Why Am I So Slow?

Long slo distance, makes long slow runners. You'll hear a lot of, Increase Milage to Improve replies, but bottom line is that if you do not work on speed, you'll always be stuck in that rutt you're in.

Doing a lot of slow running just gets you good at slow running. You need, in my opinion:

1 workout a week focusing on short reps at 1500m pace for running economy,

1 workout a week of 3k 5k mixed work for strength,

and a third day just focusing on pure speed, maybe 10x100 with 300m jog recovery.

That 1:40 long run your doing is about 40mins too long also, and is probably ruining your entire week.

LOL11 wrote:

That 1:40 long run your doing is about 40mins too long also, and is probably ruining your entire week.

^this^3

If you are only running 40mpw then that long run is probably too long

OK, how about this:

Tuesday: Just like you said, 10x100m with 300m jog recovery.

Wednesday: Something like 5x800 at 2 mile pace or 6-7x1k at 5k pace.

Saturday: 5-6x(200m, 300m) at mile pace.

Sunday: Just an hour run with a bit of tempo; 20 mins easy, 20 mins tempo, 20 mins easy.

Then just do easy runs with strides on the other days.

How does that sound?

I could probably only just break 60 in a 400, but can run 16:40 for 3 miles. This is how i trained - 40 mpw MAX

Mon -easy 4/5

Tues - track reps - e.g. 5*1k faster than/around 5k pace. smack some 200's on the end. 3 min/2 min recovery or so.

Wed - same as monday

Thursday -Tempo of 4 ish miles or 25 min . make it close to 5k pace; run comfortably but it will be pretty tough. smack some strides on the end

Friday - VERY easy or off

Sat - Race, hills ,or another track workout

Sunday -10 mile max long run, usually 8/9.

Looks good.

I might move the Wednesday workout to Thursday so you have one recovery day for every workout day.

Oops, that was a typo, meant to be on Thursday.

But yeah, I'm actually excited to see what I can do off this.

I'm fairly aerobically weak, I can run at a steady 7:00 pace and chat throughout, but if I was to run a 5k I'd be breathing heavily in about 2 minutes, but 30 seconds after I finish I'd feel fine and be able to talk normally. My recovery is OK but I'm lacking a decent VO2 max.

I'll make sure to update this thread to see how I go.

Thursday -Tempo of 4 ish miles or 25 min . make it close to 5k pace; run comfortably but it will be pretty tough. smack some strides on the end

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How do you do 4 miles at 5k pace? You're not doing a tempo run, you're running a time trial/race. Think about the point of a tempo run and slow it down. Or, alternate weeks with a true tempo with a 1500 pace reps workout.

enough said.

People are picking apart your training, but for a 16 year old, that's a pretty cohesive routine. It makes more sense than what many high schoolers do. There is good advice in these comments, but don't beat yourself up over it.

Hard truths that I don't mean disrespectfully:

1. Not everyone is born with the same talent. Your 61s quarter indicates some solid speed, but you may just not have elite genes. Your success in longer training runs may mean that your body is better geared towards 10k and half marathons later on.

2. Physical maturation matters in boys, and you my not have gone through it yet. I was very late to develop, and your light weight may suggest the same. Testosterone is a performance enhancer (there is a reason many PED's are testosterone based)... and the elevated muscle growth and recovery from testosterone help you train and run faster. If you look young for your age, this may help explain it.

I would suggest measuring yourself against your own goals. I know many runners who have done much less than you and broken 17 in a 5k. Some were downright lazy, but were born with great genes. That is the nature of running and genetics... so don't beat yourself up over what you can't control. Keep training smart and hard and see where you can go.

5-6 110 is tiny. You may want to put on some muscle, or even fat. Your bmi is 17.8. Top runners will have a bmi around 18.5-19.5. It may be that you aren't eating enough and your body doesn't have the energy to run faster. I was around your size at one point (but was anorexic) and afraid that any weight I gained from eating more would be "pure fat" and only slow me down. Eventually, a trusted friend got me to eat more. As my weight went up 10 lbs, I got a lot stronger and faster (not over short stuff, but over 2 miles+). Other positives were I could run more and my physique improved (I looked more muscular).

Slow Coach wrote:

When it comes to speed work, I can't do anything too intense or do more than 1 workout a week otherwise I just burnout my legs.

P.S. No, I'm not a girl and no, I'm not fat. I'm 5'6" and 110 pounds.

This is a red flag for poor nutrition. You don't eat well enough to recover and support your training is my guess. There's no reason why running more than 1 workout per week should burnout your legs. The fact that you are a male and 110 lbs supports this even more.

Also, your 61 second 400m is NOT good or solid at all. That is very slow. It is just as bad as your 5k time. Maybe even worse.

Check your diet.

I wouldn't say I'm anorexic. However, I do get worried about gaining weight, even at my size. I just have this idea that even if people are faster than me it doesn't matter as long as I am skinnier than them. Nonetheless, I realise that it would be beneficial for me.

If I were to gain muscle though, how would I do it so that it would be beneficial for running, not just pure strength?

61 is not horrible, i know quite a few sub 210, 4:30, 18min kids with a 60-61 400 max

Slow Coach wrote:

I wouldn't say I'm anorexic. However, I do get worried about gaining weight, even at my size. I just have this idea that even if people are faster than me it doesn't matter as long as I am skinnier than them. Nonetheless, I realise that it would be beneficial for me.

If I were to gain muscle though, how would I do it so that it would be beneficial for running, not just pure strength?

So.... you ARE anorexic. Seriously, what does you being skinny have to do with whether or not it matters if people are faster than you? You may need to consider some sort of therapy or psychiatry.

Why wouldn't pure strength help your running? Getting stronger is getting stronger. It doesn't matter what the activity is that you plan to do.

Goldie locks. Not too hot not too cold. Good fairy tale. Very applicable to distance running. If you run too fast cool it down with recovery miles. Plus you are young, take it easy. Stress ruined many a legendary runner. Streach it out. Maybe you could be a winner in running many years, and bumping into many good folks collection of medals and memories. Not nessarly beat everyone although that can be fun..

It's just that I've always associated anorexia with the sorts of people that are scared to eat food in public, see themselves as fat and go to extreme lengths to lose weight, I'm not really any of those things. But Yeah, you may be right, it was rather arbitrary. Sorry about that, I'm not a troll.

Though when it comes to muscle mass. If I was to gain 10 pounds of muscle, how would I make sure that it is not all fast twitch. That may help in a finishing kick or when there are surges in a race, but in the long run - pardon the pun - it would just weigh me down wouldn't it? So yes, SOME fast twitch muscle is needed, but too much would be detrimental.

Your long run is too long. I'd suggest keeping your long run at an hour, so 7-8 miles for you.

7-8 miles at half marathon pace is a time trial, not a workout. 4 miles at half-marathon pace is a great workout for 5k.

Don't worry about your weight. At your age, it will take care of itself.

Look on the bright side. Most boys don't break 20:00 so you're already ahead of the game. And You'll get faster over the next year and half of your high school career. Also, now that you're no longer a beginner don't expect progress to be linear. You'll plateau and then jump. The plateaus are a test of your mind as much as your body. Maybe as your body acclimatizes to 40 mpw, you'll be able to get in an extra workout. Maybe not.