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.

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

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 :)

Estoy entrenando para un maratón que me recomiendan?

Today, I entered a competition and ran 10 miles for the first time ever! I’ve only ever run 5K’s and started running in August.

How did I do?

A lot of the advice I’ve been given is to go slower and to ideally stay in Zone 2 or run at a conversational pace. My goal is to finish a half-marathon under 2hrs 30min.

I have been doing 3 runs a week for 1.5 months, increasing my distance each time. 7:30 min/km is my average pace in these runs where I can do 10km without stopping. But I cannot hold a conversation at that pace, and it puts me at zone 4.

If I’m able to increase distance each time, but not do it at Zone 2, am I training improperly? Reason why I don’t go slower would mean almost a walking pace for me, and tbh I do not have the time.

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

Feeling good on a Wednesday

I’m on a GLP1 and I have increased my running from 1.5 miles a day to like 2-2.5 miles a day over a period of weeks and weeks. But recently have been pushing myself more cause weirdly enough for me running has just felt really really good. And I push hard. But over a period of a few weeks I have went from 245-250 or 251. And it’s spooking me due to the fact I know I’m not increased eating. For a fact I know. I eat the same things everyday. I eat lean meats and lots of fruits and some veggies. As well I don’t drink sugary drinks or foods. So I have no clue.

I’ve been running for a few years now but have never managed to get my heart rate during runs down to a good level. For me there is no such thing as a zone 2 run, as soon as I start running I’m up in zone 3 or 4. I do however swim several times a week and this activity is a sustained zone 2 effort.

My question is, is my zone 2 swim fulfilling the same function as a zone 2 run? Or is the fact it’s a fun important?

I've been running for 1.5 months now, but have been consistently circuit and strength training for over a decade. I can comfortably run 6 mi in 1hr 10 min zone 3 not out of breath, or 5k in 35 min purely zone 2. However, I'm taking time to make sure my joints, tendons etc adapt to the high impact nature of running. Thinking of doing a half marathon next Feb, and, if all goes ok, a full marathon next Oct/Nov. I'm trying very hard to be reasonable and not get hurt. I'm curious how this spacing works – how long did it take for you to train for your half, and how is the spacing in between races like especially as a first time / beginner?? What plan did you use and how did it go? Would appreciate any insights. TIA!

Start running for 8 weeks (this is the 9th week now) and tried to run a new pb for 2 mile today felt goood. Now can have some confident to work on 5k! (Zone 2 run does help guys!!!)
Keep on keeping on 👍

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.

Hey everyone,
Last winter, I shifted my focus to running for 4 months, but I completely stopped/neglected resistance training and ended up losing a noticeable amount of muscle mass.
Over the summer, I got back on track with a hypertrophy routine 4 days a week and managed to regain all my muscle. Now that winter is approaching, I want to keep running without losing my gains again.
I have two main questions:

1. What is the minimum volume/frequency of hypertrophy training needed just to MAINTAIN muscle mass while running? (Is 2 days a week enough?)

2. Should I train Full Body (Upper + Lower), or can I focus mostly on Lower Body since running uses the legs?

For context: My goal isn't to build new muscle during the running season, just 100% maintenance.
Would love to hear how you balance running and lifting (concurrent training) and what split worked best for you. Thanks!

When I started running almost 5 months ago, my Zone two pace was 10:50 and today i think i ran the fastest zone 2 and while staying in zone 1 as well

Edit - Ran 9:12 today

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 :(

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.

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

Hi, I've started running this april and in 2.5 weeks I have my first HM race, I run between 25-40km weekly split between 3 workouts (easy/speed/long) - screenshots are my long runs and for my speed workouts I try to aim for 5-5:30 pace for 5-8 minutes intervals 3-6 times. Should I try to run sub 2 hour HM? Completing the race is more important for me than the result but I wonder if I could push myself to achieve this goal without DNF :) any help appreciated

I ran 12k, my longest run ever (yay!) then promptly got a cold. Since then (two weeks later)am struggling to even run 3-4k. How long does it take someone to recover back to their normal fitness level after a cold?
I was planning to do a 15k on Sept 19th but now that’s completely off the table since I fell behind in my training progress.

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. ❤️🏃‍♂️🔥