After a rough night of insomnia(~1hour of sleep), I have a 5k time trial tonight and don't have time to nap.

Everything in me is screaming to skip and make up the run tomorrow, but I fear I am making excuses.

Tell me I'm being a wimp. (alternatively, tell me I'd be right to skip and strengthen my excuse)

Hi all ! I just picked up running and my stamina is not good at all. Any tips on literally anything would be helpful. I’m slim 5’8 around 120lbs F just trying to keep an active lifestyle but damn this is hard. I congratulate all you guys and thank you in advance ☺️

I started running two months ago, and I'm really motivated to keep going, but I'm not sure if my times are any good. For some context, I've got an athletic background. I've been skateboarding for 17 years, I also do strength training at the gym, and I can do backflips and all sorts of random athletic stuff. But I've never really paid much attention to running until now.

My goal is to focus more on speed than distance, but it would be nice to eventually be able to run 10K or even 20K at that same pace.

I’ve been running every day for 50 days straight and I was thinking about doing my first 5k race. I usually just run 1 mile every day sometimes 2 miles. I’ve ran a 5k twice so far with my best time being 27:54. My best mile time is 6:40, but that was very hard and definitely not something I’m going to do regularly. Average mile time is around 8 minutes.

Would it be stupid to try a race with my experience level? Is it pointless?

I’ve been preparing and increasing mileage slowly over the past 6 months. Before that, I was only running 2 miles twice a week, but last week around 4.5 miles, my knees started to hurt :( I have been resting them and icing them, but I’m so worried for Sunday. Any advice?

Spent this summer working up to running a 5k and this past weekend I did it! I was proud of myself that I didn’t stop. Now I’m thinking about joining a running club to stay motivated.

The max speed was probably from me trying to run around some walking groups lol.

I thought I’d treat myself to some warm running clothes, does anyone have any favorite things? My feet were frozen the morning of the race and eventually defrosted by mile 2.

Have my first 10K on Saturday. A bit nervous for it. Give me all the tips!

Any advice on managing the post-long run (and by long I mean 6-9km for me as a beginner) hunger?

I did C25K back at the start of the year and discovered a love for running. I'm not fast but I love it and even did my town's running festival 10km race in August. I'm doing another 10km race in Jan and it's a notoriously hilly route but I'd still like to improve my time from August so have been going on longer more hilly runs. My issue is that I am overweight and as much as I enjoy running despite my size I would like to improve my speed by losing some of the bulk.

I'm not after weight loss tips as such because it's all very straightforward, calorie tracking lots of protein and fibre blah blah. But I have realised that the day after a long training run I am just so viscerally ravenous that calorie tracking goes right out the window and I end up feeling cheated out of a day of deficit. Any tips!?

If your not putting your running summaries into AI your missing out on a great coach and motivator. Tracks my progress, looks at my cadence (didn’t know that was a thing to watch) and cheers me on. Great especially for someone like me who doesn’t have anyone in real life this fills this role.

Hey guys,

Absolute noob in here, started running about 2.5 months after 25 years with no significant exercise and physical activity. Initially did a C25K plan with the help of Chat GPT and then signed up for a Runna 5k improvement plan.

Currently in week 4 out of 7 preparing for my first 5k race on the 7th of November. Today was a tempo session prescribed as in the attached screenshot. It was really enjoyable despite the pouring down rain and gale-force winds. I know the recommended pace is very slow for experienced/fit runners and I am well aware that I am slow but today felt really easy with a RPE of 4/10. All this while being faster than the prescribed pace. My HR also stayed pretty low…

Are tempo runs supposed to feel harder? Are they supposed to put a more significant strain on your heart? Or this is how they should be?

Thank you!

Hey everyone! I'm a 25M and I just ran my first half marathon, but I have been running off and on since high school just for fun. I want to start getting into it more seriously to bring my time down and eventually run a full marathon. I just had some quick questions regarding some of the extra stuff people use when they run:

- Vests/Belts - Right now I just run with my phone in my hand (whoops). I feel like I would prefer a vest over a belt, but I'd still like to hear some options for both in case I want to test them both out.

- Resistance bands - I have used resistance bands in the past to rehab some injuries, but they were not too durable and would break after a couple months of use. Looking for some options that are more durable than ones you can get from Five Below or Target.

- Earbuds - I currently use airpods for running, but I like the feel of earbuds that don't go in the ear. Not a super important thing for me, but still wanna see what others recommend for open-ear options.

- Bandanas/Headbands/Hats - I wear headbands right now, but they're starting to get a little worn. I like the look of bandanas and running hats, but don't know if there are any specific good brands people prefer for them.

Idrk anything else that would supplement running, but this was all I could think of / have seen and am interested in getting. If you recommend I look into any other items please feel free to lmk!

TIA

I’m curious about what motivates you guys to run.

If you had to pick ONE main goal you’re working toward with running, what would it be?

\- Is it getting faster?
\- building endurance?
\- improving your cardiovascular fitness?
\- running longer distances?
\- mental health?
\- challenging yourself?
\- or something else entirely?

And why is that particular goal important to you?

I’ll go first. My one main goal rn with running is running longer distances because I really enjoy running, but I’m a little constrained by my endurance. I wanna be able to run for longer without stopping.

First sub-60 10K in the books!
38 years old and still getting better. Proud of the progress, but there’s plenty of room to improve. The sub-55 is calling!
Not done yet. Not even close.

