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Original poster

Am I always just going to be slow?

31 replies

Elbels · 16/01/2021 15:04

The great comparator Strava has just made me feel horribly depressed. Everyone I follow (friends, incorporating running around working and children rather than professional athletes) seems to be cracking out super quick times and I plod along at the same speed and never seem to improve.

I run around 40km a week and live in a very hilly area but my 1km time is rarely faster than 5.45 and if I do 5.30 splits for 5km I really feel like I'm pushing it. A couple of new runner friends consistently achieve under 5min kilometer splits and I just don't understand how!

Do I just accept this is me and that I should be proud going out every day and being motivated? If not how do I improve my speed?

OP posts:
AnnaSW1 · 16/01/2021 21:30

I'm slow too. It doesn't really matter!

fellrunner85 · 16/01/2021 21:28

5 mins different on a 5k is crazy; and won't be an issue with Strava. It'll be your GPS - were you running Strava using phone GPS rather than a watch? If so, that'll be it...

CMOTDibbler · 16/01/2021 21:26

What I've learnt from running is that I will never be fast. I can work hard on my speed and I never get below 25 min for 5km - it just doesn't happen for me. But I can trundle along at 30 min per km for 10 km, and 13.1 miles quite happily, so am pretty happy with that. And doing the training plans to get faster does not make me happy tbh

M0rT · 16/01/2021 21:26

I know nothing about running so can't advise on speed. But just wanted to say I avoid walking up hills if possible so to me your commitment and consistency to running in a hilly area is impressive.

Rgy3250999 · 16/01/2021 21:21

I wouldn’t pay much attention to Strava. I used it for a while but then I found the analysis bit where it gave elapsed time and this was far different from the moving time it puts on my profile - sometimes this could be 5 mins different on a 5k, despite me not stopping at all. It makes no sense and when you read up, it’s not very accurate.

fellrunner85 · 16/01/2021 16:34

Sounds obvious, but you've got to run faster to run faster. If you're doing 20-odd miles a week, all at a steady pace, you won't get any quicker because you're never asking your body to run faster - or showing it how.

Speed training is the key. When I first started running I got my 5k time down to 25mins very easily (basically just by running more!) but shaving extra time off after that takes proper effort- such as intervals, fartlek, or old-fashioned but effective 400s.

If you're not doing any speed work at the moment, I'd recommend making one of your weekly runs a speed session - warm up, intervals for 20 mins, then warm down. In time, you can start doing more structured stuff, but even one session a week to start with should have an impact. Good luck!

Oh - and ignore Strava. I'm fairly speedy but still a tortoise compared to running clubmates on Strava. Comparison does nobody any good. (Unless it's during a race of course!!)

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