Popular Post Mark Albrighton Posted November 7, 2020 VT Supporter Popular Post Share Posted November 7, 2020 Today I’ve reached a cumulative 1000 miles running since 1st January. It’s been typically 3 runs a week, mostly ranging from 6 to 11 miles for each run. Nothing particularly pacey, just a reasonably solid 9 to 9 1/2 minute miles on average. The furthest I managed in a single run was 15 miles but it’s not something I’d want to do regularly. I’ve attempted running up the Wrekin a couple of times too. The best I’ve managed is just under 20 minutes to reach the summit, that’s with having to walk some of the steeper sections. Bloody exhausting - running 15 miles is much easier for me. That target achieved, it’s a few beers tonight. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCU Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 Solid mate, congrats! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Albrighton Posted November 7, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted November 7, 2020 On 23/06/2020 at 22:07, Follyfoot said: Need a new pair of running shoes desperately I’ve been putting it off for some time.. Been looking at some of the Brooks ones. Are there any good can anybody advise If this is still a requirement - I go to Ron Flowers in W’ton and I think it’s Brooks that they always suggest as an alternative to my asics. I always go for asics, no particular reason it’s just what I’m used to. I think Brooks would be fine, if you’re buying from a similar place to me, you’re looking at around £100 maybe. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted November 7, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted November 7, 2020 1 minute ago, Mark Albrighton said: Today I’ve reached a cumulative 1000 miles running since 1st January. It’s been typically 3 runs a week, mostly ranging from 6 to 11 miles for each run. Nothing particularly pacey, just a reasonably solid 9 to 9 1/2 minute miles on average. The furthest I managed in a single run was 15 miles but it’s not something I’d want to do regularly. I’ve attempted running up the Wrekin a couple of times too. The best I’ve managed is just under 20 minutes to reach the summit, that’s with having to walk some of the steeper sections. Bloody exhausting - running 15 miles is much easier for me. That target achieved, it’s a few beers tonight. That - in terms of frequency, distances and pace - is pretty much exactly where I was up until about two years ago. Right now I'm very close to having to admit to myself I'm no longer a runner. Age, niggling injuries, lack of motivation, and other commitments and interests are just cumulatively too much. I did renew my club membership this year, but it may be the final time. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Follyfoot Posted November 7, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted November 7, 2020 3 minutes ago, Mark Albrighton said: If this is still a requirement - I go to Ron Flowers in W’ton and I think it’s Brooks that they always suggest as an alternative to my asics. I always go for asics, no particular reason it’s just what I’m used to. I think Brooks would be fine, if you’re buying from a similar place to me, you’re looking at around £100 maybe. Thanks, I did buy some for about 80 quid reduced and have been perfect, Actually brought a pair for messing around in as well as very comfortable 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCU Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 Any ideas why I can’t comfortably break a sub 30 5k? Been running consistently now since the start of the year. Averaging x3 runs a week usually two 5ks and one 10k. All conversational pace as that’s what the running Reddit page swears by. two weeks ago I finished my 5k in like 33 minutes, at that point I genuinely had enough so last Tuesday I decided to make one of my 5ks a FAST run. I did the first k in about 5’20 but was blowing. So a few stops, walks later I managed to grind it out but was absolutely dying at the end. Probably did it in about 29:30 (I stopped my watch a few times so couldn’t get an accurate read). Am I doing something wrong or am I just ill Getting me down now. My one mate has had about 6 months off running (he just hits weight in the gym) and last week he did a 5k in 22 minutes! My other mate who’s slightly overweight (doesn’t mean much I know) did 6k in 26 minutes! /rantover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhatAboutTheFinish Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 1 hour ago, MCU said: Any ideas why I can’t comfortably break a sub 30 5k? Been running consistently now since the start of the year. Averaging x3 runs a week usually two 5ks and one 10k. All conversational pace as that’s what the running Reddit page swears by. two weeks ago I finished my 5k in like 33 minutes, at that point I genuinely had enough so last Tuesday I decided to make one of my 5ks a FAST run. I did the first k in about 5’20 but was blowing. So a few stops, walks later I managed to grind it out but was absolutely dying at the end. Probably did it in about 29:30 (I stopped my watch a few times