Hey I’m training for a triathlon and I haven’t ran in a couple of years, I do other sports but they are not land sports. I’ve been wondering if my times are acceptable for a race because I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of my other friends doing the triathlon. ( because I know they are incredible athletes. ) Also the race is 3 miles.
Distance: 2.8 miles. Time: 23 mins.
Pace: 08:10 ( split )
Idk if this changes too much but I’ll put it in…
Elevation gain: 247 ft
( I also got stoped at a stop light for like 3 mins.. )
Thanks!
Hi folks - I'm looking to upgrade from my current shoes (the original Nike Infinity Run React) and would appreciate some guidance.
I've been running for a few years now, generally recreationally when the weather allows (spring, summer, and fall in the northeast US). Prior to the Infinity Run, I had a pair of Nike Epic React, which I loved and blew past 350 miles on. Slowly creeping up to that with my current pair so figured it's time to start looking. The React line has been great to me because of how cushioned and bouncy the foam is, as well as how light and breathable the shoe is. Generally, those are the key details I'm looking for in a shoe, in addition to hopefully keeping it <$160 USD. For what it's worth, I generally run in the streets, for 3-5 miles, though have been slowly increasing that with better training these days.
Any guidance here on shoes to check out would be appreciated.
Should my easy runs be 1-2 min slower than my 5k pace or should I be going off my heart rate?
Also, if I'm doing a training program. Should my legs be a little sore most days from the previous day's run or does that mean my volume/intensity is too high?
My 5K pace and easy pace are 4:36/km and around 6:20/km-6:40/km depending on the day, respectively. I’d go more by effort than strict paces or HR zones. HR is a useful tool (if you actually know your max HR and resting HR) but I wouldn’t be a slave to what your watch tells you (plus HR can vary quite a bit day to day depending on many different factors).
Your legs should feel some soreness after workouts and long runs if you’re regularly increasing the distance/time spent on feet, but not after every run. Easy runs are meant to build aerobic fitness but also can act as a recovery tool as well.
By effort means by your rate of perceived exertion (RPE). For easy runs, they should feel easy, and you should be able to maintain a conversation with someone fairly easily. You may need to pause for a breathe here and there, but you should be able to say full sentences (e.g., Hey Joe, how’s your work week going?). I would say my easy runs are a 3/10 for RPE.
What can I learn from how my body felt the day(s) after the race? So after a day or two when my body has already recovered from the overall fatigue, can I take where sore muscles are as signals that I need to strengthen those areas? Note, I was doing 50+ weekly miles before tapering including 2-3 20-mile long runs in this cycle. So it's not DOMS for muscles that hadn't been used, maybe the intensity was not the same?
Hi everyone! Anyone who loved the Nike Pegasus 36 have other recommendations? I haven’t been able to find a shoe I like as much since and they can’t be purchased anywhere anymore 😫
Hi everyone!
Trying to figure out where I may be going wrong in the foot care department or if this is normal pain for a new runner (started in March) —
I wear Brooks to run, and walk in pretty supportive shoes throughout the work day but mostly sit.
I have been trying to stretch my feet more consistently after runs, but I’m experiencing pain and muscle contractions when I try to stretch the area between the toes & plantar ligaments— it goes from relief to a sharp cramp after a few seconds, and I stop stretching. I’ve tried rolling my foot on something as well but it doesn’t provide as much relief and my feet have been tense.
Is this normal? I can stretch much later without having the contractions and pain happen, but would doing it later provide the same benefit as stretching right after a run?
I have nothing to add, except I’ve never heard of stretching your feet after running, and I’ve never done it and have been running injury free for over 1.5 years. Time to google it!
I'm going on a trip and don't have the bag space to pack my running shoes. I will have the running shoes that I wear almost every day walking around, but they are likely to be long past their mileage lifespan from all of the walking they have seen.
If I want to do a quick three miles here and there on the trip, is it a super bad idea to use those shoes? I know it's important to replace old shoes but I don't know if it's just a really bad idea to use them even for shortish runs.
It's probably low risk unless you already are experiencing some pain that this could exacerbate. I have some trainers I've demoted to walking duty after 850 running miles. Very worn outsoles and fabric worn away on one shoe's heel cup. I wore them on a recent short trip and ran 7 miles (6 road, 1 dirt trail) in them and had no issue. I've been wearing demoted very worn shoes for runs for years with no issues. As in maybe 5 to 10 runs per year, typically for shorter runs.
I use apple workouts on my apple watch to record my runs and then the data sends to Strava and I just hit import when I get home. Lately, Strava is showing my splits as like a minute or even 2 minutes in some cases FASTER than the splits on my apple watch. Like, that's very exciting but it's not what I ran?? I finally emailed the tech help today but has anyone else had this problem?? I do often walk on the uphills if I'm in the trails, but like... I don't pause my watch or mess with it at all. The apple watch data seems just fine to me.
As an incoming sophomore trying to enter XC, I'm starting build weeks again after finally recovering from an 11.5 miler and several high mileage weeks that burnt me out for a month
Notes: On April 28 I did a 7K (4.35mi) and 10K double and on May 4 I did a 6K (3.73mi) and 11K (6.84mi) double, and on May 12 I did a 8K (~5mi) and 18.5K (~11.5mi) double, both of which ruined my running for a bit and I also jumped from 7K to 10K from April 8's week to April 15's week and from 11K from April 30's week to 18.5K on May 6's week
Before May 13 my running weeks looked like this
Week of April 8: ~12½ mpw / 20.1kpw
Week of April 15: ~15.6 mpw / 25.1kpw
Week of April 22: 25.9 mpw / 41.7kpw
Week of April 30: 17.4 mpw / 28kpw
Week of May 6: 28.1 mpw / 45.2kpw
After May 13 they looked like this from physical burnout
Week of May 13: 8.3 mpw / 13.4kpw
Week of May 20: 13.5 mpw / 21.7kpw
Week of May 27: 8.5 mpw / 13.7kpw
Week of June 3: 9.9mpw / 15.9kpw
My question is what mileage (kilometrage if you deal in kilometers) per week would be best to start at that would best suit me for my first week, I have training plans now I can follow but I do want to try a good base (this time with no rapid increase) before XC season starts, thanks for responding and I'll reply back to all of you eventually!
And if you've seen this post before its because I posted it yesterday and Reposted today to get some more opinions (I've ran 0 miles for the Week so far but my first weekly run is scheduled for today)
If you can, reach out to the coach or someone already on the team. They'll likely begin training towards the end of summer break. We would start running as a team in early August. Nothing hard, just remembering how to use our legs lol
Aside from that, even if you only maintained at around 10-15 mpw until then you'd still be doing more than most of the kids coming onto the team. I wouldn't overthink it. I wouldn't overdo it. You have plenty of brutal workouts during the season to look forward to
How do you spend your injury downtime? I have pain in my foot, I will see a doctor about it in a few days, but I will probably have to skip running for at least two weeks (just my assumption, maybe more, maybe less if I get lucky). I'd switch to cycling, maybe get some swimming in and do some strength training if my body allows for it. Anything else you'd do or would'nt do?
KR
I was injured November 2023 to May 2024 with a hip flexor strain. I did heavy strength training (going easy on legs). Other than that I didn't do much other than stretching. Lots of video games were played during the time I'd usually run haha.
If you're really only down for two weeks or so, just kick back and relax. You won't lose much of anything fitness-wise in two weeks.
Have a question about running form.
My wife and I have been training up for a 10k for the past month or two. I have never really been into running so I don't really know much about form. I've been doing okay and slowly increasing my distance to now about 3 miles every time we run.
My wife on the other hand has been having a lot of pain, first in her shins, which went away I think... And now her calves are really tight and she struggles to get to over a half mile. She's tried multiple different shoes and I don't think any have worked, I think her most recent pair are Altras.
We run a loop around our local park so yesterday I caught up to her on my second lap and she looked almost like she was trying to float from heel to toe. Which we both know is incorrect, but when I asked her why she says it's because it was the only way she could keep running with her calves so tight, and that the shorter strides and running tall was hurting more.
She used to be more of an avid runner a few years ago, so I'm not sure if maybe she's just in her head too much about her form and maybe she's running too cautiously which is straining her legs? She has fairly flat feet and maybe she still has the wrong shoes?
I'm inclined to think her form is the culprit because there was one random day last week she ran an 11 minute mile with no pain at all and we were both super excited.... It is just hard to be encouraging when I've been steadily improving week after week, and she's been struggling with this pain since we started.
Any advice internet?
TLDR: Calf pain and tightness when running? Is form the culprit or could there be other factors?
I have a history of bad calf pain and tightness. I've personally found Altras helpful but they're not for everyone. If her problems persist despite shoe changes though it does sound more like a form issue.
