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Exercise

Chat to other fitness enthusiasts on our Exercise forum.

If you run three times per week?

31 replies

listoflists · 23/04/2023 07:01

How do you split your days and training style?

Do you do the same run each time or stick to long slow, speed and hills? If so in what order?

How much slower do you go on your long slow run?

How do you do your speed and hill runs?

Is there just a normal run where is not long or slow or fast, just a normal 5k?

OP posts:
LizziesTwin · 23/04/2023 07:04

One long - 10-14km, one with a purpose 6-9km (tempo, interval, hill), one easy (park run in the middle of it) 5-8km. Means I run about 100km a month but have time to do other things like weights & mobility.

RedTulipsSpring · 23/04/2023 07:10

It depends on what I feel I need and how my other runs have gone.
I run during my lunch when working from home so only have an hour. I tend to do one quicker 5k. I have 3 routes, one off road and quite challenging in terms of elevation, one quite flat and an in between road and off road. The 5k I will allow my HR to stay a little higher, a moderate 6-8k later in the week and then like yesterday I did 23k keeping my HR in zone 3-4.
Tuesday I will do a slow 5k because Im starting to taper for a half and I’ll be recovering a bit from yesterday. But might pick up the pace again later in the week.
I have been doing lots of HR zone running atm, I really need to start doing some intervals.

UnaOfStormhold · 23/04/2023 07:28

The general advice is to do about 80% low intensity running and 20% high intensity, and to avoid too much time in the "grey" zone in between which is faster than needed for the aerobic benefits and not fast enough for pushing your anaerobic and neuromuscular limits.

Iamblossom · 23/04/2023 08:00

2 or 3 x 6km trail runs, so sand, mud, hills.

1 x 10 km run on flat.

I'm not fast, takes me an hour to run 10km on flat, and about 38 mins to run 6km over hilly terrain.

xsquared · 23/04/2023 08:31

Intervals or speed session on Monday or Tuesday, which is usually 2km warm up followed by the session around 20 - 30 minutes.
Easy run the following day of around 8km.

Long Run on Friday with my running partner of no less than 16km.

Sunday is easy run day.

Chocolateteabag · 23/04/2023 16:51

I'm in a running club and try to get to a training night once a week (2 to choose from) which normally involves intervals/speed work

I then plan one longish easy run and one or two short but hilly runs

Sometimes a slowish group run if I can't get to training

I'm quite slow but I like the group work - I can't do intervals on my own!

LadyGardenersQuestionTime · 23/04/2023 17:09

3 x 5k a week, absolutely for health, very little pleasure and no wish to improve my speed or anything like that.
I have three routes which I do in rotation. We live in a valley so two start with an uphill bit but are then downhill all the way home; one is more flattish.
Each run takes me 3 hours - 2 hours to prevaricate, half an hour to run and half an hour to cool down/shower/feel smug.

OwlsDance · 23/04/2023 17:45

What are you trying to achieve? Without knowing this, it's a bit hard to answer your question.

Are you trying to just get faster in general? Get a better parking pb? Do you want to train for a specific distance in future? Or are you just running for general fitness/pleasure?

OwlsDance · 23/04/2023 17:45

Parkrun *

Tarantullah · 23/04/2023 18:18

It depends, I have a half marathon soon so I've been doing:

1 x long run (leisurely pace)
1 x Hill sprints or HIIT (depending on route)
1 x long run (timed)

When I started running though a few years back I did couch to 5k and then did a combo of endurance and performance runs.

Monkeytapper · 23/04/2023 18:26

1 parkrun - 5k ,so as fast as I can
Run club approx 7k and we live in a hilly area
1 longer run on my own about 10k leisurely pace

catinthesunshine · 23/04/2023 18:33

RedTulipsSpring · 23/04/2023 07:10

It depends on what I feel I need and how my other runs have gone.
I run during my lunch when working from home so only have an hour. I tend to do one quicker 5k. I have 3 routes, one off road and quite challenging in terms of elevation, one quite flat and an in between road and off road. The 5k I will allow my HR to stay a little higher, a moderate 6-8k later in the week and then like yesterday I did 23k keeping my HR in zone 3-4.
Tuesday I will do a slow 5k because Im starting to taper for a half and I’ll be recovering a bit from yesterday. But might pick up the pace again later in the week.
I have been doing lots of HR zone running atm, I really need to start doing some intervals.

How do you fit this in along with lunch and a shower, or do you eat and shower later?

LolaSmiles · 23/04/2023 18:46

I used to do Saturday morning Parkrun, one night club training session (usually a mix of tempo, hills, intervals, sprints), then for my other run I'd pick something different from the club training session.

