Kelley Gets Fast

Kelly:

Right now you have a challenge. The cutoff where running stops being effective for aerobic development is somewhere around 10:00 per mile. So in other words, you can run 20 miles a day at 11:00 pace, and you will still struggle with anything faster for distances as short as a couple of miles. As soon as you are able to hold 10:00 with a reasonable degree of comfort, all of a sudden your fitness begins to skyrocket even if you run only a few miles a day as long as you are consistent (6 days a week). Unfortunately this appears to not correlate very much with the fitness level - that is if you are able to run 10:00 or faster already, you improve rapidly, but if not, even though you are working a whole lot harder to run 11:00 or 12:00 pace, you do not progress. This may not sound fair, and is very frustrating, but it appears to be the case from my observations. However, there is hope for those who find themselves in the less fortunate group. I believe the fix is to cover the maximum healthy amount of distance at 10:00 pace even if it happens to be faster that what you can run for one mile all out. Eventually the muscles get stronger and the cardiovascular system catches up while the excessive weight disappears, and you get to the point where you can just continuously, enjoy it, and develop fitness quickly.

So the plan will be this. Train 6 days a week. Start out at 10:00 pace and hold it until you cannot. Stop your watch, walk around until you feel you can run again, and repeat the cycle until you have covered 2 miles running. Repeat this training cycle until you are able to run 2 miles at 10:00 6 days a week without problems. It may take 6-7 very frustrating weeks, but it should get you out of the woods. Afterwards you should be able to improve quickly by gradually increasing the distance of your daily runs (add a mile every 3 weeks or so if and only if feeling good).

To clarify - as you progress through the 2 mile runs that are broken up, the goal is to eliminate breaks and be able to run 2 miles continuously at 10:00 pace.

Sasha, thanks very much for your reply! I'm eager to try what you recommend--AND u have a 10-mi event (I can't bring myself to say 'race') on 9 Oct. how to prep enough for that while doing the other? perhaps my short & tempo runs as u suggest and keep the long runs for distance until after the event? thanks again for ur comment an for this website. I've been needin this kind of info for a LONG time (like 17 yrs).

K

Kelly:

Do not worry about the 10 mile race for now. There is not much you can do in a couple of weeks. Train with a long term perspective, and treat the race as a training opportunity with water served along the route. However, in three months or so if this 10:00 mile pace jump-start method works, you should be seeing some results. So it would be good to schedule a 5 K race some time in December or January.

Sasha, i have been increasing mileage since June and can comfortably "run" (jog?) just over 7mi on my long runs. I don't want to tank on the event day, would like to finish mostly jogging.

Until then, i think i'll do my shorter runs as you suggest and keep a longer run, just to not lose my ability to get thru those miles. After that, a 5 K in December it is. That's where i'm ultimately headed anyway. I just can't get my head around running 6 days a week; i hope the fact that they are "shorter" runs (if my walks don't last too long!) will make it easier to handle. 6 days is a lot.

Thanks again,

Kelley

Kelley:

There are three factors that play in your aerobic development: length of the runs, their frequency, and pace. It is very important to arrange them in proper balance.

The ideal frequency depends on the level of fitness, but is never less than 6 runs a week, in my opinion. As the fitness increases, it increases as well, and eventually reaches somewhere around 15-18 runs a week. Unfortunately few people have a schedule that will allow the ideal frequency at top level of fitness to happen, but we can at least keep that in mind. Most people will see improvements if they increased the frequency of their runs without increasing their length.

The length of one run is important as well, but length without frequency is a waste. Two reasons. One is that fitness behaves similarly to water in a leaky container. If you let it go long enough without a refill, the container will soon be empty. Two is that your ability to respond positively (building fitness) to the given length of the run is in proportion to your current level of fitness. In other words, you are given water in proportion to how much water you already have in the container. If you try to take more than the share owed to you, the hole opens up wider, it all leaks out, and you end up with less than you started. So what happens when you do a long run, nothing for a couple of days, then another long run, is that your container is near empty when you start, you try to pour a whole lot more than you can retain, it all leaks out, and you are back to square one. With shorter more frequent runs, you pour your share, now you have a little more and because of that you can take and retain a little more next time. Eventually you have a lot.

