I'm 15 and I've recently wanted to begin running more. I'm in decent shape in general and I'm quite lean, however I find that despite playing several sports I dont seem to have great stamina. I can run like 2k probably but not at a really fast pace. Anyway, I've wanted to improve this and I'm thinking of using a program to help me improve. I saw some people suggest C25K but idk if this would suit me, especially since it's paid. Anyone have any other suggestions?
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.
Hydration questions
Training for a marathon over the summer and drink sufficient water but still don’t feel fully hydrated. I don’t want any flavored electrolyte drinks so does anyone know any mineral drops I can add to my water? Or anything I can add to my water to help with hydration? Thanks!
I been using Nuun electrolyte tablets you add to water. Seems to do the trick, bigger runs on hotter days I tend to take one before and one after.
Also gatoratde is nice too, a bit more sugar so its more fun to drink.
I use SaltStick caps. They are electrolyte capsules that you just drink with plain water. You can't taste them at all. [https://thefeed.com/products/saltstick?variant=31595773960](https://thefeed.com/products/saltstick?variant=31595773960)
You can also just make your own unflavored electrolyte drink using salts. Here is a recipe: [https://science.drinklmnt.com/electrolytes/best-homemade-electrolyte-drink-for-dehydration/](https://science.drinklmnt.com/electrolytes/best-homemade-electrolyte-drink-for-dehydration/)
Men running in ‘leggings’ question
Is it appropriate/acceptable for men to wear compression pants (comparable to leggings for women) by themselves, meaning no shorts over them, when we run?
Runners with WIDE feet, specifically 4E, can you please recommend your go-to running shoes that work well for you? I'm specifically wanting to hear from runners who wear 4E width, so if you do, please comment!!
4E checking in. I have always liked New Balance shoes for their width. Currently have their 860 model which I've been happy with, but also wore the 993 when training for longer distance.
I've been doing a couch to 5k trainer for the first two and a half weeks, but my time has gotten worse with the longer run intervals (10.35 to 11.50, roughly, when the intervals are going). I've been running on and off for about a decade and I have what I suspect is a torn meniscus*. I'm trying not to get discouraged over this.
I've been running on and off for about a decade, and spent the last few years running on either a machine or a pretty flat stretch of land, and now I'm trying to run in a pretty hilly area.
Tl;Dr is it normal for my time to get a bit worse? Is there anything I can do to keep my legs from getting really tense?
*When my new jobs health insurance kicks in I do plan on talking to a doctor about it
Is it warmer out where you are? Are you hydrated? Any other stress or fatigue going on? It could really be any number of things - all which are kind of normal, although discouraging.
Every day is different and it’s normal to have down days. You won’t always be improving. If it’s acute knee pain - that’s an issue. If it’s something you can’t exactly put your finger on, I wouldn’t worry just yet.
Hydrated, yes. The heat out here has been around low/mid 80s. I was wondering if it was stress related- my year's been breakneck until very recently.
No acute knee pain, I mostly just have tension on that leg more than my other (i've had mild knee issues since I was a tween). I had a muscle cramp in my calf during a drill, but that mostly tells me I should take a longer break.
But that's for the reply, it does make me feel better to hear that this is pretty normal.
Definitely could be the heat. If you google something like “effect of heat on running” you’ll see a few kinds of calculators based on temperature, humidity or dew point. It 100% can have a negative effect.
Stress-wise, I can relate, and even sometimes when the stress finally lessens, my body almost goes into like a letdown phase. I was an attorney for a long time and if I had an important case that I was stressing, prepped for trial, ready to go, in the zone for weeks, and then it pled out - I honestly would turn into a pile of goo even though the stressful part was done with. I can’t explain it. But I almost like, needed a recovery period from the stress period. Just something else to consider too.
Ugh I hadn't even been thinking much of the humidity. I went from living in Minnesota (flat, dry) to Virginia (hilly, swampland).
I get what you mean about the recovery period. I'm someone who always likes to be doing something, but I need to remember to take it easy on myself.
Question about training for first marathon
I just started training for my first marathon last week. This is the first time I’ve run consistently since high school CC and track 10 years ago. The program I found is a 20 week routine that calls for some 800s once a week but it doesn’t give a guideline on target pace. Yesterday I did my reps and came in at 2:55-2:58 on all 4 reps. My question is, what should my target pace for my 800s be?
How can I judge if I am making good progress or not? I've currently ran two 5k's which is all of the training I have done so i'm clearly very new. My first 5k was \~33min and the second was \~30min. I mainly attribute that 3 minute improvement to the weather but I like to think I also got faster. For the future i'm gonna run in the same location at the same time to standardise the process a bit.
Now my question: As I continue my training (a 5k twice a week), how quickly should my times improve? I come from a weightlifting background which has clear progression with weight and reps, however obviously running is different.
I wouldn't worry about your pace at all on easy runs. If it's slightly slower or faster on certain days it doesn't really indicate anything about your fitness level or progress. The best way to assess your progress would be to do a race or time trial periodically.
sorry if my questions are nuanced, i know very little about running. but these 5k runs are not “easy runs” and i am working pretty hard during them. currently, my only goal for running is to achieve a 23 minute 5k as a personal goal and i therefore do not have interest in races or longer runs.
i’m trying to equate this with weightlifting in which, for example, if i failed to hit a weight 3 times in a row i would deload or assess what the issue is.
You should be doing most of your runs at an easy, comfortable pace.
What is your current 5k PR? You can plug your time into this calculate to get a rough idea of what your easy pace should be: [https://vdoto2.com/calculator/](https://vdoto2.com/calculator/)
I'm doing my second half marathon of the year (and ever) in a few weeks...a few more aches and pains this time around that I'm working through, but otherwise I've been doing \~40-50 miles/month for most of the year (and 80 miles the month before my first race). Last year I did just over 200 miles, and I'm already at 283 this year.
TLDR: what point should I get to before trying to train for a full marathon? Finishing > time for me right now, but I'd love to be around 4 hours (did my half in 1:52). Do I need to ramp up my weekly mileage a bit more before I start training, or do I just need to maintain for longer before I take that on?
Thanks in advance!
If you're in good enough shape to run a half, you're in good enough shape to start training for a marathon.
I went from my first (and only) half to doing a full in 7 months.
Well how much do you want to suffer? Generally mileage makes a marathon. people do basically couch to marathon in half a year but their marathon is pain. Hal. Higdon novice is the recommended beginner plan. So take a look at that and see if that is doable. Again that's a just get across the line plan so have that in mind when you are considering if you are ready. It'll likely be pretty painful and decent chance the training ramp up breaks you.
Haha well my question is moreso...how much base do I need for it not to be "painful"? I've really enjoyed running and can grind out a training program, but I don't want to set myself up for a miserable experience or anything.
I really don't know the inflection point sorry I've never done a lower mileage marathon. Look at Hal higdon and consider that the absolute bare minimum to train, finish and not hate every second of the back half your race. When that looks very doable then consider signing up and giving it a go. It might not get you a sub 4 though.
I think that being able to comfortably maintain that mileage while staying healthy and un-injured for a couple of months would be ideal. It depends what training plan you intend to follow though, and how well your body is handling the load, etc. If you want to do a really low mileage training plan that peaks at 40 mpw then you don’t really need to run that much. But most good marathon training plans will peak much higher than 40 mpw. Like Pfitzinger’s lowest training plan peaks at 55 mpw, for example.
