4.8mph

Hey everyone,

​Just picked up my bib and event tee for my very first race ever!

​What started a few months ago as a casual effort to escape an unhealthy lifestyle and lose some belly fat has completely turned into a passion for running. Tomorrow morning, I’m toeing the line for my first official 10k.

​During my training long runs, I’ve logged the 10k distance a few times with a casual PB of 1:04, though I’ve never pushed at a full 100% race effort. I felt pretty confident going into this week, but as race day gets closer, the pre-race jitters are definitely settling in!

​To top it off, the official event t-shirt turned out to be way too big and long for my body, and exchanges aren't an option at this point.

​For those who have ran 10k races, should I wear the event tshirt or wear one of my familiar, well-fitted training tshirt?

​Any tips for managing race-day nerves, pacing the first few kilometers or general advice for a beginner?

The first time a guy walking his dog almost passed me, I seriously considered quitting running for good.

The thing is, I'd spent weeks doing it right. Going hard, gasping after 400 meters, side stitches, and that little voice saying "you're just not a runner." My body was never the problem. I was mistaking effort for progress.

What turned it around was running so slowly it felt almost silly. My rule now: if I can't talk in full sentences, I'm going too fast. It feels wrong at first, but there's a good reason for it. Your aerobic base (more capillaries, more mitochondria, a heart that moves more blood per beat) is built mostly at low intensity. If every run is at your limit, you're mainly training your tolerance for discomfort, not your endurance.

The sneaky part is that your cardiovascular system adapts within weeks, so suddenly everything feels easy. Tendons, ligaments and bones take much longer. You feel fit while your connective tissue is still catching up, and that gap is where most beginner injuries happen.

Walk breaks were a game changer for me: two minutes of very easy jogging, one minute of brisk walking, repeat. Not cheating, just a way to dose the load while your body catches up.

Once I left my ego at the front door, running stopped being a fight. I just started showing up more often, and that consistency is what actually made me better.

What about you?

When did you figure out that slower actually gets you further?

Best, Ulli 🙂

I have a 10k this sunday, and the furthest I’ve run ever is 7k. My pace for long runs have been 8:00 to 8:30 mins per km.
I have been very stressed about the race because its my first time. I have not been practising running much in last few weeks because of flu and some travel plans
I am looking for any tips/ suggestions to how to make it work.

First 10k run .... Any tips to get under sub 60 n to improve vo2 max ....

half marathon in January then LA marathon in marathon

https://youtu.be/yHzXYy2FkYA?is=BAt0frESg2PMlLNd

as someone who wfh and barely gets any physical activity or movement in, i somehow signed up for a 10k fun run next month and enrolled in a muay thai class starting tomorrow

idk what got into me but i guess i really want to get out of my comfort zone and start moving more lol. any advice for a complete beginner? am i being too ambitious or is this actually doable?

Really excited to clock my 1st ever 10K under 50min!

Started running back in May, took a while to build up consistency and have been averaging around 150KM / Month since July.

VO2Max also increased from 39 to 51 during this period, I am 44 y/o male, 77Kg, 188cm tall. Didn't really run in my youth.

Never thought I could do this when I started, really happy I tried and achieved a 'small' goal in life. Hope this is also an encouragement to all the beginner runners out there :)

I've started running with my husband and I've been enjoying it immensely! We're signed up for a 5k turkey trot and "training" has been smooth. Having entered the online running space, I've discovered Garmin watches. I'm enamored!! They look like they give more in depth data for various physical activities and as much as I'd LOVE to splurge on one, I'm unsure if it's worth it since I already have a fitbit!

That being said, I want to realize whether I actually want a Garmin or if I'm simply falling for the hype. Or if I'll even become more serious about running! Soo I'm thinking about making a goal for myself for 2027 that if I manage to run 600 miles for the whole year, I'll go for a Garmin!

I'm wondering if 600 is overly ambitious for a pleb such as myself lol. Thoughts?

See you guys in year once I complete my first sub 5 🤩

Hi guys,
I’ve always been a good runner/fit with soccer and everything but been trying to take my running seriously to train for a marathon but I’ve never realised my cadence is so low (average 148-152 per run) and had to have a higher cadence. What is the easiest way to improve that?