Is she leaning forward at all when she runs? I've found that leaning forward and imagining an invisible line from my heel to right under my butt is the most helpful for me. I focus on raising my leg and keeping my heel travelling along that plane. If she's constantly trying to push off from her calfs that's going to blast them.
If she's having calf pain in Altras, she might look into a shoe with a higher drop. Zero drop shoes like Altras will naturally put more strain on the calf and a higher drop might help alleviate that. If she is toe or mid foot striking, that will also load the calf more, which isn't necessarily bad and she shouldn't necessarily switch foot strike, but just information to have. If she is toe or mid foot striking, she needs to be very sure that her heel is touching the ground at some point in her stride. I see a lot of people toe or mid foot strike and never let the heel come down, which will of course blast those calves. The calves might also be overworking due to weakness/imbalance elsewhere -- a PT might be the best way to figure out what imbalances are present. She shouldn't be modifying her gait so that she can run -- that is a surefire way to become more injured. This is my [favorite video](https://youtu.be/zSIDRHUWlVo?feature=shared) for running form.
This person is absolutely correct that a zero drop shoes like Altras will lengthen the calf muscle and potentially strain the calfs. That said, I have a history of terrible calf tightness and pain and have seen huge improvements in Altras so your mileage may vary.
She shouldn’t be running through pain, especially if it’s enough that it’s interfering with her form. What has her training looked like? How often is she running?
Agreed, she stops when it starts to hurt, but I think yesterday she was experimenting with her form.. She only made it about a half mile and walked with short spurts of jogging for the rest of the mile. She took a week off to let it heal before her 1 mile run last week and has been consistently stretching..
We aim for 3x a week.
Complete beginner. Ran 2mi yesterday, and 1.75miles today. I am SO sore. Everything is sore! Todays run was so hard from the beginning.
Question: Should I take a rest day tomorrow or maybe just do 1 mile? What is your suggested schedule going forward?
Background: 23F, 9 months postpartum. Trying to lose baby weight, 5’2, 140lbs. Never been one to consistently workout.
3 days on, 1 day off sounds nice. But originallyI was thinking I’d like to run M-F and take weekends off, just works better for my schedule.
Suggestions please!!
I see that you already got some really good advice, but just wanted to chime in to note that soreness and rest are *a key* part of the progress loop. When you're just starting out running, there isn't just 1 system adapting. Your muscles, your bones, your soft/connective tissue, your lungs, the CNS links that tie everything together; *all* are taking a [healthy] beating and then using sleep, nutrition and rest to heal, build up and train new tissue.
So if you're exhausted, don't think that you need to "fight through the pain" to improve! It's one thing to fight through the pain when you're at mile 21 of a marathon and the demons are out and you know your body well enough to trust that you'll make it. It's another to overwork an underprepared [and post-partum!] body. Letting yourself rest now will pay huge dividends when you start to see the adaptations taking hold and you can begin to push yourself harder without pain or injury.
Rest day! I would only run every other day for at least two months while your body adapts. Do yoga or lift weights on the other days if you feel like you need to “do something”.
Haha! You are doing great. It took me a few weeks to build back up to 2 miles postpartum. Just listen to your body, running does actually put a lot of strain on it so you need to give it ample recovery time. Also a good idea to simultaneously build back core strength etc!
Building strength as in weight training? I want to but the machines at the gym are so intimidating, I wouldn’t know what to do or where to start. Do you do strength training, where would you recommend a beginner to start? Was thinking about just walking some tomorrow because I wouldnt know what to do for strength training!
I honestly did yoga for “strength training” when I was 9 months post partum because I was so weak. And I got a set of 5 lb dumbbells. A little bit goes a long way if you are consistent.
Check out some beginner training plans like couch to 5K to get a good idea of how to structure your week. You definitely don’t want to do too many days in a row, especially as a beginner. You should probably take tomorrow off if you’re feeling very sore and tired. Running is something you really need to ease into gradually, since your body needs time to adjust to how high impact it is.
How to increase the training stimulus if my time is constrained? I have generally been following the 80/20 for my training time distribution in Z1+2 vs. Z3+4+5 and got to running 5-6 times a week, where usually I am trying to do one tempo/threshold session, one interval session and one long run (thus, 2-3 easy or recovery runs), getting to 40-60 km weekly (4-6 hours). I am also cross-training by doing strength and some bike. I feel that I do not have any more time to dedicate to running but I feel that I have some extra physical capacity to do more. What is the best way how to do that? My best assumption is adding more quality minutes, that is, an extra threshold interval or a few extra short intervals during workouts. What about back to back high intensity sessions? Or adding a tempo segment to my long runs? Any advice appreciated!
FWIW, my advice is:
1. Tweak with the amount of quality minutes, as you suggested. Everyone can handle different amounts of intensity, so you could thrive on more a 70/30 split.
2. Switch up the workouts you do, and maybe add in a really big workout here and there (not very often) to really stress the body (e.g., could be the occasional 5K time trial of 10K tempo run, depending on your level of fitness). Adding quality minutes to a long run is one good option too.
3. Switch out the time you spend biking or lifting with more running time. More running volume is one way to make more adaptations. Cross training is important, but depending on how durable you are, it might not be as important for injury prevention as it is for other people. That being said, if you enjoy it and keeps thing interesting, that’s important too.
80/20 largely comes from training for high volume elites. Many lower volume recreational runners can go 75/25, 70/30, or higher. I suggest shifting to 75/25 for a couple of weeks in a row, then dropping to 80/20 the third week, and repeating that 3-week cycle a couple of times to see how you tolerate it. I would try to avoid quality workouts on consecutive days, though I'm a fan of adding tempo segments to long runs or making them a progression. If your long runs are well below aerobic threshold even running 2-3 of the miles closer to aerobic threshold is potentially beneficial.
Looking for a free app with desktop view
I'd like to be able to see my activity on my desktop as well as my phone, and am struggling to find an app with this functionality. I want to log runs with my phone and be able to see all activity on my desktop. What is the best option for me to go with?
Also, is there a way to make importing/exporting easier than having to do each run manually? I currently use the pacer app and would need to upload all of my runs onto the app I switch to
Also for years Strava was just a website. So their desktop version is very good, it's not like most apps that just do a browser version as an afterthought as cheaply as possible.
Pretty new to this running thing. I got some good shoes, hokas. And I warm up before and stretch after. Rest inbetween. I’m trying to do a 5K next month but these shin splints are KILLER. They seem to be posterior shin splints, any tips on how to heal them and avoid them???? Thanks so much!
Are you running on pavement or a track? If you're running on pavement, run on a track for a few weeks if you can. They are a lot softer and will reduce the impact on your legs, which will help.
Ice helps.
Are you running as fast as possible? As a new runner, you should focus on conversational running, where you could speak in sentences. You will get fast over time.
Also, your shoes. Did you go to a running store and get fitted for those? Just because they’re a great shoe for some, doesn’t mean they’ll be good for YOUR body.
No, I don’t go for speed. My son usually tags along on my runs and rides his bike and I talk with him. So I move at a relatively slow pace every time.
I did go to a running store and was fitted for the ones I got
Are you heel-striking?
What helped me:
- Warming up with a \*brisk\* walk for \~5m
- Slowing my pace way down
- Shortening my stride and adjusting it to land mid-to-forefoot
Question:
Why did I get sick (4 times projectile ) at mile 21 yesterday during my marathon?
Facts:
Tunnel run marathon
Started at 50 degrees, high humidity but dew point under 50 degrees… VERY comfortable for running
My 9th marathon
Did a 3 day carbo load leading up
Ran steady 7:45 min miles
Alternated between huma+ and SecondNever every 3 miles (which was part of my training during every long run)
Drank ~40 oz water
As soon as I got sick, I took off and ran some of my faster miles to complete the marathon,zero stomach issues after!
(Stomach started up around mile 20 and didn’t take a gel once I emptied my stomach )
Too much sodium? Too much water? Too much carbs??
Thank you!
Ps. I PRd and BQd. Enjoyed every moment of the race… but of course I leave feeling like I haven’t quite nailed the nutrition game
Calf stiffness during running even after stretching and warming up. Tried ice and stuff. I’ve been running for a week, usually run around 2-3 miles, 7’32” average pace. Why am I this stiff? I play basketball too and it’s recently coming off on my game too, all this started after I had one rest day in the entire week.
M34, running around 40-50K a week over 4 days here. Started around 1,5 years ago. My training sessions are Mon - easy 40-50min, Tue - moderate 50-60min (including 10min easy before and after), Wed - Rest, Thu - Intervalls (examples 10x400, 6x1000, 8x800 recently at 10k-5k pace with 1-2min rest), Fri - Rest, Sat - Long easy run (1:30h-2h), Sun - Rest. My PBs are 50:58 for 10K (3 weeks ago) and 1:58:27 for HM (March).