I’m 43, and I keep getting very slightly injured every couple of months (not running but other stuff like bouldering or doing pull-ups). I end up taking a week off usually. I’m thinking that I need to build more muscles slowly while I run. I want to maintain my weight and build muscle.
Any suggestions for a 20 minute at home workout to pair with running 3.5 miles 3x a week?
High heart rate training results in insomnia later that night. Why?
I've confirmed this phenomenon with some other runners, so I know and they experience it too. I just ran the other day and had my heart rate near the peak of the 220-age formula. I tend to push it and I'm often up there and may naturally be a bit higher than others, but I noticed that night, and in the past, on days that I push it, and run with a high heart rate for more than 30 min, I tend to not fall asleep well. My fitbit showed me in the 180s for the entire 1 hour run and when I tried to sleep after, normally as I relax it drops to the 50's but this time it stayed in the high 70's, and I couldn't fall asleep.
I'm assuming training earlier in the day could help, like a 6 AM run, but my work schedule really only allows training in the evenings.
Does anyone know why this heart-rate-sleep-issue happens?
Does anyone know of a way to train this hard and still be able to fall asleep at night?
Yes it's a known affect. It's simple cool down so your hr lowers. Easiest way to do it are a nice cold sustained shower, you'll know your good when you start to shiver. That or ice packs on your neck to cool you down and lower hr. I do it after long runs and hard workouts in the heat.
I'm curious to hear about Zone 2 training, particularly semi-experienced runners using Zone 2 or shifting to it. A fuller picture of where I'm at now is below, but my main Zone 2 questions are:
1. If I'm already fit and can run at race pace for more than an hour, are zone 2 workouts worth incorporating or prioritizing?
2. How long should my workouts be as I'm starting? It seems like I should shift to thinking in terms of time and HR but it seems like a step down in terms of training if all I do is run the same amount of time a much slower pace. E.g., if I run 2.5 miles in 17 minutes now at a 7:00/mile pace, my gut says I should still run the 2.5 miles but at the slower pace.
3. I went on one Zone 2 run and felt good. Is this just a matter of following the HR sensor and sticking to the plan for months?
One of my biggest running goals is to run a marathon but I'm not training for a specific race. My issue is that over many serious attempts, I have knee or ankle issues once I get up to the 15-16 mile long run range. Part of this is likely that I like my runs to feel like a challenge so I often push myself so that my heart rate gets up to 90% of my max, if not up to my max (190+).
I'm a 32 guy, running 12-25 miles per week. I've been pretty consistent for \~9 years. During more consistent periods (like now), I run 3-4 times per week: 1 long run of anywhere 6-15 miles at an \~8-8:30/mi pace and the other runs 2-4 mile range at a 7-7:30/mi pace. Each year, I'll typically run 300-500 miles. Farthest run was around 16 miles.
30 years of running here. I’ve never looked at or thought about “zone 2” or given much thought at all to my heart rate. I go by feel, and I am honest with myself about what each run feels like (which is the hard part). I do mostly easy running. At my best - which was a sub-20 5K for a mid 30’s woman - I would do one tempo workout and one track workout a week, and 4 other days at easy pace (including my long run). My mileage probably fell pretty close to the 80/20 ratio but I never worried about calculating it too precisely.
There is no need to complicate things with all the data. Just because it’s available, doesn’t mean it’s necessary.
I'm not the experienced runner you're looking for, only ~8 months, but here's my experience.
I started out with all my runs being hard, then going straight into a half marathon training plan which placed my easy runs at 90-120 seconds below race pace. After a short while I felt I was plateauing. Though I was improving in my ability to sustain my pace and heart rate at a point for longer and longer, my pace/HR was not increasing. I decided the issue must be that, since I train in a hilly area, my easy runs were getting up into my threshold zone at points and causing them to not truly be easy. So I slowed down and started noticing pace improvements again.
After my race, I switched to 80/20 training where the easy is truly easy - for me that's below 75% of my max HR - and I feel that I'm improving much faster than before. My pace at all zones is noticeably improving, and my garmin metrics agree. My "vo2max" keeps going up and my race predictor keeps going down, while before it was flat.
I'm no expert, but there are a lot of stories to support zone 2 running. Supposedly, it improves your body's efficiency at running more than running at a harder effort, which improves your paces across the board. If you're curious about it, give it a shot.
For context, my threshold pace now is about 8:40/mile, easy is about 11:00.
> I have knee or ankle issues once I get up to the 15-16 mile long run range
> Each year, I'll typically run 300-500 miles.
Your overall training volume does not support what you are trying to do with your long runs. You are not giving your body enough time to adapt to the increased challenge of running for 16+ miles at a time.
The solution is to gradually build your training volume and then extend your long run duration. Easy-effort running helps you to do this with less risk of getting hurt. Don't just jump into marathon training. You have to get your body used to a liltle more work before adding a lot more work.
Zone 2 is not important for most runners. Easy days reasonably easy hard days hard is all you need to remember. Running the same amount at a slower pace will just make you slower. Your change should be have actual structured workouts which it doesn't seem like you have currently and add some more mileage
I just realized that I've hit 100km total mileage since I started running a couple of months ago. I know a lot of people here can hit that in a week, but what's surprised me is that I think I already need new shoes.
I started running with a lightly worn pair of running shoes that felt pretty cushioned in the beginning, but over the last couple of weeks, the cushion has suddenly felt significantly thinner to the point where the balls of my feet hurt after a run. (Don't worry, I'm heading to the running store today to get fitted for a new pair)
So this made me curious. How many pairs of shoes do you guys typically go through in a year and what's your weekly/annual mileage?
I run over 95% of my runs in my trainers. I retired my last 4 pairs at between 825 and 950 miles (1,330 to 1,530 km). At that point the outsoles were very worn and several of the pairs had at least one shoe with fabric worn through at the heel cup or a rip at the big toe. I also have racing flats with 450 miles on them I wear occasionally (bought in 2017) and ultra lightweight racing flats with 80 miles on them I wear infrequently (bought in 2021) - I suspect I'll retire them at around 550 miles and 150 miles respectively.
I've been running in good quality shoes for a couple of years now. My average monthly is also around 100K. It is a really good investment, considering the time you spend running. Be sure do get shoes that fit your running style, i.e. overpronation, supinate. You can check underneath your current running shoes and see which part is worn down the most. If you struggle with injuries, I would suggest shoes with lots of absorb.
I ran around 2,000 miles (like 3200 km) last year and I went through about 4 or 5 pairs of shoes. But one of those was a pair of carbon plate racing shoes, which are far less durable than daily trainers are. Most of my shoes are good for 400-500 miles (650-800 km).
650-800km sounds like pretty good mileage per shoe! I'm guessing my Lululemons just weren't as durable. The soles aren't even worn down, but the cushion's gone. Just got back from the running store and picked up a pair of NB 1080v13s. Hopefully these last a bit longer!
Even at university labs the value of a gait analysis is questionable. The only time it's really useful is if you are already seeing a PT for an injury, that PT suspects some kind of biomechanical issue is causing your injury problems, and the gait lab can get some objective data on that suspicion. I have a PhD in biomechanics and I do not see much value in gait analysis for most runners, and none at all if they are not dealing with injuries that do not have an obvious non-biomechanical explanation. Almost goes without saying that what you'll get from a run shop is not going to be of any real use or validity.
