This guy on youtube has some really good running technique videos.

https://www.youtube.com/@SpringSnabbare

Anonymous wrote:How is 11:20 on the slower end? I seriously hate people like you. Should I apologize for my 12 minute miles? NO, because it's still better than most people, and the only one I'm competing with is myself. I refuse to offer advice to you.

MEOW!

Guys I run with that are in the 40s like me say they are getting slow and can still run 5s. Who cares. Have fun. Get your heart rate up. Don’t forget to hydrate.

Anonymous wrote:How is 11:20 on the slower end? I seriously hate people like you. Should I apologize for my 12 minute miles? NO, because it's still better than most people, and the only one I'm competing with is myself. I refuse to offer advice to you.

Dear god stop taking thing so personally. OP wasn't criticizing you or those who run slower than 11:20. Just asking how to increase speed.

and in terms of running 11:20 is on the slower side, as is 12 mm. I say that as someone who used to run around 11-12 and is probably even slower now. Not a big deal. I was in a running group with women who ran 6mm and no one ever made me feel less than. You are internalizing.

How is 11:20 on the slower end? I seriously hate people like you. Should I apologize for my 12 minute miles? NO, because it's still better than most people, and the only one I'm competing with is myself. I refuse to offer advice to you.

I have no advice but I do want to put out there that 11:20 for someone in their mid 40s is not necessarily "on the slow side" for someone of your age and gender.

https://www.healthline.com/health/average-mile-time#by-age

I run about a 10 minute mile if I'm just doing a mile, and an 11 minute mile if I'm doing a 5K. I always think back to when I first started running -- when I was 20 (wow, a long time ago) and trying to get to an 8 minute mile or so, but it's totally natural for your base run time to increase as you get older.

Some good advice here, some less good advice.

First of all, congratulations on your consistency. YES, it is paying off.

As someone new to "speedwork," here's what I would advise. First of all, pick one day a week where you will start to work on speed. Keep all your other days more or less the same.

Second, on your new speedwork day, try ONE of these two things a.) Fartlek. This means "speed play." Go out at your normal pace, but then start setting little goals to try running faster. Pick a park bench, a mailbox, etc., that you can see and run fast to get to it. Then jog for a bit. Then pick a new milestone. Do this over and over, just having fun feeling the faster pace. OR b.) Strides. When you're almost done with your regular run, try running fast for 30-second intervals. The first time, do maybe three of these little bursts. Then build up more over time.

When you've started getting the feel for things like this, try some quarter-mile intervals on a trail, track, or treadmill. All are fine. I'd start with four one week. Assuming you feel good, try six the next week. Then you can try a couple of half-mile intervals. What I mean by this is: Go out and run slow for about a mile. Then pick up the pace for a quarter mile. Then run slow for a quarter mile. Then fast again. Then slow again. End with some extra time running slowly to cool down.

Running on hilly routes also makes you faster.

Speed intervals on a treadmill is whats worked for me in the past. You could do the same outdoors at a track.

Are you strength training as well? I started going much harder at weight lifting about a year and half ago and while my pace has not significantly improved I "feel" a lot stronger out there and know that I could push harder if I wanted to.

In your mind visualize stretching your legs out longer with each stride. Being more aware of what my body's doing when I'm running (instead of just zoning out and going on autopilot) helps me focus on my form and stride.

Lastly cut back the carbs and salty stuff. All that stuff makes you tend you hold water which can make it more difficult to push harder. And also just losing weight in general. Lighter = moving less weight = faster. Generally speaking.

most of your runs should be longer and slower to build up base miles. 2x a week warm up with an easy mile then do hard intervals then cool down with an easy mile. If you are doing intervals hard enough you shouldn't be able to do them anymore than 3x a week.

volume- more miles

intervals- bursts of faster speed.

Overall though it is usually suggested that you increase mileage before working on speed. You also don't want to try to run faster/work on speed during every run. The vast majority of your runs should be at a slower pace.

I got faster during covid simply because I was running a lot more.

Running with people who are faster than me also got me faster.

Moving your arms faster is a way to force your turnover up.

Anonymous wrote:Definitely more intervals. Like half your workouts.

1 of 2 things will be happening if you are running “intervals” for half your workouts, regardless of fitness level or age.

1) You aren’t actually running hard enough.

2) You are setting yourself up for injury.

Or both.

Running progression and structured training is so well mapped out now it’s hilarious. Easy days easy/hard days hard.

OP, decide a distance and get a program. Do the base phase over and over again for a while and get your cardio base stronger. Pick a race, do the balance of the program, and go run that race.

Definitely more intervals. Like half your workouts.

More interval training. Vary your speeds during practice runs, with your sprints getting longer

Volume and periodized training. I would do a more advanced version of a 10k plan you could find online and follow that. Some people get value in cycling as cross training to run faster, some don’t. I get a lot of value out of both. Tons of resources online about this stuff.

In the end, lots of junk miles won’t help you much if they are unstructured.

I'm in my mid-40s and am running on a more regular schedule and getting into the groove of it. I've run a few 10ks and 5ks the past 6-8 months and I'd like to improve my speed. Right now I'm averaging an 11:20 mile which I know is on the slower end, but I'd like to get it under 11 and figure out appropriate splits. What does it take to get there? I alternate running and Peloton (bike) 5-6 days a week and normally my runs are like 2-3 miles, unless I'm working up to a 10k and I'll throw in a 4-5 mile run once a week. I usually do Peloton run workouts and throw in hiit or their interval runs from time to time. Is it just consistency that builds up better speed? OVer the past year, my speed has improved quite a bit so I'm thinking consistency is key and I've never been this consistent in the past--would run a 5k and then put running aside for awhile, but over the past year (and I think having my tread now helps), I am consistently logging 8-9ish miles a week.