If I was training for half marathons then I'd swap parkrun for a longer distance

Insertdeadcatsnamehere · 23/04/2023 19:09

I just run. Usually do 5k. Sometimes do a bit more and do a 10k maybe every couple of weeks when I've got the time. I have one pace for each distance, same route but repeat it for the 10k, it's fairly hilly and it's 32ish mins for 5k and 1 hr 12ish for 10k. Never really thought about heart rate etc, would like to be a bit faster but tbh I'm not prepared to put the work in. I mainly do it so I can still eat chocolate and not have to buy new clothes.

listoflists · 23/04/2023 19:28

OwlsDance · 23/04/2023 17:45

What are you trying to achieve? Without knowing this, it's a bit hard to answer your question.

Are you trying to just get faster in general? Get a better parking pb? Do you want to train for a specific distance in future? Or are you just running for general fitness/pleasure?

I'm slow so getting slightly less slow and build endurance for a half from 3-4 miles foundation.

Could run up to 3 x per week.

OP posts:
LizziesTwin · 23/04/2023 19:40

I found a running programme really helpful. There are lots, some free and others you have to pay for which are personalised.

RedTulipsSpring · 23/04/2023 19:44

catinthesunshine · 23/04/2023 18:33

How do you fit this in along with lunch and a shower, or do you eat and shower later?

A 5k is half an hour, 8k 45mins. Still time to prep some food and eat at my desk or I’ll eat pre-prepared left overs. I just sit in my filth until after work! Not too bad as am at home. Otherwise I’d never fit a run in as need the childcare!

Fernticket · 23/04/2023 19:46

LadyGardenersQuestionTime · 23/04/2023 17:09

3 x 5k a week, absolutely for health, very little pleasure and no wish to improve my speed or anything like that.
I have three routes which I do in rotation. We live in a valley so two start with an uphill bit but are then downhill all the way home; one is more flattish.
Each run takes me 3 hours - 2 hours to prevaricate, half an hour to run and half an hour to cool down/shower/feel smug.

This is very similar to me I do Parkrun and also try to do a couple of 5 Ks during the week.

AuntieStella · 23/04/2023 19:46

When I'm training properly I'd usually run 4x a week. One long easy/steady, one "challenge" (hills or intervals) and 2x just run for 3-5 miles (and it's one of those I'd drop if I only had time for three).

Plus at least one other form of exercise - often a pilates class or a session of a different sport (sometimes both, but can't always fit that in)

I'd say that if you want to run faster, you need to practice running faster. Making one of your runs fartlek might be a good plan

babyproblems · 23/04/2023 19:46

im exercising vicariously through all your posts here.. I used to run.. then I had a baby 😂 now 3 runs a week or even 1 or 2 is a pipe dream!!!!

RedTulipsSpring · 23/04/2023 19:47

I do yoga too and find that compliments running perfectly.

AuntieStella · 23/04/2023 19:53

I'm quite slow but I like the group work - I can't do intervals on my own!

This really resonates with me! If it's a club event, I I can do an intervals session pretty well. I'm usually one of the slower ones in the group (as I'm often the oldest by about 20 years) but it's a nice friendly club and really does cater for all abilities so I'm not left behind!

But on my own, I cheat at intervals. So that's why I have a route with hill repeats instead, as I can't cheat that!. I did it this morning, and have a lovely jagged profile on the tracker, showing the extra uphill effort.

listoflists · 23/04/2023 20:02

How do you do you do speed/interval/fartlek training sessions?

Are they the same thing?

OP posts:
AuntieStella · 23/04/2023 21:47

listoflists · 23/04/2023 20:02

How do you do you do speed/interval/fartlek training sessions?

Are they the same thing?

You decide that you're going to run faster in some sections of your run. There's no set formula.

With intervals, you decide how long you're going to run faster (doesn't have to be flat out top speed, just a decent increase on your easy/steady pace). Then decide how many times you're going to do it. And how long a jog you're going to have between each fast bit. (BTW you can get interval timer apps you can input all your choices in to, so you don't have to remember all this stuff on your run, just listen to the bleeps and change pace)

So for example, my last one was warm up, then 3 mins fast followed by 90sec jog, done 6 times, then cool down

The longer/faster the fast bits and the shorter the jogs, the more intense the workout. You can play with the timings, so for example, you can pyramid so your fast intervals are 1 min, 2 min, 3 min, 5 min, 3 min, 2 min, 1 min all off 90sec jog breaks.

Or do it by distance - I used to run hard up the long side of a footie pitch then jog back (that's when the worst cheating about the number of repetitions I was doing would creep in big time!)

Or just play. Fartlek is where you have no plan, just decide that when you fancy it, you'll fun a bit faster. Maybe until you've passed four lampposts, or once round the duckpond, or whatever. (This is the absolute easiest one to cheat! Well, for me, anyway)

Gingerwarthog · 23/04/2023 22:00

Usually:
Longer Club run on Sunday (between 6 and 8.5 miles)
Club run on Wednesday (usually 4-5 miles)
Run of 4 miles (with DH or DD)
In the Summer I'll add a session (4-5 miles)
Club routes tend to be hilly and we do a monthly sprint session.
I would recommend joining a club OP.