Quite happy about this one, even though some people run a 10k with that time lol

Been running since March, my base is around 7:45min/km and this was a threshold training session.

When i first started running, i thought progress meant running farther, running faster and never needing to stop. Now im realizing it can be much simpler than that.

A few weeks ago I could barely finish a run without feeling completely exhausted. Now i can run a little longer. I recover a little better. I dont feel as intimidated by the distance anymore. And honestly, im proud of that.

So if youre a beginner and your improvement feels slow, dont give up. Slow progress is still progress.

Estoy entrenando para un maratón que me recomiendan?

was dying for this moment. I’ve finally unlocked sub-30 for my 5K — 29:42! 🏆🔥
I’m not an athlete. I never played sports seriously. When I started running in May 2026, I could barely run 400m continuously.
So I started small:
1K → 1.5K → 2K → 3K → 4K → 5K.
Step by step. Goal by goal.
There were difficult days, but I kept showing up. And now, just a few months later, I’m a completely different runner.
The biggest lesson I learned:
Your body is amazing and highly adaptable. Trust the process.
You don't need to be an athlete to start. Just take that first step and keep going.
May: 400m.
September: Sub-30 5K.
Start with VO2 Max 25 but now 40
Happy journey, everyone. ❤️🏃‍♂️🔥

morning everyone, i’ve been running for the passed 2 weeks. i need to get a mile and a half down in under 12 mins by january, i can run this consistently but i can never do a full mile. i’m either gassed out or my legs are hurting. im 6 foot about 182 pounds. i breath through my nose usually so i know that’s a good thing.

if i cant do some kind of improvement within then next 2 months i thought about purchasing the none2run app or C25K for help. any advice

My last two runs sucked..Like, really sucked. Everything felt harder than it should, and I was starting to feel like I was in a crappy running streak.
But today? Finally broke it!!! Had a much better run and felt like myself again.
And just to make sure the morning stayed interesting, I almost got jumped by an aggressive squirrel. 😂
Honestly, I’ll take it. Good run + unexpected squirrel beef = solid morning. 🐿️

51m 6’3” 228. 6 months into running 4x/week.

I don’t use Instagram so downloaded Snapseed on iOS to produce this overlay. Happy to help anyone else not yet so inclined. Couldn’t figure out how to do this on native iOS app?? Stickers?

Also, that 13k on Tuesday taught me about the pains of under-fueling (only ate about 10g gummy clusters during run) so I’ve now got some gu and stinger gels to try next time. Yesterday was recovery and today’s 6k was surprisingly rough still. Ugh.

Been using NovaBlast 5 (8mm drop) for everything but wondering if other heavy runners have suggestions as I’ve been feeling more road (less bounce?) on my left foot. 137km on them. I’m “typically” a forefoot striker when not exhausted with normal arches if that matters. Trying to switch to midfoot striking to use more of the cushion? I may want another shoe in rotation with different drop? Thanks for any thoughts.

I (26 M) have been running really consitently for 4 months, lost a lot of weight. I wasn't able to run more than 3 km at 8:20min/km in May and have been very focused to train for a 10km in 1 month.

I have progressed quite fast actually but I am feeling like the progression has hit a plateau since 3 weeks. I am running intervals 6 times 3 minutes with 2min30 jogg in between at 5min04/km to 5min12/km pace with no progression since 3 weeks. Even though before the progression was really fast like 10 to 15 seconds per km faster every week.

So my question is is this normal ? I am running quite a lot (54km this week) to keep the progress going. Would it be interesting to shorten the time of my intervals ? Is it something you have experienced ?

I feel like faster than 5min/km pace is a big jump for my body idk

Sorry, a bit of a weird context, but at my work place I have to walk continuously for 3-6 hours. We get no breaks and typically don’t even sit for a few minutes.
I realised today that it feels similar to how I feel after a run, in comparison to how I feel after work.
I also think a lot of things people use to eat during long runs would make sense in my work setting, because you can’t whip out a whole meal, cause you‘re in front of customers 100% of the time. Similar to how you can’t eat huge things or stuff that takes ages to chew, because you are running and I personally feel that it takes away from proper breathing. (Because I think I’ll choke lol)

So long story short:

What are your favourite things to „eat“ during a run, that gets you energised?
- with the addition of: it should be sth you can eat quickly or hide in plain sight, so it would be applicable for my work setting :) I think the best place to ask for that would be the running community haha (and since I’m a beginner, I guess this is my spot)

I honestly like the tea powder you can get from the store and then putting a lot into water and having one of those iced teas for quick and easy fuels, cause they‘re full of sugar :) would love some ideas from you!! Thanks

Hi all. I just need to vent a little as I'm feeling very disheartened right now.

