Forums >Running 101>Finishing strong
Slow-smooth-fast
I have been following lydiard type training and am really enjoying it. I like the idea of going out for time and not over obsessing about Distance. The one thing that I have noticed is that when I start my run, whether it be an hour or 2 hours it is somewhat difficult. In fact I have noticed that my breathing only gets easy and my legs strong after about 4 miles. What is going on here?
Take for example today's 10miler. I went out and felt time death warmed up, heavy breathing despite easy running leaks heavy legs. At 4 mile I seemed to develop a reabps prying in my stride and enjoyed the last 6 miles so much.
"I've been following Eddy's improvement over the last two years on this site, and it's been pretty dang solid. Sure the weekly mileage has been up and down, but over the long haul he's getting out the door and has turned himself into quite a runner. He's only now just figuring out his potential. Consistency in running is measured in years, not weeks. And over the last couple of years, Eddy's made great strides" Jeff 14 Jan 2009
Sounds normal to me. The warm up allowed your body to settle in to the run.
Happens to me every single day, Eddy. I thought maybe it was just because I'm a geezer, but maybe it happens to lots of people. I also went out for an easy 10 miler today. Didn't look at my mile splits, but had my watch record them. Just tried to run real easy for some aerobic recovery: 8:14, 7:52, 7:47, 7:28, 7:15.... It used to bother me, but now I just don't worry about it much any more.
- Joe
We are fragile creatures on collision with our judgment day.
Proboscis Colossus
Yep, happens to me, too! I don't know that it usually takes four miles to settle in, but two, maybe three for sure.
"God guides us on our journey, but careful with those feet." - David Lee Roth, of all people
Glad it's not just me then. I am looking forward to seeing how I get on with all this 'time on my feet'. It is quite tiring but as I once saw on the Alex Vero documentary, a sub 2:20 marathon runner said "if you put worthy work you will get the results". I certainly am putting in the time and will be increasing as time goes on. I just need to be consistent I suppose and it will eventually help me get as fast as I was a few years back.
I always finish strong.
Then I fall asleep.
Best Present Ever
I always tell people who say they hate running that they need to run more. Everyone thinks the first few miles feel bad, then the run gets easier. People who run 2-3 miles at time a few days a week never believe me.
I'm fairly new to running. Last year I was doing about 2-3 miles per run. This year I'd been doing slower 4-5 mile runs. I notice around the 2 mile mark the run becomes easier and my times improve.
Started c25k on 5/30/11
2/3rds training
I've only done this once so take it with some salt. The only time I (and my legs) have felt really great right from the start is when I did my first double earlier this week. I woke up early (for me) and knocked out 5 easy pace miles on the road. Went to work, got off early, took a quick nap, and then went out for a ten mile trail run at more of a tempo pace. That second run was fantastic. First two miles on the road to the trailhead flew by effortlessly, I hit the ~800 ft climb on the trail feeling really strong and pushed a good pace all the way up. Flew back down still feeling great. The last two miles on the road, which is usually a slog after all the climbing and descending on the trail, felt great and I was able to push my pace even more all the way home.
Moral of the story? I dunno but if you can work it into your schedule (and looking at your log you definitely have the mileage) consider doubling up some time.
My not-entirely-running-related 'Gram
A takeaway from this thread for inexperienced runners: Warmup for your races. You don't want the first 2 miles of your 5K or 10K to be your warmup. You want to get past the stage that people are describing in this thread. I see so many runners just standing around before races, jog a mile or two.
Doubles? Yep. I feel the same way, the first run can be a help on the second run of the day. On days that I have something big scheduled (like an interval workout or some such) I will try to run the interval session in the evening and at lunch the same day just jog very, very easy 3 or 4 miles. It seems to help groove in quicker later in the day.