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Need to increase my speed and endurance (Read 194 times)

PaigeR


    Hi there. I've started doing monthly 5ks and right now I'm walking them. I'd like some advice on how to move from walking the course to running the course in a low-impact way. Help!


    an amazing likeness

      Have you looked into the 'Couch to 5K' programs (aka "C25K")?  These offer structured plans which guide in progressing to running a 5K.

      Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.

      Size12shoes


      Old Geezer

        A Couch to 5K program is the way to get you started. Just remember that endurance takes a lot longer to build up than speed. Don't be all gung-ho about running as fast as you can early in your running career. Running 'slow" (note the quotes) is what builds your endurance. Work on endurance first. As you progress, you will be able to start introducing various speedwork sessions into your running program. Speedwork is what  trains you to run faster. But for now, endurance is what matters.

        Mikkey


        Mmmm Bop

          Why are you walking them? Start running. You will get faster if you persevere.

          5k - 17:53 (4/19)   10k - 37:53 (11/18)   Half - 1:23:18 (4/19)   Full - 2:50:43 (4/19)

          PaigeR


            To be honest, I'm not in shape to run the whole 5k and because I have an extra 60 pounds, I'm a little concerned about my knees. With that being said, I still want to run it. I just don't want to hurt myself and derail everything. Thoughts?

              To be honest, I'm not in shape to run the whole 5k and because I have an extra 60 pounds, I'm a little concerned about my knees. With that being said, I still want to run it. I just don't want to hurt myself and derail everything. Thoughts?

               

              Couch to 5K is a great way to start.

               

              Regarding hurting knees, when mine hurt, weight loss makes the running pain free. When I'm too fat to run, I focus on diet and walking (or cycling).

              When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

              PaigeR


                I agree that losing weight would solve a lot of my problems, that's why I started running. Bicycling is a good thought. Do you bike? What bike do you have?

                  I do. I have three bikes at the moment and love them all. I started with a hybrid, got a fixie next, but my current love is a beach cruiser. There are lots of brands to match lots of budgets. If it were me, I'd avoid places like Wally World for bikes and hit up one of your local bike shops.

                   

                  Keep in mind that running/cycling aren't magic bullets for weight loss. They can help, but they can also make it more difficult if you aren't watching what you eat, due to increasing your hunger. Everyone is different, but for me, as an example, if my exercise is in the 30-45 minute neighborhood, I have decent control over my food intake. If I stretch my ride out to 1.5-2 hours - I typically cannot stop eating.

                   

                  I want to start working on losing 30-40# soon, but right now I'm more concerned with getting my cardio consistent before I add the stress of cutting calories - soon enough though. I've recently started counting them with MFP just for highlighting where I need to make changes when I'm ready to cut.

                  When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

                  AutBatgirl


                    Hi there. I've started doing monthly 5ks and right now I'm walking them. I'd like some advice on how to move from walking the course to running the course in a low-impact way. Help!

                     

                    The advice to look into the Couch-to-5k is a good one. Even with extra weight, it will help you ease from walking solely to running. You may also find that you lose weight faster, because your body will be working harder with all the speed changes. FWIW, I had far fewer problems with my knees after I started running than before I did.

                     

                    I've taken the last few years off from exercising and have just started up again, so I'm right there with you.

                    No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.

                    pedaling fool


                      I would recommend looking into a Run-Walk-Run program that Jeff Galloway promotes. You may be able to find one of his books in the library, but here's a website of his and it's a starting point. http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/

                       

                      P.S. You may also want to start a log to monitor your progress, which is a motivator in itself.

                      reggie888


                        Hi,

                        What I did was to try to run at least 14 minutes without stopping.  Then gradually running for a longer time without stopping.  I worked my way up over time to about 30 minutes or so and felt great for a few years.  I happily stayed  at that level and weighed about 190 lbs as a 55 year old.  The Doc said my blood pressure was a little high as was cholesterol.  I told him I would "lifestyle" it off by eating better.  However I kept eating too much food even though it was mostly all the right "high quality" foods and the weight and bloodwork stayed the same.

                        The weight finally poured off when I learned how to eat right.  I kept track of what I ate, and how much I actually consumed, how much I burned by my lifestyle, and then ate balanced but smaller quantities so I consumed less than I burned.   I dropped 35 lbs in 3 months and then the half hour runs were no longer giving me the same "buzz" as before.  No wonder, I was no longer carrying around the equivalent of two 18 lb dumb bells with me!  Then I continued my runs longer and eventually 10k, half marathons.   The key point is that losing the weight is what allowed the running to prosper, and eating the proper quantity of good balanced diet is what worked to lose the weight... not the running.

                        Once you're running longer distances the speed will come if you practice running a little out of your comfort zone sometimes and get used to feeling a little uncomfortable during the faster runs.  Long easy runs are meant to be easy, but to get faster you've got to practice doing it without getting injured of course.

                        Good Luck

                          I wouldn't worry about cadence, focus on speed of the 2.

                           

                          I know when I'm running more quickly my cadence moves to the ideal 180... when I'm going slow easy etc... it's less,

                           

                          so run naturally and I believe when the speed improves the cadence will be good too.

                           

                          good luck!

                           

                          C25k is a great place to start....

                          300m- 37 sec.

                          Pre83705


                            Hello - I agree, pick out a good couch to 5k training plan and start there.  There are probably hundreds of training plans out there - review a few and pick one that seems to fit what you are doing or can handle.  Runners World I believe has one - you can get a “From Nothin’ to Somethin’ training planhere as well: https://www.instriderunner.com

                             

                            Once you have a good base of miles, you can add in more speed work with fartleks, intervals, and tempo runs.  If you’re not doing a long run once a week now, begin doing one and continue doing that weekly.  Gradually increase the distance or amount of time you run on the long run to build endurance.  I would also suggest adding some sort of strength training in each week.

                             

                            Hope this helps some.