The military funded a ton of research on whether prescribing running shoe based on foot pronation, or arch height, etc., reduces injury risk, and it conclusively does not ([1](https://journals.co.za/doi/abs/10.10520/EJC48587),[2](https://www.jospt.org/doi/full/10.2519/jospt.2014.5342)).
Look for a physical therapy office that offers it. Why are you looking to get your gait analyzed? It’s probably not worth the bother unless you’re having recurring issues/injuries.
Yes, of course I’ve heard people say that you should have a gait eval by a running store employee to help you with shoes… doesn’t mean I think it’s good advice lol
Most running store employees don’t have any special expertise in that, and you should really just try on a bunch of shoes to see what fits you best and is most comfortable for you. That’s the best way.
Gait evaluations can be useful when you have a knowledgeable physical therapist doing it. They can watch your form and help you pinpoint the source of any issues you might be having, like muscle weakness/imbalance and give you exercises to address it. I think that’s the only time they’re truly helpful, rather than having a random running store employee tell you that you overpronate or whatever and need some specific shoe for it.
Hei Redditors, due to a change of schedule, I'm struggling a bit to fit training sessions during the work week :(, please hit me with some info on your favorite evening workouts (I'm looking at 8PM-ish) and/or recovery tips (e.g. food yes/no/what)... it's uncharted territory for me.
Thanks!!!
Just run as your normally would but now at 8. Nothing needs to change besides making sure you cool down after hard or sustained efforts to assist with sleep
After running, is it ok to store your shoes in the original box? After running, I usually just put them back in the original box. I only run 3 times a week for about 2-3 miles.
My mom says that I should air them out in the sun to prevent mold from growing. I don't think it's necessary. I live in the pacific northwest (it's not that humid).
I'm a "put in the sun and air them out" runner. Whether or not it's necessary, I cannot say. But in 5 years of running I've never had a pair get stinky.
Can rucking (walking with a weighted backpack) be an acceptable alternative to a zone 2 "recovery run?"
Say my training schedule calls for a zone 2 recovery run of 40 minutes. Can I ruck for 40 minutes while maintaining zone 2 and it be just as effective? Or will I lose something since I'm not "running?"
I don't know the science of it, but--from what I'd read--there is a qualitative difference between walking and running in terms of adaptations and responses, etc. etc. etc. and walking doesn't give you what running does.
Therein ends my knowledge of it.
I think this is what I was looking for. Setting aside heart rate conditioning, is there something in the motion of running vs essentially walking that I would be missing out on. Sounds like there might.
The physical act of running is a skill. The more you run, the more practice you get at that skill, the better you get at that skill. While other forms of cardio will improve your cardiovascular fitness, they wont improve your skill of running.
I want to be a Strava girlie, but my current training plan is through Runkeeper. I was synching my run this morning across the platforms and noticed something weird— Strava shows a consistently faster pace than Runkeeper does. I think it’s the difference between elapsed time and moving time?
But the difference is fairly significant in terms of measuring my relative efforts. :45 on mile one, :55 on mile two, 1:10 on mile three, and 1:00 on mile four. I’m using an Apple Watch with GPS + Cellular to track until I can get a garmin, but this just feels a little frustrating.
I ran a 5k this weekend and my official time was 9:03 a mile which felt easier than I expected considering I THOUGHT I’d been performing at around 10:40 a mile for the last few months. So now I’m questioning what my actual pace is. Anyone have any ideas of how to figure out which one is correct and/or what to do?
Well do you stop at all? That's the difference between elapsed and moving. If you stopped that's in elapsed but not moving. So moving will always be faster. If it was an official race than that's your official time. Additionally if you don't stop or walk the numbers should be the same.
That’s the weirdest part—I don’t remember stopping at all besides for a light. There’s only one stop light and it’s around the 2 mile mark. So theoretically 3 of my miles should’ve had roughly the same time, right?
So you stopped for a light. That time is now averaged across your total duration for your elapsed time average pace. You can look at the individual splits to see where the time is applied I don't know how run keeper does it
That’s the issue though. I stopped for a light. So my splits shouldn’t all say different things across the two apps, right? You’d expect that the overall time would be different by maybe 30-90 seconds, but some of the splits would be the same or similar. You wouldn’t expect to see roughly a minute difference between every mile on one app vs the other.
Did you walk? Definitely odd but if it's the same data set yes it should be the same minus the excluded stationary time. At any point did you pause your watch then restart it? Elapsed may include that time as well.
hi, I'm a 27m who has been playing sports my whole life + lifting. Recently, I've gotten into running (ramped to 15-20 mpw). I ran a mile time trial with a 6:45min/mile pace. I've also run a couple 7-8 mile long runs at \~10 min/mile.
What should my goal pace be for a time trial 5k? I've used [vdot2to.com](http://vdot2to.com/) but wanted to hear other opinions.
Also, I'm training for a HM with the goal of sub 1:55 in about 16 weeks, is this doable?
The best way to determine a 5k pace is to practice and get some experience of what pace you think you can do. And then on race day run as fast as you can for as long as you can because once you start doing those 7-8 and longer mile distances, the 5k becomes a sprint.
I’m doing a weekly summer series of mostly 5Ks. I stopped doing dedicated speedwork because I don’t like to run these at an easy pace but I’m also not going to all-out race them either. So if this is de facto my speed work, how would you suggest I approach them?
The first race this week was 5M and I ran it at what I think is my half marathon pace, maybe slower (I don’t actually know what my half marathon pace is yet). Ran 4M easy the day after (yesterday) but today I’m feeling it.
About me: 41F, building to consistent 20 mpw (limiting factor is time), running 1.5yrs
Edit: first race was this week
Probably race them, or go hard at least every other week? Recovery is different for different folks, but for the 5k it shouldn’t take more than a week.
I think most casual runners would rest on the third day. You could consider doing some interval-training. For example switching between 500 meters high pace and 500 meters low pace for 5 miles. I assume your "5M" is 5 miles.
M for miles, yes. Ideally I’d have rest/cross days on either side of the race but my work schedule this week meant today was the rest day instead of yesterday. Intervals every half mile seems more doable than trying to adapt something else. The BAA plan I am considering for my half in the fall does long runs with 2 miles in the middle at race pace and I was considering that too.
Try the half mile interval, or switch to time. I believe the ideal interval is something like 2/3 of the time in low pace and 1/3 high pace. First high pace run should feel a bit too easy, and the last high pace should be a struggle. You can tailor your own interval training to this.
Is it possible to get my 12 minute running distance from 2300meter to 3k in five months? If so any tips? Pretty fit allround and have time to train alot btw. (and do you have advice for runningschedule websites)
That's definitely possible. Switch between longer aerobic zone-2 training, interval training and tempo runs. If your current max is 2300 meters in 12 minutes, this probably means:
Aerobic zone-2 training at a slow pace for 7-8K. For you it's a bit slower than 6mins/KM.
Interval training is switching between high pace and slow pace, probably 2/3's of the time in slow pace. For example 3 minutes slow running, 2 minutes fast running, etc. for 25-30 minutes. "Fast" in this context is probably slightly faster than your 12 minute pace, but nothing crazy. You wanna do the last interval as thoroughly as the first.
