What speed is the right speed? (Read 1436 times)

Really??? But shouldn't I feel like I'm exercising? Shouldn't I feel my heart beating and the sweat and actually feel like I had a good work out and didn't just stroll around the block? I'm thinking I need to change my perspective a little bit.

Every once in a great while you can feel like that. But most of the time, you should be able to skip laugh and sing at the end of your run ...while you are still running. (And I have been known to do all 3, but not yet at the same time) Regardless of if you want to go techie (the chart or HRM...both are techie running) or keep it low key and learn to run by feel... Easy does it. If you want to just run, run...but try running easy most days. Its like building a house....the slow miles are your foundation. The fast miles are the 4th story. You try to put too many on top and the whole dang thing collapses and you wonder why you arent getting anywhere. If you want "exercise" blast your little heart rate away. If you want to get BETTER run slow, run strong. Save most of it for the races.

Thank you everyone!! You have really helped me out a lot. You all helped bring me back down to earth.

Really, slow down. If you have to run 12 mm to be comfortable, no one will laugh at you. Promise.

Finney, are you in my head?? I do have a HUGE problem with stressing over what people think of me. Thanks for telling me that. If you promise...I believe you

I just wanted to chime in here... This thread has been incredibly helpful!

Yeah, it helped me a TON! What's weird about it is I have not really slowed down at all, but I feel like I have. I took the pressure off myself to keep a certain pace and just ran. So now I just run at a comfortable pace for me and don't really pay attention to my garmin anymore. When I log, I'm always surprised that my pace was faster than I thought it would be. I'm still self-conscious about my pace I tried running with some friends a few weeks ago and they were just way too fast for me. They keep wanting me to run again with them, but I have to say no. I said "I'm not running with you, but you can run with me". I ran alone today Thanks again for everyone that chimed in on this discussion. It changed my whole attitude.

I personally don't map out my course every day and make sure i know the exact mileage. When i do a course that i know the exact mileage of like you all seem to, i can not go slow and never run easy. I would always find myself dropping 6 minute miles. So what i do is rather than going out the door and saying i am going to do 5 miles...i'll just go on a random route and do a nice easy 30-35 minutes and say its 5 miles. If i am feeling really good then i may actually do 5.2 or 5.5 or something like that in 35 minutes, or on a slow slow day like 4.8 in 30, but who cares i just call it 5 and i can live with being a few tenths off here and there. Honestly on my easy days i range from like 6:40-7:-50 miles on average, which means if i feel peppy then i might drop a 6:20 still running easy or if i feel sluggish i might drop an 8:00 to start off. So i pretty much don't worry about pace at all for 4 days out of the week which include 3 easy days and a long run. Workouts are where you can be picky and worry about being a few seconds slower.

That would never work for me. I would never be able to log 5 miles when I didn't actually KNOW if I ran 5 miles. I'm too anal that way. Makes me sweaty and nervous just thinking about it.

That's why I posted the McMillan charts. You struck me as my type of personality that way. Just as justification for slowing down.

