Agonizing over run times

[fastergoofy]

I used an online calculator to estimate my marathon time, using my 5k time as a basis. It's embarrassingly slow. I don't even want to mention it. Oof.

Is anyone else working on speed? What tips or tricks do you have? What are your usual times? Do you run/walk or just run the whole thing?

Of course, my instructor pointed out today that her WDW Marathon time was 1h30m (!) longer than her usual because she stopped so often to take pictures and things.

 

[mamacate]

I am. I'm pretty new to running (started C25k in March) and I'm frustrated with my pace. I've been doing a training program with speedwork, but I think it's just demoralizing me more. August isn't the best time to work on speed. I think I need to be patient. I'll be within the time limit for the Princess Half, so I'm just going to hang in with that and hope that I'll improve (slowly) with practice. At least that's my attitude today.

Cate

 

[fastergoofy]

Which training program are you using?

My running instructor made me feel better yesterday -- she said I was being too hard on myself and I should just focus on finishing.

And yeah -- heat slows everyone down. Don't feel bad about that!

 

[LaurieG]

I am in the same boat. I have been doing a walk/run and for the first time EVER ran 6.5 miles this morning, without walking, My pace while I was doing a walk/run was about 12.08-12.34 per mile. Can't imagine what it was this morning. Yikes!
I say my goal is simply finish but....
One thing I did when I first started was to run for 2 minutes at a slow pace and then run at a very fast pace for 1 minute. Hope this helps

 

[PrincessAndrea'sMom]

Have you tried the Galloway method? Gosh, I feel like the Galloway cheerleader sometimes, but it really worked for me! After just a few weeks, I cut 2 minutes off my best mile. My 5k time went for 41 to 35! The walk breaks really help to conserve energy.

 

[DisneyRunnerGirl]

Another Galloway fan here - I too dropped a ton of time from my PRs by switching to his run/walk. And here is the part some people have a hard time with .... I run 30 SECONDS and Walk 30 SECONDS!!! I am sooooo much faster using this interval than I was with longer ones. So I don't care what anyone thinks. I view like when someone comments if I have a sweater on and they think it is warm - know what I'm not making YOU put a sweater on, so why do you care?

For some reason, this 30/30 interval makes my 50 year old body happiest. I want to keep racing as long as possible, so I am doing what makes my body happy. I was astonished at how well it is working....no more flair ups of bursitis in my hips, no aching knees or back - just a good tired after a race.

Obviously, YMMV, but I cut almost 8 minutes off my half time and and 6 minutes off my 5k times. And to top it off, these races were in 80 degree heat. I can't wait to see what I can do when the temps get into the 60s and below in the Fall.

I thought I might be embarrassed doing such short intervals in a race, but the truth is once you are in a race, no one is paying any attention to you cause they are too busy running on their own plan.

Don't look at your times now - you are early in the game and you will improve. Just keep working to find what makes you feel best. While I'm sure your coach is a lovely person don't compare your performance to hers or to anyone elses!!! Some folks have a natural ability for running and when they work at it, their times reflect it. Others, like your truly, will always be "hackers" to borrow the golf term. We love what we are doing, but are never going to be terrific. Cut yourself some slack.

Good luck

 

[johde]

Another Galloway fan here - I too dropped a ton of time from my PRs by switching to his run/walk. And here is the part some people have a hard time with .... I run 30 SECONDS and Walk 30 SECONDS!!! I am sooooo much faster using this interval than I was with longer ones. So I don't care what anyone thinks. I view like when someone comments if I have a sweater on and they think it is warm - know what I'm not making YOU put a sweater on, so why do you care?

For some reason, this 30/30 interval makes my 50 year old body happiest. I want to keep racing as long as possible, so I am doing what makes my body happy. I was astonished at how well it is working....no more flair ups of bursitis in my hips, no aching knees or back - just a good tired after a race.

I too have found the shorter intervals seem to be working better for me. So Far I've done 3 half marathons, with the 4th one being Disneyland in 3 weeks.

So Far I've Done

Cleveland May 2010 All Walking 3:28:02
Columbus Oct. 2010 Run 1/walk 2 3:07:45
Xenia May 2011 Started Run :45/walk 1:00 for first 4 mile then switched to run 1/walk 1. 2:51:02

It was after training for xenia I started playing around with shorter intervals. I've tried :30/:30 and for some reason I don't like it. But, bump it up to :40/:40 and I'm golden. Run :30/walk :40 has become my new goto "easy" interval. At Disneyland I'm planning on either Starting run :30/walk :40 then Switching to :40/:40 after leaving Disneyland, or Starting :40/:40 then switching to run 1:00 /walk:45 after leaving Disneyland.