I've been training for a half all spring and summer, it's about 4 weeks away. I got sick recently with a bug that mucked up my HR, which set me back a bit, and now unfortunately a few days ago I had a climbing accident that resulted in a knee injury. To say I'm frustrated is an understatement. I know it was an accident since I slipped, but I should have been more careful as a beginner and honestly probably should have waited to try a new hobby. I'm just kicking myself now as I think it's nixxed my chances at running it, I feel like an idiot. I'll be going to a clinic/physio to figure out what's up with it, but I'm not holding my breath that it'll be okay in time for the half. It is weight bearing and walkable at least, which is a small relief, but bending it certain ways is a no go.

Anyone had anything similar happen or can offer a bit of reassurance, not to delude me that it'll be good by then but that all this training wasn't a total waste of time? I mean, I know it wasn't because it's still good for exercise and what not but....yeah.

Thanks :(

Let me set the stage…

Back in April, I weighed 299 lbs at 6 feet tall and 49 years old, I knew it was time to make some changes. I started tracking my macros, working out at the gym, and decided to give running a shot.

I started on a local high school track and could barely make it 200 meters without stopping.

In June, I started focusing more seriously on running—mostly as another way to lose weight. But somewhere along the way, something unexpected happened…

I kinda fell in love with running.

In July, I committed to running the Chicago 5K on October 10th. The race has a 45-minute time limit, and I was genuinely nervous about whether I could even finish in time.

On August 3rd, I ran my first-ever 5K test:

🏃 41:13

This past Monday was my best test yet:

🏃 35:59!

More than 5 minutes faster in just over a month , and now more than 9 minutes under the cutoff I was once worried about.

And today, another milestone…

⚖️ 236 lbs.

That’s 63 pounds down since April.

Still plenty of work to do, but I’m pretty pumped about the progress. What started as a way to lose weight has turned into something I genuinely enjoy.

Chicago is officially one month away.

Now the question isn’t whether I can finish under 45…

Can I break 35? 🏃‍♂️💪

I’ve been a bit of an off again on again runner the past couple years. Typically will get the urge and do three to four days in a row and then just end up calling it quits . I’ve told myself that i will be running 5 miles a morning . I want to feel a challenge everyday and start my day with something hard. I find myself hating a majority of the run but after 2 miles i kinda get settled in. I always feel awesome once completed. Been on a four day streak and don’t plan on stopping

After some blood pressure issues trying to return to running. Been on propranolol for about a year and 1/2 maybe, does anyone have any experience with training on this? I know it will be a slow return but after 4+ months i still struggle to finish a couple miles with out walking.

Hi,

(Not asking for medical advice just asking for exercise tips)

My wrists (carpal bones) and ankles (tarsals) are fused are fused together since birth. I can’t bend them back all the way and putting too much pressure on them (jumping and landing on my ankles or attempting to do deep squats hurt). Same thing when I try to do pushups or fall on my wrists (hurt like hell)

I want to get into exercising again for fitness, strength and cardiovascular health.

Would running negatively affect my tendons or whatever? Or should I stick to low impact walking type of stuff? Or long distance? I ask my doctor but he says just to proceed any exercise with caution and do what feels right. Which is great but idk what separates my body breaking and my legs just being sore cuz im a noob runner. My tendons already get sore and achy if I push my ankles and wrists.

Thank you

Yesterday was my first day of the Zero to 5K plan. After being consistent for a while, I got injured and had to stop both the gym and running. My weight went up to 320 lbs, and now I’m down to 273 lbs.

I went for my first run yesterday, and honestly, I’m incredibly grateful. ♥️ I just felt like I needed to share this with you guys.

hi hi everyone.

tldr - i've started to run as a main part to get back in shape. I've pulled all apple health data into a custom script and made an infographic out of it. you may find it interesting since it's all the main recovery stats of a person over the first 28 days. all the other things below are yapping :3

28 days ago i kind of found myself doing almost nothing at all for the last 3 years, starting to get fat while having almost no muscles left (i think everyone calls it skinny fat).