Without going too far off the original topic.... Anzura's long description of her "problem" caught my eyes and I see Willamona giving her usual "good" advice here... ;o) I see many "beginners" (if I may call some of the posters...sorry!) get in a trap of running at the same target pace all the time, everyday, which actually happens to be pretty much close to the target race pace as well (I know you're not quite that...), thinking, "If I want to run my half marathon at 10-minute pace, I'd need to be training at least 10:30 pace...!" It really isn't. First of all, think about the following examples; Okutani or Japan who was on the Osaka world championship's team (though he had an appendictomy and couldn't compete) with a PR of 2:08 (that's sub-5 minute pace, folks!) does most of his training at 8-minute pace. Coach Koide who has a house in Boulder and spend 1/3 the time there said two of the runners he coaches (or coached), Naoko Takahashi (2000 Olympic marathon champion) does a lot longer training, up to 70km a day, but much slower pace; where as Masako Chiba trains much shorter distances, more like 30km, but at faster pace. Interestingly, Takahashi's PR is 2:19 while Chiba's is 2:21. I'm not necessarily saying the slower you run, the better. But the point is; everybody is different. It would do you much better if you vary the training effort; much like you should vary training distance. Some days you run long, say, 8 miles. Other days you run shorter like 2 or 3 miles. Same deal. Some days you may want to run @ 10-minute pace; other days maybe 12-minute pace... How you want do to it--you do the long or longish runs of, say, 5 miles at closer to your target pace to make it more like tempo type runs; or make those shorter runs right at target pace to get used to the pace--is totally up to you. But the point is; you want to include some faster stuff (target pace or close to target pace) and some longer stuff (close to target distance if you're targeting longer events); then you combine both ON THE RACE DAY (it's like working on scene by scene for rehearsal and put them all together on the opening night). I'm teaching (as one of the coaches) for MDRA (Minnesota Distance Running Association) Beginning Women's Running Class (an 8-week course) right now. One lady, who started running in the beginning of April (when this class started) asked me this week that, while she is running on treadmill, her speed doesn't seem to be improving--should she set the speed progressively faster to push herself to run progressively faster? I told her to cover the meter on the machine and don't worry about it. First of all, she's started to feel good and is increasing the duration of her runs (from run/walk 20 minutes and now 40 minutes). NEVER try to increase BOTH quality AND quantity at the same time. But, she said, then how would she know... I suggest, for someone like this, to do a test run but only once a month (at MOST, once every other week). Find a good flat out-and-back course. Do the test run of one of the followings: 1) Go out and back in the same time, whatever the duration depending on your level, say, 15 minutes out and 15 minutes back. Make sure you can do this IN THE SAME TIME comfortably, in other words, you don't have to struggle to come back in the same 15 minutes time (you've started out too fast). Make a mental note of how far you went out (some land mark like this tree or this corner or the house #1963...). Every time you do this test, within the same 15 minutes time, you should be reaching out slightly further (without trying). 2) Do the same test run as above but run to the landmark; progressively you should be reaching there in less time (14:50, then 14:45...). These two of course indicate the same thing--you're now running faster WITHOUT TRYING TO RUN FASTER. 3) Try to keep the run exactly the same (requires some discipline); to the same landmark within the same 15 minutes period. Wear Heart Rate Moniter if you like, or just stop and check your pulse for 15 seconds (and multiply by 4) at the turn-around point. As your fitness level improves, you should be doing the same exact workout (15 minutes out and back in the same distance) but your pulse is progressively getting less; meaning you're handling the same workload easier. These are just some simple tests you can do to make sure you're progressing. But you don't need to check it every day. It takes your body a few weeks to 6-months or so to adopt to a new stress. You can't expect some visible improvement in a day or days or weeks. That's why it's wise to do this kind of test, if you want to do it this way, once or twice a month (once would be more reasonable). If you notice the improvement slacking a bit; THAT is when you want to consider some other stimulous like speed training. Until then, I wouldn't say "throw speed training out the window" but at least set it aside by the window. ;o)

Marcus, I would LOVE to be able to "just run". I guess one could call me "obsessive". When I start something new and love it, I want to perfect it....now! I'm an instant gratification person...I don't like waiting!!! ::stomps feet and puts on best pout face:: I set goals for myself and when I don't achieve them, I will tweak out on how to get there. I do have to stop and tell myself to just "chill" every so often. I have a hard time remembering that I've only been running for 7 months and not a lifetime. Running feels so right to me and I'm really surprised it took me 40 years to find that out. I hear the term "junk miles" and it scares me. If I " just slow down" like you suggest Willamona, I'm scared those miles will be considered "junk"!! I really do feel like I've hit a plateau. If I keep my easy runs in the 11-12 min pace, I don't feel like I'm really working out at all. Marcus, you suggest that I go out without a watch so I don't tweak on the pace. I will try that, but I'm pretty sure I'll still be in the same range I have been. I feel like I've hit a wall and I'm pushing up against it to break through. I do agree with you Ennay that I need to build my base up nice and strong. I need a heavy dose of patience!! I will concentrate on increasing my weekly miles, and "try" to make them easy runs. I'll also work on getting that long run longer. Wish my feet and knees would continue to love me after 8 miles, but they insist on protesting. I thank you guys for reading and responding to another post from a noob that I'm sure comes around every week or so. I know the same questions over and over get tiresome. Thanks for taking the time Debi

I firmly believe there are no such things as junk miles for us. Any run is a good run because we got past the hardest part which is getting out the freking &#%# door. When I first started my attitude was just like yours. Then I got over it. You have to realize that running takes time and time means YEARS. Not one of us on here woke up one day and was running 10 minute miles. Just about anybody can attest to that. Running is a practice in futility. You will take two steps foward and one step back. That's just how it is. You really need to let go of your preconcived perceptions on how running should be. Once you do that, it makes running more enjoyable. There is no try in running. It's DO OR DO NOT. If you don't make your runs easy, you run a super high risk of burnout and injury. There is absolutely no shame in slowing down. I just started heart rate training. Before that I was running consistently 10:30-11:30 minute miles depending on terrain. Now you can see my long and where I"m at. Yes it was hard at first and I felt terrible but you know what? I started to notice little things around me like the birds singing and it made it not so bad. Now 99% of my runs are easy runs, my HR has dropped by 20 beats per minute at the same pace and I feel like a stronger runner. Plus I've been able to add on miles and keep consistent. Was it hard? YES! Was it worth it. YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES