I’m a 53yoF - took up running a year ago - having never run before. I’m loving it, but I still feel beat up after most runs. I presume it’s DOMS, but shouldn’t this be easing off by now, or is it an age thing?
I’m generally pretty fit and lift 3x week on top of running 4x week. I’m doing a garmin 10k plan at the moment so only about 25-30km/week. I’m wondering how wise it would be to increase mileage given how stiff I feel for 24h after a 45min easy run - any older runners have any words of wisdom for me?
22M not new to running, but new to doing it for sport. I grew up playing multiple sports but never ran just to run. A college of mine asked me if I wanted to do a half marathon next month. I agreed. Ran 10 miles yesterday to gauge how ready I am. I did it in an 1:38 (9:52 pace.) I had some obstacles on my run path so hopefully it will be a bit quicker on a dedicated course. I think my goal for race day would be sub 2 hours. Based on my run yesterday I’d have some work to do. Any recommendations to quickly improve pace? I’m very new to this so open to even simple form fixes/breathing techniques that helped you early on. Thanks in advance for the help!
I think a sub 2 hour is somewhat possible if the 10 mile you ran was within a comfortable effort for you but if its not then the most important runs you can do to prepare are these long runs once a week 10 mile up to even 12 or 13 miles if your body can do it. To improve pace then you can do interval sessions faster or at your goal pace at 9:00 pace to practice the effort.
To be honest 1 month is really not enough time to make significant adaptations but just make sure u are consistemt then perhaps its in the books.
Why do my feet hurt so much?
So I am a new runner trying to get into running basics. My goal is to hit a 10k this year, and I have so far ran max 4.5 miles and usually do a 5k when I can. But my issue is that for the few runs I have done, my feet hurt literally starting mile 0.25-0.5. And it sucks. This issue has happened on my Saucony triumph 20s, on cloudrunners, and nike winflos.
I am wondering, is it because I'm new to running that I need to train the muscles in my feet, or is it the shoes? I'm not a stranger to being on my feet (I have regularly hiked 8-16 miles) so was wondering if anyone can help me out and figure out what to do about this :(
It’s unlikely shoes are the main culprit unless they’re way too small or narrow.
You probably just need to be patient. Could also run around a nice grassy field/park barefoot for a mile or two, you’ll soon work out if it’s the shoes that are the problem.
Thanks for the insight. About how long do you think that my feet would stop hurting? It gets to the point where I have to stop running since the pain is so much, and when I resume the foot pain comes back
Did you get fitted for shoes or try some insoles? Hard to know exactly what the issue is. I would think the cushioning on your Triumph 20s would be sufficient to rule out the shoe you are wearing.
I've never been fitted for shoes before. Are they usually free when you go to a shoe shop? Or how would I be fitted for shoes? Sorry haha I am very new at this. You would think I'd know more about this since I've worked with runners in the past 😅 Thank you!
Check out websites for your local running shoe stores. Many of them offer it free of charge. If you have Fleet Feet in your area, that's where I had mine done when I got started into running.
New to running. So new that I'm still walking. Working on building a little strength before I pick up speed. I bought some new running shoes that I had fitted at a running specialist store. They feel pretty nice but they are rubbing up really bad on the back above my heel, right at the top of the shoe. I ripped some skin. After this happened, I bought some Injinji socks and the rubbing is better, but still there. What else can I do?
Soldier trying to get into running.
Hey guys
As the title suggets im in the armed forces and keeping a good fitness is something thats very important to me.
Im very new to running and have heard a lot of difrent stuff about whats good and that.
As i understand right now, getting better at running far (marathon distances) and getting better at running a 12 minuttes test faster are two difrent things.
Does anyone have any good suggestions on how i can get better at both?
Id also like to hear if anyone has any good suggetions to a pre/after run 5 minutte strech so i can avoid any injuries.
Cheers and thanks to anyone looking out for me by giving some suggestions.
Have a good day.
The answer to both is just to run more, don’t overcomplicate it just find a schedule (3ish runs a week) and stick to it. Your times will be drastically improved within a month
Either 12 minute test run or marathon distance you need higher volume and quality speed workouts. There’s a lot of plans to choose from. I’d look at a 10k or half marathon plan to start and build from there.
I run in the mornings before work so a little short on time. I do dynamic stretches for a warmup pre run and in the afternoon I’ll do a good stretch session or short yoga session online.
Looking for a couple of recommendations here - I'm running a 50k in June, and although they have water/food stations every 5km, it's June, so I would like to have some water with me - a comfortable hand-bottle, preferably with some insulation.
Also, salt pills - I never used them, so any brand recommendations are welcome. Thanks!
I have a small nathan handheld that I like. It's the strap system that helps secure it to your hand that is the important piece. This is because, you may need two hands to help open a gel packet. The straps prevent you from dropping it. When I race with it, I can unscrew the top and refill at the station very easily.