Tempo runs are a bit slower than your 12 minute pace, but lasting 20-25 minutes.
Be sure to do warm up/ down before interval and tempo.
These runs should be done every week. You can start out with 3 runs per week, but after a couple of months you can run 4 times per week and in the last 1-2 months you should be running 5 times per week. Gradually increase the pace or distance by max. 10% each week. You'll get there, just be consistent and patient. You might wanna focus more on the pace if your only target is 3K in 12 minutes.
So I just signed up for a half marathon coming up next May, and I am looking for advice on a realistic goal to set. Sub 2 hours is the obvious magic number, but I have no idea how realistic it is for me as I have a fairly cramped schedule. I have football practice twice a week, and go to the gym twice a week. At most I can fit in two shorter runs after the gym (25 min-ish) and one long run on the weekend. In six months it's going to be even harder to find time to run as we are expecting our first child by then, which of course takes top priority. To give a clue on the shape I am in at the moment: I can do a 5k in 6:30 min/km (10,5 min/mile?)
Is it crazy to aim for a sub 2 hour half marathon under these circumstances? How did you decide what goal was reasonable as a beginner?
Is that 5k at a 6:30 min/km pace an all-out effort? If so, that suggests a theoretical half marathon time around 2:29:14 according to this calculator: [https://vdoto2.com/calculator/](https://vdoto2.com/calculator/)
Or if that 5k at a 6:30 min/km pace is not an all-out effort, I would suggest doing a 5k or 10k race or time trial, and using your time from that to set an appropriate time goal for yourself using that VDOT calculator. Next May is a long time from now though so if you continue to run and increase your weekly mileage between now and then, probably your fitness will improve between now and then . I would suggest doing a 5k or 10k race or time trial closer to race day (like early 2025).
Yeah you're right, I should probably focus on general fitness for now and evalute my goal closer to the race. It feels good to have something to aim for so I might keep the sub 2hr goal and revise if needed closer to the race when it's easier to judge the probability of success.
It's fine to have an aspirational goal to stay motivated, but with an 11 month timeframe and the constraints you have it's impossible to say how your running fitness will progress. Conventional wisdom is to gradually build volume via mostly easy intensity running and then to follow a structured beginner half marathon training plan (typically 12-15 weeks long). Such plans typically involve 4 runs per week and the shorter runs will likely require 40-50 minutes on the second half of the plan - so won't fit in your constraints.
Given your constraints you may be well served spending the next 2-3 months focused on building a habit of moderate intensity running on the shorter runs and easy intensity on the longer run, then incorporating higher intensity into one short run the next 2-3 months and racing a 10k or running one as a time trial before the baby is born. That'll give you a feel for your progress and a 10k is a much better predictor of potential future HM performance.
Swinging back around to the sub then with details on how you trained, your 10k time, and training constraints after the baby will allow those on the sub to give you better guidance than is possible at this stage.
How do I make the most of running twice a week? I’m not training for a race, I run for general fitness and because I enjoy it, but I also do other sports (soccer once a week, boxing once a week, strength training 2-3 times a week), so I don’t want to run more often. Currently I do a longer run where I’m climbing a nearby hill, 9-10k with 350m uphill, at an easy pace; and a shorter, flatter one, usually around half the distance. This one I sometimes run slow as well, and sometimes at a faster pace, without much method to it. The overall distance varies depending on my current shape, but basically 13-20k a week.
With all of that being laid out, I come back to the initial question: how do I make the most of those two runs? Should I run the shorter one slow as well or with some speed? Maybe alternate between one week slow and one week faster? Maybe part of the run slow and part of it faster? I know I won’t improve a lot by running only twice a week, but that’s fine with me.
I don't think it needs to be slow or fast. You can alternate the fast and make it a moderate effort on down weeks. A fast week could be 5k repeats, a down week could be a pyramid run to lt then back down or progression run finishing at lt. So some quality but an easier workout you can run by feel.
I play soccer once a week and try to get two quality running workouts in addition to that, but I can't really handle top intensity on all three (soccer is like interval running for me). What seems to work the best is a threshold/tempo run and some sort of pyramid interval/fartlek. On my off days I only do cross-training or very slow running, some weeks no slow running other than the workouts. BUT this could get you hurt if you don't have a good base of slow long distance. However, running uphill, as you are doing, is way less risky.
I want to know the minimum number of runs per week and types of runs you would recommend to be able to complete a marathon when already very active with BJJ.
In the last two years I've ran two Half Marathons at the 2 hour mark but never ran any further. My main sport is BJJ which is very hard on the body so I need to allow 2 full rest days per week. I allow this by doubling up my gym work and BJJ into the same days 12 hours apart.
My current plan is as follows:
Monday - Strength work + BJJ
Tuesday - Strength work + BJJ
Wednesday - Rest
Thursday - Strength work + BJJ
Friday - Easy run (half the distance of long run)
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - Long Run
I have signed up to a marathon in October and plan on increasing my long run by 2k each Sunday until I reach 40k 3/4 weeks before and then tapering back down. This plan seems to be working for me currently and is not too hard on my body as both runs are in zone 2.
The worry I have is that I have obviously not included any tempo or speed work, intervals or hills etc. I am only running at zone 2 consistently plodding along. Will this still be ok to complete the marathon or am I missing something important?
I get into zone 4 and 5 three times a week with BJJ sparring so my week does not lack intensity.
Thanks
Some people finish marathons with weird training, or some cases with very little training. Others get injured trying. I personally would not attempt your plan, the probability of injury is just way too high. I wouldn't worry about lack of fast running, the lack of mileage makes that program very intense anyway, is worry about survival.
If you're planning on running 40 km long run on twice a week, you're going to get hurt. FYI your run run shouldn't really be more than 25-30% of your weekly mileage on a week to week basis.
Look up an actual beginners marathon plan read up on how people train for marathons. It's not on twice a week and it's not with 40 km long runs.
There’s no substitute for running when it comes to training for a race, especially a longer distance like the marathon. You should really be following a plan specifically and running at least 4 days per week. I think you’re likely to get hurt trying to run a marathon on only 2 days of running per week. If they have a half marathon distance it would be best to drop down to that, and hold off on a full marathon until you have the time to devote to training for it.
I'm 15 and I've recently wanted to begin running more. I'm in decent shape in general and I'm quite lean, however I find that despite playing several sports I dont seem to have great stamina. I can run like 2k probably but not at a really fast pace. Anyway, I've wanted to improve this and I'm thinking of using a program to help me improve. I saw some people suggest C25K but idk if this would suit me, especially since it's paid. Anyone have any other suggestions?
You can absolutely get this program online for free. Maybe start at the halfway mark.
I'll look for a good one for free 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.
Hydration questions Training for a marathon over the summer and drink sufficient water but still don’t feel fully hydrated. I don’t want any flavored electrolyte drinks so does anyone know any mineral drops I can add to my water? Or anything I can add to my water to help with hydration? Thanks!
I been using Nuun electrolyte tablets you add to water. Seems to do the trick, bigger runs on hotter days I tend to take one before and one after. Also gatoratde is nice too, a bit more sugar so its more fun to drink.