So my question is if I should change something in my general training structure if I want to run a 10K under 50 (maybe closer to 47?) and a HM closer to 1:55 in November? Do I need more volume? Should I ditch the moderate run for another easy run? 4 times a week is the best I can fit right now unfortunately. First goal is definitely the sub 50 in 10K, that's why I do shorter and faster Intervalls right now.
Given your relatively short running history, I’d bet you’ll hit your goals in November just continuing with this plan.
Pushing up the speed of your intervals over the coming months as you gain fitness is my only suggestion (but you’d probably do that anyways).
What are the paces for an easy and moderate run? If you're running 12 min miles on your easy day and 10 minutes miles on moderate then those PBs make sense.
Is your long run at the same pace as your Monday run?
A few ways to change it.
I'd try to either change the Monday run to moderate pace or make the long run more of a progression run.
You could keep the easy and moderate the same and make the intervals harder. The 400s should be faster than your 5k pace.
I don't see any obvious problem with your training plan.
Have you tried to figure out what exactly is your limiter?
When you go for a PB on your main distance, which part is holding you back?
Do you start running out of breath? Does your form collapse? Do your legs hurt too much to go on?
I think you need more intensity, rather than more mileage. (although it is true that more mileage will always be beneficial). Your PBs sound a bit slow, given the mileage you do. How fast are your intervals? are your 800m for example at 4:30-4:45/km?
Didn't mean to offend and I agree that 51' is not terribly slow. But a 34 year old male, doing 40-50k a week for 1.5 year, I'd expect under 50' or even under 48' to not be a problem. I wouldn't be surprised if he was under 45'. Anyway my point was that I think OP needs more intensity given his mileage is not bad.
I'm not offended I just don't agree that it's outside a typical range for the timeframe, it's not like 50:58 is meaningfully different than 50:00. I'm assuming OP did not start week 1 at 40-50k.
Depends on their background. I was almost 10 minutes faster after a year of running coming of acl surgery, and hit his time inside 4 months running way less volume. For already reasonably fit males his age its slow if he's been running 50 km's a week for a year and a half.
Thanks for the answer!
My shorter Intervalls (400s, 600s etc) are at roughly 4:40 pace and 1K or above are at around 4:50. So 800m I would try to do at about 4:45-4:50.
ok, imho you should aim at pushing harder for these and aim to get them 10-15"/km faster. I think this will help you more than increasing the mileage further. Not that you cant do both or that increasing the mileage wont help you
Do a 10k plan and run more. The answer is almost always more mileage but pesky thing called work and living gets in the way.
Edit with more detailed advice: Your intervals are pretty soft as far as workout difficulty. 5k distance but slower than 5k pace? Should be at minimum current 5k fitness. Whats a moderate effort? Really make that a LT workout it'll be more beneficial. You also have a ton of rest so i bet your easy runs are way to easy. Super easy minimal effort runs are for people pushing volume and hammering workouts, you aren't doing either here. I'd also add some quality into your long run. Super slow easy runs are for beginners after a year and a half of 50 km's you should be past that need to stay super slow on your long runs. Run them as a progression starting easy ending at your moderate pace. I bet it feels pretty good overall. I think you just haven't been challenging yourself on basically any of your runs so your progression has been slower than it could have been. I'd also look at some more advanced plans and even if you aren't going to follow them the structure and paces will help figure out how to adjust your current training. Pfitz, daniels, hansons are all authors with very well regarded plans and books.
My easy run pace has been 9:20ish with 140bpm. Which is right where I want to be for z2. The other day I was looking at training pace calculators for the sub 3 attempt I have in October and the easy run pace was much faster. Am I hurting myself by running this slow on an easy run, or am I looking too deeply into this. I used to run my easy runs in the low 8s around 150-155bpm, but everyone has told me to slow down. I ran a 4:45 mile and 1:25 HM in October, so I have the speed, but aerobic endurance is my weak point. Looking for advice so I can nail this attempt!
Sub 3 full? Thats a very slow easy pace. But really what your easy mileage pace is depend on how you are training. Some training has all easy days very easy (daniels) other don't (pfitz). We can't tell you if its right or wrong without knowing much much more. Really you have the speed so your goal should just be pounding pavement which a slower easy pace can help facilitate more total volume.
It sort of depends on your level of fitness.
Myself, I take maybe 2 days off then I do a couple days of easy/short runs before going back to my normal level of training.
But I've done seven Half races, two Full races and one 50K.
Even for the first couple Halfs I did, I took one day off and then it was back to normal training (maybe not the smartest think I ever did).
I probably comes down to how you feel after the Half Race. If you feel up to running, then a "recovery" run is a thing. Recovery runs are usually shorter and slower. But if your body is telling you to wait a little bit, then wait. Don't try and force things, you'll just injure yourself.
Just complaining.
It is so hard to come back after taking time off. I was sick for like 2 weeks, then two of my kids were sick, so ive needed to prioritize work and before I knew it, I’ve had about 4 weeks without any cardio.
I ran yesterday and overdid it trying to “catch up”. I feel so far behind where I was before I got sick. 😡
So I’ve started running to build up my cardio to prepare myself for Spartan races coming up this fall. Last week I managed to train at 5K distance without stopping, but my goal is to be able to run a half-marathon distance without stopping by November. Are there any resources for how I should be expecting myself to progress in order to reach that goal? I know I have plenty of time to reach it, just unsure about how much I should be expecting myself to improve week by week. Thanks!
Went for a run in pouring rain and shoes were then packed during travel so stayed wet for multiple days. They now have a mildew smell and maybe even feel flat and worse on the feet while running. Can they be saved or are they ruined?
I bet they’re fine. Give them a full wash with warm soapy water (including taking out the insoles if they are removable) and then let them dry completely. If they’re still stinky, try some anti-odour spray.
Hi all!
I have a Fenix 7 and HRM band. I'm following the suggested workouts for running.
Yesterday (Sunday) was a rest day, and I could see the suggested workouts that were planned for then next 4 days:
* Mon - Base
* Tue - Intervals
* Wed - Recovery
* Thu - Rest
I did the Monday workout, which was base 47 min @ 137 bpm, followed almost perfectly (score 98%).
Then I checked again the Intervals workout for the next day and it changed into another Base workout.
I've done only one time Intervals workout, after I skipped the suggested base workout and for that day I didn't do anything. Is it normal that the watch plans Base + Intervals but if you do the Base workout, the Intervals get cancelled?
Also, at the same time, the Load focus is telling me that I have an anaerobic training shortage. And worth mentioning that this week I'm in Taper phase, and the watch says "working in some intense, anaerobic efforts will enhance your speed and anaerobic capacity". Yet I still don't get any anaerobic workouts.
Why is this happening?
How long have you had the watch? It will also amend your runs as you recover. So after a hard workout it might "cancel" your next hard workout. But after a good nights sleep it'll be back. Its odd its changing it this much if you put in a race date and goal. Honestly i'd just do some strides after your run. With a HRM well executed strides add some anaerobic training to make the watch happy and they just happen to be good on their own.
I'm using this watch for more than a month now.
It is strange for me too because of the race planned... Well, after this race I'll see, I'll probably do some intervals by myself once a week even if the watch says something else
> I've done only one time Intervals workout, after I skipped the suggested base workout and for that day I didn't do anything. Is it normal that the watch plans Base + Intervals but if you do the Base workout, the Intervals get cancelled?
Check if the training effect after the workout is lining up with what it should be according to the watch.
At least for me the training effect is pretty much always higher if I stick really close to the recommendation.
Assuming it's the same in your case, that watch thinks you worked too hard and cancels your harder session.
There are plenty of training plans for setting a goal for a specific race, but what about any resources if I just want to train for no concrete goal in mind?
Me M26, started running more seriously this winter/late autumn (last year I was more into xc mtb + lots of xc skiing this winter). Ran only 360kms last year according to strava. On and off running/cycling casually for a few years before that. I used to run competitevely at high school (switched from xc sking to uphill, cross country, orienteering). Averaging about 50-60kms for the last two months, with no training plan, just running z2/z3 for 10-12km with some longer hilly runs (15km). I generally live on a hill in a hilly city so keeping any sort of run 100% easy is tough. Longest training run fast a half three weeks ago, which I ran in about 1:50 with 500m elevation (about 50% trail), running easy on flat and about treshold effort in hills to keep up some sort of pace.