 

[fastergoofy]

I had glanced at the Galloway materials before but I'll take a closer look. Thanks for the recommendations! You guys are inspiring.

 

[mamacate]

Disneyrunnergirl, thanks for the encouragement. I've been doing a Galloway "fitness class" on runkeeper, which has 4:1 intervals and 400/100 for speed work. I'm going to try shorter intervals. I think it might work for my 41-year-old bod.

Good advice about giving ourselves a break. I'll work on that.

Cate

 

[poohs4me]

I would like to work on speed but I do not know how. I don't understand interval work and how to fit it in while training for a race. I have thought about getting a running coach or instructor but do not know where to find one.

I have done one half marathon princess and finished just under 3 hours. I finished injured and it took me until June to figure out how to fix it, but I had already signed up for Disneyland, so now I just want to finish. I would love to be faster and my DH thinks I can be but I am afraid to go faster for fear I wont finish.

I too want to do Princess, so hopefully we can all keep encouraging each other. Just know you are not alone.

 

[fastergoofy]

I'll let someone who is more familiar with Galloway's programs to answer how his methods work but the basic idea with intervals is that you alternate running/walking or running/jogging, so that you aren't running at full speed the entire time, nor are you plodding along.

As for my running instructor, I'm fortunate in that I'm married to an active duty USAF member. There are lots of free fitness options on base, including a Walk-to-Run class (basically a Couch-to-5k program), a Run Improvement class, indoor/outdoor tracks, and a 5k trail, etc. I highly encourage anyone affiliated with the US military in some way to check out the local base and visit the Health and Wellness Center.

If not associated with the military, try searching Google for a running club in your home town.

 

[Honeymooner04]

By no means am I an expert or anything but I thought I would share what I am doing. I just started running again this summer in May and I am really slow. I started with Couch to 5K and then moved onto Hal Higdon's 10K Training Plan for Novices to train for an upcoming Quarter Marathon and I'm planning to use his Half Training Plan to prepare for the Princess Half in Februrary. Anyway, like I said I am really slow but I am getting faster which leads me to the point of my entire ramble. For me, I think that I can focus on speed OR on distance but not both. My speed has increased as my fitness level has improved. I'm still by no means fast but I'm faster than I used to be. My goal is to finish my first half marathon strong but with no real time goal. Once I have the distance, then I'll start focusing on increasing my speed.

Just another thing to consider. Good luck!

 

[ludari]

As long as your pace is faster than the pace requirements I say just have fun. Don't compare yourself to other peoples race times or pace. As far as improving your speed for me it came with continued training, cross training and races.

 

[fashionista311]

Well first off I think *everyone* agonizes over their pace no matter if you run 6 min miles, 9 min miles, 12 min miles or 16 min miles. It's just a part of the sport.

There's no secret to getting faster. Speedwork helps - but miles, miles, miles. I personally prefer to run straight...but there's nothing wrong with run/walking and you can certainly improve your pace that way, too. Just keep getting out there and your pace will naturally improve as you get more fit. And just remember...there is ALWAYS someone faster than you....and slower than you, too!

 

[PrincessAndrea'sMom]

Thank you for sharing this! I run 1/1 very consistanly with about a 12 mm. Running friends give me a hard time about this--until I finish the 10k before them, LOL! Some seem to think its taking the easy way out, until they see my PRs.

Another Galloway fan here - I too dropped a ton of time from my PRs by switching to his run/walk. And here is the part some people have a hard time with .... I run 30 SECONDS and Walk 30 SECONDS!!! I am sooooo much faster using this interval than I was with longer ones. So I don't care what anyone thinks. I view like when someone comments if I have a sweater on and they think it is warm - know what I'm not making YOU put a sweater on, so why do you care?

For some reason, this 30/30 interval makes my 50 year old body happiest. I want to keep racing as long as possible, so I am doing what makes my body happy. I was astonished at how well it is working....no more flair ups of bursitis in my hips, no aching knees or back - just a good tired after a race.

Obviously, YMMV, but I cut almost 8 minutes off my half time and and 6 minutes off my 5k times. And to top it off, these races were in 80 degree heat. I can't wait to see what I can do when the temps get into the 60s and below in the Fall.