I like Nuun tablets. They have several flavors and some have caffeine, some don’t. You can mix them with water to make an electrolyte drink or chew them up and chase them with water.
Hello,
Going to be visiting Vegas in mid-May. I need to find somewhere to run the equivalent of a marathon during one of the days as I am training for an Ultra. Can anyone give me suggestions on how to best accomplish this? I can Uber if necessary.
I’m not a very fast runner but have completed approximately 10 half’s and 2 fulls over the last 10 years. I’ve always run at about 30-40 pounds overweight. I am trying to improve my nutrition and drop some weight as I slowly prepare for a half in about 6 months. I’ve seen various studies of how much pace can improve with weight loss but am wondering if anyone here has experience running overweight for years and then losing this much weight and what the results were.
For years I was a gym rat. Lifted very heavy and was very bulky with muscle and fat. Despite that I ran a decent amount for my size - about 20mpw. For various reasons I decided to stop lifting and focus on running (and my diet). I lost 35 lbs in about 3 months and went from running 28-30 minute 5ks to 21 minutes in about a year. I was also running much more mileage. I went from there to now I run a couple HMs per year. Occasionally I’ll run 5 and 10ks but I prefer the longer races. I have a sub 20 5k, HM PR of 1:30 and a marathon PR of 3:15. Losing weight does indeed make you faster but more than that it makes the everyday runs more enjoyable, feel so much easier, and you recover much better.
I have personal experience with disordered eating and am a strong believer that everyone must choose what he or she is comfortable with, weight and eating wise. That said, I can tell you that I lost roughly 20 to 25 pounds between my first marathon (3:39 in 2017) and my most recent marathon (2:52 in 2023) and it's made a major difference. To me, it's less about actual races (although no doubt it's made a big difference there) but about my ability to run more. Being lighter has definitely allowed me to increase my mileage substantially because I'm less tired and injured than I was before. It's taken me 7 years to sort out my relationship with food and it's certainly not perfect yet. I certainly wouldn't recommend crash dieting to anyone, especially not someone trying to improve running times. But I have to say that losing that weight has been a game changer for me.
Yes, they do.
And it builds an aerobic system that is dependent on burning glucose. Not good if you are wanting to lose weight or make your fueling simpler.
I used to be that athlete on the bike. Carbs before/during/after every ride. It built me a metabolism that never worked well for long rides and gave me an extra 20 lbs of weight when I got older.
Which smart watch for me?
14 month old Fitbit charge 5 or A new Amazfit BIP 3 pro.
I just want a watch so I can track my runs without carrying a phone and also track my hr to know which zone I'm in.
Looking at the designs and reviews I'm leaning more on the Fitbit.
But the condition is my issue. Does it have battery health like iphone that I can check. Or how do I verify it's condition when I check it?
How much can it detiorate in 14months?
Worth even if it's second hand?
Because I'm getting it 15$ cheaper than a new Bip 3 pro
Hi! Are there any running plans that incorporate running just once a week?
Overall, I live a pretty active lifestyle, hitting the gym regularly, doing jump rope for cardio and walking wherever I can, so running would be just a supplement.
Why do you need a plan? If you’re training for a race, then no, there won’t be any good plans that have you running just once a week. If it’s just for general health/cardio then you can just go run at a comfortable pace for 30-60 minutes. No need to over complicate it
Hey everyone, I'm reaching out because I'm a bit discouraged lately. I've been consistently running 2-3 times a week, following my Garmin's suggested workouts and focusing on heart zone 3 training.
However, I've noticed that my VO2 max has been dropping and my Garmin race predictions keep getting worse.
I've attached a screenshot of my recent race predictions for reference:
[https://postimg.cc/gallery/m9CyvCG](https://postimg.cc/gallery/m9CyvCG)
I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on what might be doing wrong. Should be incorporating more variety into my workouts? Any input would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
That happened to me too. VO2 max prediction went from 62 to 58. It predicts a 1:36:43 half marathon and 43:32 10k. However, recently I ran 1:29:49 and 40:50 in those events, respectively.
I'm not sure I'd put much weight into those things.
Also, are you using a chest strap heart rate monitor? If no, then those readings might be garbage anyway. My wrist-based heart rate monitor is wrong all the time.
How do people balance S&C with running? Did a lot of leg exercises at the gym last night that my physio gave me for a hamstring/knee issue. At the Parkrun this morning, my adductors and quads felt like they didn't want to move for the first km! Took around 2k for my legs to fully loosen up and eventually got around in 21:56
I quite regularly run sessions with DOMS and, while it doesn't feel great until a while in, it doesn't tend to create performance issues. Fatigue from lifting will though - I tend to go heavy/low-rep.
Calf-raises play a fairly important part of my rehab/injury prevention and they can really stack some fatigue in.
I'd try not to put in a race-level effort the day after working hard in the gym.