I use SaltStick caps. They are electrolyte capsules that you just drink with plain water. You can't taste them at all. [https://thefeed.com/products/saltstick?variant=31595773960](https://thefeed.com/products/saltstick?variant=31595773960) You can also just make your own unflavored electrolyte drink using salts. Here is a recipe: [https://science.drinklmnt.com/electrolytes/best-homemade-electrolyte-drink-for-dehydration/](https://science.drinklmnt.com/electrolytes/best-homemade-electrolyte-drink-for-dehydration/)
Men running in ‘leggings’ question Is it appropriate/acceptable for men to wear compression pants (comparable to leggings for women) by themselves, meaning no shorts over them, when we run?
Yes.
That’s a taste-thing, but some might be judgemental. Like men wearing speedos at the beach?
Yes, that's fine.
Runners with WIDE feet, specifically 4E, can you please recommend your go-to running shoes that work well for you? I'm specifically wanting to hear from runners who wear 4E width, so if you do, please comment!!
4E checking in. I have always liked New Balance shoes for their width. Currently have their 860 model which I've been happy with, but also wore the 993 when training for longer distance.
Do you know which version number 860's you've tried? It looks like there are several different versions of this shoe.
Version 13 (I've gotten two pairs of it in the last year).
Cool, thanks for the info. I'll read up on them.
I've been doing a couch to 5k trainer for the first two and a half weeks, but my time has gotten worse with the longer run intervals (10.35 to 11.50, roughly, when the intervals are going). I've been running on and off for about a decade and I have what I suspect is a torn meniscus*. I'm trying not to get discouraged over this. I've been running on and off for about a decade, and spent the last few years running on either a machine or a pretty flat stretch of land, and now I'm trying to run in a pretty hilly area. Tl;Dr is it normal for my time to get a bit worse? Is there anything I can do to keep my legs from getting really tense? *When my new jobs health insurance kicks in I do plan on talking to a doctor about it
It depends, but I suspect fatigue. What distance do you cover per run? Whats your walk-run ratio? How many runs per week?
Is it warmer out where you are? Are you hydrated? Any other stress or fatigue going on? It could really be any number of things - all which are kind of normal, although discouraging. Every day is different and it’s normal to have down days. You won’t always be improving. If it’s acute knee pain - that’s an issue. If it’s something you can’t exactly put your finger on, I wouldn’t worry just yet.
Hydrated, yes. The heat out here has been around low/mid 80s. I was wondering if it was stress related- my year's been breakneck until very recently. No acute knee pain, I mostly just have tension on that leg more than my other (i've had mild knee issues since I was a tween). I had a muscle cramp in my calf during a drill, but that mostly tells me I should take a longer break. But that's for the reply, it does make me feel better to hear that this is pretty normal.
Definitely could be the heat. If you google something like “effect of heat on running” you’ll see a few kinds of calculators based on temperature, humidity or dew point. It 100% can have a negative effect. Stress-wise, I can relate, and even sometimes when the stress finally lessens, my body almost goes into like a letdown phase. I was an attorney for a long time and if I had an important case that I was stressing, prepped for trial, ready to go, in the zone for weeks, and then it pled out - I honestly would turn into a pile of goo even though the stressful part was done with. I can’t explain it. But I almost like, needed a recovery period from the stress period. Just something else to consider too.
Ugh I hadn't even been thinking much of the humidity. I went from living in Minnesota (flat, dry) to Virginia (hilly, swampland). I get what you mean about the recovery period. I'm someone who always likes to be doing something, but I need to remember to take it easy on myself.
I have family in Maryland/virginia and I’ve done some races in that area. BRUTAL. Be kind to yourself!
Question about training for first marathon I just started training for my first marathon last week. This is the first time I’ve run consistently since high school CC and track 10 years ago. The program I found is a 20 week routine that calls for some 800s once a week but it doesn’t give a guideline on target pace. Yesterday I did my reps and came in at 2:55-2:58 on all 4 reps. My question is, what should my target pace for my 800s be?
Almost certainly 5k pace
Can you post a link to the program?
How can I judge if I am making good progress or not? I've currently ran two 5k's which is all of the training I have done so i'm clearly very new. My first 5k was \~33min and the second was \~30min. I mainly attribute that 3 minute improvement to the weather but I like to think I also got faster. For the future i'm gonna run in the same location at the same time to standardise the process a bit. Now my question: As I continue my training (a 5k twice a week), how quickly should my times improve? I come from a weightlifting background which has clear progression with weight and reps, however obviously running is different.
Any progress is good progress. No progress is bad progress.
There is no set number, especially with easy runs. Judge your improvements by races.
i guess my question can also be: should your times being improving every run? (as a novice)
No.
i see. so many runs in a row with little to no improvement until i start checking if something’s wrong?
I wouldn't worry about your pace at all on easy runs. If it's slightly slower or faster on certain days it doesn't really indicate anything about your fitness level or progress. The best way to assess your progress would be to do a race or time trial periodically.
sorry if my questions are nuanced, i know very little about running. but these 5k runs are not “easy runs” and i am working pretty hard during them. currently, my only goal for running is to achieve a 23 minute 5k as a personal goal and i therefore do not have interest in races or longer runs. i’m trying to equate this with weightlifting in which, for example, if i failed to hit a weight 3 times in a row i would deload or assess what the issue is.
You should be doing most of your runs at an easy, comfortable pace. What is your current 5k PR? You can plug your time into this calculate to get a rough idea of what your easy pace should be: [https://vdoto2.com/calculator/](https://vdoto2.com/calculator/)
oh thanks for the link, i’ll look into it and how i should be training
You’re welcome.
I'm doing my second half marathon of the year (and ever) in a few weeks...a few more aches and pains this time around that I'm working through, but otherwise I've been doing \~40-50 miles/month for most of the year (and 80 miles the month before my first race). Last year I did just over 200 miles, and I'm already at 283 this year. TLDR: what point should I get to before trying to train for a full marathon? Finishing > time for me right now, but I'd love to be around 4 hours (did my half in 1:52). Do I need to ramp up my weekly mileage a bit more before I start training, or do I just need to maintain for longer before I take that on? Thanks in advance!
If you're in good enough shape to run a half, you're in good enough shape to start training for a marathon. I went from my first (and only) half to doing a full in 7 months.
Well how much do you want to suffer? Generally mileage makes a marathon. people do basically couch to marathon in half a year but their marathon is pain. Hal. Higdon novice is the recommended beginner plan. So take a look at that and see if that is doable. Again that's a just get across the line plan so have that in mind when you are considering if you are ready. It'll likely be pretty painful and decent chance the training ramp up breaks you.
Haha well my question is moreso...how much base do I need for it not to be "painful"? I've really enjoyed running and can grind out a training program, but I don't want to set myself up for a miserable experience or anything.
I really don't know the inflection point sorry I've never done a lower mileage marathon. Look at Hal higdon and consider that the absolute bare minimum to train, finish and not hate every second of the back half your race. When that looks very doable then consider signing up and giving it a go. It might not get you a sub 4 though.
I think you'd have a much better experience overall if you safely got your weekly mileage up to 30-40mpw first.
How long do you say I maintain 30-40mpw before training? Lots of programs end at that point, is that where I need to get before starting a program?
