You’re awesome 
I think you have a lot of potential as a runner. Not only have you made a lot of improvement, but more importantly, I think you have the right mindset. If you are ever interested in having a coach, please consider me. It would be free. 
the bot is catching feelings 
One thing you may want to be careful about is going all out all the time, especially as you start running longer distance. That will lead to injury eventually. If you don’t have one, go get a heart rate monitor and for long runs try to stay in the aerobic zone (I’m sure KMD can describe this type of training better than I can) which will specifically train your aerobic capacity and lessen the probability of overuse injury. Then, for speed you can use intervals (again, I’m sure KMD would have recommendations on length and rest periods based on your targeted race distance).
Or, just only train and PR every couple weeks and make the other runs slower fun runs, if you want to keep it simple.
People who are coming to running later in life (rather than as part of an organized team in HS) and want to really improve tend to make two mistakes - they go too hard on their easy days and too easy on their hard days. They also tend to mix them up and not understand the purposes of each.
A Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) in conjunction with a good journal (or spreadsheet) can help with both errors. On easy days, keep HR at 60-70% of your max (you can test it, but a good rule of thumb for max Heart Rate is 220 less your age). And when you want to go hard, depending on your workout (intervals, hard pace runs, etc) you want to get closer to 80-90% of MAX HR.
To see whether you’re going too hard too often (i.e. overtraining), take your resting HR every morning upon waking. If it’s 5-10 beats higher than average, take an easy day. The heart is a muscle, and like any muscle, it needs rest after stress to get stronger.
I have a tendency to go too hard too often on my bike, so I started using a monitor (at least for the first hour of a ride) - it made a big difference. And I just got a BioStrap wearable to more easily track other data - I’m a bit of a data geek.
And definitely get a subscription to Runners’ World - a very good resource for runners of all levels.
BWYF and busprof are both right. Mr. Math… do be careful about saving your hard efforts for specific times. Most of your training should feel fairly comfortable. Progress happens naturally, train right…and wait for it
I heart running
Thanks! And umm yeah, I will take all the coaching advice that you can give me. I remember you were the first person to offer legitimate advice on this thread, which set the tone for my training plan and which I still follow on my daily runs.
Re: running too hard, I’m aware of the concept and I probably wasn’t too clear about my long run PRs. I run my long runs at a pace that feels easy to me (i.e. I can sing along to my playlist while covering 9-10 miles in 1.5 hours) and pick up the pace incrementally on each subsequent long run. For example, the first long run over 10K that I did was at 9:45 pace. I’m now down to an easy 9:00 pace on 9 miles and even throw in a couple of 7:30 miles in the middle, just to mix it up. My 5K “hard” pace is closer to 8:00, so 9:00 feels pretty relaxed to me and something I can hold for a long period of time.
I just can’t picture a 5K 8:00/pace being difficult. It seems more like laid back striding pace to me (Greenman clue me in but that sounds like its around the military minimum).
IHIHM - you’re a guy like 185 6’0 right?
for men, 9:20 pace is the minimum. (Marines)
In the Army, the minimum pace is faster, but you’re only runnng two miles instead of three
@Mr. Math… if you have some specific goals in running that you want to reach, I would be interested in helping you develop a program to reach them as well as coach you along the way regularly. However, this would take effort on your part too so it would be a dual commitment. Its partially a selfish offer since I want to get into coaching and you would be a lab rat!
PM me if you are still interested. If not, no worries.
Hi KMeriwetherD, I want to set a goal this summer: run 5km in less than 23 minutes. I have 8 weeks to clear this goal. I try to practice running 3 times per week. And if necessary, I’ll add 2 swimming sessions or 2 bodybuilding sessions per week.
Yesterday, I finished 5.1km in 30 minutes on the treadmill. Several years ago, I could finish 10km race in 1h06m and 15km race in 1h45m. But I quit running later because I got an injury in my leg.
What do you think about this goal (5km in 23m)? Is this goal already too ambitious or should I set a higher target?
Too ambitious bro
What’s with these 8 week goals?
Just constantly try to improve.
Because from mid-September, I’ll be busier (work, CFA program,…) and unable to have more than 3 sessions (running or swimming) per week. If I can’t archive this target at the end of August, it’s more difficult to get it after.
PS: I think 5km race is good for me because it takes less than 30 minutes, so I can do running at noon, take a bath, have lunch and come back to work at 1h30 or 2h pm. Besides, I prefer sprinter’s body to marathoner’s body.
Take a baaath?
take a bath = having a shower.
Yes, I mean having a shower.
https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/take-a-shower-bath-or-have-a-shower-bath.547849
And I don’t know taking a bath means also “suffering a heavy financial loss”. Interesting.
Your CFA studies will most likely be better if you’re working out/running every day. It doesn’t take that much time.
I agree with you. A hour of sport every day (30m workout, 30 for shower and going to gym) may be not much, good for health and my CFA studies performance may be improved in long term. But after sport, I always fell tired, sleepy and can’t study at home.
