Does anyone have advice on how to bring down my average minutes/mile time.
Trying to lose weight (clydesdale), trying to do some faster 5 K type runs, but I have seen little improvement in the per mile time.
Any thoughts, as always, appreciated.
Neil
Let me be the first to post the smartass ST reply: Run more.
I am with you though and working on this. My general approach is more slower runs with quality speed work thrown in.
practice running faster…200s, 400s, 800s,…lose weight…buy carbon shoes.
How long have you been working at it? how often do you run per week?
Consistent running at least 4 times a week, 5-6x is better, for a few years should bring your times down. 5k pace runs are good for squeezing the last bit of improvement out of your body but you can go a long way by just consistent running. As you get fitter your hr or effort at a given pace will drop so you’ll need to run faster to achieve the same hr/effort. Running improvement is a long term project.
I used to do a lot of LSD running and always wondered why I was so slow in races… I have since changed my strategy and the clock isn’t lying on my times (not to imply that I am fast, but my times are coming down which I am pretty happy about). This is what I did…
Keep up with the faster/shorter runs (however, don’t peg your hr on them). I use a garmin 201 which makes it really easy to maintain the pace you want. I do two or three faster/shorter runs per week and one longer run. Take a look at the runners world article called “your magic number” here: http://cma6.runnersworld.com:813/article/0,5033,s1-51-55-0-7828,00.html It will help you roughly determine what pace you should should be shooting for.
Lift weights on your upper body so you feel strong. (I do it when I am tired after a run)
Focus on form and running economy and don’t settle for anything less than great form.
Keep loosing weight. The more you lose the faster you will get. Pick up a 25 dumbell and picture how easy it will be to run faster without dragging that thing around…
Add a few running only races which will give you some motivation to focus on running. Especially, sign up for a running race early in the season and spend next winter focusing on running.
This has helped me pull 1:30 per mile of my pace since last year. Next year I hope to pull another 1 per mile off and do some 10ks at 6:30 pace… Hope this helps…
Run more often, not necessarily longer. One long run per week, 2 short ones, and 2 days of pace work. Hills, fartleks, 1/2 mile repeats, tempo runs, or track work will all help.
Also, post over on letsrun.com and tell them you’re at triathlete looking to get faster. They should be very helpful.
volume, volume, volume.
loosing weight will help you tremendously, and IMO running is the best way to loose. so you’ll be killing one bird with two stones…er, killing two birds with one stone, whatever that cliche is.
I’m a believer in this 4 day a week formula:
5-6 mile tempo run
3-4 mile easy run
speed intervals, decrease recovery time between intervals before increasing speed
long run, where most of your mileage accumulates.
if you are cycling and swimming in between this, your times will come down. plus, a cleaner diet and you’ll get results.
Hills, fartleks, interval training, tempo runs.
I have liked the results of interval training. You can do it on a treadmill or on a track.
Here is a series of workouts you might find useful:
http://www.sportmedbc.com/Content/InTraining/Programs/Run 10K Faster Program New.asp
Here is some blah blah blah on intervals:
Most of the above posts are excellent suggestions to make you a stronger runner, and certainly you have to be very fit for sustained fast running … but improving your running economy will help improve your speed more than anything else. Fast runners don’t just run the same way you do, only have more talent and train harder and longer, they run using different biomechanics. My research has shown that most runners, of any level, can improve efficiency by 4.5 to 8% (based on reductions in oxygen consumption at a given pace).
One athlete I coach, at age 17, outran the second fastest at USAT Under-20 Nationals last year by 26 seconds per mile - a 9.3% difference. He is an incredibly gifted and hardworking athlete, but at that level, it is impossible for any athlete to produce 9.3% more work than second place at a national championship. He was strong and it … and he was efficient.
More information is available in a video Joe Friel and I produced called Evolution Running: Riun Faster with fewer Injuries and in my book The Triathlete’s Guide to Run Training. Both are available at www.Fitness-Concepts.com Good luck, Ken
I second the carbon fiber shoes. But only if made by Cervelo because they are better for triathletes than all of those ‘run specific’ running shoes out there. grin
Check your technique. I’m not one to focus on Pose, or Chi, or any other named style of running, but an easy gain can be made by not letting your feet impact way out in front of you. If you have good form, then the increased miles or frequency that everybody else has already recommended will help you even more.
I have been running for years.
I like to check out running shoes in running stores.
I read various running and tri publications.
I have never ever heard of carbon shoes.
What the heck are they?
Easy -
Make your long runs slower and your fast runs faster…
Otherwise, follow jtaylor’s advise.
Just squeezing in a little joke about using technology to go faster just like some of the bike threads.
I don’t think anybody has actually produced a carbon fiber based shoe.
Carbon shoes = Joke
Run more miles, lose more weight, and push yourself occasionally. Find something you can get anal bout like a once a week treadmill workout where you run 3 miles…2 miles at a comfortable pace and the third as fast as you can go. Do this each week and try to beat your previous week’s time. This can be a pretty fun workout and its one I do a variation of all the time. I have regular 6 and 12 mile runs which I log my times on religiously and I know my PRs and mile splits and I’m always trying to go faster. Makes an otherwise boring hard tempo run more fun.
not letting your feet impact way out in front of you.
Yes, yes. I had a couple of photos of me running and couldn’t believe how far my feet were in front of me. It looked like I was trying to put on the brakes rather than run! Over the last year I have gradually changed my gait, and I stress gradually. I moved my hips ever so slightly forward, moved from a heel striker to almost mid foot, and lead with my knees. It made a huge difference. Be careful tweaking your stride though and listen to your body… Watch good runners for examples…
A word of caution; running fast exponentially increases the chance of injury. I think patience is the key (I learned the hard way). Stick with consistent steady running week in and week out. Increase your weekly frequency and then volume, but run at a moderate pace. Running more will automatically take care of the extra pounds you carry (all else constant). Eventually you will naturally run more efficiently and faster. I think track work-outs, especially, are for those that have been running for years and have 1000s of base mile under them.