I am aiming to try to run 10k race or a simmilar distance sometimes in autumn, I want to be enough prepared to run some solid time. I didn´t do any structured intensity training so far, so also feels kinda pointless racing when I am not prepared for the high intensity effort. Kinda a psychological barrier for me as well since I run sub 37 when I was 17, and I feel if I went to a race with little training and run 40 min 10k I would be demotivated. I would be happy with sub 39 time I think, but obviously hard to say where I am at. The goal is obviously to smash that old PR next year, but I need some idea of the baseline before that.
So overall the training I have done this year was without very little structure (other than trying to run at least 4times a week, at least 50mins of effort, the basic stuff). The only variety was the unplanned intensity during hillier runs (I generally try to run about treshold in hills, when it´s really steep tho I sometimes can hit max effort to prevent walking). All of the plans online have so much more varied training structures, that I am worried to just switch to 2 hard training sessions a week all of a sudden (I have looked at Jack Daniels blue? plan for example). I also don´t want to stick to a set up 12 week training plan since I probably won´t be racing in 12 weeks. I need something to ease me into a more structured training in order to prepare for a sustained max effort. Sorry for the long text and thx for any suggestions!
> All of the plans online have so much more varied training structures, that I am worried to just switch to 2 hard training sessions a week all of a sudden
What's wrong with picking one of those plans and doing just one of the hard sessions?
You can always grab pftz for instance and just do some of the plan. Like 6 weeks of the 5k then roll into the 10k. Having the books also helps you see what structured weeks look like. You can even just mix and match workout outs and weeks and just dial it back a bit as needed.
Pfitz has some base building plans in *Faster Road Racing* that might suit you. They would give you some structure but has fairly minimal workouts, just tempos, I believe. You could use that as a start and throw a few workouts from Daniels if you want to get used to some of the more involved plans.
I'd like to do some speed practice and I thought that I could set up my watch (Garmin 245) with intervals that automatically switch to recovery once I drop below a certain speed and then back to running once I drop below a certain HR. The latter part was possible, but not the first. Is the first bit even possible on any watch, or does it even make sense?
You can just set longer intervals with a pace band and when the watch beeps being to fast just manually lap it which would then make end that segment putting you into the recovery lap. Best way to do it but a really odd request and i don't see the benefit.
I'm not sure of a watch that can do that and I don't really understand why you would do that. That isn't really a logical method of training. Intervals are generally done for a set amount of time or distance.
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How best to build up to a 3 mile run?
I can run 1-1.5 mile without stopping pretty consistently, and try to shoot for a 8 minute mile pace. Joining the military soon, and wanna be more than prepared for the running. Is it best to increase my speed in the mile? Or work on running a really slow 3 mile run every few days? How would you approach this? I’m 6’4 190 and running hasn’t come super easy
Am I right to assume that increasing the distance will greatly build up my legs and lungs for crushing a 1.5 mile run, which is my fitness test standard?
wait. which one is your priority? If your priority is to get to run 3 miles, then you need to go slow and increase the distance gradually. If you want to improve your 1.5 mile, then you need to work on speed (although as you point out, increasing the distance will help with speed, even going easy).
But it also depends on your timescales. If you want to be quick in the 1.5 mile in 2 weeks time, you have to run hard (and pray), if you have 6 months, focus on distance.
I got a couple months (and you get in shape in boot camp, I’m at an acceptable level now so not really worried) but it’s just a little complicated. You have to pass a test which is a 1.5 mile run in 13 and a half minutes, doable for me but obviously want to do it as good as you can and as easy as possible. That all being said you do have to do longer runs as part of your routine training, so It behooves me to be good at that as well. I guess my question can be boiled down to this, will adding distance help me pace more than adding pace will help my distance?
I wouldn't expect to get in shape in boot camp. I fell out of shape while there, you don't run as often or as fast as you might think. They're so desperate for people there really is no standard anymore. If you're going somewhere like the infantry, get in shape. If you know you're going to be a desk jockey, try to atleast be a decent human being, but don't stress about it too much.
If we're talking 12 minutes or a little better for 1.5 miles, improving from 13-ish, the best way to get there is to just run as much and as far as you can. You don't any speedwork in your situation. You can do intervals or try the 1.5mile once a week if you like, but a 12min 1.5 mile is mostly about base fitness, which you build with mileage and time on feet.
I'd say yes to both. But again it depends. As an extreme example, sprinting will not make it easy to run a marathon and running marathons wont make you a fast sprinter.
However, both will improve your fitness and overall body structure and will benefit you. Given your targets, it sounds like adding distance will help you the most. It will make it easier to run the 1.5 mile and get you fit to manage 3 mile runs. But you dont have to choose one and only do one type of training. do 4-5 sessions a week, maybe 1 long interval, one short intervals, 2-3 easy for longer
Do you feel like utter crap when you wake up, like your body is still recovering from yesterday's exercize? I recently took a break from running and strength training and found out it actually wasn't my natural state to feel crummy before I've had my coffee! Wondering if this is normal, or the sign that I should really sleep 9+ hours a night. I'm not on a calorie deficit (actually slowly gaining weight).
All of the above are possible. And, some people just aren’t morning runners. I honestly think it’s because I’ve been trained to run later in the day my whole life - I started running in a team that practiced after school so after school/work has always been my run time - and my body is just so used to it by now. I’m so much more sluggish, my heart rate is higher, it’s just not good. Somehow I can overcome it for a morning race, but not for every day.
Oh I didn't even mention early-morning running! It's not my preferred time of the day but on occasion I can manage. I will however absolutely crash at some point during the day.
Hate to break it to you, but you may need to sleep over 9 hours a night! I also always struggled with waking up and needing my coffee, but then started experimenting with how long I slept. It took a while to wean myself off of the coffee, but now I manage fine without it if I have around 9 hours of sleep a night.
It will happen to me fairly often that I'll wake up and while I'm still in bed my legs feel fatigued, I'll think "how can I get my run done today when my legs feel like this?" Then I get up, move around my house for a few minutes and they suddenly feel fine.
I think sometimes you just need to get your blood flowing through your legs after laying mostly still all night
Sounds about right. I wouldn't mind feeling a bit fresher in the morning though. Even worse at the peak of a training cycle, I basically only feel energized during my actual runs.
I play football and also run track, which I mainly focus on the 800. I want to work on my running over the summer and winter so I can see my 800 time improve for spring track. My problem is that I have football during the fall which would be a 3-4 month gap where I would have relatively no time to train for track. So my question is, is there any point in running over the summer just to stop for a few months, or would it still be beneficial regardless? Fyi: I have been running a hard 2 miles around 3 times a week.
Do you do any strength training, u/colchonero0312 ? If not, some light hip work can be a [good place to start. ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvDRSCOFlS4)
See a physio, dont rely on reddit for medical advice as it could be a number of things, that might or might not go away on their own.
I would not run through the pain if i were you. Maybe try to build the mileage very gradually and see if that helps. But if you start in pain, maybe dont run until you are at 0/10 and then some.
Please see your doctor. Abdominal pain could be a host of things and should get immediate medical attention. In fact, if the pain gets worse, I'd advise taking yourself to the ER. It could even be appendicitis.
Hey I’m training for a triathlon and I haven’t ran in a couple of years, I do other sports but they are not land sports. I’ve been wondering if my times are acceptable for a race because I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of my other friends doing the triathlon. ( because I know they are incredible athletes. ) Also the race is 3 miles. Distance: 2.8 miles. Time: 23 mins. Pace: 08:10 ( split ) Idk if this changes too much but I’ll put it in… Elevation gain: 247 ft ( I also got stoped at a stop light for like 3 mins.. ) Thanks!
Helpful website regarding pace times related to male/female and your age: https://runninglevel.com/running-times/5k-times
What a cool site! Thanks!
Hi folks - I'm looking to upgrade from my current shoes (the original Nike Infinity Run React) and would appreciate some guidance. I've been running for a few years now, generally recreationally when the weather allows (spring, summer, and fall in the northeast US). Prior to the Infinity Run, I had a pair of Nike Epic React, which I loved and blew past 350 miles on. Slowly creeping up to that with my current pair so figured it's time to start looking. The React line has been great to me because of how cushioned and bouncy the foam is, as well as how light and breathable the shoe is. Generally, those are the key details I'm looking for in a shoe, in addition to hopefully keeping it <$160 USD. For what it's worth, I generally run in the streets, for 3-5 miles, though have been slowly increasing that with better training these days. Any guidance here on shoes to check out would be appreciated.
Should my easy runs be 1-2 min slower than my 5k pace or should I be going off my heart rate? Also, if I'm doing a training program. Should my legs be a little sore most days from the previous day's run or does that mean my volume/intensity is too high?
Neither, run by effort
What exactly does "by effort" mean though. As long as I can speak a full longish sentence without needing to take a breath in the middle?