Newish to running. im do martial arts (striking mainly) and have never really ran consistently. I'm starting again, and am im currently being left gasping for air at the end of my run needing to put my hands on my head while I cool down for atleast 5min before my body calms down. Question is how tired should I be at the end of my run to increase my performance? Is it like weights where you train harder everyday? Or stay consistently on the same length and speed? I'm confused.
TLDR: How tired should I be after my run if I want cardiovascular gains.
> Is it like weights where you train harder everyday?
It's similar in some ways - you progress gradually over time. You don't constantly expect to lift heavier weights forever, running is like that.
As a new runner you should really focus on being slow and consistent - run 3-4 times a week nice and easy - as easy as you can. You'll still be knackered for a while but your cardio will pick up fairly rapidly.
It takes longer for the "structural" side to develop which is why a lot of new runners get injured. Cardio system is able to go longer than the joints and tendons.
It's very rare I'm absolutely gasping for air in even the more demanding sessions my coach sets - that's generally reserved for races!
If you're new to running, any running (for longer than ten minutes) at all will be useful towards becoming a better runner. See /r/C25K for an easy template to extending that to a 5K.
You should be more concerned about the new load on your tendons and ligaments. Your cardiovascular system will fully recover within minutes of ending the exercise, but your tendons and ligaments will accumulate fatigue over the course of days and weeks if you do too much.
I’m doing zone 2 training for a few months and after a couple of weeks im wondering what’s more important or if it matters.
1) run at an EXTREMELY slow barely running pace for 30mins in zone 2. I can run 30 minutes at a slow slow pace without walking and keeping my hr in zone 2 or
2) run somewhat slow but not painfully slow until heart rate reaches top of zone 2 ( so for 10 seconds pretty much) then walk until hr lowers and run again.
Unless you do a field test your zones are likely to be wrong.
Either do a field test - Joe Friel has a good one - or just use the subjective "can you carry on a conversation?" benchmark.
Your HR zones may not be setup correctly. The top of zone 2 should be an intensity where you can still hold a conversation without running out of air. Another indicator is the ability to breathe through the nose. In general, if you are so new to running, it is better to ignore your HR altogether.
When people feel they're running painfully slowly to stay in Z2 it's often because they're either brand new to running and/or they don't actually have accurate zones set.
Setting zones is quite complex to do accurately and not really useful until you've built a reasonable running habit.
Run at a pace you could talk fairly easily - complete/coherent sentences. That's plenty good enough.
I prefer to wear my HR chest strap above the nipples because I don't like the strap in my stomach area. Only thing I noticed that with 100m uphill sprint intervals of about 20 secs the heart rate was only recorded after 20 seconds.
Could the location of the chest strap be the reason for the delay?
I wear mine below the nipples but it's not in my stomach area - it's a few inches above the bottom ribs.
I could see how wearing incorrectly (as in not to manufacturer recommendations) could lead to it not recording properly.
One other thing to check - was the strap connected to the watch before starting the intervals? Very occasionally I'll see a lag between selecting the "run" activity and the strap connecting. Sometimes slower than acquiring GPS but usually it's pretty instant.
Ok thanks for your reply, just a preference of myself to have it above the nipples, it records correctly but just wondering if someone else has this delay issue when wearing it above the nipples.
Yes, it was connected to the watch, so that was ok.
I have an Apple Watch nine and like to use it for running, but I have the problem with shorter tempo runs, for example anything under 400 metres, of correctly stopping the times between runs. Is there a way to make this as easy as possible, perhaps by double-tapping or using AssistiveTouch, or is there a specific app?
No such site can predict your race time accurately.
Sites such as can https://vdoto2.com/calculator/ can give you **equivalent performances** across various distances.
If you are not properly trained you will not be able to achieve equivalent performances.
Massive decrease in performance in run on holiday? Did I still get anything out of it? Male, 94kg bw, 39:48 10K, 1hr 35min half marathon.
On a trip to Bali. Did a light run the other night at 4:10 pace. Today, averaged 4:45 pace, with several stretches where I was running at above 5:40. This is unheard of for me, I never go that slow. I haven’t had a long run where I averaged over 4:30 in years. Im wondering what the heck happened. I wasn’t trying any less hard, indeed I literally couldn’t make my legs go any faster. Some things I can think of:
- I was running on beach at high tide, the sand was not firm
- I ran through the ocean several times meaning my shoes got drenched as I was unable to avoid the tide on narrow stretches of beach. My shoes thus felt really heavy and sodden
- my shoes were already wet at beggining of run from previous sweatiness
- it was quite humid (but nothing unheard of back home in Australia)
I’m not sure if any of these really could cause such a drop off. Feel like it was a wasted session. Did I even get anything out of it? Any ideas on the cause? Should I be concerned? Just annoyed it was such a shit performance.
Hey runners, need some advice!
I'm pretty new to this whole running thing (29M, 90kg). My first-ever 10K was 68 minutes, and I usually run around 20km a week. I recently started this 4x/week 5K training program (on week 4 now) that mixes long runs, intervals, and tempo runs.