so couldn’t get an accurate read). Am I doing something wrong or am I just ill Getting me down now. My one mate has had about 6 months off running (he just hits weight in the gym) and last week he did a 5k in 22 minutes! My other mate who’s slightly overweight (doesn’t mean much I know) did 6k in 26 minutes! /rantover Well the most effective way to get faster is to up your weekly milage and you should see results. If that isn't an option then I would definitely recommend turning one of your 5k's into an intervals session to get you used to running faster. Do the distance alternating 90sec running slightly faster than your goal pace (maybe for you around 5:30 min/km) and 90sec walking. Then each week (or when you can do the prior weeks session comfortably) either up the run time by 30sec or decrease the walking time by 30 sec. Once you're up to and mastered 5min run/30sec walk... just drop the walking and boom! A sub 30 min 5k! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Albrighton Posted November 17, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted November 17, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, MCU said: Any ideas why I can’t comfortably break a sub 30 5k? Been running consistently now since the start of the year. Averaging x3 runs a week usually two 5ks and one 10k. All conversational pace as that’s what the running Reddit page swears by. two weeks ago I finished my 5k in like 33 minutes, at that point I genuinely had enough so last Tuesday I decided to make one of my 5ks a FAST run. I did the first k in about 5’20 but was blowing. So a few stops, walks later I managed to grind it out but was absolutely dying at the end. Probably did it in about 29:30 (I stopped my watch a few times so couldn’t get an accurate read). Am I doing something wrong or am I just ill Getting me down now. My one mate has had about 6 months off running (he just hits weight in the gym) and last week he did a 5k in 22 minutes! My other mate who’s slightly overweight (doesn’t mean much I know) did 6k in 26 minutes! /rantover I’ve found that I’ve become naturally faster just by running more often for longer. I don’t know if that simply improved my fitness and therefore makes me faster but I’ve become a bit quicker while clocking up the miles (or km if you prefer). I’ve been more concerned with distance rather than speed. The start of the year I was averaging circa 6:30 for a km, now it’s more like 5:40-5:50, albeit running further than 5km. As WATF says above, increase your distance perhaps, maybe do two 10km and one 5km? Is there a noticeable difference in your pace when you do a 5km and 10km? Other than that, I don’t know if there’s anything in your diet or if you’re running at a particular time of the day that’s our could alter to see if that affects your pace? Edited November 17, 2020 by Mark Albrighton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrenm Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 To get faster you have to do speed work. It's tough I'm afraid. Speed work are intervals and drills which cause you to run faster than you normally would for shorter distances. If you're looking to up 5k times I'd recommend mile repeats: warm up steady for 1 mile, maximum sustainable mile pace for 1 mile, recovery for 1 mile and another mile at effort. Remember to stretch afterwards. I always find a good weekly regime to be Tuesday: speed work. Thursday: tempo. Sunday: long, very slow run. Fast runs should be very hard, slow runs should be very slow but as long as you can. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCU Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 55 minutes ago, Mark Albrighton said: I’ve found that I’ve become naturally faster just by running more often for longer. I don’t know if that simply improved my fitness and therefore makes me faster but I’ve become a bit quicker while clocking up the miles (or km if you prefer). I’ve been more concerned with distance rather than speed. The start of the year I was averaging circa 6:30 for a km, now it’s more like 5:40-5:50, albeit running further than 5km. As WATF says above, increase your distance perhaps, maybe do two 10km and one 5km? Is there a noticeable difference in your pace when you do a 5km and 10km? Other than that, I don’t know if there’s anything in your diet or if you’re running at a particular time of the day that’s our could alter to see if that affects your pace? I thought i was running further to be honest. At one point I was up to 25k a week. Obviously isn’t enough? Just makes me chuckle when some people do 1 or 2 5ks a week! When I know I’m running a 10k I take it slower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Albrighton Posted November 17, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted November 17, 2020 14 minutes ago, MCU said: I thought i was running further to be honest. At one point I was up to 25k a week. Obviously isn’t enough? Just makes me chuckle when some people do 1 or 2 5ks a week! When I know I’m running a 10k I take it slower. Well at the start of year I was doing just over 30km a week on average, now I’m doing more like 40km. And as I say, my pace is a bit quicker now than it was at the start. My pace seems to be pretty consistent whether I’m running 8km or double that. In fairness, I have lost weight this year (around 30lbs) so that probably has had a bigger impact than I give it credit for. I think if you are able to up your distance a bit and it’s not a huge inconvenience, then it might help. But of course I can only speak from my experience, I’m far from an expert or knowledgeable on running techniques. Oh, and are you listening to music? Obviously psychological, but I always feel like I’m moving a bit quicker when listening to music (I start with a podcast, then switch to music). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted November 17, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted November 17, 2020 5 hours ago, MCU said: Any ideas why I can’t comfortably break a sub 30 5k? Are you a member of a running club? If not, join one immediately. Running with groups who are slightly better than you is the way. You'll be hanging on at the back by your fingernails. Until, after a few weeks, you're up with the leaders, feeling comfortable. At which point, move up to a faster group. Process repeats. And when you're entering races in club colours, you get a real ego boost. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chappy Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 I shaved 3 mins off my 5k PB in a year to get down to 21:07 through a combination of speed training (not intervals - I used the treadmill which forced me to run at a certain pace - tended to set it at 4:30 for the first km and then progressively faster per km) and losing weight. Since the first lockdown though, I was marathon training (ran my first ever in September) and since then I’ve struggled to bring my pace back up - following the mental shift of running longer and slower. It’s strange as this didn’t really happen when I pushed myself up to half marathon distance from my regular 5/10k. Looking forward to Parkrun starting again as the competition definitely helps me run faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightoffyour Posted November 18, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted November 18, 2020 On 07/11/2020 at 11:54, Mark Albrighton said: Today I’ve reached a cumulative 1000 miles running since 1st January. Congrats. I’m on track for 1000 km for the third year in a row, but that’s just another advantage of the measurement system in Europe I suppose. 12 hours ago, darrenm said: Speed work are intervals and drills which cause you to run faster than you normally would for shorter distances. If you're looking to up 5k times I'd recommend mile repeats: warm up steady for 1 mile, maximum sustainable mile pace for 1 mile, recovery for 1 mile and another mile at effort. 12 hours ago, Mark Albrighton said: Well at the start of year I was doing just over 30km a week on average, now I’m doing more like 40km. And as I say, my pace is a bit quicker now than it was at the start. My pace seems to be pretty consistent whether I’m running 8km or double that. In fairness, I have lost weight this year (around 30lbs) so that probably has had a bigger impact than I give it credit for. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theunderstudy Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 Started running again after adding lockdown lbs and not being that fit. Run short distances for 14 consecutive days now so I'm pretty happy with that. My pace has been shite but beyond that I've enjoyed it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFCDAN Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 35 minutes ago, theunderstudy said: Started running again after adding lockdown lbs and not being that fit. Run short distances for 14 consecutive days now so I'm pretty happy with that. My pace has been shite but beyond that I've enjoyed it That's really all that matters, in the grand scheme of things I run at a snails pace but i absolutely love it and its great for fitness of body and mind! My best running achievement is probably running 300km over a 3 month period a few years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coda Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 @MCU This pace calculator helped me. There's loads of info on youtube if you search for "5k 20 minutes" and tweak to your needs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted November 18, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted November 18, 2020 Obviously, my standard 'join a club' advice is rather affected by the current pandemic restrictions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrenm Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 Me before joining a club v me after joining a club 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted November 18, 2020 Moderator Share Posted November 18, 2020 1 hour ago, darrenm said: Me before joining a club v me after joining a club I can spot the difference straight away, Darren. You get a red vest, right? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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