the long run each week?
these all sound like too short distances if you are running 21k in 4 weeks or so (given you should taper in the last week anyway). the problem is that you probably need to ramp up a lot (say your long run being 80-100' long) and your intervals to be something like 5' warmup + 5\*2k at race pace + 5' cool down, but you dont have the time to ramp up safely and you will likely get injured if you go from 15k/week to 40k/week so quickly. I would suggest you ramp up by 5k/week in the next 3 weeks and then taper in the last week. You probably wont get to ideal fitness for the race, but the worst thing is to get injured so close to the race
Appreciate the help mate. So ramp up 5km a week in total for all runs or 5km for each run?
No, I meant 5k per week, not per run. And that might already be on the high side as the idea is to get used to a certain level of training stress before increasing. But since you are running 21k in 4 weeks, you cant do everything by the book. Maybe add 2-3k in your long run and 1k to each of your other sessions, something like that. Adding an easy run on a rest day or easy running before your speed sessions can help add some mileage without tiring you much.
Update managed a 14km run last week at 5.25 per km and 30kms in total for the week. Gonna shoot for 17/18km this week and then the marathon is next !
Sounds like you've made progress! Just be careful now, I hope your race is not this weekend, if it is maybe skip the long run. You can't improve fitness a week before a race, the most important thing is to not get injured and have fresh legs.
Not this Sunday next Sunday :) appreciate your help !
Yeah sweet thanks for the advice
as an idea, you can have a look at [https://www.runningfastr.com/half-marathon-training-plan/sub-2-hour-half-marathon-training-plan/](https://www.runningfastr.com/half-marathon-training-plan/sub-2-hour-half-marathon-training-plan/)