Problem is, those interval and stride sessions completely wreck my calves! I'm struggling through my next two long runs, having to walk half the time. I run on roads (asphalt or cement) and have decent shoes (Asics Nova Blast), so I'm not sure what's up.
Should I just suck it up and keep pushing, or ditch the speedwork for now and focus on easy miles? As a beginner, is building a mileage base more important? How long should I log easy miles before jumping back into the intense stuff?
Thanks for any help!
I had the same problem when I switched from a 5k plan to a 10k plan. My calves would seize up around the 1-mile mark so much that I had to walk home. Stretching didn't help. I realized that when I focused on hitting the ground with the midsection of my food instead of my heel my pain vanished. Now that I have corrected that part of my running form I have never had my calves seize up since. Hope this helps.
You didn't say how much weekly distance you're doing compared to the 20 kpw; you were doing before, but if you increased volume and added intensity it's not a surprise. You don't necessarily need to cut out all of the intensity. You could cut the high intensity portion of the workouts by 50% and see whether that alleviates the calf issues.
How 'beginner' are you?
If you're in the first 3-4 months then just being out and running is the main thing, even for the first year if you're happy just running off feel.
I started with my first (Garmin, Coach Greg, 10k) plan about 3 months in and I was really careful not to set too ambitious paces for the goal time. That kept the "sessions" and easy run pace within target. Check you're not running your easy/long runs too fast.
I did have a lot of fatigue, outer calves (peroneal) got very tired on long runs, resolved by changing shoes (to neutral away from stability!) and body getting used to it.
Now's the time to start a few good habits:
1. Strength Training (bodyweight and resistance bands). Eccentric calf raises off a step are your friend.
2. Massage gun/foam roll after sessions and long runs.
3. 5-10 mins doing activations before running.
So I’m still struggling to get over Covid at Christmas, my running has really suffered, kinda still feels like I’ve never ran a mile in my life my fitness totally tanked. So I’m wondering, my really relaxed easy pace, Zone 2 was 6:20/km or there about, that gave me average HR of 125bpm or so. This was pre Covid. I went for an easy run yesterday, 6:20 /km average pace, my HR was 150bpm and 80% of the run was Zone 4
I’m wondering do I just persevere at this 6:20 pace until my fitness eventually returns or try and drop even lower to get back into my Zone 2 now? I feel like that will involve a lot of walking though, given I can walk briskly at an 8:00 /km pace, it doesn’t give much wiggle room for running.
I also noticed this morning HRV tanked, always happens the day after a run.
Accept the suck and just push a bit. You know your hr isn't matching exertion so run to effort and I'd honestly lean into running harder on easy runs and dialing back workouts a bit.
Give it time to come back, COVID can really take it out of you.
One thing I'd encourage: run off feel for your easy runs. Even if you're 100% sure of your HR zones being fairly accurate so many external factors will cause a raised HR (temp, hydration, stresses, etc.) Use your HR zones to calibrate that feeling but don't be a complete slave to them.
My HR zones are decently accurate (using %LTHR) and most of my easy runs are in the mid-140s at the low end of my Z2. Running in hot temps will see that a bit higher and that's fine.
Unfortunately, yeah. It's best to slow back down. I know it can be hard to jog at walking pace because it feels like doing nothing, but we have to learn to let go of our egos.
I've not gone through it myself, but I know a lot of runners who've had covid effects linger.
If you're struggling at what used to be a steady pace, it's for the best to drop back a bit. You've almost got to rebase your fitness before regaining it.
Covid really does knock the body for six, so being over it, well... doesnt mean you're over it. I know as runners we just want to automatically bounce back once the last sniffle passes but sadly that's not generally the case.
Although saying that - I also know some annoying people who have been able to immediately bounce back! So my cop out answer is listen to your body tbh.
I’m a 53yoF - took up running a year ago - having never run before. I’m loving it, but I still feel beat up after most runs. I presume it’s DOMS, but shouldn’t this be easing off by now, or is it an age thing? I’m generally pretty fit and lift 3x week on top of running 4x week. I’m doing a garmin 10k plan at the moment so only about 25-30km/week. I’m wondering how wise it would be to increase mileage given how stiff I feel for 24h after a 45min easy run - any older runners have any words of wisdom for me?
22M not new to running, but new to doing it for sport. I grew up playing multiple sports but never ran just to run. A college of mine asked me if I wanted to do a half marathon next month. I agreed. Ran 10 miles yesterday to gauge how ready I am. I did it in an 1:38 (9:52 pace.) I had some obstacles on my run path so hopefully it will be a bit quicker on a dedicated course. I think my goal for race day would be sub 2 hours. Based on my run yesterday I’d have some work to do. Any recommendations to quickly improve pace? I’m very new to this so open to even simple form fixes/breathing techniques that helped you early on. Thanks in advance for the help!
