Running

How do you guys track speed? Is it just guessing until you get your pace after?
never know for sure until afterwards, when the Garmin watch tells me mph, time, distance, etc. but after a while i've found that i can roughly guess pretty accurately my pace with a few seconds per mile

guess it comes with experience and feel?
 
All this to say, let the data serve you, not the other way around. Compare how you of today feels with how you of tomorrow felt, and do the same thing tomorrow. Keep doing that and the stupid watch numbers will follow. Maybe even 1 point in 6 months if you're lucky like me 🤣 In the mean time, AI Greg can suck it.

Thanks, this is what I needed to hear. Running is considerably easier now than when I started in January; I'm faster and have pushed up load, even if I hate it mentally. But this (second) 12-week program has been demoralizing.

Garmin supports one training plan at a time. Next week I need to choose a new one. I was waffling between a lifting/calisthenics one or renewing a running cycle. Guess I'm running for another 3 months. Fuck Greg though.
 
Thanks, this is what I needed to hear. Running is considerably easier now than when I started in January; I'm faster and have pushed up load, even if I hate it mentally. But this (second) 12-week program has been demoralizing.

Garmin supports one training plan at a time. Next week I need to choose a new one. I was waffling between a lifting/calisthenics one or renewing a running cycle. Guess I'm running for another 3 months. Fuck Greg though.
Greg can get wrecked

i did the couch potato to 5k program, which incrementally increases your running time each week until it's presumed you will be running a 5k in 30 minutes at the end. over the course of the program, i realized there was no way that 30 minute 5k was in reach for me but instead focused on time spent vs. distance ran.

those programs need to have some sort of baseline, even if they purport to be targeted for each individual so the averages (whatever they call it) are going to be skewed.

i talked to people who scoffed at the C25K program as being unrealistic because they ran track in HS and club college, laid off for years but came back to it and could casually drop 7:30 miles. and other people i talked to that did the C25K, started later in life, had never run before and found the idea of a 5k in 30 minutes to be impossible.


it's still a good way (my opinion) to build a habit of running/exercise. just don't focus on "the program says i should be (here) and if i'm not it means i've failed..." that you're out there pounding the pavement and putting in the time is success! some days you feel like an hour is a breeze, other days 10 minutes feels like hot torture. don't give up when a run feels like shit.. even if a few in a row don't feel great.. that's just part of the normal distribution over time.
 
Oh I'm doing the C25K program right now. I just repeat weeks when I feel like I'm not ready to move up in the program or if I didn't have time to run 3 days since the summer is really busy. Also, I discovered I'm an idiot and my current watch has the lap pace on the screen I usually keep it on. Never noticed that before. It has time / distance / pace.

edit: And yes screw other people's opinions. Run as fast or as slow as you need to if you want to actually run.
 
Oh I'm doing the C25K program right now. I just repeat weeks when I feel like I'm not ready to move up in the program or if I didn't have time to run 3 days since the summer is really busy. Also, I discovered I'm an idiot and my current watch has the lap pace on the screen I usually keep it on. Never noticed that before. It has time / distance / pace.

edit: And yes screw other people's opinions. Run as fast or as slow as you need to if you want to actually run.
definitely repeated weeks of C25K myself. sometimes it's necessary.
 
Hey Greg…

mister rogers middle finger GIF
 
Disclaimer: I am slow and I hate running.

I set a time goal of 11:45 pace for a 5k in my Garmin. At the start, I could push myself to do a 12:00 pace 5k. This training plan mostly has "Easy Run" workouts where the active part is at a 13:15+ pace. I've been following it pretty closely for all 12 weeks, with a load of 13-15 miles per week.

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Every time I do a run at the recommended pace or even a faster 12:15 pace, this motherfucker loses confidence that I can meet my goal.

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Motherfucker, I'm following your fucking plan. I hate this. My VO2 Max keeps dropping, too. I really should drink more beer and sit on my ass instead.
As if the heat could let you, but don't forget you're doing this in summer. VO2 max tends to drop in the heat. And at least for myself, my goal with summer runs is to just survive/maintain. When its cool/cold, that's the time when I try to build speed/endurance.
 