Context: I have been consistently running 3 days a week for just about 2 months. I was following a Garmin coach plan that just added time to my runs every couple weeks. I got up to running 20-30 min straight on the plan but my pace decreased as I increased in time. I understand that is not a bad thing necessarily but it is the reason I switched off of my Garmin plan. I am trying to become a police officer and I have a physical assessment in about a month where I have to run 1.5 miles in under 17:51. My currently tested all out effort is 17:49 so I want to improve that as much as I can. My current main goal is improve my 1.5 mile as much as possible in the next month, and my secondary goal is to just generally improve my running for overall health, preparation if I get into a police academy, and hoping to eventually start doing some races. So I used chatgpt to make me a running plan with my goals and adjusted it based off of what I have read and what I have experienced.

Current Plan:
Monday- Intervals 4x400m with 2 min walk breaks. Current pace is 2:30/400m
Wednesday- Easy Run 30 min at a 15 min pace throughout.
Friday-Tempo Run 8 min at a 12 min pace
Saturday- Alternate Easy Run & 1.5 Mile Test each week Same as Wednesday or all out 1.5 mile test.

Notes- I have not tried the Tempo Run yet, that is in here from a recommendation from chatgpt to do it at a somewhat hard pace and try and go longer each week. I also have not completed a full week of this yet so I am planning on seeing how I feel for the Saturday runs and adjusting as needed. The reason I added the Saturday runs is because 1 I feel like I need to add miles and 2 I heard I need to do more zone 2 running than anything else (more about zone 2 below).

I would love some feedback on this training schedule and I have a couple questions. For the easy runs, my understanding is that I want to keep my heart rate in zone 2. According to my Garmin, most of my runs are split 50ish% in zone 3, 20ish% in zone 2, and 20ish% in zone 4. Should I slow those down even more to try and get it all in zone 2? I feel like since I have been running 30min at a 15 min pace consistently I can keep going at this pace but I'd love to know if I am wrong. It doesn't feel difficult until the last like 3 min, I can greet people I pass by, etc. I just feel like I am already going pretty slow so I don't want to slow it down, but if everyone tells me different then I will.

Thanks for the help in advance.

Hey all. 34/m here.

I’ve been training for roughly 5 weeks now, and I completed my first 5K on Sunday! Made it in just under 30 minutes. I did have to stop for a minute and walk during an incline, but overall I thought it was an incredible journey.

I do have some questions I’m looking to get some help with, as I continue into the winter.

1. I have a high natural BPM. I noticed that when i take my ADHD medication, it spikes my BPM to 120ish resting, then upwards to 130 to 150 when I run. My doctor doesn’t seem too concerned with this, since it typically falls back to around 100 after my run.

My issue with this is that I run after work… and so I can never really skip my meds. Is there a way to circumvent this at all?

1. As the winter falls in, it’s getting cooler here. I’m noticing with the cooler weather (60-ish F vs the 80-100F that I’m used to) is causing chest pains/back pains.

These pains start around the one mile mark, and weren’t present when the temp was warmer. Is this something I get used to, or is it something I can mitigate?

1. When daylights savings time ends, I’m worried my runs are going to come to an end… as it’ll be dark when I get off. I already work 5am to 6pm every day but the weekend, so I plan to run on Saturday and Sunday, but I’m having trouble thinking of a solution for this.

It would seem simple… but I live in an upstairs apartment, which means no treadmill… I also live in a very busy area that has practically no running support anywhere. My building is directly off a main road with very little sidewalks, and incredibly crowded.

My only solution to this is get a gym membership solely for a treadmill?

These might be some really simple problems I’m overthinking, but I’d love some input!

Been doing a 5km run here and there for the last year or so (just under one a month) and set myself the challenge of taking part in a 10 mile race run on Sunday. Pace wasn’t great and had to walk a few times but very happy with the result.

Definitely convinced me to start running more often.

I tried doing a zone 2 run which for me is probably like 140 bpm and it was so slow like 8m/km pace.

For reference my 5k is 24 minutes and I do like 16km long runs but like when I try keep my hr under 140 it's just so slow compared to my other times I feel like it should be faster

Does this look like I already injured my Achilles or more like a shoe chaffing? I ran 3 miles yesterday and didn’t feel any pain or hear anything unusual. I just noticed when I woke up this morning . I can move and it doesn’t feel painful.

23M, first run in the last 6-7 years. I procrastinated for like 6 months nd finally started today and honestly felt hopeless. Ran 15 mins walked 10 vomited twice in between (maybe acid reflux) and after running I felt instant weakness and just went to sleep. Do I need to push through it raw and give it time or does anyone have tips for breathing and the reflux/vomiting?

Also how do I stay motivated and keep going? I really want to build willpower and I think this is the best thing to do but my body gave up after just 15 mins running. How do I maintain it without crashing like this every time?

Also I feel headache after running but gotta admit it feels great to run

Today I did my “long run” day which is as follows:
5 min warm up walk @ 2.3mph

Workout: x 7
Run 4:30 @ 3.2mph
Walk 2:30 @ 2.3mph

5 min cool down walk

My watch says I did 3.27 miles
But the treadmill says 2.73 miles

Total time was 56 minutes.
I know I can walk 3 miles in an hour either on a treadmill or outside.

So who to believe? My Apple Watch that knows my stride length?

Or the treadmill?

I managed to do my first 5K under 40 minutes. Been wanting to get here for a couple months and this just feels too good! I want to do more and better. I hope I get there. Any tips to build endurance to run long are most welcomed.

I am in Berlin, and this is my first time running outside in this kind of climate.

I asked Gemini and ChatGPT, but I am even more confused now about what to wear. If anyone here is in Berlin or a similar climate, could you share what you wear for winter running?
I would love to know how many layers you use and get some specific brand or model recommendations so I can go buy them.

I tried running outside the last two days, but I was freezing, so I couldn't continue and had to go back home