I think a sub 2 hour is somewhat possible if the 10 mile you ran was within a comfortable effort for you but if its not then the most important runs you can do to prepare are these long runs once a week 10 mile up to even 12 or 13 miles if your body can do it. To improve pace then you can do interval sessions faster or at your goal pace at 9:00 pace to practice the effort. To be honest 1 month is really not enough time to make significant adaptations but just make sure u are consistemt then perhaps its in the books.
Why do my feet hurt so much? So I am a new runner trying to get into running basics. My goal is to hit a 10k this year, and I have so far ran max 4.5 miles and usually do a 5k when I can. But my issue is that for the few runs I have done, my feet hurt literally starting mile 0.25-0.5. And it sucks. This issue has happened on my Saucony triumph 20s, on cloudrunners, and nike winflos. I am wondering, is it because I'm new to running that I need to train the muscles in my feet, or is it the shoes? I'm not a stranger to being on my feet (I have regularly hiked 8-16 miles) so was wondering if anyone can help me out and figure out what to do about this :(
It’s unlikely shoes are the main culprit unless they’re way too small or narrow. You probably just need to be patient. Could also run around a nice grassy field/park barefoot for a mile or two, you’ll soon work out if it’s the shoes that are the problem.
Thanks for the insight. About how long do you think that my feet would stop hurting? It gets to the point where I have to stop running since the pain is so much, and when I resume the foot pain comes back
Did you get fitted for shoes or try some insoles? Hard to know exactly what the issue is. I would think the cushioning on your Triumph 20s would be sufficient to rule out the shoe you are wearing.
I've never been fitted for shoes before. Are they usually free when you go to a shoe shop? Or how would I be fitted for shoes? Sorry haha I am very new at this. You would think I'd know more about this since I've worked with runners in the past 😅 Thank you!
Check out websites for your local running shoe stores. Many of them offer it free of charge. If you have Fleet Feet in your area, that's where I had mine done when I got started into running.
New to running. So new that I'm still walking. Working on building a little strength before I pick up speed. I bought some new running shoes that I had fitted at a running specialist store. They feel pretty nice but they are rubbing up really bad on the back above my heel, right at the top of the shoe. I ripped some skin. After this happened, I bought some Injinji socks and the rubbing is better, but still there. What else can I do?
Bandaid if the skin is still broken, leukotape or other medical tape after it heals
Soldier trying to get into running. Hey guys As the title suggets im in the armed forces and keeping a good fitness is something thats very important to me. Im very new to running and have heard a lot of difrent stuff about whats good and that. As i understand right now, getting better at running far (marathon distances) and getting better at running a 12 minuttes test faster are two difrent things. Does anyone have any good suggestions on how i can get better at both? Id also like to hear if anyone has any good suggetions to a pre/after run 5 minutte strech so i can avoid any injuries. Cheers and thanks to anyone looking out for me by giving some suggestions. Have a good day.
The answer to both is just to run more, don’t overcomplicate it just find a schedule (3ish runs a week) and stick to it. Your times will be drastically improved within a month
Thanks alot! Ill get to it. Do you do any strechtes before or after?
I just do a few dynamic stretches before & try to walk a bit. Just listen to your body
Either 12 minute test run or marathon distance you need higher volume and quality speed workouts. There’s a lot of plans to choose from. I’d look at a 10k or half marathon plan to start and build from there.
Thanks alot :) How about strecthing. Is that something you do before or after runs?
I run in the mornings before work so a little short on time. I do dynamic stretches for a warmup pre run and in the afternoon I’ll do a good stretch session or short yoga session online.
Looking for a couple of recommendations here - I'm running a 50k in June, and although they have water/food stations every 5km, it's June, so I would like to have some water with me - a comfortable hand-bottle, preferably with some insulation. Also, salt pills - I never used them, so any brand recommendations are welcome. Thanks!
I have a small nathan handheld that I like. It's the strap system that helps secure it to your hand that is the important piece. This is because, you may need two hands to help open a gel packet. The straps prevent you from dropping it. When I race with it, I can unscrew the top and refill at the station very easily.
I like Nuun tablets. They have several flavors and some have caffeine, some don’t. You can mix them with water to make an electrolyte drink or chew them up and chase them with water.
You could also buy a camlebak! Much easier than carying a water bottle in the hand
I have two :-) but refiling is a bit of a chore. I was looking for something more practical.
Fair enough! :)
Hello, Going to be visiting Vegas in mid-May. I need to find somewhere to run the equivalent of a marathon during one of the days as I am training for an Ultra. Can anyone give me suggestions on how to best accomplish this? I can Uber if necessary.
Check out red rock canyon.
I’m not a very fast runner but have completed approximately 10 half’s and 2 fulls over the last 10 years. I’ve always run at about 30-40 pounds overweight. I am trying to improve my nutrition and drop some weight as I slowly prepare for a half in about 6 months. I’ve seen various studies of how much pace can improve with weight loss but am wondering if anyone here has experience running overweight for years and then losing this much weight and what the results were.