I thought I might be embarrassed doing such short intervals in a race, but the truth is once you are in a race, no one is paying any attention to you cause they are too busy running on their own plan.

Don't look at your times now - you are early in the game and you will improve. Just keep working to find what makes you feel best. While I'm sure your coach is a lovely person don't compare your performance to hers or to anyone elses!!! Some folks have a natural ability for running and when they work at it, their times reflect it. Others, like your truly, will always be "hackers" to borrow the golf term. We love what we are doing, but are never going to be terrific. Cut yourself some slack.

Good luck

 

[rubato]

I used an online calculator to estimate my marathon time, using my 5k time as a basis. It's embarrassingly slow. I don't even want to mention it. Oof.

Is anyone else working on speed? What tips or tricks do you have? What are your usual times? Do you run/walk or just run the whole thing?

Of course, my instructor pointed out today that her WDW Marathon time was 1h30m (!) longer than her usual because she stopped so often to take pictures and things.

You've gotten some great advice here. I am a 'speedier' runner. But, like someone else said, there's always someone faster than you and slower than you. Just remember that even if you come in last, you've beaten millions of people that never even got off the couch to try.

As far as speed work, if you are running on the treadmill, at a track or just in a straight line, just up your speed for a short distance, once you're warmed up and have been running for awhile. You can either go for distance or time (I do time). Push yourself for one minute, or 30 seconds, or 400 meters, or whatever, but really push it. Then, take a break at your regular pace. Depending on how long or far I'm running, I will sometimes do this 4-10 times in a run, but only once a week. The rest of my runs are at my normal pace.

 

[FireDancer]

I have found that increasing your speed involves three different types of training. The first is increasing your weekly miles and running all of them as fast as comfortable. I'm never at race pace even on a short training run but I try to run them as fast as I can without over-heating. As my miles increase my race times go down. My PRs in every distance were during marathon training.

The second is track work. Go to a good marked track and do 400 and 800 meter repeats as fast as you can. It will increase your VO2 max and will teach your body to get rid of lactic acid more efficiently. Once a week or even every other week is fine. If you can't get to a track take your short run every week and make it a fartlek.

Lastly is hill repeats. Run up a hill, jog or walk back down, repeat. There are two trains of thought for this. The first is find a short steep hill and use that. The other, and the one I prefer, is to find a longer hill that has a couple of changes in grade and use that one.

This is what worked for me. Everyone is different though and everyone has different goals so it might not work for (general) you. Good luck with your goals in any case.

 

[johde]

The second is track work. Go to a good marked track and do 400 and 800 meter repeats as fast as you can. It will increase your VO2 max and will teach your body to get rid of lactic acid more efficiently. Once a week or even every other week is fine. If you can't get to a track take your short run every week and make it a fartlek.

Along that same lines of speedwork, I knot Galloway recommends what he calls acceleration gliders (fairly similar to strides). The idea here is to work on turnover rate turning the acceleration part and running efficiency during the glide part.

 

[fastergoofy]

Thanks, all! I've spent the last 45 mins or so watching Jeff Galloway videos on youtube.

It's hard for me not to think of run/walking as "cheating". I don't know how I got that idea but it's there.

 

[Rose&Mike]

Thanks, all! I've spent the last 45 mins or so watching Jeff Galloway videos on youtube.

It's hard for me not to think of run/walking as "cheating". I don't know how I got that idea but it's there.

It took me a long time to get past this as well, but after dealing with a nasty bout of itbs this spring, I can say that the only reason I am able to run right now is because of run/walk breaks. I did a 10k in July and was 4 minutes faster than last year. Granted part of that was training, but I took the entire month of May off to rest my itband and was still able to pull off a pr--thanks to the walk breaks. They've enabled me to keep up my speed without overdoing it and suffering another nasty flareup.

For me switching was a process. My first half I ran the entire thing--no stopping at all. My second and third halves I ran a mile walked a minute. My fourth was right in the middle of the itband mess and I ran/walked the whole thing. It was pretty ugly. For wine and dine I will probably run 4 or 5 min and walk 30sec. I expect to be no slower than last year, and if the whether cooperates, will probably be faster.

Just think about it. It's not an all or nothing thing. Some runs I do without stopping, some I don't. But it's a great tool to have in your running belt. Good luck!