Pace is the third factor. It does not need to be extremely fast but it needs to be fast enough to stimulate the muscles to use up sufficient quantities of oxygen. As I mentioned earlier, it does not appear that it correlates with existing fitness as much as you would think. So a less fit runner can be receiving less aerobic stimulus from running 3 miles all out than a more fit runner from comfortably jogging the same 3 miles. Because of that, there is little value in training at 11:00 pace or slower for the purposes of improving fitness. It does not need to be super-quick, but it needs to be quicker. I draw the line at around 10:00/mile almost regardless of fitness. When your fitness level gives you a choice between 2 miles at 9:30 or 4 miles at 10:00, I would suggest 4 miles at 10:00. But if it is 2 miles at 10:00 or 4 miles at 11:00, you will get more benefits from 2 miles at 10:00.

Wow, Sasha. I really have to re-read that for at least a third time, if not more. I'm just fascinated by what you are telling me. I have heard similar things before--but not much out on the web. Mostly from private fitness trainers.

So, today, i tried to run like you suggested, at a 10:00 pace when i felt i could run and walked in between. I'm having trouble with the way i track. Using Nike+, if i "pause workout" for say 30 sec or so, walk until i feel up to the faster run, then resume, it calculates my pace based on the entire time or distance, not just the running part. So in order to track better, i had to stop in between run portions, which made me angry. As a result of how it works, my pace ended up not as fast as i wanted--only at about 11:00, but there were times i was running at less than 9:00. So i don't have a useful way to track the pace/distance of just the running parts. I felt better, though, when my overall time was 2 min faster than the last, short run. I'll go out again tomorrow and will think about how to better track.

Another thanks to you, Sasha. I know u have many people out here to review logs and comment on. I appreciate every bit of advice you're giving and am working to incorporate it!

Kelley

Kelley - get a measuring wheel at Home Depot, and use it to mark your course every 0.1 miles (528 feet). Then use a regular stopwatch. If it takes you more than a minute to cover the distance from one checkpoint to the next, it is time to stop for a break.

oh, and I took the latest advice to mean that if u choose tot keep a long run, the short runs in 5 other days are even more important?? just until I get thru Oct 9th...

Kelly, Sasha gives some great advice, and listen to him, not me! However, to piggyback what he is saying, someone at your level of fitness can greatly improve through the walk/run method that Jeff Galloway is well known for. While I am not here to advocate that method, or debate whether it is best, it allows you to do exactly what Sasha is suggesting ... keep your pace under 10:00 to derive the benefits, and then walk when necessary. I have a friend who just qualified for Boston, doing this the entire marathon ... running for 4 minutes, and then walking for 20 seconds ... all 26 miles!

Early in your training, I would not be overly concerned with your exact pace, as long as you are keeping your running pace under 10:00 as Sasha suggests. Alot of this can just be done on perceived effort. Depending on your fitness level, you may want to start off with 2 minutes of faster running and 1 minute of walking, and repeat this cycle until you have covered the distance you want. Your goal would be to lengthen the time you you are running at a harder effort, and also shortening your recovery time. So, in a month,if you were to lengthen your running effort by 15 seconds each week, you would be running at a good pace for 3 minutes, and you may also find that you can shorten your recovery time.

I like Sasha's water in the cannister analogy, that theory holds alot of water! :) The other benefit of walk breaks, is they allow for a quicker recovery post run ... and therefore allow you to run with more frequency, which is very important as Sasha has pointed out.

Enjoy the 10 miler using the walk run method and don't worry about your overall time ... just to complete it is a great accomplishment ... and utilizing a walk run method will make it more beneficial training, and allow for a much faster recovery! Keep up the good work! Before you know it you will be running a sub 30 5k, whether it includes walk breaks or not. While the goal may be to run without taking walk breaks, remember that walking is healthy exercise, so if mixing in walking helps you get to where you want to be, it is a good thing!

JG, thanks for your thoughts. I'm familiar with Galloway's information, too. The real difference in what i heard Sasha say is that i only count the distance that i'm running at faster than 10:00 pace. That's a bit of a challenge to track, but there are ways.

I know you guys are both correct: focus on the fitness/speed. It's hard when i've had to work so hard to get the distance, albeit slow. Plus, i agreed to run with a friend and don't want to disappoint. But more than either of those, i want to start getting faster, so i will do as you and Sasha suggest.

i have always been a slow runner; learning to get fast is neither fun nor easy for me, but it WILL be worthwhile. Tracking things and talking about it helps. Thanks again!

Sasha, hopefully you're getting updates on this conversation...

Now that the 10 miler is done (not fast at all due partly to running with a friend who wasn't feeling well that day). I felt strong thru the whole thing, like i could have run a full marathon, if needed, at about a 13 min ave pace.