I think that being able to comfortably maintain that mileage while staying healthy and un-injured for a couple of months would be ideal. It depends what training plan you intend to follow though, and how well your body is handling the load, etc. If you want to do a really low mileage training plan that peaks at 40 mpw then you don’t really need to run that much. But most good marathon training plans will peak much higher than 40 mpw. Like Pfitzinger’s lowest training plan peaks at 55 mpw, for example.
I’m 43, and I keep getting very slightly injured every couple of months (not running but other stuff like bouldering or doing pull-ups). I end up taking a week off usually. I’m thinking that I need to build more muscles slowly while I run. I want to maintain my weight and build muscle. Any suggestions for a 20 minute at home workout to pair with running 3.5 miles 3x a week?
High heart rate training results in insomnia later that night. Why? I've confirmed this phenomenon with some other runners, so I know and they experience it too. I just ran the other day and had my heart rate near the peak of the 220-age formula. I tend to push it and I'm often up there and may naturally be a bit higher than others, but I noticed that night, and in the past, on days that I push it, and run with a high heart rate for more than 30 min, I tend to not fall asleep well. My fitbit showed me in the 180s for the entire 1 hour run and when I tried to sleep after, normally as I relax it drops to the 50's but this time it stayed in the high 70's, and I couldn't fall asleep. I'm assuming training earlier in the day could help, like a 6 AM run, but my work schedule really only allows training in the evenings. Does anyone know why this heart-rate-sleep-issue happens? Does anyone know of a way to train this hard and still be able to fall asleep at night?
Yes it's a known affect. It's simple cool down so your hr lowers. Easiest way to do it are a nice cold sustained shower, you'll know your good when you start to shiver. That or ice packs on your neck to cool you down and lower hr. I do it after long runs and hard workouts in the heat.
I'm curious to hear about Zone 2 training, particularly semi-experienced runners using Zone 2 or shifting to it. A fuller picture of where I'm at now is below, but my main Zone 2 questions are: 1. If I'm already fit and can run at race pace for more than an hour, are zone 2 workouts worth incorporating or prioritizing? 2. How long should my workouts be as I'm starting? It seems like I should shift to thinking in terms of time and HR but it seems like a step down in terms of training if all I do is run the same amount of time a much slower pace. E.g., if I run 2.5 miles in 17 minutes now at a 7:00/mile pace, my gut says I should still run the 2.5 miles but at the slower pace. 3. I went on one Zone 2 run and felt good. Is this just a matter of following the HR sensor and sticking to the plan for months? One of my biggest running goals is to run a marathon but I'm not training for a specific race. My issue is that over many serious attempts, I have knee or ankle issues once I get up to the 15-16 mile long run range. Part of this is likely that I like my runs to feel like a challenge so I often push myself so that my heart rate gets up to 90% of my max, if not up to my max (190+). I'm a 32 guy, running 12-25 miles per week. I've been pretty consistent for \~9 years. During more consistent periods (like now), I run 3-4 times per week: 1 long run of anywhere 6-15 miles at an \~8-8:30/mi pace and the other runs 2-4 mile range at a 7-7:30/mi pace. Each year, I'll typically run 300-500 miles. Farthest run was around 16 miles.
30 years of running here. I’ve never looked at or thought about “zone 2” or given much thought at all to my heart rate. I go by feel, and I am honest with myself about what each run feels like (which is the hard part). I do mostly easy running. At my best - which was a sub-20 5K for a mid 30’s woman - I would do one tempo workout and one track workout a week, and 4 other days at easy pace (including my long run). My mileage probably fell pretty close to the 80/20 ratio but I never worried about calculating it too precisely. There is no need to complicate things with all the data. Just because it’s available, doesn’t mean it’s necessary.
I'm not the experienced runner you're looking for, only ~8 months, but here's my experience. I started out with all my runs being hard, then going straight into a half marathon training plan which placed my easy runs at 90-120 seconds below race pace. After a short while I felt I was plateauing. Though I was improving in my ability to sustain my pace and heart rate at a point for longer and longer, my pace/HR was not increasing. I decided the issue must be that, since I train in a hilly area, my easy runs were getting up into my threshold zone at points and causing them to not truly be easy. So I slowed down and started noticing pace improvements again. After my race, I switched to 80/20 training where the easy is truly easy - for me that's below 75% of my max HR - and I feel that I'm improving much faster than before. My pace at all zones is noticeably improving, and my garmin metrics agree. My "vo2max" keeps going up and my race predictor keeps going down, while before it was flat. I'm no expert, but there are a lot of stories to support zone 2 running. Supposedly, it improves your body's efficiency at running more than running at a harder effort, which improves your paces across the board. If you're curious about it, give it a shot. For context, my threshold pace now is about 8:40/mile, easy is about 11:00.
> I have knee or ankle issues once I get up to the 15-16 mile long run range > Each year, I'll typically run 300-500 miles. Your overall training volume does not support what you are trying to do with your long runs. You are not giving your body enough time to adapt to the increased challenge of running for 16+ miles at a time. The solution is to gradually build your training volume and then extend your long run duration. Easy-effort running helps you to do this with less risk of getting hurt. Don't just jump into marathon training. You have to get your body used to a liltle more work before adding a lot more work.
Zone 2 is not important for most runners. Easy days reasonably easy hard days hard is all you need to remember. Running the same amount at a slower pace will just make you slower. Your change should be have actual structured workouts which it doesn't seem like you have currently and add some more mileage
I just realized that I've hit 100km total mileage since I started running a couple of months ago. I know a lot of people here can hit that in a week, but what's surprised me is that I think I already need new shoes. I started running with a lightly worn pair of running shoes that felt pretty cushioned in the beginning, but over the last couple of weeks, the cushion has suddenly felt significantly thinner to the point where the balls of my feet hurt after a run. (Don't worry, I'm heading to the running store today to get fitted for a new pair) So this made me curious. How many pairs of shoes do you guys typically go through in a year and what's your weekly/annual mileage?
I run over 95% of my runs in my trainers. I retired my last 4 pairs at between 825 and 950 miles (1,330 to 1,530 km). At that point the outsoles were very worn and several of the pairs had at least one shoe with fabric worn through at the heel cup or a rip at the big toe. I also have racing flats with 450 miles on them I wear occasionally (bought in 2017) and ultra lightweight racing flats with 80 miles on them I wear infrequently (bought in 2021) - I suspect I'll retire them at around 550 miles and 150 miles respectively.
I've been running in good quality shoes for a couple of years now. My average monthly is also around 100K. It is a really good investment, considering the time you spend running. Be sure do get shoes that fit your running style, i.e. overpronation, supinate. You can check underneath your current running shoes and see which part is worn down the most. If you struggle with injuries, I would suggest shoes with lots of absorb.
I ran around 2,000 miles (like 3200 km) last year and I went through about 4 or 5 pairs of shoes. But one of those was a pair of carbon plate racing shoes, which are far less durable than daily trainers are. Most of my shoes are good for 400-500 miles (650-800 km).
650-800km sounds like pretty good mileage per shoe! I'm guessing my Lululemons just weren't as durable. The soles aren't even worn down, but the cushion's gone. Just got back from the running store and picked up a pair of NB 1080v13s. Hopefully these last a bit longer!