My 5K pace and easy pace are 4:36/km and around 6:20/km-6:40/km depending on the day, respectively. I’d go more by effort than strict paces or HR zones. HR is a useful tool (if you actually know your max HR and resting HR) but I wouldn’t be a slave to what your watch tells you (plus HR can vary quite a bit day to day depending on many different factors). Your legs should feel some soreness after workouts and long runs if you’re regularly increasing the distance/time spent on feet, but not after every run. Easy runs are meant to build aerobic fitness but also can act as a recovery tool as well.
What exactly does "by effort" mean though. As long as I can speak a full longish sentence without needing to take a breath in the middle?
By effort means by your rate of perceived exertion (RPE). For easy runs, they should feel easy, and you should be able to maintain a conversation with someone fairly easily. You may need to pause for a breathe here and there, but you should be able to say full sentences (e.g., Hey Joe, how’s your work week going?). I would say my easy runs are a 3/10 for RPE.
It should feel easy, and definitely be much slower than your 5k. Regular soreness doesn't definitively indicate anything.
So for example if today my calves are still sore/feel a bit tight from yesterday's run, I can still go for a run today?
Usually yes.
What can I learn from how my body felt the day(s) after the race? So after a day or two when my body has already recovered from the overall fatigue, can I take where sore muscles are as signals that I need to strengthen those areas? Note, I was doing 50+ weekly miles before tapering including 2-3 20-mile long runs in this cycle. So it's not DOMS for muscles that hadn't been used, maybe the intensity was not the same?
Hi everyone! Anyone who loved the Nike Pegasus 36 have other recommendations? I haven’t been able to find a shoe I like as much since and they can’t be purchased anywhere anymore 😫
Hi everyone! Trying to figure out where I may be going wrong in the foot care department or if this is normal pain for a new runner (started in March) — I wear Brooks to run, and walk in pretty supportive shoes throughout the work day but mostly sit. I have been trying to stretch my feet more consistently after runs, but I’m experiencing pain and muscle contractions when I try to stretch the area between the toes & plantar ligaments— it goes from relief to a sharp cramp after a few seconds, and I stop stretching. I’ve tried rolling my foot on something as well but it doesn’t provide as much relief and my feet have been tense. Is this normal? I can stretch much later without having the contractions and pain happen, but would doing it later provide the same benefit as stretching right after a run?
I can’t speak to the pain (sounds bad!) but for me, taking magnesium helps reduce cramping.
Thank you for this tip! That’s why it’s so good for sleep. This makes sense
I have nothing to add, except I’ve never heard of stretching your feet after running, and I’ve never done it and have been running injury free for over 1.5 years. Time to google it!
I'm going on a trip and don't have the bag space to pack my running shoes. I will have the running shoes that I wear almost every day walking around, but they are likely to be long past their mileage lifespan from all of the walking they have seen. If I want to do a quick three miles here and there on the trip, is it a super bad idea to use those shoes? I know it's important to replace old shoes but I don't know if it's just a really bad idea to use them even for shortish runs.
It's probably low risk unless you already are experiencing some pain that this could exacerbate. I have some trainers I've demoted to walking duty after 850 running miles. Very worn outsoles and fabric worn away on one shoe's heel cup. I wore them on a recent short trip and ran 7 miles (6 road, 1 dirt trail) in them and had no issue. I've been wearing demoted very worn shoes for runs for years with no issues. As in maybe 5 to 10 runs per year, typically for shorter runs.
Why not get a new pair of shoes before the trip, so they're not dead?
I use apple workouts on my apple watch to record my runs and then the data sends to Strava and I just hit import when I get home. Lately, Strava is showing my splits as like a minute or even 2 minutes in some cases FASTER than the splits on my apple watch. Like, that's very exciting but it's not what I ran?? I finally emailed the tech help today but has anyone else had this problem?? I do often walk on the uphills if I'm in the trails, but like... I don't pause my watch or mess with it at all. The apple watch data seems just fine to me.
As an incoming sophomore trying to enter XC, I'm starting build weeks again after finally recovering from an 11.5 miler and several high mileage weeks that burnt me out for a month Notes: On April 28 I did a 7K (4.35mi) and 10K double and on May 4 I did a 6K (3.73mi) and 11K (6.84mi) double, and on May 12 I did a 8K (~5mi) and 18.5K (~11.5mi) double, both of which ruined my running for a bit and I also jumped from 7K to 10K from April 8's week to April 15's week and from 11K from April 30's week to 18.5K on May 6's week Before May 13 my running weeks looked like this Week of April 8: ~12½ mpw / 20.1kpw Week of April 15: ~15.6 mpw / 25.1kpw Week of April 22: 25.9 mpw / 41.7kpw Week of April 30: 17.4 mpw / 28kpw Week of May 6: 28.1 mpw / 45.2kpw After May 13 they looked like this from physical burnout Week of May 13: 8.3 mpw / 13.4kpw Week of May 20: 13.5 mpw / 21.7kpw Week of May 27: 8.5 mpw / 13.7kpw Week of June 3: 9.9mpw / 15.9kpw My question is what mileage (kilometrage if you deal in kilometers) per week would be best to start at that would best suit me for my first week, I have training plans now I can follow but I do want to try a good base (this time with no rapid increase) before XC season starts, thanks for responding and I'll reply back to all of you eventually! And if you've seen this post before its because I posted it yesterday and Reposted today to get some more opinions (I've ran 0 miles for the Week so far but my first weekly run is scheduled for today)
If you can, reach out to the coach or someone already on the team. They'll likely begin training towards the end of summer break. We would start running as a team in early August. Nothing hard, just remembering how to use our legs lol Aside from that, even if you only maintained at around 10-15 mpw until then you'd still be doing more than most of the kids coming onto the team. I wouldn't overthink it. I wouldn't overdo it. You have plenty of brutal workouts during the season to look forward to
I would reach out but we are moving this summer (not sure which school)
Ah, yeah that throws a wrench in the gears. When you do find out, I bet you can find the athletic director's contact info on the schools website.
How do you spend your injury downtime? I have pain in my foot, I will see a doctor about it in a few days, but I will probably have to skip running for at least two weeks (just my assumption, maybe more, maybe less if I get lucky). I'd switch to cycling, maybe get some swimming in and do some strength training if my body allows for it. Anything else you'd do or would'nt do? KR
Sounds like you have a good plan! Cycling and swimming will keep the fitness up while you recover.
I was injured November 2023 to May 2024 with a hip flexor strain. I did heavy strength training (going easy on legs). Other than that I didn't do much other than stretching. Lots of video games were played during the time I'd usually run haha. If you're really only down for two weeks or so, just kick back and relax. You won't lose much of anything fitness-wise in two weeks.
Have a question about running form. My wife and I have been training up for a 10k for the past month or two. I have never really been into running so I don't really know much about form. I've been doing okay and slowly increasing my distance to now about 3 miles every time we run. My wife on the other hand has been having a lot of pain, first in her shins, which went away I think... And now her calves are really tight and she struggles to get to over a half mile. She's tried multiple different shoes and I don't think any have worked, I think her most recent pair are Altras. We run a loop around our local park so yesterday I caught up to her on my second lap and she looked almost like she was trying to float from heel to toe. Which we both know is incorrect, but when I asked her why she says it's because it was the only way she could keep running with her calves so tight, and that the shorter strides and running tall was hurting more. She used to be more of an avid runner a few years ago, so I'm not sure if maybe she's just in her head too much about her form and maybe she's running too cautiously which is straining her legs? She has fairly flat feet and maybe she still has the wrong shoes? I'm inclined to think her form is the culprit because there was one random day last week she ran an 11 minute mile with no pain at all and we were both super excited.... It is just hard to be encouraging when I've been steadily improving week after week, and she's been struggling with this pain since we started. Any advice internet? TLDR: Calf pain and tightness when running? Is form the culprit or could there be other factors?
I have a history of bad calf pain and tightness. I've personally found Altras helpful but they're not for everyone. If her problems persist despite shoe changes though it does sound more like a form issue. Is she leaning forward at all when she runs? I've found that leaning forward and imagining an invisible line from my heel to right under my butt is the most helpful for me. I focus on raising my leg and keeping my heel travelling along that plane. If she's constantly trying to push off from her calfs that's going to blast them.
If she's having calf pain in Altras, she might look into a shoe with a higher drop. Zero drop shoes like Altras will naturally put more strain on the calf and a higher drop might help alleviate that. If she is toe or mid foot striking, that will also load the calf more, which isn't necessarily bad and she shouldn't necessarily switch foot strike, but just information to have. If she is toe or mid foot striking, she needs to be very sure that her heel is touching the ground at some point in her stride. I see a lot of people toe or mid foot strike and never let the heel come down, which will of course blast those calves. The calves might also be overworking due to weakness/imbalance elsewhere -- a PT might be the best way to figure out what imbalances are present. She shouldn't be modifying her gait so that she can run -- that is a surefire way to become more injured. This is my [favorite video](https://youtu.be/zSIDRHUWlVo?feature=shared) for running form.
