To be honest mate, I’m not that arsed. It’s just my fitness for the day, whole family goes and does it and it gets us out of the house. Such a big park too that you can socially distance pretty easily, bar the odd fucking muppet or family who fails to make room.That is excellent. Not that my advice is worth much but I did notice significant improvements when I started to add a few longer distances (even if much slower) and adding a hill run or speed run (fartleks) here and there.
Of course all depends on what your aiming for.
I’ve done Heaton Park parkrun 5k route, old route and new route, 14 days running. Seeing how many I can clock up on the trot.
All paths mate, and most of it is nice and wide.Never done that one, but it’s on the list.
Is it all concrete paths, or is some of it on grass or trail paths?
To be honest mate, I’m not that arsed. It’s just my fitness for the day, whole family goes and does it and it gets us out of the house. Such a big park too that you can socially distance pretty easily, bar the odd fucking muppet or family who fails to make room.
I'll thank you now. I took this advice from you about a year ago and it transformed my attitude towards, and enjoyment of running.Quite a few people on here talking about their 'times' but you've got to understand that, if you're going for a 'time' whenever you go out for a training run, your fitness will not improve much at all. The way to do it is to focus predominantly on aerobic zone running, i.e. a slow, conversational pace. If you want to get faster and run further, about 80% of your total weekly mileage should be in the aerobic zones where you don't get out of breath at all and at which pace you could easily hold a full conversation for the full duration.
If you're just getting into it, I would make that 100% of mileage actually. If you then want to do some specific speed work, this should be once a week (maybe twice with more experience) but even then, it shouldn't be flat-out chasing 'times' but at a controlled threshold pace or a specific interval session.
You'll thank me later.
Slow down mate. You shouldn't run hard every time. Amazing things happen in your body when you run but some of those things only happen when you run slowStarted the couch to 5k last week
safe to say my legs are handling it better than my lungs
any tips on breathing correctly while running?
Quite a few people on here talking about their 'times' but you've got to understand that, if you're going for a 'time' whenever you go out for a training run, your fitness will not improve much at all. The way to do it is to focus predominantly on aerobic zone running, i.e. a slow, conversational pace. If you want to get faster and run further, about 80% of your total weekly mileage should be in the aerobic zones where you don't get out of breath at all and at which pace you could easily hold a full conversation for the full duration.
If you're just getting into it, I would make that 100% of mileage actually. If you then want to do some specific speed work, this should be once a week (maybe twice with more experience) but even then, it shouldn't be flat-out chasing 'times' but at a controlled threshold pace or a specific interval session.
You'll thank me later.
Getting out today. Naughty little 5k at a nice gentle pace.
Black coffee on the boil.
That's great to read! Remember to give yourself some recovery days so that you don't burn out.Got fed up of my big belly Sunday night. Did a 3km walk / run Monday morning. Couldnt run for longer than a minute, then walk a minute and repeat. I'm a big guy ( no idea of weight) so my legs are not happy about lifting such a big weight at all. Tuesday was much the same. I must have been a fearsome sight to anyone unlucky enough to see me. Wednesday I was running for longer times. Thursday I stopped to walk for about 200m twice. Friday stopped to walk once for about 300m. Today no stop. Proud of my "couch to 3k" in 6 days.
I'll try to get better over the next few weeks to the point that I'm not overtaken by old men walking their dogs.
Feel free to add me and I will do the same. https://www.strava.com/athletes/28379135Exactly how I'm doing my best to navigate these dark, choppy waters.
Compartmentalising my day really seems to work for me. A scheduled run (when I'd usually be at the gym). A nice coffee (amongst all the teas and instant coffees). Learning new skills. A decent box set at the end of the day.
I seem to glide through these runs at the moment. I did a couple of years ago when I was hit with a breakdown. Any physical discomfort from running was a drop in the ocean compared to how my mind felt so it was a bit of a wrestle between pushing my physical limits (I did a half marathon at ones stage one dark, winter night) and eventually having the mind settle.
Does many on here use Strava? Be good to follow/follow back and I'm finding this helps have that running camaraderie.
Nice! This post has make my day - thanks for sharing.I'll thank you now. I took this advice from you about a year ago and it transformed my attitude towards, and enjoyment of running.
I remember at a Parkrun, another member of my village running club came to me and started talking. I was going for my tenth successive PB, which I achieved, but I was putting in so much effort that I couldn't talk whilst I was running. Then I read this advice from you, and started running slower, and talked to myself occasionally to test I was going at conversational pace.
Ever since then, my endurance has been much better. I soon switched from 5k training runs to 10k training runs, and before long found them quite easy. A year later and my best distance is 20k, and my average run is 11k. It is more enjoyable, so I am motivated to run more often.
So thanks again @Stuuuuuu, and I would recommend anyone to follow this advice if they are to maintain focus and enjoyment of running.
Sort of hooked now so hate the idea of stopping in case ucant restart. But I know you are right.That's great to read! Remember to give yourself some recovery days so that you don't burn out.
At aged 58, it's purely fitness for me. Parkruns and the occasional organised 10ks are nice added extras.Nice! This post has make my day - thanks for sharing.
I would just add to your final point that, as well as improving focus and enjoyment, this approach actually improves performance.