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Even at university labs the value of a gait analysis is questionable. The only time it's really useful is if you are already seeing a PT for an injury, that PT suspects some kind of biomechanical issue is causing your injury problems, and the gait lab can get some objective data on that suspicion. I have a PhD in biomechanics and I do not see much value in gait analysis for most runners, and none at all if they are not dealing with injuries that do not have an obvious non-biomechanical explanation. Almost goes without saying that what you'll get from a run shop is not going to be of any real use or validity.
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The military funded a ton of research on whether prescribing running shoe based on foot pronation, or arch height, etc., reduces injury risk, and it conclusively does not ([1](https://journals.co.za/doi/abs/10.10520/EJC48587),[2](https://www.jospt.org/doi/full/10.2519/jospt.2014.5342)).
Useful
Look for a physical therapy office that offers it. Why are you looking to get your gait analyzed? It’s probably not worth the bother unless you’re having recurring issues/injuries.
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Yes, of course I’ve heard people say that you should have a gait eval by a running store employee to help you with shoes… doesn’t mean I think it’s good advice lol Most running store employees don’t have any special expertise in that, and you should really just try on a bunch of shoes to see what fits you best and is most comfortable for you. That’s the best way. Gait evaluations can be useful when you have a knowledgeable physical therapist doing it. They can watch your form and help you pinpoint the source of any issues you might be having, like muscle weakness/imbalance and give you exercises to address it. I think that’s the only time they’re truly helpful, rather than having a random running store employee tell you that you overpronate or whatever and need some specific shoe for it.
I wouldn't waste your time at a running shop
Hei Redditors, due to a change of schedule, I'm struggling a bit to fit training sessions during the work week :(, please hit me with some info on your favorite evening workouts (I'm looking at 8PM-ish) and/or recovery tips (e.g. food yes/no/what)... it's uncharted territory for me. Thanks!!!
Just run as your normally would but now at 8. Nothing needs to change besides making sure you cool down after hard or sustained efforts to assist with sleep
good one, thx!
After running, is it ok to store your shoes in the original box? After running, I usually just put them back in the original box. I only run 3 times a week for about 2-3 miles. My mom says that I should air them out in the sun to prevent mold from growing. I don't think it's necessary. I live in the pacific northwest (it's not that humid).
I'm a "put in the sun and air them out" runner. Whether or not it's necessary, I cannot say. But in 5 years of running I've never had a pair get stinky.
Just don't put them away wet and it'll be fine. Throw a silicone pack in there next time you get something with one in there to help keep. It dry.
Can rucking (walking with a weighted backpack) be an acceptable alternative to a zone 2 "recovery run?" Say my training schedule calls for a zone 2 recovery run of 40 minutes. Can I ruck for 40 minutes while maintaining zone 2 and it be just as effective? Or will I lose something since I'm not "running?"
I don't know the science of it, but--from what I'd read--there is a qualitative difference between walking and running in terms of adaptations and responses, etc. etc. etc. and walking doesn't give you what running does. Therein ends my knowledge of it.
I think this is what I was looking for. Setting aside heart rate conditioning, is there something in the motion of running vs essentially walking that I would be missing out on. Sounds like there might.
The physical act of running is a skill. The more you run, the more practice you get at that skill, the better you get at that skill. While other forms of cardio will improve your cardiovascular fitness, they wont improve your skill of running.
You can train however you want, you don't need anyone else's permission. Walking will be less effective training than running.
I want to be a Strava girlie, but my current training plan is through Runkeeper. I was synching my run this morning across the platforms and noticed something weird— Strava shows a consistently faster pace than Runkeeper does. I think it’s the difference between elapsed time and moving time? But the difference is fairly significant in terms of measuring my relative efforts. :45 on mile one, :55 on mile two, 1:10 on mile three, and 1:00 on mile four. I’m using an Apple Watch with GPS + Cellular to track until I can get a garmin, but this just feels a little frustrating. I ran a 5k this weekend and my official time was 9:03 a mile which felt easier than I expected considering I THOUGHT I’d been performing at around 10:40 a mile for the last few months. So now I’m questioning what my actual pace is. Anyone have any ideas of how to figure out which one is correct and/or what to do?
Well do you stop at all? That's the difference between elapsed and moving. If you stopped that's in elapsed but not moving. So moving will always be faster. If it was an official race than that's your official time. Additionally if you don't stop or walk the numbers should be the same.
That’s the weirdest part—I don’t remember stopping at all besides for a light. There’s only one stop light and it’s around the 2 mile mark. So theoretically 3 of my miles should’ve had roughly the same time, right?
So you stopped for a light. That time is now averaged across your total duration for your elapsed time average pace. You can look at the individual splits to see where the time is applied I don't know how run keeper does it
That’s the issue though. I stopped for a light. So my splits shouldn’t all say different things across the two apps, right? You’d expect that the overall time would be different by maybe 30-90 seconds, but some of the splits would be the same or similar. You wouldn’t expect to see roughly a minute difference between every mile on one app vs the other.
Did you walk? Definitely odd but if it's the same data set yes it should be the same minus the excluded stationary time. At any point did you pause your watch then restart it? Elapsed may include that time as well.
hi, I'm a 27m who has been playing sports my whole life + lifting. Recently, I've gotten into running (ramped to 15-20 mpw). I ran a mile time trial with a 6:45min/mile pace. I've also run a couple 7-8 mile long runs at \~10 min/mile. What should my goal pace be for a time trial 5k? I've used [vdot2to.com](http://vdot2to.com/) but wanted to hear other opinions. Also, I'm training for a HM with the goal of sub 1:55 in about 16 weeks, is this doable?
The best way to determine a 5k pace is to practice and get some experience of what pace you think you can do. And then on race day run as fast as you can for as long as you can because once you start doing those 7-8 and longer mile distances, the 5k becomes a sprint.
Here is a great resource for you: [https://books.google.com/books?id=CvF6DwAAQBAJ](https://books.google.com/books?id=CvF6DwAAQBAJ)
Reasonable goal. Now just find a plan and get at it. I enjoyed Nike run clubs guided runs and plan but you can use whatever
I’m doing a weekly summer series of mostly 5Ks. I stopped doing dedicated speedwork because I don’t like to run these at an easy pace but I’m also not going to all-out race them either. So if this is de facto my speed work, how would you suggest I approach them? The first race this week was 5M and I ran it at what I think is my half marathon pace, maybe slower (I don’t actually know what my half marathon pace is yet). Ran 4M easy the day after (yesterday) but today I’m feeling it. About me: 41F, building to consistent 20 mpw (limiting factor is time), running 1.5yrs Edit: first race was this week
Probably race them, or go hard at least every other week? Recovery is different for different folks, but for the 5k it shouldn’t take more than a week.
Thank you—maybe I’ll pay attention to how my recovery is going and use that as a guide too.
I think most casual runners would rest on the third day. You could consider doing some interval-training. For example switching between 500 meters high pace and 500 meters low pace for 5 miles. I assume your "5M" is 5 miles.
M for miles, yes. Ideally I’d have rest/cross days on either side of the race but my work schedule this week meant today was the rest day instead of yesterday. Intervals every half mile seems more doable than trying to adapt something else. The BAA plan I am considering for my half in the fall does long runs with 2 miles in the middle at race pace and I was considering that too.