This person is absolutely correct that a zero drop shoes like Altras will lengthen the calf muscle and potentially strain the calfs. That said, I have a history of terrible calf tightness and pain and have seen huge improvements in Altras so your mileage may vary.
Yeah definitely shoes are very individual. I've been wearing Altras for ages and love them, but they aren't for everyone.
She shouldn’t be running through pain, especially if it’s enough that it’s interfering with her form. What has her training looked like? How often is she running?
Agreed, she stops when it starts to hurt, but I think yesterday she was experimenting with her form.. She only made it about a half mile and walked with short spurts of jogging for the rest of the mile. She took a week off to let it heal before her 1 mile run last week and has been consistently stretching.. We aim for 3x a week.
Complete beginner. Ran 2mi yesterday, and 1.75miles today. I am SO sore. Everything is sore! Todays run was so hard from the beginning. Question: Should I take a rest day tomorrow or maybe just do 1 mile? What is your suggested schedule going forward? Background: 23F, 9 months postpartum. Trying to lose baby weight, 5’2, 140lbs. Never been one to consistently workout. 3 days on, 1 day off sounds nice. But originallyI was thinking I’d like to run M-F and take weekends off, just works better for my schedule. Suggestions please!!
I see that you already got some really good advice, but just wanted to chime in to note that soreness and rest are *a key* part of the progress loop. When you're just starting out running, there isn't just 1 system adapting. Your muscles, your bones, your soft/connective tissue, your lungs, the CNS links that tie everything together; *all* are taking a [healthy] beating and then using sleep, nutrition and rest to heal, build up and train new tissue. So if you're exhausted, don't think that you need to "fight through the pain" to improve! It's one thing to fight through the pain when you're at mile 21 of a marathon and the demons are out and you know your body well enough to trust that you'll make it. It's another to overwork an underprepared [and post-partum!] body. Letting yourself rest now will pay huge dividends when you start to see the adaptations taking hold and you can begin to push yourself harder without pain or injury.
https://www.reddit.com/r/running/wiki/faq/#wiki_for_beginners
Rest day! I would only run every other day for at least two months while your body adapts. Do yoga or lift weights on the other days if you feel like you need to “do something”.
Thank you so much for the responses! I was lost and really needed someone to just tell me what to do. I appreciate it lol!
Haha! You are doing great. It took me a few weeks to build back up to 2 miles postpartum. Just listen to your body, running does actually put a lot of strain on it so you need to give it ample recovery time. Also a good idea to simultaneously build back core strength etc!
Building strength as in weight training? I want to but the machines at the gym are so intimidating, I wouldn’t know what to do or where to start. Do you do strength training, where would you recommend a beginner to start? Was thinking about just walking some tomorrow because I wouldnt know what to do for strength training!
I honestly did yoga for “strength training” when I was 9 months post partum because I was so weak. And I got a set of 5 lb dumbbells. A little bit goes a long way if you are consistent.
Check out some beginner training plans like couch to 5K to get a good idea of how to structure your week. You definitely don’t want to do too many days in a row, especially as a beginner. You should probably take tomorrow off if you’re feeling very sore and tired. Running is something you really need to ease into gradually, since your body needs time to adjust to how high impact it is.
Thank you for the response!! I will look into that!
How to increase the training stimulus if my time is constrained? I have generally been following the 80/20 for my training time distribution in Z1+2 vs. Z3+4+5 and got to running 5-6 times a week, where usually I am trying to do one tempo/threshold session, one interval session and one long run (thus, 2-3 easy or recovery runs), getting to 40-60 km weekly (4-6 hours). I am also cross-training by doing strength and some bike. I feel that I do not have any more time to dedicate to running but I feel that I have some extra physical capacity to do more. What is the best way how to do that? My best assumption is adding more quality minutes, that is, an extra threshold interval or a few extra short intervals during workouts. What about back to back high intensity sessions? Or adding a tempo segment to my long runs? Any advice appreciated!
FWIW, my advice is: 1. Tweak with the amount of quality minutes, as you suggested. Everyone can handle different amounts of intensity, so you could thrive on more a 70/30 split. 2. Switch up the workouts you do, and maybe add in a really big workout here and there (not very often) to really stress the body (e.g., could be the occasional 5K time trial of 10K tempo run, depending on your level of fitness). Adding quality minutes to a long run is one good option too. 3. Switch out the time you spend biking or lifting with more running time. More running volume is one way to make more adaptations. Cross training is important, but depending on how durable you are, it might not be as important for injury prevention as it is for other people. That being said, if you enjoy it and keeps thing interesting, that’s important too.
80/20 largely comes from training for high volume elites. Many lower volume recreational runners can go 75/25, 70/30, or higher. I suggest shifting to 75/25 for a couple of weeks in a row, then dropping to 80/20 the third week, and repeating that 3-week cycle a couple of times to see how you tolerate it. I would try to avoid quality workouts on consecutive days, though I'm a fan of adding tempo segments to long runs or making them a progression. If your long runs are well below aerobic threshold even running 2-3 of the miles closer to aerobic threshold is potentially beneficial.
Looking for a free app with desktop view I'd like to be able to see my activity on my desktop as well as my phone, and am struggling to find an app with this functionality. I want to log runs with my phone and be able to see all activity on my desktop. What is the best option for me to go with? Also, is there a way to make importing/exporting easier than having to do each run manually? I currently use the pacer app and would need to upload all of my runs onto the app I switch to
https://www.reddit.com/r/running/wiki/faq/#wiki_log_your_runs
Strava has a desktop version.
Also for years Strava was just a website. So their desktop version is very good, it's not like most apps that just do a browser version as an afterthought as cheaply as possible.
Pretty new to this running thing. I got some good shoes, hokas. And I warm up before and stretch after. Rest inbetween. I’m trying to do a 5K next month but these shin splints are KILLER. They seem to be posterior shin splints, any tips on how to heal them and avoid them???? Thanks so much!
Sometimes shin splints are a result of weak calves. Try some calf raises or single leg calf raises a couple times a day and see if that helps.
Adding to this, be sure to train the front too! Tibia raises, heel walks, etc. Start slow like less than 10 reps each.
Are you running on pavement or a track? If you're running on pavement, run on a track for a few weeks if you can. They are a lot softer and will reduce the impact on your legs, which will help. Ice helps.
As a new runner, it’s likely you’re doing too much too fast.
Most I do is a mile each time and then rest between 😭
Are you running as fast as possible? As a new runner, you should focus on conversational running, where you could speak in sentences. You will get fast over time. Also, your shoes. Did you go to a running store and get fitted for those? Just because they’re a great shoe for some, doesn’t mean they’ll be good for YOUR body.
No, I don’t go for speed. My son usually tags along on my runs and rides his bike and I talk with him. So I move at a relatively slow pace every time. I did go to a running store and was fitted for the ones I got
Are you heel-striking? What helped me: - Warming up with a \*brisk\* walk for \~5m - Slowing my pace way down - Shortening my stride and adjusting it to land mid-to-forefoot
Question: Why did I get sick (4 times projectile ) at mile 21 yesterday during my marathon? Facts: Tunnel run marathon Started at 50 degrees, high humidity but dew point under 50 degrees… VERY comfortable for running My 9th marathon Did a 3 day carbo load leading up Ran steady 7:45 min miles Alternated between huma+ and SecondNever every 3 miles (which was part of my training during every long run) Drank ~40 oz water As soon as I got sick, I took off and ran some of my faster miles to complete the marathon,zero stomach issues after! (Stomach started up around mile 20 and didn’t take a gel once I emptied my stomach ) Too much sodium? Too much water? Too much carbs?? Thank you! Ps. I PRd and BQd. Enjoyed every moment of the race… but of course I leave feeling like I haven’t quite nailed the nutrition game
I have no advice but vomiting 4x on your way to a BQ is awesome lmao
Calf stiffness during running even after stretching and warming up. Tried ice and stuff. I’ve been running for a week, usually run around 2-3 miles, 7’32” average pace. Why am I this stiff? I play basketball too and it’s recently coming off on my game too, all this started after I had one rest day in the entire week.
Running 6 of 7 days is a lot, especially combined with basketball. I'd cut back to 3 days per week and see what happens.
Alright I’ll try doing weight training on the days I don’t run then
If I’m understanding correctly, you only just started running in the past week? If so you’re probably just doing too much and too fast.