Now i'm ready to turn my efforts to getting faster. I've re-read all your wonderful advice. Here is my question:

Do i start running 6 days per week now, or work up to it? Above, you lay out the plan as "run 6 days per week..." and go on to explain how to do the workouts but I think i confused myself reading the "running mistakes" where it talks about "increasing mileage or intensity too fast for your fitness.

Thanks in advance,

Kelley

Kelley - I should probably add not training 6 days a week to the list of running mistakes. Provided that the schedule allows, there is always a way to train 6 days a week regardless of the fitness. For example, if you can run 2 miles 3 days a week, you most definitely can run 1 mile 6 days a week as it is the exact same training, except you get a 24 hour break in the middle of each run that includes food, drinks, and sleep. In reality that break allows you to extend the distance to 1.5 miles without increasing the negative stress on the body, but the positive stress - the kind that results in overcompensation and increased fitness increases. So you get better results.

Follow the schedule I recommended earlier. Work on getting through 2 miles at 10:00 pace until you can do it without breaks. Then gradually increase the mileage but do not run slower than 10:00. Note - any movement at the slower than 10:00 pace does not count towards the mileage. It is OK to take 20 breaks over the course of 2 miles, but it is not OK to slow down and count the distance that was covered at a slower pace towards the 2 miles. If it helps you recover better, you can still jog at 12:00 pace in between the real running, but you must be "clocked out" for it.

Thanks, Sasha. That helps.

I'll keep posting. I did just the kind of run you mention day before yesterday. WOW is it hard. I'm frustrated already! 6 or 7 weeks?? Ugh! a few months from now, it will seem a short time, but right now, seems like FOREVER... :-)

Thanks again!

Kelley

Okay, Sasha. Here's the latest:

I started running as prescribed. I tapered back to enjoy my mom's visit (that was a mistake...turns out i get very irratable after about 3 days of no running). Then, a few days after she left, i had to perform a physical fitness test (i'm active duty military). I wanted to keep runs to a minimum in at least the 3 days leading up, since that worked so well on the Army 10-miler. I also know i get stressed out about the fitness test, and didn't want to feel "too tired" going into it.

That went VERY WELL. Hence my next round of questions:

1) the run for that test was 1.5mi. I was able to complete it in 14:45--no walking. That was definitely pushing things for me, but not at "puke point". That time AWESOME for me. I see our training plan is working!!! I'm SOOO excited! Thank you so much for your advice so far! (side note: one of the things i used was the iPhone app "iSmartRun" which will click out a cadence to keep me on track. Worked like a charm.)

2) So, i ran the day after as well. I found myself less fast. Finished the 2 miles of running in 19 min, and a total of 28 min with the rests. Why didn't i "feel" able to run at least the first 1.5 miles as i had done the day before? The real question is: at what level should i be pushing these runs (all out every day or "listen to my body" as to what feels comfortable or some fast days when i push things intermixed with some slow days when i go at a more comfortable pace?

3) what's your philosophy on tapering training before an event?

Thanks again...i can see i'm definitely making progress and i'm SO excited!!! I don't have any other big life things out there to "derail" my 6-days per week plan for a while. Will be working on frequency and consistency.

Kind regards,

Kelley

Kelley: Some thoughts. Congratulations on being able to hold sub-10:00 for over a mile. This is very encouraging. It means you are about 75% out of the dark zone where it is difficult to improve.

Regarding tapers/breaks. At this point any interruption in training of this kind is your worst enemy. Running is a merciless sport. As I explained earlier, your fitness disappears quicker when you do not have much of it. If you have a lot of money in savings, while this is still undesirable you can handle an expensive car repair without too much difficulty. But if your savings are low, you simply cannot afford it. Same goes for fitness. While interruptions in training are always a minus, when the fitness is at high level you can deal with them better, when it is not they can be devastating. So make sure to get your run in no matter what it takes - getting up at 5:00 AM, running errands on foot, running around a soccer field during kids' game, getting dropped off 2 miles a way from the house, etc.

Do not worry about daily fluctuations in performance. That is natural even if you have been consistent in your training, diet, and sleep. When you have not, that is even more expected. Your fitness is a cumulative result of what you did in the last 10 years, last year, last month, last week, last day, and even last hour. It is a pie full of layers. If you train right for 10 years, the pie will be very solid. If there are breaks, you will occasionally discover surprise sections of unbaked dough.

Regarding pushing - do what it takes to cover 2 miles at 10:00 with the minimum number of breaks. I would not be afraid to push it all the way to what you think is the limit if the pace is still 10:00. Some of the obstacle is physical, but I believe very much of it is mental. To prove this to yourself - find somebody in your area that is comfortable at 10:00 pace and have her pace you. You will probably run full 2 miles without stopping and you will not even notice the fatigue.