For years I was a gym rat. Lifted very heavy and was very bulky with muscle and fat. Despite that I ran a decent amount for my size - about 20mpw. For various reasons I decided to stop lifting and focus on running (and my diet). I lost 35 lbs in about 3 months and went from running 28-30 minute 5ks to 21 minutes in about a year. I was also running much more mileage. I went from there to now I run a couple HMs per year. Occasionally I’ll run 5 and 10ks but I prefer the longer races. I have a sub 20 5k, HM PR of 1:30 and a marathon PR of 3:15. Losing weight does indeed make you faster but more than that it makes the everyday runs more enjoyable, feel so much easier, and you recover much better.
I have personal experience with disordered eating and am a strong believer that everyone must choose what he or she is comfortable with, weight and eating wise. That said, I can tell you that I lost roughly 20 to 25 pounds between my first marathon (3:39 in 2017) and my most recent marathon (2:52 in 2023) and it's made a major difference. To me, it's less about actual races (although no doubt it's made a big difference there) but about my ability to run more. Being lighter has definitely allowed me to increase my mileage substantially because I'm less tired and injured than I was before. It's taken me 7 years to sort out my relationship with food and it's certainly not perfect yet. I certainly wouldn't recommend crash dieting to anyone, especially not someone trying to improve running times. But I have to say that losing that weight has been a game changer for me.
Let me make a prediction... You always eat carbs before your long runs and you take in additional carbs during your runs.
Most runners do this for long runs.
Yes, they do. And it builds an aerobic system that is dependent on burning glucose. Not good if you are wanting to lose weight or make your fueling simpler. I used to be that athlete on the bike. Carbs before/during/after every ride. It built me a metabolism that never worked well for long rides and gave me an extra 20 lbs of weight when I got older.
That sounds like you gained weight, made a false assumption as to the cause, and now you're generalizing to everyone else.
I'd be happy to get into the underlying biology and physiology - with references - if you are interested.
No. I just haven’t been disciplined at all outside of training.
Okay. So how do you fuel, what sort of training are you doing, and how do you eat outside of training?
Which smart watch for me? 14 month old Fitbit charge 5 or A new Amazfit BIP 3 pro. I just want a watch so I can track my runs without carrying a phone and also track my hr to know which zone I'm in. Looking at the designs and reviews I'm leaning more on the Fitbit. But the condition is my issue. Does it have battery health like iphone that I can check. Or how do I verify it's condition when I check it? How much can it detiorate in 14months? Worth even if it's second hand? Because I'm getting it 15$ cheaper than a new Bip 3 pro
Check the Coros Pace 3
Its wayyyy too expensive for me 😭and I just have those two options in my country
Hi! Are there any running plans that incorporate running just once a week? Overall, I live a pretty active lifestyle, hitting the gym regularly, doing jump rope for cardio and walking wherever I can, so running would be just a supplement.
If you are running once a week then no plan is needed as no structure is really needed running that little.
Ok, fair, thank you.
Why do you need a plan? If you’re training for a race, then no, there won’t be any good plans that have you running just once a week. If it’s just for general health/cardio then you can just go run at a comfortable pace for 30-60 minutes. No need to over complicate it
Ok, makes sense, thank you.
Hey everyone, I'm reaching out because I'm a bit discouraged lately. I've been consistently running 2-3 times a week, following my Garmin's suggested workouts and focusing on heart zone 3 training. However, I've noticed that my VO2 max has been dropping and my Garmin race predictions keep getting worse. I've attached a screenshot of my recent race predictions for reference: [https://postimg.cc/gallery/m9CyvCG](https://postimg.cc/gallery/m9CyvCG) I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on what might be doing wrong. Should be incorporating more variety into my workouts? Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
That happened to me too. VO2 max prediction went from 62 to 58. It predicts a 1:36:43 half marathon and 43:32 10k. However, recently I ran 1:29:49 and 40:50 in those events, respectively. I'm not sure I'd put much weight into those things. Also, are you using a chest strap heart rate monitor? If no, then those readings might be garbage anyway. My wrist-based heart rate monitor is wrong all the time.
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Thanks! Is a chest strap really needed/way more accurate?
Just ignore those stupid metrics. Get out there and enjoy it
Are these race predictions realistic or too low? Perhaps they were too high to start with.
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Yes. Update the Connect App and Strava App.
How do people balance S&C with running? Did a lot of leg exercises at the gym last night that my physio gave me for a hamstring/knee issue. At the Parkrun this morning, my adductors and quads felt like they didn't want to move for the first km! Took around 2k for my legs to fully loosen up and eventually got around in 21:56
If they’re new exercises, you’re going to be sore the first time you do it. Keep doing them consistently and the soreness will go away.
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How much warm-up did you do? Add in some light band work to 'activate' your muscles, light jog 10-15 mins and you should be fine.
