Speed...I am NOT speed! Help!?

Ok...so I have been looking at my times from '08 when i started running and I moved therough some really fast periods (FOR ME!). I started running in the 10:30 range and I was doing sort of a run walk and I only raced 5Ks...and lots of them. It took me a year to build up to racing a 10K. Since then I have been doing more distance ...and find that I enjoy it more....BUT and here is the but...I am getting slower. I ran a half (caveat - it was hilly as HELL and I was pleased just to finish due to hills and not really training correctly if at all) at the end of April with a 12:05 pace. My times have gotten a little faster with each race this season but not much.

Times thus far this season (2011)...
IU Mini (13.1) 2:38 Finish time Avg pace 12:05
Shamrock Shuffle 57:31 11:34
Soldier Field 10M 1:57 11:44
Race to the Taste 5K 34:16 11:02

My Marathon avg is 12:34 pace

So...I have read articles about speed work and really don't understand what it all means...I just head out and run. If I am forced to the TM I run at a steady pace till the last 1/4 mile and speed it up......only to finish the mile and then finish the pain of being on the TM.

So I guess what I am asking is if this slow down is normal with the addition of more distance or with age. Is there a way to work on it at all at my age (46)? I have only been running a few years and was never any kind of athlete before that at all. Should I be happy just to be running and enjoying it? Should I be content to just be able to run relatively pain free? I know I will never break the 10 min avg pace and I am cool with that...but I would like to get back to the 10's for shorter stretches.

I guess I knew that a beginning runner might want to increase distance and that was easy enough over time to accomplish but the speed thing, I am really not sure of....any help or advice would be welcome.

Great concerns!

I was going to give you a very detailed answer but then I decided lets keep it simple. I don't think your age 46 is any hindrance to doing speed work. Start slow and Knowing which speed work and taking recovery rest days becomes much more important however. (assuming your healthy with no major current or past injuries)

I am not sure if you are training for a specific race but you can look at different programs I would suggest Hal Higdons where he starts to incorporate some speed work in his Intermediate programs. I found this to be a great way to start with speed work and really develop comfort level with the understanding!

If you care here is more detailed information on my speed work sessions. If your running recovery runs maybe at 11:30 pace you can start to increase the pace based on the speed work below. You might incorporate one of these into your routine to start.


Keep in mind training at different speeds has different purposes. I put some speed work ideas with my pace so you can get an idea! I would say speed work really for me is GA or below. LSD runs are not speed work IMO although it is faster then recovery pace.

1. Recovery runs - this typically use a slow paced run super comfortable used usually after 1-2 days of hard running or a way to build up more mileage (9:30)
2. LSD run - which is comfortable but a bit faster I tend to be about 60+ seconds faster then recovery (8:30)
3. General Aerobic - GA - this I would call comfortable hard. About (8:00)
4. Tempo - I kind of like Hals tempo style for starters 30 to 60 min progessivly getting faster peaking at 10k pace then going back down. (go read up on his site about it he explains it very well).
5. FCR tempo - This is anywhere from 3-10 miles depending on who you are I usually stay from 4-7 @ 15k-HM. Around 7:10 pace for me.
6. Track workouts. repeats/intervals. This probably is the toughest on the body in the shortest amount of time. Meaning it is a compact workout with usually a warm up of 2 miles and cool down of 2 miles. Might be 400's 800's I like to do 6x800's @ 5k pace (6:30ish).

You can also incorporate strides at the end of a recovery run like 6-10 x 100meter. This is a good way to get quick turnover and I like to say clean out the pipes.

Hope this was helpful and I am sure others can give you a more specific advice.

Age should not be an issue. We consistently train in a 12 months horizon, I think we should improve.

I would ask is how you feel. I can feel I have fitness gain. I think if you feel you gain fitness, you have. Then the question becomes if you have the luck to show the results in races. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't.

If you don't feel fitness gain or feel comfortable at your training, AND you have been consistently training, I think a little, not much, of change in training is needed. For example, introducing tempo or switch to a short distance training with a little speed work, will do the trick. One change I have been trying and will be doing in fall marathon training is to up the pace a little in easy runs.

I have known others who complain their speed takes a hit when they start running distance, so you aren't alone. Yes, all those extra training miles make you more fit, and should enable you to run faster, but I think your sense of proper pace changes, and you automatically dial in a pace appropriate to a long distance race even when you run a 5k.

Kenny gave you a great run down of all your speed training options. Why not pick one and once a week run that. You'll get used to the sensation of running faster and will be able to apply that pace to a shorter race. I am a big fan of the tempo run, too. You start comfortably, then build to where it isn't so easy, hold that pace for a predetermined time, then bring it back down in a controlled fashion. Eight hundreds are good for 5k training. I think of them as running a 5K pace but with little breaks.

Thanks! I do think that my sense of speed has changed with the distance. Now I use the first 2-3 miles of my long runs to warm up and dial myself into my 'comfy pace'. I used to go all out when running a 5K...get winded...walk a bit and then take off again....over and over again until the finish. Now I am more like the energizer bunny...I keep going and going and going...I can run at a slower pace for miles and miles (26.2...to be exact!!) without walking other than for a quick drink of water here and there.