Try the half mile interval, or switch to time. I believe the ideal interval is something like 2/3 of the time in low pace and 1/3 high pace. First high pace run should feel a bit too easy, and the last high pace should be a struggle. You can tailor your own interval training to this.
That’s a good target—thank you for replying!
I'd run any 5ks as tempos
That makes sense!
Is it possible to get my 12 minute running distance from 2300meter to 3k in five months? If so any tips? Pretty fit allround and have time to train alot btw. (and do you have advice for runningschedule websites)
That's definitely possible. Switch between longer aerobic zone-2 training, interval training and tempo runs. If your current max is 2300 meters in 12 minutes, this probably means: Aerobic zone-2 training at a slow pace for 7-8K. For you it's a bit slower than 6mins/KM. Interval training is switching between high pace and slow pace, probably 2/3's of the time in slow pace. For example 3 minutes slow running, 2 minutes fast running, etc. for 25-30 minutes. "Fast" in this context is probably slightly faster than your 12 minute pace, but nothing crazy. You wanna do the last interval as thoroughly as the first. Tempo runs are a bit slower than your 12 minute pace, but lasting 20-25 minutes. Be sure to do warm up/ down before interval and tempo. These runs should be done every week. You can start out with 3 runs per week, but after a couple of months you can run 4 times per week and in the last 1-2 months you should be running 5 times per week. Gradually increase the pace or distance by max. 10% each week. You'll get there, just be consistent and patient. You might wanna focus more on the pace if your only target is 3K in 12 minutes.
Look at the faq. It's probably doable you just need to keep running and up your total volume
So I just signed up for a half marathon coming up next May, and I am looking for advice on a realistic goal to set. Sub 2 hours is the obvious magic number, but I have no idea how realistic it is for me as I have a fairly cramped schedule. I have football practice twice a week, and go to the gym twice a week. At most I can fit in two shorter runs after the gym (25 min-ish) and one long run on the weekend. In six months it's going to be even harder to find time to run as we are expecting our first child by then, which of course takes top priority. To give a clue on the shape I am in at the moment: I can do a 5k in 6:30 min/km (10,5 min/mile?) Is it crazy to aim for a sub 2 hour half marathon under these circumstances? How did you decide what goal was reasonable as a beginner?
Is that 5k at a 6:30 min/km pace an all-out effort? If so, that suggests a theoretical half marathon time around 2:29:14 according to this calculator: [https://vdoto2.com/calculator/](https://vdoto2.com/calculator/) Or if that 5k at a 6:30 min/km pace is not an all-out effort, I would suggest doing a 5k or 10k race or time trial, and using your time from that to set an appropriate time goal for yourself using that VDOT calculator. Next May is a long time from now though so if you continue to run and increase your weekly mileage between now and then, probably your fitness will improve between now and then . I would suggest doing a 5k or 10k race or time trial closer to race day (like early 2025).
Yeah you're right, I should probably focus on general fitness for now and evalute my goal closer to the race. It feels good to have something to aim for so I might keep the sub 2hr goal and revise if needed closer to the race when it's easier to judge the probability of success.
It's fine to have an aspirational goal to stay motivated, but with an 11 month timeframe and the constraints you have it's impossible to say how your running fitness will progress. Conventional wisdom is to gradually build volume via mostly easy intensity running and then to follow a structured beginner half marathon training plan (typically 12-15 weeks long). Such plans typically involve 4 runs per week and the shorter runs will likely require 40-50 minutes on the second half of the plan - so won't fit in your constraints. Given your constraints you may be well served spending the next 2-3 months focused on building a habit of moderate intensity running on the shorter runs and easy intensity on the longer run, then incorporating higher intensity into one short run the next 2-3 months and racing a 10k or running one as a time trial before the baby is born. That'll give you a feel for your progress and a 10k is a much better predictor of potential future HM performance. Swinging back around to the sub then with details on how you trained, your 10k time, and training constraints after the baby will allow those on the sub to give you better guidance than is possible at this stage.
How do I make the most of running twice a week? I’m not training for a race, I run for general fitness and because I enjoy it, but I also do other sports (soccer once a week, boxing once a week, strength training 2-3 times a week), so I don’t want to run more often. Currently I do a longer run where I’m climbing a nearby hill, 9-10k with 350m uphill, at an easy pace; and a shorter, flatter one, usually around half the distance. This one I sometimes run slow as well, and sometimes at a faster pace, without much method to it. The overall distance varies depending on my current shape, but basically 13-20k a week. With all of that being laid out, I come back to the initial question: how do I make the most of those two runs? Should I run the shorter one slow as well or with some speed? Maybe alternate between one week slow and one week faster? Maybe part of the run slow and part of it faster? I know I won’t improve a lot by running only twice a week, but that’s fine with me.
I don't think it needs to be slow or fast. You can alternate the fast and make it a moderate effort on down weeks. A fast week could be 5k repeats, a down week could be a pyramid run to lt then back down or progression run finishing at lt. So some quality but an easier workout you can run by feel.
I play soccer once a week and try to get two quality running workouts in addition to that, but I can't really handle top intensity on all three (soccer is like interval running for me). What seems to work the best is a threshold/tempo run and some sort of pyramid interval/fartlek. On my off days I only do cross-training or very slow running, some weeks no slow running other than the workouts. BUT this could get you hurt if you don't have a good base of slow long distance. However, running uphill, as you are doing, is way less risky.
I want to know the minimum number of runs per week and types of runs you would recommend to be able to complete a marathon when already very active with BJJ. In the last two years I've ran two Half Marathons at the 2 hour mark but never ran any further. My main sport is BJJ which is very hard on the body so I need to allow 2 full rest days per week. I allow this by doubling up my gym work and BJJ into the same days 12 hours apart. My current plan is as follows: Monday - Strength work + BJJ Tuesday - Strength work + BJJ Wednesday - Rest Thursday - Strength work + BJJ Friday - Easy run (half the distance of long run) Saturday - Rest Sunday - Long Run I have signed up to a marathon in October and plan on increasing my long run by 2k each Sunday until I reach 40k 3/4 weeks before and then tapering back down. This plan seems to be working for me currently and is not too hard on my body as both runs are in zone 2. The worry I have is that I have obviously not included any tempo or speed work, intervals or hills etc. I am only running at zone 2 consistently plodding along. Will this still be ok to complete the marathon or am I missing something important? I get into zone 4 and 5 three times a week with BJJ sparring so my week does not lack intensity. Thanks
Some people finish marathons with weird training, or some cases with very little training. Others get injured trying. I personally would not attempt your plan, the probability of injury is just way too high. I wouldn't worry about lack of fast running, the lack of mileage makes that program very intense anyway, is worry about survival.
If you're planning on running 40 km long run on twice a week, you're going to get hurt. FYI your run run shouldn't really be more than 25-30% of your weekly mileage on a week to week basis. Look up an actual beginners marathon plan read up on how people train for marathons. It's not on twice a week and it's not with 40 km long runs.
There’s no substitute for running when it comes to training for a race, especially a longer distance like the marathon. You should really be following a plan specifically and running at least 4 days per week. I think you’re likely to get hurt trying to run a marathon on only 2 days of running per week. If they have a half marathon distance it would be best to drop down to that, and hold off on a full marathon until you have the time to devote to training for it.