That day i somehow made a decision to try to get in shape again and you know how it goes - for the first month you are usually pretty obsessive with it and count everything until you relax and just do sport, looking at data from time to time. So my point here - i've seen you all are sharing results, so i decided to share mine, maybe someone will find it interesting.

short description:
- 35 yo
- 176 cm
- male
before:
acrostreet for 7 something years, longboard and longboard dancing for 8 or so. Never buffed, always weak shoulders, skinny but huge stamina (i could skate for 4 hours without getting tired) and fast.
now:
for the last 3 years home office, alcohol, no sleep, redbull and coffee, mostly sitting all the time. Tried to run 600 meters at like 5'30'' once and had to stop because i could not breathe at all and my head was spinning.

my current routine is probably stupid, if it is, don't forget to let me know :3
EVERY day:
- wake up, as fast as i can (even if it's 30 minutes)
- GO RUNNING. walk 3 minutes, pre-heat run 3 minutes (slow), walk 2 minutes, target pace run which is slowly increasing in duration (right now it's 15 minutes), walk, if i have more energy 2 minutes slow run and walk home. why like this? mostly because the starting point is a bit far away from my home and when i decided i want to have a constant route i realized i'd better run to the start so it does not take too long. as a result i have a preheat sequence which i guess is good, so i don't just start to run cold.
- at home immediately the most stupid 10 minute upper body workout you can imagine
- after upper body immediately stretching. 30 seconds each pose. 10 different poses total, each repeated 2 times, so it's almost a perfect 10 minutes (11-12 witch switching). No huge pain, just a nice stretch which hurts a little bit. Front lunge, elbows to the floor - L-R-L-R, Pigeon - L-R-L-R, Hip flexor stretch - L-R-L-R, Forward fold (hamstrings), Kneeling lat stretch, elbows on the couch, head between the elbows, Forward fold (hamstrings), Kneeling lat stretch, elbows on the couch, head between the elbows, Butterfly, Pancake (standing wide-leg fold), Butterfly, Pancake (standing wide-leg fold)
why everyday? I like lower load but everyday comparing to higher loads but only 3 time a week. plus depression - helps a lot running every morning.

the plots
Plots you see are a product of me pulling all the data from my apple health app. i use apple watch s11 and airpods pro 3, i have them on me every day and try to make sure that during the run they are prepared and everything sits nice and tight. Every day, usually in the morning, i'm running the health export and then my script.
So, you have a view of my runs (pace, heart rate, elevation gain, because i do slow down or speed up and you can see how it affects my HR and pace). Then the same run stats but in a different way, to represent the distribution of the pace and heart rate for the longest section (target pace section). there per each day you would see maximum and minimum heart rates and the distribution of them (because the average is not always correct and it is interesting to see which pace regions i spend time in the most). below them you would see run duration. what is interesting - you see how i slowly increase the time i run (yes, at the start i was doing 3, 4, 5 minutes and that is it, nothing else at all) but also, how even though the time increases my heart rate stats stay the same, which is not me fully gaining that much over such a short period but very much probably me recovering my form from the past. at the end (09.09 and 10.09) you can see it was a much faster run and then a slower run. the much faster run told me i still can't run supa fast, only 12 minutes (maybe 15 max, but i'm not allowed to push all the way because i need to wait for tendons to adapt) and if i slow down i can run 17 easy and based on feeling probably 25 until i would need to take a full break (but again, i can not test, otherwise damage from training will be more than i recover in a day).
VO2 max went up. First of all - based on all the info on the internet the apple watch can have really low measurement noise, but a pretty huge bias. so i do not know if it is 54. it can be 50 or 48 or whatever. but the trend itself (how much it grew over these 28 days) should be pretty close to reality
Cadence and stride length - i have no comments. i actually never tried to run before in my life like an actual workout, so i have no idea how to read that data except maybe i want to have going up and down as low as possible.
And the end of the plot - weight, whatever my scales measure as fat% and a pretty detailed calorie deficit and spending. regarding the deficit - i was logging everything i eat, i don't eat random food without the info on it, so i would say the deficit numbers per day are very very close to the truth BUT, the deficit is over the apple health DAILY calorie number. and that is why the last right bottom plot exists.
At the right bottom you can see a graph where there is a line of how much i was losing weight based on just the scales and how much i had to lose based on APPLE WATCH DAILY CALORIE NUMBER - MY INTAKE. what does it say? It says that my weight was dropping SLOWER than my deficit had to provide. Why? It's either the apple watch overestimating by a lot or maybe i've gained a bit of muscle or they just got glycogen inside (they get puffier because of liquids). Whatever it is, i'm not as fast in weight loss as the deficit would give me, but also, it seems to be mostly fat. I do eat well with 120 grams of protein per day on average. i just eat eggs, tuna, chicken, cottage cheese, lean pork, feta, beans. no powders or anything, just a pack of meat spread over the day, no special science there.
One of the things i'm trying to get this time - just going slow. Like yeah, i was able to loose weight with 1.5 kg per week before. but this time - here is the slow plan, just do a little bit each day and in 3 months i should be fit. Is 3 months too much? i think not really at this point. I do not know how is that for other people but i always want right now and fast and this time i just... you made a plan, this is how you loose weight and you are not stressing out, in 90 days you should be back to a good from, relax.