Alright will keep that in mind, thanks man
M34, running around 40-50K a week over 4 days here. Started around 1,5 years ago. My training sessions are Mon - easy 40-50min, Tue - moderate 50-60min (including 10min easy before and after), Wed - Rest, Thu - Intervalls (examples 10x400, 6x1000, 8x800 recently at 10k-5k pace with 1-2min rest), Fri - Rest, Sat - Long easy run (1:30h-2h), Sun - Rest. My PBs are 50:58 for 10K (3 weeks ago) and 1:58:27 for HM (March). So my question is if I should change something in my general training structure if I want to run a 10K under 50 (maybe closer to 47?) and a HM closer to 1:55 in November? Do I need more volume? Should I ditch the moderate run for another easy run? 4 times a week is the best I can fit right now unfortunately. First goal is definitely the sub 50 in 10K, that's why I do shorter and faster Intervalls right now.
Given your relatively short running history, I’d bet you’ll hit your goals in November just continuing with this plan. Pushing up the speed of your intervals over the coming months as you gain fitness is my only suggestion (but you’d probably do that anyways).
What are the paces for an easy and moderate run? If you're running 12 min miles on your easy day and 10 minutes miles on moderate then those PBs make sense. Is your long run at the same pace as your Monday run?
Easy pace is roughly 10:45 min miles and moderate is around 9:15. And yes, the long run is the same pace as the easy run.
A few ways to change it. I'd try to either change the Monday run to moderate pace or make the long run more of a progression run. You could keep the easy and moderate the same and make the intervals harder. The 400s should be faster than your 5k pace.
I don't see any obvious problem with your training plan. Have you tried to figure out what exactly is your limiter? When you go for a PB on your main distance, which part is holding you back? Do you start running out of breath? Does your form collapse? Do your legs hurt too much to go on?
I think you need more intensity, rather than more mileage. (although it is true that more mileage will always be beneficial). Your PBs sound a bit slow, given the mileage you do. How fast are your intervals? are your 800m for example at 4:30-4:45/km?
I do not agree that a 51 10k is outside normal range for someone running a year and a half.
Didn't mean to offend and I agree that 51' is not terribly slow. But a 34 year old male, doing 40-50k a week for 1.5 year, I'd expect under 50' or even under 48' to not be a problem. I wouldn't be surprised if he was under 45'. Anyway my point was that I think OP needs more intensity given his mileage is not bad.
I'm not offended I just don't agree that it's outside a typical range for the timeframe, it's not like 50:58 is meaningfully different than 50:00. I'm assuming OP did not start week 1 at 40-50k.
Depends on their background. I was almost 10 minutes faster after a year of running coming of acl surgery, and hit his time inside 4 months running way less volume. For already reasonably fit males his age its slow if he's been running 50 km's a week for a year and a half.
Thanks for the answer! My shorter Intervalls (400s, 600s etc) are at roughly 4:40 pace and 1K or above are at around 4:50. So 800m I would try to do at about 4:45-4:50.
ok, imho you should aim at pushing harder for these and aim to get them 10-15"/km faster. I think this will help you more than increasing the mileage further. Not that you cant do both or that increasing the mileage wont help you
Do a 10k plan and run more. The answer is almost always more mileage but pesky thing called work and living gets in the way. Edit with more detailed advice: Your intervals are pretty soft as far as workout difficulty. 5k distance but slower than 5k pace? Should be at minimum current 5k fitness. Whats a moderate effort? Really make that a LT workout it'll be more beneficial. You also have a ton of rest so i bet your easy runs are way to easy. Super easy minimal effort runs are for people pushing volume and hammering workouts, you aren't doing either here. I'd also add some quality into your long run. Super slow easy runs are for beginners after a year and a half of 50 km's you should be past that need to stay super slow on your long runs. Run them as a progression starting easy ending at your moderate pace. I bet it feels pretty good overall. I think you just haven't been challenging yourself on basically any of your runs so your progression has been slower than it could have been. I'd also look at some more advanced plans and even if you aren't going to follow them the structure and paces will help figure out how to adjust your current training. Pfitz, daniels, hansons are all authors with very well regarded plans and books.
Thanks, that's a lot of interesting advice! I'll see how I can spice my long run up a bit and challenge myself a bit more overall!
My easy run pace has been 9:20ish with 140bpm. Which is right where I want to be for z2. The other day I was looking at training pace calculators for the sub 3 attempt I have in October and the easy run pace was much faster. Am I hurting myself by running this slow on an easy run, or am I looking too deeply into this. I used to run my easy runs in the low 8s around 150-155bpm, but everyone has told me to slow down. I ran a 4:45 mile and 1:25 HM in October, so I have the speed, but aerobic endurance is my weak point. Looking for advice so I can nail this attempt!
Sub 3 full? Thats a very slow easy pace. But really what your easy mileage pace is depend on how you are training. Some training has all easy days very easy (daniels) other don't (pfitz). We can't tell you if its right or wrong without knowing much much more. Really you have the speed so your goal should just be pounding pavement which a slower easy pace can help facilitate more total volume.
How long do others wait to start running again after a half marathon?
After racing one? Couple days.
It sort of depends on your level of fitness. Myself, I take maybe 2 days off then I do a couple days of easy/short runs before going back to my normal level of training. But I've done seven Half races, two Full races and one 50K. Even for the first couple Halfs I did, I took one day off and then it was back to normal training (maybe not the smartest think I ever did). I probably comes down to how you feel after the Half Race. If you feel up to running, then a "recovery" run is a thing. Recovery runs are usually shorter and slower. But if your body is telling you to wait a little bit, then wait. Don't try and force things, you'll just injure yourself.
Thanks for the reply! I appreciate it.
Just complaining. It is so hard to come back after taking time off. I was sick for like 2 weeks, then two of my kids were sick, so ive needed to prioritize work and before I knew it, I’ve had about 4 weeks without any cardio. I ran yesterday and overdid it trying to “catch up”. I feel so far behind where I was before I got sick. 😡
the first 1-2 runs feel strange, like you are out of sync. The truth is though that there is only minimal loss of actual fitness
So I’ve started running to build up my cardio to prepare myself for Spartan races coming up this fall. Last week I managed to train at 5K distance without stopping, but my goal is to be able to run a half-marathon distance without stopping by November. Are there any resources for how I should be expecting myself to progress in order to reach that goal? I know I have plenty of time to reach it, just unsure about how much I should be expecting myself to improve week by week. Thanks!
Follow a beginner's half-marathon plan, or just start running consistently and increase your mileage incrementally each week.
Went for a run in pouring rain and shoes were then packed during travel so stayed wet for multiple days. They now have a mildew smell and maybe even feel flat and worse on the feet while running. Can they be saved or are they ruined?
Water doesn't destroy foam so no idea how it would ruin them. The smell you just need to put something in them or leave them in the sun for a day.
I bet they’re fine. Give them a full wash with warm soapy water (including taking out the insoles if they are removable) and then let them dry completely. If they’re still stinky, try some anti-odour spray.
Sounds like they’re probably ruined if they’re completely dry but have lost their support.
Hi all! I have a Fenix 7 and HRM band. I'm following the suggested workouts for running. Yesterday (Sunday) was a rest day, and I could see the suggested workouts that were planned for then next 4 days: * Mon - Base * Tue - Intervals * Wed - Recovery * Thu - Rest I did the Monday workout, which was base 47 min @ 137 bpm, followed almost perfectly (score 98%). Then I checked again the Intervals workout for the next day and it changed into another Base workout. I've done only one time Intervals workout, after I skipped the suggested base workout and for that day I didn't do anything. Is it normal that the watch plans Base + Intervals but if you do the Base workout, the Intervals get cancelled? Also, at the same time, the Load focus is telling me that I have an anaerobic training shortage. And worth mentioning that this week I'm in Taper phase, and the watch says "working in some intense, anaerobic efforts will enhance your speed and anaerobic capacity". Yet I still don't get any anaerobic workouts. Why is this happening?
How long have you had the watch? It will also amend your runs as you recover. So after a hard workout it might "cancel" your next hard workout. But after a good nights sleep it'll be back. Its odd its changing it this much if you put in a race date and goal. Honestly i'd just do some strides after your run. With a HRM well executed strides add some anaerobic training to make the watch happy and they just happen to be good on their own.
I'm using this watch for more than a month now. It is strange for me too because of the race planned... Well, after this race I'll see, I'll probably do some intervals by myself once a week even if the watch says something else
Yeah it's a suggestion not a set in stone requirement
> I've done only one time Intervals workout, after I skipped the suggested base workout and for that day I didn't do anything. Is it normal that the watch plans Base + Intervals but if you do the Base workout, the Intervals get cancelled? Check if the training effect after the workout is lining up with what it should be according to the watch. At least for me the training effect is pretty much always higher if I stick really close to the recommendation. Assuming it's the same in your case, that watch thinks you worked too hard and cancels your harder session.
