Am I always just going to be slow?

[Elbels]

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?

The thing is anyone can train to run faster diet, rest days ,training plans interval and hill work you will speed up.
And as a result of that all the fun and joy is sucked out of it .You end up obsessed with times/pace and no doubt injured.

Or, more likely, you might enjoy being faster, fitter and stronger and not get injured?!

I'm the same as @Annoy

My fastest 5k EVER was 31.40. I average around 35 mins. I'm quite happy to bash out a 10k a couple of times a week but it's always the same speed. An average of just under 7k per minute.

I know I need to do speed training but it's much easier just to bustle along burning some calories. Proper training is difficult! You sound super duper fast to me

I think it depends on your motivation behind running. I run 4-5 times a week and apart from my long Sunday run (when I do up to about 20 km) or if I'm figuring out the distance of a new route, I very rarely track my times now. I agree with rwalker - it is liberating and means that I can just enjoy getting out and running, without feeling like I'm never quite fast enough.

@Minikievs

I'm the same as *@Annoy*

My fastest 5k EVER was 31.40. I average around 35 mins. I'm quite happy to bash out a 10k a couple of times a week but it's always the same speed. An average of just under 7k per minute.

I know I need to do speed training but it's much easier just to bustle along burning some calories. Proper training is difficult! You sound super duper fast to me

Do you enjoy yourself though? I do 😀 I like g along looking at the sheep in my own little world 🤣

Are they doing the same routes? Mud, traffic and hills slow you down.

If you would like to run faster then do some speed training, do plyometric exercises to strengthen your muscles and improve your explosive power, and make sure you eat to fuel.

@Annoy I like the cake/chocolate/chips that I reward myself with afterwards much more than I enjoy the run itself

I am running more now the gym is closed but running is SO much better for my mental health. I feel much better after a run than after a gym session. Must make sure I keep on running after lockdown ends