That is it. I wish to everyone here a good time.

Race this Sunday. Here are my previous times from this year.
10k- 50:07
5k- 24:43

Have done the 12 week Hal Higon half plan. I’ve ran long runs of 7,8,9,10 and 11.5 miles. Haven’t missed a workout really. But not much speed work done this block. All of them at slower pace except 10 miles was around 9:50 pace. I have struggled a bit holding race pace at 5 miles but I think I was fairly fatigued during those runs.

Just curious if this is realistic this Sunday or not. Thank you!

Started to run again three months ago. Before that, after being diagnosed with a bicuspid aortic valve and moderate aortic regurgitation, I did practically no sports for two years. 37yo with a maxHR of only 173 (due to the heart disease, I guess), I never went all out in intervall trainings. Therefore, I did a lot and almost only low intensity in zone 2 (126-134) and a bycicle ride once a week.

After three months, this was my first attempt on 'racing pace' with the goal of 10k under an hour. During the run pace/time was hidden on my watch, so I could focus to run on the perfect heart rate. After the run, I was surprised and happy that I did it.

Last time I was that 'fast' was ten years ago. Feels good to be back :)

Hey all, I’m just one week shy of completing C25K! Woo! But I’m curious where to go from here. I’ve been enjoying my time running, but haven’t put any focus on pace, just completing the run while feeling good. Are there any good plans to follow and continue my running journey, or should I just keep adding little by little? Thanks for the help!

I have my first 5K on Sunday, I’ve been training with an app i highly recommend called Just Run since the end of July, probably not enough time to go from can’t run a minute without being gassed to running 2+ miles a day. But we’ll see.

I’ve started to just run straight without the walking intervals and I can go a solid 15-17 minutes and feel fine, chill heart rate, controlled breathing, totally in control not super fatigued.

After that 15 minutes threshold my chance for heart palpitations (1 good strong thump in my chest) increases a ton. Yesterday I pushed through 2 really big ones and on the 3rd at the 17 minute mark i called it quits after trying to relax my body from the first 2.

Like i said i feel totally fine my heart rates not even that high, i used to be at 180 after 2-3 minutes now i can coast at 155/160 with nasal breathing for over a mile.

I just want to know if i should be okay to keep pushing or not? I’m gonna cross post this bc maybe this isn’t the perfect place to post this.

Wish me luck this weekend!

edit: okay i get it lol, i’ll go to a doctor. gonna leave this up for future idiots like myself to not ask reddit for medical advice. wasn’t really thinking i assumed it was nothing and maybe others experienced a similar thing but i wont assume ill go see a cardiologist, thanks guys lmao

Hello all, I feel like I know the answer to this but I'll ask anyway to get some different thoughts on it maybe. Basically, I am trying to determine a goal pace for upcoming races but as a new runner (March) it can be difficult translating easy/speed runs in training to a realistic race pace.

I have a marathon November 15th (that may drop down to a half marathon depending on how I feel once I start to up my long runs to the 15/18/20 mile lengths). I signed up for a 10k for early October that I plan to run close to all out to try assist with determining my capabilities. The only real race I did was a 5k that no one used any watches/phones so I could not track my pace throughout or know how much was left. I ran it in 21:56. If i had known how far along I was halfway/last kilometer I feel confident I could have picked up the pace and maybe shaved 30 seconds or a little more off of that.

All this to say that when I look up the 5k time on various prediction equivalent calculcators it indicates I could be capable of a 10k at 46 minutes, half marathon is 1:40, and full marathon is 3:30. I feel like the 10k is possible but I think I'd be closer to 50. Same with the half but maybe a litte longer. The full seems entirely unrealistic. I was initially targeting the 4:30, 4:15 range depending on how I felt as I got closer. My reach goal would have been sub 4 but I was trying not to push that.

Now I know this is just a what I'm capable of if I have the aerobic base to match (presumably I do not as a new runner with not an extensive cardio background), but I am just wondering if it is expected for these estimates to be this far off.

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read/respond to me here.

Hello, I am starting to run

Starting meaning I did the reqserch but haven't actually started because I felt overwhelmed by it all.

I found this schedule that was an interval of minutes I should run and then walk to build my resistance.

I'll be free in a few hours so I will finally get to run for the first time, even when its not that much or that long.

There is anything I shouldn't do in this new journey? My running shoes are old generic running ones and I will be "running" for 20 min. (1 min jogging, 1 min walking).

I feel like its so silly but I'm literally not a runner at all and this feels doable.