How to improve my run times?

[surgtech1956]

What is the best way to improve my run times, i.e., run faster? Maybe I'm being too impatient? I started running the end of June and running 15 min miles, I've been averaging about 3 miles 5x a week, my longest run has been 4 miles. i'd appreciate any advice and feedback. Thank you

[Veronica]

Intervals and running with someone who runs faster than me (Thom) has helped me get faster.

Veronica

[OakLeaf]

Runner's World, Running Times and Competitor Running usually have an assortment of interval workouts in each issue and online. I'm still learning for sure, but different workouts help build different body systems, so it's good to vary them - shorter intervals vs. longer ones, at various paces, and tempo runs.

[zoom-zoom]

More miles. Speed work is good, but most experts caution against it until a person has been logging 30 mile weeks for 6 months or more. I would not recommend anything more structured than a few fartlek intervals built into a workout or two every week.

How I know more miles is good -- I ran my personal slowest 5k this past weekend. Granted, I didn't go all out, but it was at a significantly slower pace than my half-marathon PR from a few years back. I set that PR about a month out from a marathon, when I was logging 50+ mile weeks. I was doing pretty much zero speed work, even then. That race wasn't even full effort, since I was treating it more as a long tempo run than a race. My 5k PR was the first leg of a duathlon. I've yet to run a real 5k race when my mileage is high enough to see what I'm really capable of.

[VeloVT]

I think this is generally an unpopular response, but as a new runner, increasing training volume (I.e., mpw) will have a far greater impact, for the first year, than speed work, plyos, etc. As you move from 15 mpw to 30, 40, 50, you will get faster. If you are running 15 min miles, you need more base training, not more speed work.

[OakLeaf]

I totally agree that base miles are really important, and I did kind of gloss over that in your OP.

But as far as starting with 30 mpw ... I think that's for people whose only cardio is running. I tend to assume that most people here are cycling also, probably incorrectly (especially since I'm mostly sidelined from cycling myself right now ). Combined with cycling, 30 mpw is half marathon training volume for me. Seriously, I only hit 50 mpw in the latter weeks of marathon training (but cycling 75-110 mpw is a very important part of my marathon training, as well). I know I'd be faster if I ran more miles, but I don't think for a minute that it's necessary. If running is your only cardio right now, then that guideline is probably pretty close. But if you're cycling 50+ mpw already, that's different.

Form first, obviously. It isn't speedwork itself that gets people injured, it's that a lot of people start overstriding when they're trying to run fast, even if their usual form is pretty good.

Form, then volume - I don't disagree with that at all.

Form, then volume, then speedwork. The only way to learn to increase your lean from the ankles, increase your hip rotation, lengthen your stride behind you, and "feel the wheel" in your lower legs, is to actually do it, for short segments to begin with. The only way to build anaerobic capacity is to work anaerobically.

JMO...

[Veronica]

I only speak from personal experience, no studies...

I never run 30 miles in a week,it takes me a month. And I do intervals a couple of times a month. Thom only runs once a week, 3 - 4 miles. When he started, 2 years ago, he couldn't do 3/4 of a mile without stopping and that was at a 12 minute pace. He's now running 3 miles in 21 minutes. We do a lot of other things though. We both swim once a week, work out with a trainer, cycle...

Veronica

[zoom-zoom]

I totally agree that base miles are really important, and I did kind of gloss over that in your OP.

But as far as starting with 30 mpw ... I think that's for people whose only cardio is running. I tend to assume that most people here are cycling also, probably incorrectly (especially since I'm mostly sidelined from cycling myself right now ). Combined with cycling, 30 mpw is half marathon training volume for me. Seriously, I only hit 50 mpw in the latter weeks of marathon training (but cycling 75-110 mpw is a very important part of my marathon training, as well). I know I'd be faster if I ran more miles, but I don't think for a minute that it's necessary. If running is your only cardio right now, then that guideline is probably pretty close. But if you're cycling 50+ mpw already, that's different.

Form first, obviously. It isn't speedwork itself that gets people injured, it's that a lot of people start overstriding when they're trying to run fast, even if their usual form is pretty good.

Form, then volume - I don't disagree with that at all.

Form, then volume, then speedwork. The only way to learn to increase your lean from the ankles, increase your hip rotation, lengthen your stride behind you, and "feel the wheel" in your lower legs, is to actually do it, for short segments to begin with. The only way to build anaerobic capacity is to work anaerobically.

JMO...

I think the potential issues a person can run into aren't that of trying to do speed work on too little cardio, but trying to do speed work when the specific muscle systems are inadequately developed. Cycling isn't weight-bearing like running and uses a lot of opposing muscle groups. The over-striding thing is definitely a factor, too.

[indigoiis]

I would start by not worrying about improving your speed, but work on improving your form, and mix it up a little on runs. You can make runs fun by doing little spurts - racing from mailbox to mailbox (with a walk break) or pole to pole, or running in a park and up stairs, something different than your average 3 miler. Check halhigdon.com too for a series of different training plans... then pick one and pick a Spring race to train for. You will get faster - it does take time. But know that every time you get out there, you improve.

[surgtech1956]

Thank you ladies. I appreciate all your feedback and advice. Since its winter time here in Michigan, I'm going to run outside as much as possible, probably weekends, since its dark when I get home from work, and run on the treadmill. I guess winter time is a good time to build up some base mileage.