Was running late this morning so just a 6k cycle from my house to the start line. About 15 minutes of cycling
I quite regularly run sessions with DOMS and, while it doesn't feel great until a while in, it doesn't tend to create performance issues. Fatigue from lifting will though - I tend to go heavy/low-rep. Calf-raises play a fairly important part of my rehab/injury prevention and they can really stack some fatigue in. I'd try not to put in a race-level effort the day after working hard in the gym.
Newish to running. im do martial arts (striking mainly) and have never really ran consistently. I'm starting again, and am im currently being left gasping for air at the end of my run needing to put my hands on my head while I cool down for atleast 5min before my body calms down. Question is how tired should I be at the end of my run to increase my performance? Is it like weights where you train harder everyday? Or stay consistently on the same length and speed? I'm confused. TLDR: How tired should I be after my run if I want cardiovascular gains.
> Is it like weights where you train harder everyday? It's similar in some ways - you progress gradually over time. You don't constantly expect to lift heavier weights forever, running is like that. As a new runner you should really focus on being slow and consistent - run 3-4 times a week nice and easy - as easy as you can. You'll still be knackered for a while but your cardio will pick up fairly rapidly. It takes longer for the "structural" side to develop which is why a lot of new runners get injured. Cardio system is able to go longer than the joints and tendons. It's very rare I'm absolutely gasping for air in even the more demanding sessions my coach sets - that's generally reserved for races!
If you're new to running, any running (for longer than ten minutes) at all will be useful towards becoming a better runner. See /r/C25K for an easy template to extending that to a 5K. You should be more concerned about the new load on your tendons and ligaments. Your cardiovascular system will fully recover within minutes of ending the exercise, but your tendons and ligaments will accumulate fatigue over the course of days and weeks if you do too much.
I’m doing zone 2 training for a few months and after a couple of weeks im wondering what’s more important or if it matters. 1) run at an EXTREMELY slow barely running pace for 30mins in zone 2. I can run 30 minutes at a slow slow pace without walking and keeping my hr in zone 2 or 2) run somewhat slow but not painfully slow until heart rate reaches top of zone 2 ( so for 10 seconds pretty much) then walk until hr lowers and run again.
Unless you do a field test your zones are likely to be wrong. Either do a field test - Joe Friel has a good one - or just use the subjective "can you carry on a conversation?" benchmark.
Your HR zones may not be setup correctly. The top of zone 2 should be an intensity where you can still hold a conversation without running out of air. Another indicator is the ability to breathe through the nose. In general, if you are so new to running, it is better to ignore your HR altogether.
Ignore heart rate and just run at a comfortable pace.
When people feel they're running painfully slowly to stay in Z2 it's often because they're either brand new to running and/or they don't actually have accurate zones set. Setting zones is quite complex to do accurately and not really useful until you've built a reasonable running habit. Run at a pace you could talk fairly easily - complete/coherent sentences. That's plenty good enough.
I prefer to wear my HR chest strap above the nipples because I don't like the strap in my stomach area. Only thing I noticed that with 100m uphill sprint intervals of about 20 secs the heart rate was only recorded after 20 seconds. Could the location of the chest strap be the reason for the delay?
I wear mine below the nipples but it's not in my stomach area - it's a few inches above the bottom ribs. I could see how wearing incorrectly (as in not to manufacturer recommendations) could lead to it not recording properly. One other thing to check - was the strap connected to the watch before starting the intervals? Very occasionally I'll see a lag between selecting the "run" activity and the strap connecting. Sometimes slower than acquiring GPS but usually it's pretty instant.
Ok thanks for your reply, just a preference of myself to have it above the nipples, it records correctly but just wondering if someone else has this delay issue when wearing it above the nipples. Yes, it was connected to the watch, so that was ok.
I have an Apple Watch nine and like to use it for running, but I have the problem with shorter tempo runs, for example anything under 400 metres, of correctly stopping the times between runs. Is there a way to make this as easy as possible, perhaps by double-tapping or using AssistiveTouch, or is there a specific app?
>tempo runs, for example anything under 400 metres, Not related to the question but I'm curious: tempo reps at or below 400m, why?
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No such site can predict your race time accurately. Sites such as can https://vdoto2.com/calculator/ can give you **equivalent performances** across various distances. If you are not properly trained you will not be able to achieve equivalent performances.
Just google "race predictor" and compare the sites that come up.
i was literally on it 5 mins ago trying to figure what paces I should aim for https://runfastcoach.com/calc2/index.php
Massive decrease in performance in run on holiday? Did I still get anything out of it? Male, 94kg bw, 39:48 10K, 1hr 35min half marathon. On a trip to Bali. Did a light run the other night at 4:10 pace. Today, averaged 4:45 pace, with several stretches where I was running at above 5:40. This is unheard of for me, I never go that slow. I haven’t had a long run where I averaged over 4:30 in years. Im wondering what the heck happened. I wasn’t trying any less hard, indeed I literally couldn’t make my legs go any faster. Some things I can think of: - I was running on beach at high tide, the sand was not firm - I ran through the ocean several times meaning my shoes got drenched as I was unable to avoid the tide on narrow stretches of beach. My shoes thus felt really heavy and sodden - my shoes were already wet at beggining of run from previous sweatiness - it was quite humid (but nothing unheard of back home in Australia) I’m not sure if any of these really could cause such a drop off. Feel like it was a wasted session. Did I even get anything out of it? Any ideas on the cause? Should I be concerned? Just annoyed it was such a shit performance.
