new to running looking for advice (Read 315 times)

Measure the belt, then count how many times it goes around in one minute. If you set the machine to 3 miles per hour, then that is 190,080 inches per hour or 3168 inches per minute.  If the belt is 100 inches around, it should go around 31.7 times in one minute.

I have been running on my treadmill (now my second one) for quite a few years and I always notice your problem. I run with more effort (it seems, anyway) than I do in races, and I'm slower than my race times. I have read and heard of this problem with many other runners. I don't think all the races we get into are incorrect distances, so I'm assuming it's the TM.

I'm not sure if this is another way to check your TM speed, but I set mine at 6 mph, and ran one mile in exactly 10 minutes. Of course, the TM may have been calibrated incorrectly, and the numbers work only because of that reason, I don't know.

TM running "pulls" you to stay on pace within a certain time; running outdoors is all about "pulling" yourself; and races 'pulls' you with more effort against others, a combination of the two so to speak.  I notice this difference when I run on the TM (don't like to but....) for interval training and stamina, and outdoors (which I prefer) for raw endurance and strength.  Most of the articles I read tend to say that TMs aren't calibrated accurately but i prefer to run outdoors and use my garmin for distance and time.

In any case, rb20guy, WAY TO GO!! Great progress!!  Very proud of your determination.  Consistency and discipline are keys to any successful training goal. Listen to your body and read articles on various issues to foster your training program.  Too much, too soon, too fast invites acute injuries that can become chronic, and can really damper the spirit.  Each of us had to start 'somewhere' and we started slowly too. Good Luck!!

My treadmill takes about 5-10 seconds to get up to speed, so it always ends up very slightly less distance at a given pace.  Also, if the deck and belt are worn it can add drag and make the run feel more difficult.

If you are new to running and overweight running every day could be tough on your legs. I would suggest running 3-4 times a week and if you really have the bug, walk the other days. Once your legs build up some strength then you can try running more often. The most important thing is listen to your legs, and don't ignore pain in your knees or ankles.

But I'm not a hard core runner and I've never run every day. Someone with more experience at it could probably give you better advice.

So I have not posted in a while but I wanted to make an update.

I am now running 4.25 miles 5-6 days a week at 5.7 on the mill with a 26lb vest on. I am trying to build endurance. I was told that with endurance and distance comes speed and it seems to hold true. My most recent 1.5 mile run was 12:00. This seems really good to me.

I was wondering if I should increase the distance or speed of my runs or both. And how much and how often should I increase it?

First of all, congratulations on your impressive improvements already.  For what it's worth, here are my suggestions about where to go from here:

1. Lose the weight vest.  I can understand why you might think it's a good idea, but I would seriously recommend against it.  You are at a point in your running career where you can make huge gains by simply doing lots of easy running on a consistent basis.  The key to being able to do that is making sure you're staying injury-free and not overdoing it.  This means keeping the pace nice and easy (as others have advised, and I know you've listened to that advice) and also not over-stressing your body by carrying extra weight around with you.  Another way of looking at this is - there are some very good runners on this message board, and none of them would ever consider wearing a weighted vest while running.

2. Gradually build mileage.  If you're running 4.25 miles 5-6 times a week then that's a pretty good place to be building from.  If it feels challenging, then I'd hang around that level of mileage for a while until you feel more comfortable with it.  If you think you're ready to step it up, then my suggestion would be to make a couple of your weekly runs a bit longer - maybe a couple of 6-milers, and the other 3-4 runs each week stay at 4 miles.  Gradually pushing the length of your longest run will make the others easier.  The key to this is to keep the increase in mileage gradual, and to cutback and rebuild if you begin to struggle.  Slow and steady increases over 12+ months add up to an incredible transformation, whereas it is very easy to add too much too soon and flame out or get injured.  If in doubt, I'd err on the side of caution.  This is a long-term game.

3. Keep (almost all) your runs easy.  I would absolutely not start systematically increasing the pace of your runs across the board. If you  want to, you could start introducing some faster running but I would suggest restricting this to one run per week.  A simple workout which will build your fitness would be to run an easy warm up mile, then alternate a couple of minutes of 'comfortably hard' running with a couple of minutes of easy jogging.  Do that 2-4 times (whatever feels reasonably manageable) and then warm down with another mile. Bear in mind that workouts do not have to be super-challenging to achieve significant results - putting in some work above your regular running pace from time to time will see you make improvements.

4. Longer term, I think you should try and figure out what your goals are - i.e. what you want to achieve from running.  From your posts, you seem keen to bring down your times for covering set distances, which is a perfectly normal and sensible goal.  I think you're also running to lose weight.  Right now, I think both of those goals will be met by doing the things I've suggested above.  As you develop as a runner though, you'll want to refine your training depending on whether your goal is, for example, simply to reach and maintain a target weight or maybe to run the fastest 5K you can.

Good luck!

(I've just realised that the above could be summarised by the old RA adage:  Run lots, mostly easy, sometimes hard.)

1. Lose the weight vest.  I can understand why you might think it's a good idea, but I would seriously recommend against it.  You are at a point in your running career where you can make huge gains by simply doing lots of easy running on a consistent basis.  The key to being able to do that is making sure you're staying injury-free and not overdoing it.  This means keeping the pace nice and easy (as others have advised, and I know you've listened to that advice) and also not over-stressing your body by carrying extra weight around with you.  Another way of looking at this is - there are some very good runners on this message board, and none of them would ever consider wearing a weighted vest while running.

 

Big +1 here.  You are doing yourself no favors with that vest.  Running is not lifting; your legs will get the kind of strength they need through running consistently under your own body weight.  All the vest does is mess with your form and add extra pounding to your knees.

I've toed the line next to Kenyans who went out running 4:30ish pace for distance races from the gun.  Their legs were the size of my arms.  You do not need to be big to be fast.

Ditch the vest and run farther/faster instead.