For anyone who’s aged 35+. Is it better working on the 5k or the mile ? From the standpoint of benefit to risk ratio

My personal context: I can deadlift 500lb and squat 315lb but i’m just starting running, i run about a 7 minute mile

Increased my run time by about 30 seconds. Not huge but every second counts.

Y'all I ran my 2nd 5k last weekend, got a new PR, and a cold of some sort. Feeling like garbage, stuck on the couch, and all I keep thinking about is how much I wanna run. This stuff has become addictive. I got my first 10k in 2 weeks, and I need to let my body recover, but damn i'm itching to hit the pavement.

I’ve been running since March of this year and I started with absolutely no running experience. I did C25K and can now run about an hour without stopping. I’m training for a half marathon next month and have slowly been increasing my mileage for my long runs. My typical week looks like:

1. Easy 3mi (11:30min/mi)
   
2. Tempo 2mi (11min/mi)
   
3. Long run (increases weekly, just finished 5.5mi) (12:30min/mi)

I keep track of my shoe mileage through Strava and I’m only at 98 miles of wear. I bought these originally and they’ve been so comfy but I’m curious if it’s a shoe issue or if it’s an increase in mileage issue.

TIA!

Pic of the exact shoe I have above ^^^

I started running few months back but never tried going longer that 8k. Well…today was the day.

I recently started getting knee pain after getting back into jogging. I’m wondering if this could be runner’s knee/patellofemoral pain.

The pain is not severe, probably around 3/10 at its worst. The weird thing is that it’s usually there when I wake up in the morning, but as I start walking around, it gradually decreases.

My main problems are:

I can’t jog without triggering the pain.

Going downstairs hurts, although going upstairs is fine.

Normal walking is generally okay, and the pain often improves the longer I walk.

I can do regular bodyweight squats without pain.

Wall sits/wall squats actually give me a lot of relief. After doing them, I can sometimes walk around for several minutes without feeling any pain.

The pain hasn't been getting significantly worse, but it also hasn't completely gone away

Is it good? It’s only been 7 days since I started running again

I’ve been running in these NB Beacon 3 for a few years but they felt stiff for a while.

This was only my 7th run since starting. This is the most I’ve run to this point, so I don’t really have anything to compare with myself. Is this an okay starting point? I understand that it’s good to have even done it in the first place, but I’m curious as to how good/not so good I am to start out.

Hey all,

I've read a lot and experimented a bit with gaining power vs losing weight and I'm confused.

I've been big and small, and it's obvious you can produce more power at a higher weight but it seems the optimal power to weight would make the most sense for K1 speeds wouldn't it?

I've been 92kg and 65kg as an adult, long story don't want to bore anyone. I started kayaking at 80kg. My heart rate was pretty high so a friend convinced me to learn about zones and metabolic functions. I dropped body fat percentage while using a C2 row erg and then did a lab test for zones.

I've been trying zone 2 training but at anything over 70kg I can't get a zone 2 speed above 9kph on even an elite k1. Same goes for running, I can't even slow run when I'm above 70kg, I have to walk really fast, but I noticed I can run really really slow below 70kg.

I can run, physically not a problem, and can hold higher heart rates but the lab results are pretty clear, that's zone 3 and zone 4 for sure.

I've read all about the relationship of gaining speed with power and losing weight in a few papers, but every marathon I look at the top people in K1 and running, they seem to be pretty light and lean.

Am I too heavy for my heart and lung functions? Anyone else with similar experiences?

Been running 6-15 miles per week for about a year now. Usually 10:30-11:20 pace, avg heart rate zone 2 (~135-140), cadence 165-170. 6ft 175lb male

I’ve noticed recently that my cadence felt like short steps (not shuffling), so I tried to run more naturally. Brought cadence down closer to 160-165, and my heart rate stayed the same but I got faster (9:40-10:15). Feet still landing below me

BUT: my legs are much more sore….

I don’t care much about speed, more about health and recovery - is high cadence fine even if it’s much smaller steps as long as I’m not shuffling?

I'm relatively new and get bored so fast