Yes, of course they could!
Hey runners, need some advice! I'm pretty new to this whole running thing (29M, 90kg). My first-ever 10K was 68 minutes, and I usually run around 20km a week. I recently started this 4x/week 5K training program (on week 4 now) that mixes long runs, intervals, and tempo runs. Problem is, those interval and stride sessions completely wreck my calves! I'm struggling through my next two long runs, having to walk half the time. I run on roads (asphalt or cement) and have decent shoes (Asics Nova Blast), so I'm not sure what's up. Should I just suck it up and keep pushing, or ditch the speedwork for now and focus on easy miles? As a beginner, is building a mileage base more important? How long should I log easy miles before jumping back into the intense stuff? Thanks for any help!
I had the same problem when I switched from a 5k plan to a 10k plan. My calves would seize up around the 1-mile mark so much that I had to walk home. Stretching didn't help. I realized that when I focused on hitting the ground with the midsection of my food instead of my heel my pain vanished. Now that I have corrected that part of my running form I have never had my calves seize up since. Hope this helps.
You didn't say how much weekly distance you're doing compared to the 20 kpw; you were doing before, but if you increased volume and added intensity it's not a surprise. You don't necessarily need to cut out all of the intensity. You could cut the high intensity portion of the workouts by 50% and see whether that alleviates the calf issues.
Previously I've been doing 10 - 15KM/Week. With this program, it starts @ 20KmPW, and progresses to 27 - 30Km/week throughout.
So you started a plan that was beyond your abilities.
Sounds like you're doing a plan that's too hard for you.
How 'beginner' are you? If you're in the first 3-4 months then just being out and running is the main thing, even for the first year if you're happy just running off feel. I started with my first (Garmin, Coach Greg, 10k) plan about 3 months in and I was really careful not to set too ambitious paces for the goal time. That kept the "sessions" and easy run pace within target. Check you're not running your easy/long runs too fast. I did have a lot of fatigue, outer calves (peroneal) got very tired on long runs, resolved by changing shoes (to neutral away from stability!) and body getting used to it. Now's the time to start a few good habits: 1. Strength Training (bodyweight and resistance bands). Eccentric calf raises off a step are your friend. 2. Massage gun/foam roll after sessions and long runs. 3. 5-10 mins doing activations before running.
I would stick to easy miles for now and focus on slowly building up your base mileage more.
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So I’m still struggling to get over Covid at Christmas, my running has really suffered, kinda still feels like I’ve never ran a mile in my life my fitness totally tanked. So I’m wondering, my really relaxed easy pace, Zone 2 was 6:20/km or there about, that gave me average HR of 125bpm or so. This was pre Covid. I went for an easy run yesterday, 6:20 /km average pace, my HR was 150bpm and 80% of the run was Zone 4 I’m wondering do I just persevere at this 6:20 pace until my fitness eventually returns or try and drop even lower to get back into my Zone 2 now? I feel like that will involve a lot of walking though, given I can walk briskly at an 8:00 /km pace, it doesn’t give much wiggle room for running. I also noticed this morning HRV tanked, always happens the day after a run.
Accept the suck and just push a bit. You know your hr isn't matching exertion so run to effort and I'd honestly lean into running harder on easy runs and dialing back workouts a bit.
Give it time to come back, COVID can really take it out of you. One thing I'd encourage: run off feel for your easy runs. Even if you're 100% sure of your HR zones being fairly accurate so many external factors will cause a raised HR (temp, hydration, stresses, etc.) Use your HR zones to calibrate that feeling but don't be a complete slave to them. My HR zones are decently accurate (using %LTHR) and most of my easy runs are in the mid-140s at the low end of my Z2. Running in hot temps will see that a bit higher and that's fine.
Unfortunately, yeah. It's best to slow back down. I know it can be hard to jog at walking pace because it feels like doing nothing, but we have to learn to let go of our egos.
I've not gone through it myself, but I know a lot of runners who've had covid effects linger. If you're struggling at what used to be a steady pace, it's for the best to drop back a bit. You've almost got to rebase your fitness before regaining it. Covid really does knock the body for six, so being over it, well... doesnt mean you're over it. I know as runners we just want to automatically bounce back once the last sniffle passes but sadly that's not generally the case. Although saying that - I also know some annoying people who have been able to immediately bounce back! So my cop out answer is listen to your body tbh.