Conquering 10 miles is awesome, good job! As Sasha points out, try to post daily, it will help hold you accountable, and you will be amazed at how much easier the faster pace gets with consistency and following Sasha's guidelines! Keep up the good work!!

So how many stops did you have to make over the course of 2 miles and at what points?

The graph shows about 15 slow downs. I didn't really stop. I did pretty well for about the first 6 min, then it gets very volitile.

So did you end up with a total distance of 2 miles at 10:00? There should be no slowdowns on record, so to speak. When you cannot go 10:00 anymore, I suggest you stop and jog/walk back and forth until you feel you can continue. Approach it like this - if it is slower than 10:00 it is not running. It does not count towards the distance. It may still be work, but it does not do much for your fitness.

This is important not only physiologically, but also psychologically. If you do anything that somehow validates 12:00 pace as running you will never feel the need to go faster. Thus psychology paralyzes physiology. We break out of that by drawing a red line that redefines what it means to run. Common definition is as long as your arms are bent and you are squatting down as you move with a little bit of time with both feet off the ground you are running. We take it a notch up by setting a minimum speed barrier. This is designed to be a bunker-buster bomb of the "I must finish no matter how slow" mentality that holds you captive. We throw something at it that it really does not want to deal with in hopes for a breakthrough. As I said earlier, it is going to be difficult for a while, but you will be free at the end of it.

It would really help if you could find a friend that is comfortable at 10:00 and has a good sense of pace to help you in this workout.

No, i admit I didn't end up w/ a full 2 mi @ 10:00. I never really thought about the psychological aspects. So, the new working definition is, if it isn't 10:00 or faster, it isn't running.

I have an app that will pace me at any pace I want. It will even click out a cadence for me, so I can make myself be steady. I can stop it when I'm not at the right pace, so the "walking around" time/distance won't count. I just plain doing this 6 days a week. I want it to get easier...NOW. :-)

I will have to push thru, though--I really want the breakthrough. Thanks, again, Sasha!

Good plan, let's check the progress in a week.

Sounds like a pan, Sasha. Today's run went much better. TTY next week!

Kelley - Make sure to keep daily record of your progress, even if it is one short entry per day. It will prove valuable a few months later.

Okay; logging (almost) every day. I don't run on Sundays, might have forgotten Sat's and will log today's. I'm interested to see how I feel come Wed or Thurs.

Congratulations on holding the sub 10 pace for 1.5! Stick with it, before you know it you will be holding that pace for a 5k!

Thanks, JG. I find myself wondering, although i was able to hold the pace for 1.5 on Mon, the rest of the week has been run/walk again. I know i'm supposed to have better days and less good days, i just don't know what to expect when i'm running 6 days a week. Will Monday be my best day? Will i sometimes run the whole thing and other times run/walk, until one day i run the whole thing, and the next day and the next day...i know i'm making progress, i just don't know how much. My run Tues was worse than Mon, my run Thurs, worse than Tues, and my run today worse than yesterday. Not horrible, just a downward trend. When do i go UP??

Kelli, yes ... you will have days that feel good ... and days that don't feel so good, there are so many things that affect our performance when we go out and run. The important thing for you to remember and understand, is that you are improving every day ... even if it does not feel like it, or you perform worse than the day before. As you stick with it, you will see noticeable jumps in improvement over time, hard to measure day to day ... or week to week for that matter!

If Sundays are your rest day, I would recommend making Monday's your 'big day', where you really mentally go out and try to push hard and go farther than you did the week before. You may also want to make Thursdays a 'bigger' effort day, where you push a little harder. The other days, do the best you can ... and if you feel strong, run with it & see what you can do. If not, just keep them 'easy days' & try to maintain the level you are at ... and even if you can't do that, don't get frustrated, just do what you can.

To summarize, the body needs time to recover and get stronger - so 2 hard days and 4 easy days is probably a good frame of reference. Be flexible too, if you go out on a Monday and don't feel strong, make it an easy day, and try again to go hard on Tuesday. Do not try to max yourself out two days in a row ... that will only cause you to feel tired and frustrated.

Keep up the great work!

JG, thanks a bunch. I always seem to expect things to move along a little faster than they actually do. Thanks for the reassurances. I am VERY excited about the progress i'm seeing; it's just not happening "FAST" enough. (haha!) Thanks again.

Kelley - how are things going?