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What should I focus on next? (Read 855 times)

bikerscott


    I haven't had a good record with maintaining a running program because I tend to get bored, but at 32 and with a history of type-2 diabetes in my family I'm determined to keep it up this time. Having said that, I'm not sure what I should be aiming to improve - my speed (averaging between 6 and 7 mins per Km), or my distance (currently between 3 and 4 kms without a walk break, although I could probably do 5 on a good day). My goal isn't to run marathons, just to get into shape (well, a shape other than 'round'). Should I work on the speed first, then start adding distance, or should I increase the distance I run and hope the speed comes along naturally? Thanks in advance for any suggestions Big grin
    JakeKnight


      Consistency. Learning to love running, making it part of your daily routine. Getting to the point where you can't wait to run every day. Making it fun. All the rest is secondary. Don't do that part right, you'll never get the rest. Do it right, and the rest will come. Run more, more often. Speed will come.

      E-mail: eric.fuller.mail@gmail.com
      -----------------------------

      jeffdonahue


        What Jake said. Just work on being more consistent with your running, increasing how far you run each time slowly to avoid injury. YOu will get faster just by putting more miles in.
        Scout7


          Focus on these three things: Frequency. Consistency. Listening to your body. The more consistent you are in getting out to run, the more frequent you are, the more you listen to your body, the rest will come.


          Arrogant Bastard....Ale

            Run more, more often. Speed will come.
            Focus on these three things: Frequency. Consistency. Listening to your body. The more consistent you are in getting out to run, the more frequent you are, the more you listen to your body, the rest will come.
            If you build it, they will come. Tongue


            A Saucy Wench

              consistancy frequency distance dont worry about speed Although nothing combats boredom for me more than signingup for a race...and then another

              I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets

               

              "When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7

              PudgyRunner


                Although nothing combats boredom for me more than signing up for a race...and then another
                True, signing up for a 5k will give you motivation to put the miles in. The only person out there you are really racing is yourself, so especially for your first, speed doesn't need to be an issue. Put the distance in, you'll get faster.
                  Speed kills newbies. Work toward making running a permanent change in your lifestyle. Since running is highly goal oriented, sign up for a 5K and train for it as soon as possible. The C25K program is an excellent way to start. Tom
                  colinw


                    It sounds like you're in a similar situation to me, running to help lose and control weight. I don't have plans to run a marathon and I am not overly concerned with how fast I run (although lately I seem to be preoccupied with how fast I am running Blush). I did the C25K program to learn to run and I am now on week 9 of that. My next plan is the One Hour Runner program, which after another couple of months should see me running for 1 hour straight. Since my goal is weight loss, and I am not in a position with my personal life to run as much as marathon training would require, I am more than happy to think that in 2 months I will be able to run for 60 minutes. Again, I wouldn't be too concerned with speed, but if you can get out and run for 60 minutes 3 times a week you will be burning plenty of calories, and have long enough runs to enjoy them, without going "over the top" and be running all the time. As time goes on, I expect your time will improve and you'll end up running longer distances. Good luck with your decision.

                    5k PR - 26:27 | 10k PR - ??? | HM PR - 2:09:14

                    mgd


                      I'm odd because I never consistently focus on improving one particular thing. I may go for a few weeks trying to increase my distance, then on a whim I change to wanting to beat my times. I don't know when I'm going to feel like changing my goals, or why, they just happen. The good thing is that it always keeps me interested. I have run one HM, just to have run a race, and may do another, but without always having an upcoming race, it could be hard to stay motivated. Something must be working for me though, because I haven't lost motivation in the three years since I started. My suggestion would be to try to set either distance or speed goals for a couple of weeks, then try the other and see which interests you more. Other things to try to keep you motivated would be try running with and without music, especially new music you might not normally listen to, maybe try running with others, mix up your routes, try trails, streets, parks. Eventually something should "click" with you and get you hooked. Don't give up. Sometimes it takes a little bit to get bit by the bug.
                      If you don't talk to your cat about catnip, who will?
                        Speed kills newbies.
                        that is such great advice yet is there a newbie who ever listens to it? We all learn that there are things that get us injured... running too fast, too often, or too long.... we learn how much time we need to recover from a fast run, a long run... how many days in a row we can run... how much rest we need to recover... When we start we are not in control of distance because well... we can only run short distances 3 miles or so... We can't control how often... because anything we do is more than our body is used to... (my suggestion is 4 days a week or every other day)... We can control the speed as a newbie... Many... including me... try to go as fast as we can... which sometimes isn't fast at all... If you are finishing your run or say a mile and you don't feel like you could do it (or at least 1/2 of it) again then you probably are going too fast... IMHO... The advice here is good... and I wish I had listened to it when I started running. I wouldn't have had the nagging injuries I did then...


                        The Greatest of All Time

                          Work toward making running a permanent change in your lifestyle.
                          That should be 100% of your focus. Once that's complete, everything else will fall into place, i.e. longer distances, faster times, etc.
                          all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be

                          Obesity is a disease. Yes, a disease where nothing tastes bad...except salads.
                          bikerscott


                            Thanks for all the replies. I'm going to take that advice to heart - I'm just going to keep running and not worry about the speed or how far I can go to start. I'm not a big fan of the structured running plans - I find all the two minutes of this and three of that seven times over thing too much to worry about while I'm out. Instead, I'm going to run until I feel tired, then walk for a bit, then run some more until I feel tired again, and repeat until I get back home. I'm also going to try altering my route - I've been tending to go around the big park across the street because it's easy, but it's also a bit boring doing the same thing every day...maybe a bit of variety in terms of route would help keep my interest up. I'll try to keep y'all updated on my progress. Thanks again! Big grin