Forums >Running 101>Afraid of speedwork!
Dear runners,
Total beginner here. I have been running for about 3 months now. I am primarily a slow runner who is more interested in going the distance(i really don't focus on pace and speed all that much). I just broke the 10k barrier (which I ran in 1hr 19min, slow but proud; considering most of my friends can barely run 2 miles ). I ran my fastest 5k in this run (I hit the 5k mark at 37min 10sec, when my PR was 38min 48sec). I have been talking to some of my more athletic friends(and these ones are not runners per se, most are basketballers and tennis players), they recommend that I throw in some speed work(fartleks and tempo runs etc.) into my running schedule. My runner friends however recommend that I stick to a slow pace for now. I have noticed during my runs that raising my pace even a tiny bit offsets my breathing rhythm and makes the run a tad bit more uncomfortable. This scares me; I don't want to ruin the joy I get from those long and easy runs, not to mention the satisfaction of covering long distances. However, there is a 5k event round the corner that I would like to take part in, and hopefully finish with a decently time ( I was thinking, maybe 30-32min).
How do I go about from here?
Thanks in advance!
SMART Approach
Until you can run 15-20 miles each week easily, you don't need speedwork. You need aerobic base and stamina. Keep your running controlled and build your miles. One day a week you can run last the 1/2 to 1 mile of one of your runs faster. Also mix in a few strides another day per week but I would even wait another month or two to do that. You are doing it the right way. It takes time, be conservative. Focus on adding miles. This is the key to your long term success and progress. Speedwork now will get you injured.
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Mother of Cats
I have noticed during my runs that raising my pace even a tiny bit offsets my breathing rhythm and makes the run a tad bit more uncomfortable. This scares me; I don't want to ruin the joy I get from those long and easy runs, not to mention the satisfaction of covering long distances.
I think that your running is ultimately yours, to do as you wish and gives you joy. If you are getting joy now from your running, honestly keep on doing what you are doing.
When you start getting curious about speedwork and/or thinking it might be fun to try some - that's when you start it. I'm pretty sure that if you continue running, that will happen at some point. Maybe not, and that's OK too.
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Are we there, yet?
That is perfectly normal. The faster you run, the more oxygen you need, so you breathe harder. You're also expending more effect and that can be perceived as more discomfort. Adding some faster running once in a while won't detract from the joy you experience on your long and easy runs. It may even increase your joy when you compare it to any faster running. There's a different kind of joy in running fast just as there's a different pleasure in eating spicy foods versus sweet foods. You don't need a lot of faster running to get the benefits from it. In fact too much can be harmful. Starting out I suggest mild surges of 10-20 seconds of slightly increased effort every few minutes during the middle or late stages of a couple runs a week. It doesn't , in fact shouldn't, be sprinting, more like the pace you would run for that 32 minute 5k.
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03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
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Good advice given here. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is all the rage nowadays, and although it does have an added benefit to your VO2Max, your runner friends know there is more to running than a high VO2Max. The safest way to enjoy running for a long time IMO is to give your tendons and ligaments and bones some time to adapt to the continuous pounding of running. Running fast is harder on the body, especially if you are older. The young can get away with more stuff.
Because you enjoy running at a slower pace, and because it is not as hard on the body, I believe there is no urgency to start running fast.
Roads Scholar
Good advice given already.
Elsewhere you have mentioned you are overweight. No training will improve your speed as much as losing weight will. Keep it fun. Keep losing weight. You will get faster, I guarantee it.
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