I want to run faster..

man-in-cognito

Hey,

I jog about 3 times a week, for about 40minutes each time. I usually use the treadmill.

Problem is, I can't seem to get any faster than 10.5Km per hour. Most other blokes I see running, run a lot faster. If I try to increase the speed even a little bit, I get a stitch.

Has anyone any tips on increasing running speed? I'm about 5'8" if that's of any relevance!

Cheers,

MIC.

walt0r

...don't we all?

Black Swan

Need details, or I will just be guessing. So I will guess away...
1) Healthy diet?
2) Cut back on the booze? (and/or drugs)
3) No smoking (or secondary smoke)!
4) Equipment (shoes)?
5) Try a good track (perma-surface with appropriate shoes)?
6) Pair up with a running mate and push each other?
7) Stretch before and after run?

Clum

How long are you trying to hold that 10.5Kmph speed for? Don't expect to increase your pace for the full 40 minutes at the first few attempts.

Good way to increase speed is by turning one of your runs in to a speed session with a few sprints in between a warm up and warm down jog. If that doesn't tickle your fancy run further than your target distance (or time) but at a slower pace. The increased strength and stamina should help you run faster over your normal run.

If you're using the threadmill use a program that has hill/slope sections, this is an ok substitue for sprints (but sprint sessions would be better).

Don't use every run as a hard training session though! One of your sessions should be an easy jog, to keep your fitness but rest your legs at the same time.

EPO_MAN

hey - don't try and blast the 40mins at a higher pace.

Try this
3 mins at 10kph
3 mins at 11kph
3 mins at 12 kph
3 mins at 11kph
3 mins at 10kph

and so forth up and down. It should help your endurance and as you feel better change 11kph to 11.5 and 12 to 12.5 and so forth...

this routine worked for me when i was starting out in the gym

newby.204

Blue_Lagoon wrote:

Need details, or I will just be guessing. So I will guess away...
1) Healthy diet?
2) Cut back on the booze? (and/or drugs)
3) No smoking (or secondary smoke)!
4) Equipment (shoes)?
5) Try a good track (perma-surface with appropriate shoes)?
6) Pair up with a running mate and push each other?
7) Stretch before and after run?

Hey i see there a mention to secondary smoke

Well heres the thing. My Ma, Da and Bro smoke as do alot(majority) of my friends and so does my girlfriend, her Ma, Da and sis!!!!!!

Will this, and im guessing it will, damage/hurt my attempts to get fitter???

Cardio wise???

Pherekydes

newby.204 wrote:

Well heres the thing. My Ma, Da and Bro smoke as do alot(majority) of my friends and so does my girlfriend, her Ma, Da and sis!!!!!!

You can't do anything about your family, but you can about your future family!

10.5 km/h is very slow you should be able to go a lot faster - because the treadmill does half the running for you.

Ive been training a guy and over a six week period he went from running at a max of 12km/h to a max of 18km/h.

Its only a 5 minute hit on the treadmill but its started in the initial week like this:

1min at 8km/h
30secs at 9
30 secs at 10
30 secs at 11
30 secs at 12
30 secs at 13
30 secs at 14
30 secs at 15
30 secs at 16


towards the end of the six weeks we were starting at 10 km/h and finishing at 18. The guy im training is over 15 stone and smokes. These are the results i feel you should be looking to achieve. but i would suggest a training partner and also putting yourself through the pain barrier unless you are badly out of shape

justsomebloke

El Rifle if in his first week he was running at 16km/h, would this not of been the max speed which he could run at. Which means he only went from running from 16-18k which would be the sort of gains most people would get from taining for 6 weeks when starting from scratch. Also how long can he hold the pace.

If it was the other case and 12 was his starting point then he managed to get from 12-16 within the first week and so gains of just another 2 km/h in the 5 and a bit weeks after wouldn't be that great after the inital jump in stats

JSB, i see what you are saying but there are a few things that must also be takin into account:

As you go up in speed as im sure you know the difficulty level increases. Its a lot harder to get from 16-18 then from 10-12.
Also gains are going to slow down over time. In weight loss training which is mainly what i do i find that the first two weeks sees more wieght come off then say the last two weeks of a 6 weeks session.

Mentally before I got to him he thought 12 was his max, and he needed someone to train him to get the best out of him, which is why i mentioned he this dude should get a training partner to push against. I feel that with the right advice and methods the guy i was training went from a max of 12km/h to 18 km/h even if a lot of that was mental. I personal think a lot of treadmill work is a mental battle and confidence

man-in-cognito

Thanks for the tips guys.

A bit more info. I jog regularly. I said 40mins, but it can be between 40 to 60mins. For example last Wednesday I ran just over 10k in 58mins, and then on Monday i ran 4 miles outside on tarmac, in about 35minutes. So I'm not in bad shape.

I drink at the weekends, don't take drugs, and am not around smokers much.

I always stretch before and after.
I tend to start at 10kph, then move up to 10.5 after maybe 10mins. Before I finish I up to 11, then 11.5 if I have the energy, so I can run faster in busrts, but if I stay at that speed, like I say, I get a stitch.

I'll probably give it a go at running faster for short bursts and then slowing down.. see how that goes!

Clum

man-in-cognito wrote:

I tend to start at 10kph, then move up to 10.5 after maybe 10mins. Before I finish I up to 11, then 11.5 if I have the energy, so I can run faster in busrts, but if I stay at that speed, like I say, I get a stitch.

How close to your run are you eating? I'm no expert on the causes of stiches (think it's to do with the diaphragm struggling from stress) but the only time I ever get them is when running within two hours of a fairly sizeable meal. Or if there's too much luczoade sport or water in me belly.

Your speed will increase with training over time but if you're doing something wrong outside of your training that causes the stitch you'll have to change that.

Avoiding the stitch is obviously better than curing it but if you do get one either slow down for a small period, or control your breathing by either pushing your belly out when you breathe in, or inhale and exhale as you land on your feet. I read about these cures but have yet to try them.

man-in-cognito

I tend to leave a good bit of time between eating and running, at least a few hours. I also find, for me, breathing in through my nose, and out through my mouth reduces the chances of it happening.

I suppose it's just trial and error..