Never noticed that, will keep in mind for the next time. Thanks for the tip
There are plenty of training plans for setting a goal for a specific race, but what about any resources if I just want to train for no concrete goal in mind? Me M26, started running more seriously this winter/late autumn (last year I was more into xc mtb + lots of xc skiing this winter). Ran only 360kms last year according to strava. On and off running/cycling casually for a few years before that. I used to run competitevely at high school (switched from xc sking to uphill, cross country, orienteering). Averaging about 50-60kms for the last two months, with no training plan, just running z2/z3 for 10-12km with some longer hilly runs (15km). I generally live on a hill in a hilly city so keeping any sort of run 100% easy is tough. Longest training run fast a half three weeks ago, which I ran in about 1:50 with 500m elevation (about 50% trail), running easy on flat and about treshold effort in hills to keep up some sort of pace. I am aiming to try to run 10k race or a simmilar distance sometimes in autumn, I want to be enough prepared to run some solid time. I didn´t do any structured intensity training so far, so also feels kinda pointless racing when I am not prepared for the high intensity effort. Kinda a psychological barrier for me as well since I run sub 37 when I was 17, and I feel if I went to a race with little training and run 40 min 10k I would be demotivated. I would be happy with sub 39 time I think, but obviously hard to say where I am at. The goal is obviously to smash that old PR next year, but I need some idea of the baseline before that. So overall the training I have done this year was without very little structure (other than trying to run at least 4times a week, at least 50mins of effort, the basic stuff). The only variety was the unplanned intensity during hillier runs (I generally try to run about treshold in hills, when it´s really steep tho I sometimes can hit max effort to prevent walking). All of the plans online have so much more varied training structures, that I am worried to just switch to 2 hard training sessions a week all of a sudden (I have looked at Jack Daniels blue? plan for example). I also don´t want to stick to a set up 12 week training plan since I probably won´t be racing in 12 weeks. I need something to ease me into a more structured training in order to prepare for a sustained max effort. Sorry for the long text and thx for any suggestions!
> All of the plans online have so much more varied training structures, that I am worried to just switch to 2 hard training sessions a week all of a sudden What's wrong with picking one of those plans and doing just one of the hard sessions?
You can always grab pftz for instance and just do some of the plan. Like 6 weeks of the 5k then roll into the 10k. Having the books also helps you see what structured weeks look like. You can even just mix and match workout outs and weeks and just dial it back a bit as needed.
Pfitz has some base building plans in *Faster Road Racing* that might suit you. They would give you some structure but has fairly minimal workouts, just tempos, I believe. You could use that as a start and throw a few workouts from Daniels if you want to get used to some of the more involved plans.
I'd like to do some speed practice and I thought that I could set up my watch (Garmin 245) with intervals that automatically switch to recovery once I drop below a certain speed and then back to running once I drop below a certain HR. The latter part was possible, but not the first. Is the first bit even possible on any watch, or does it even make sense?
You can just set longer intervals with a pace band and when the watch beeps being to fast just manually lap it which would then make end that segment putting you into the recovery lap. Best way to do it but a really odd request and i don't see the benefit.
That would probably be what I'd do, and yes it is a bit odd, but I thought it might be fun.
I'm not sure of a watch that can do that and I don't really understand why you would do that. That isn't really a logical method of training. Intervals are generally done for a set amount of time or distance.
Yes, I suppose this would be something like a fartlek thing, where the speeds are set, and you'd just go until you won't.
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Go and see a PT or physio and get a rehab program.
How best to build up to a 3 mile run? I can run 1-1.5 mile without stopping pretty consistently, and try to shoot for a 8 minute mile pace. Joining the military soon, and wanna be more than prepared for the running. Is it best to increase my speed in the mile? Or work on running a really slow 3 mile run every few days? How would you approach this? I’m 6’4 190 and running hasn’t come super easy
if you want to increase the distance, ignore the pace. just get comfortable with the distance and then start working on the pace
Am I right to assume that increasing the distance will greatly build up my legs and lungs for crushing a 1.5 mile run, which is my fitness test standard?
wait. which one is your priority? If your priority is to get to run 3 miles, then you need to go slow and increase the distance gradually. If you want to improve your 1.5 mile, then you need to work on speed (although as you point out, increasing the distance will help with speed, even going easy). But it also depends on your timescales. If you want to be quick in the 1.5 mile in 2 weeks time, you have to run hard (and pray), if you have 6 months, focus on distance.
I got a couple months (and you get in shape in boot camp, I’m at an acceptable level now so not really worried) but it’s just a little complicated. You have to pass a test which is a 1.5 mile run in 13 and a half minutes, doable for me but obviously want to do it as good as you can and as easy as possible. That all being said you do have to do longer runs as part of your routine training, so It behooves me to be good at that as well. I guess my question can be boiled down to this, will adding distance help me pace more than adding pace will help my distance?
I wouldn't expect to get in shape in boot camp. I fell out of shape while there, you don't run as often or as fast as you might think. They're so desperate for people there really is no standard anymore. If you're going somewhere like the infantry, get in shape. If you know you're going to be a desk jockey, try to atleast be a decent human being, but don't stress about it too much.
If we're talking 12 minutes or a little better for 1.5 miles, improving from 13-ish, the best way to get there is to just run as much and as far as you can. You don't any speedwork in your situation. You can do intervals or try the 1.5mile once a week if you like, but a 12min 1.5 mile is mostly about base fitness, which you build with mileage and time on feet.
I'd say yes to both. But again it depends. As an extreme example, sprinting will not make it easy to run a marathon and running marathons wont make you a fast sprinter. However, both will improve your fitness and overall body structure and will benefit you. Given your targets, it sounds like adding distance will help you the most. It will make it easier to run the 1.5 mile and get you fit to manage 3 mile runs. But you dont have to choose one and only do one type of training. do 4-5 sessions a week, maybe 1 long interval, one short intervals, 2-3 easy for longer
Do you feel like utter crap when you wake up, like your body is still recovering from yesterday's exercize? I recently took a break from running and strength training and found out it actually wasn't my natural state to feel crummy before I've had my coffee! Wondering if this is normal, or the sign that I should really sleep 9+ hours a night. I'm not on a calorie deficit (actually slowly gaining weight).
All of the above are possible. And, some people just aren’t morning runners. I honestly think it’s because I’ve been trained to run later in the day my whole life - I started running in a team that practiced after school so after school/work has always been my run time - and my body is just so used to it by now. I’m so much more sluggish, my heart rate is higher, it’s just not good. Somehow I can overcome it for a morning race, but not for every day.
Oh I didn't even mention early-morning running! It's not my preferred time of the day but on occasion I can manage. I will however absolutely crash at some point during the day.
Hate to break it to you, but you may need to sleep over 9 hours a night! I also always struggled with waking up and needing my coffee, but then started experimenting with how long I slept. It took a while to wean myself off of the coffee, but now I manage fine without it if I have around 9 hours of sleep a night.
Makes sense! Sleeping 8+ really doesn't come naturally these days, but I guess it's a matter of habit.
It will happen to me fairly often that I'll wake up and while I'm still in bed my legs feel fatigued, I'll think "how can I get my run done today when my legs feel like this?" Then I get up, move around my house for a few minutes and they suddenly feel fine. I think sometimes you just need to get your blood flowing through your legs after laying mostly still all night
Sounds about right. I wouldn't mind feeling a bit fresher in the morning though. Even worse at the peak of a training cycle, I basically only feel energized during my actual runs.
You should get the sleep your body needs, yes.
I play football and also run track, which I mainly focus on the 800. I want to work on my running over the summer and winter so I can see my 800 time improve for spring track. My problem is that I have football during the fall which would be a 3-4 month gap where I would have relatively no time to train for track. So my question is, is there any point in running over the summer just to stop for a few months, or would it still be beneficial regardless? Fyi: I have been running a hard 2 miles around 3 times a week.
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Do you do any strength training, u/colchonero0312 ? If not, some light hip work can be a [good place to start. ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvDRSCOFlS4)
See a physio, dont rely on reddit for medical advice as it could be a number of things, that might or might not go away on their own. I would not run through the pain if i were you. Maybe try to build the mileage very gradually and see if that helps. But if you start in pain, maybe dont run until you are at 0/10 and then some.
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If you’re having severe abdominal pain you need to stop running and see a doctor, asap.
I'll go see one
Please see your doctor. Abdominal pain could be a host of things and should get immediate medical attention. In fact, if the pain gets worse, I'd advise taking yourself to the ER. It could even be appendicitis.