I do think that runner faster for a shorter time while training for Chicago again this summer might help me get into that 'burst of speed' mindset. I really stopped running 5k's all together for the $ and the fact that before I could get comfortable it was over!

I think I have to work on being uncomfortable during my weekly short runs. It does not help that my 'gym rat' non running hubby comments on my speed all the time! Really? But he is supportive most of the time so I take it with a grain of salt.

Thanks so much!

Personally - I don't think you need speed work. I think you need to run more mileage. As an experiment of one these are my experiences . . . Consistency is the #1 way to improve. Racing and speed work lead to more injuries than anything else. If you are injured and can't run - you can't improve. By running easy - but running as much as possible you WILL improve - you WILL get faster at EVERY distance.

I do most of my training above 9:00 pace. I mean day in and day out. 7 days a week. Two weeks ago I averaged 10:00 pace for the week (64 miles). But when I race - I race. And my aerobic base allows me to run faster (relatively; slow compared to a lot on these boards) for a long time. I have run 7:46 pace for the marathon and 6:42 pace for a 5K. I am hoping to run a 3:15 this fall which is 7:26 pace. I will do 95% of my runs at or around 9:00 pace. My first mile is always 10:00 or slower. If I feel good, I might run faster as I progress through the run.

Your age is not a limitation regarding speed work. Your musculature probably is . . . meaning are your bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles ready for for stress, strain, force that comes with speed work?

I don't mean to scare you away from speed work. I think every runner should try it and learn how to properly do speed work sessions. But do you need them in your training - I don't think so.

Seriously, speed is a relative term obviously. I feel like for shorter races intervals could definitely improve your finishing time, but with the marathon even pacing and knowing what you capable of is more important. You probably know this already, but McMillan calculator is great to plug in current and previous race times to get a feel for what pace to be shooting for for all the different workouts. The other thing would be developing good running form and posture. Other than that, just run and enjoy it for all the benefits it provides.

I don't think it is a question of formal speedwork or not. I think it is a matter of just mixing up your training from run to run. Run shorter and faster some days or throw in some faster paces in the middle of a run or run different routes with hills. I think the more variety you can add the more you will improve.

BTW, 46 is a great age and it definitely not too old.

My running group calls me an energizer bunny too, but sometimes you have to get a little uncomfortable and push yourself during your runs. I gained the most speed this last year by running with a faster friend who really pushes me. I feel badly asking to stop and walk so I push myself more to keep up with her and then eventually yes I do need a walk break but not as much as if I were just getting comfortable and running my own pace.

Your age is great. I think that's one of the more competitive age groups for women because in the 20s and 30s many women are recovering off and on from having babies.

Your age will not be a problem. The more you run and race, you will get faster for sure! Consistency and year-round training was the key for me to get my times down from a 2:33 half n 2005, year by year dropping to 2:26, 2:10, 2:05, 2:03, and finally 1:58!

I also started following the Intermediate Half plans in the spring, which I think helped me to get faster too.

I will enjoy reading more replies because I also want to get faster in the shorter distances!

I started running two years ago at the age of 53; first marathon in 4:18, then a PR 13 months later at 4:05

This most recent training cycle (for Grandma's Marathon) was my first where I did runs of varying paces; Intervals of 400, 800, 1600 and 3200m, threshold runs, MP runs, hill repeats and I quickly saw a dramatic drop in my overall average paces. My first 10 miles at Grandma's at 8:31 pace, by 13.1 I had dropped to 8:39 feeling the affect of a foot injury - but I will crush Chicago in 15 weeks! Look at the mix of run types in Hal's Advanced I plan, not that you have to follow it, but incorporate that kind of mix into your training.

You are never too old to get faster, and you are not even old.

I started integrating speed work into my training when I was 49. (I'm 52 now) So...you're still a relative youngster! My half marathon PR came when I was 51. (But I didn't start distance running until I was 40ish)
So, for one of my 3 runs each week, I would have 'speed' day. (now, keep in mind, speed is relative, too... my fastest is waaaay slower than some folks here can maintain for 26.2 miles)
I started with the tempo runs that Kenny described. Eventually, I began alternating the tempo runs with intervals. 800s. But I don't have easy access to a track, so I just run around the block. I know that from point a to b is about .5 mile...so I run hard for that distance, and then do a recovery jog (about .3 mile) until I get back to point a. I started with just 3 of those (with a warm up and cool down lap) then eventually was able to do 8. (that was as I was training for my half marathon PR).

I had been hanging out in the ~11:00/mile range for all of my runs. But my PR half marathon pace is 9:18. I believe that integrating speed work helped tremendously with my speed. Now, to be fair, I'd also lost about 20 pounds...so that helped with my speed, too.

I'm not training for anything in particular now, just running for 'fun'. I feel comfy running my shorter runs in the 9:30-9:45 pace, and my long runs are around 10:15.
When I identify another race, I'll start integrating speed work and hill work again....it's actually kind of FUN!