As if the heat could let you, but don't forget you're doing this in summer. VO2 max tends to drop in the heat. And at least for myself, my goal with summer runs is to just survive/maintain. When its cool/cold, that's the time when I try to build speed/endurance.
this is a great point

summer is a kick right in the onion sack for pace/distance. the sweet spot for running is 40-60 degrees, i'd say.
 
holldy01 makes a great point about the heat. On today's Sunday Long Run, I was beating myself internally for being a little slower than what I would have hoped for. But, I got out there early on a Sunday morning, logged just over a half marathon of mileage. So, the effort was there.

The heat & perspiration even caused my water bottle to slip out of my hand, twice, flying into the road. Haha, so I will try not to take my workout too seriously.

NSXr8ted it's awesome that you are logging miles. Don't get stressed about pace, it's all good
 
I had my first race of the year yesterday, a half marathon in New London CT.

I was hoping to get under 1 hour 35 mins, managed to do 1 hour 28 mins 20 something secs, 6:45 avg. pace / mile. Certainly very happy with that result. Though I cramped up pretty bad with a mile and a half before the finish. Slowed down, a few people passed me. Right before the line, I looked back, another dude was coming up, so I picked up my pace and finished ahead of him.

Last year, this same race was at least 10 degrees warmer with greater humidity as well. So, the weather was certainly more cooperative. But, the first few miles, I was a bit to aggressive. At mile 3, I asked the girl next to me, how much time has elapsed, "18 mins". Holy shit, I'm thinking, I'm in no position to be running a 6:20 mile, especially with 10 more miles to go.

I haven't done much "speed work" in my running this year. Just logging a decent number of miles, every week. So, I guess I shocked my muscles with that continued pace and they revolted against me. My hydration was decent, I don't think that was the cause.

It was good to do another race. The community in New London & Waterford were quite supportive. And we finished at the beach, free access with the race.

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I had my first race of the year yesterday, a half marathon in New London CT.

I was hoping to get under 1 hour 35 mins, managed to do 1 hour 28 mins 20 something secs, 6:45 avg. pace / mile. Certainly very happy with that result. Though I cramped up pretty bad with a mile and a half before the finish. Slowed down, a few people passed me. Right before the line, I looked back, another dude was coming up, so I picked up my pace and finished ahead of him.

Last year, this same race was at least 10 degrees warmer with greater humidity as well. So, the weather was certainly more cooperative. But, the first few miles, I was a bit to aggressive. At mile 3, I asked the girl next to me, how much time has elapsed, "18 mins". Holy shit, I'm thinking, I'm in no position to be running a 6:20 mile, especially with 10 more miles to go.

I haven't done much "speed work" in my running this year. Just logging a decent number of miles, every week. So, I guess I shocked my muscles with that continued pace and they revolted against me. My hydration was decent, I don't think that was the cause.

It was good to do another race. The community in New London & Waterford were quite supportive. And we finished at the beach, free access with the race.

20250802_122010.webp

Damn dude. Nice work. I don't think I could hit a 6:45 pace in a 100 yard dash, let alone a mile.
 
I haven’t been running outside as much lately - more so going to Orangetheory, but fall is the best, because of the “catch a falling leaf without breaking stride game”

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2/2 today - on the left was an absolute meatball right down the middle, slow, straight; the right was the opposite, a home run robbery over the outfield wall (I did have to jump and reach straight up/behind me)
 
Did some tendon damage in my left ankle over the summer so my daily mileage has been way down but still getting 45-50 miles a month. Finally got in a 5 mile run this morning and felt good.
Had something similar happen on the day I swapped over to some Vivibarefoot Primus Flows and it took over a month for me to get back out there. Had walked about in them for a few days to break them in before testing out a short easy lunch time run. 1.5 miles in, left calf was not happy. Finally getting back out there, just 5Ks lately, but feeling pretty good. Back in my old Brooks Ghost 16s though.
 
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