Run/ walk

nat3wills

04/05/2007 at 10:47

I'm getting really annoyed with myself. I have trained in the run walking method and successfully completed the FLM in 6 hours. I would now like to train to run faster and without the walking breaks. But I can't seem to phaze them out. I can run for about 17 minutes a go but then I feel an overwhelming urge to walk. I don't even know if it's because I'm tired I just need to walk for a minute and then can continue. I have run for 45 mins and even an hour on a couple of occasions without stopping but it's rare and it's when I'm running at a snails pace.
Can anyone please offer some advice?

Nessie

04/05/2007 at 10:58

Try slowing down to a r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w pace when you get the urge to walk - even if the pace you are "running" at is slower than walking. Mentally, that's better than "stopping and walking", but you do get a bit of recovery. Once your body gets used to it, the slow bits won't need to be so slow to get some recovery.

Works for me anyway.

nat3wills

04/05/2007 at 11:01

That sounds like a good idea I see the logic... do you think it will work when I am trying to improve my speed as well? As in should I consentrate on running for 30 mins without stopping until I have cracked it... or should I work on running faster as well with slower running breaks in between?

ip(FeS2)

pirate

04/05/2007 at 11:10

I wonder whether letting yourself walk, but walking in the wrong direction would work?
So when you really need a break you'll take it.- but your head will resent it and get you running again quicker?

nat3wills

04/05/2007 at 11:16

Interesting idea... I think it's a metal thing more than a physical thing.... because if I can get 26 miles surley my body is capable of running 30 mins without stopping!

Plodding Hippo

04/05/2007 at 11:17

yeah, its mental

it took me years to get over it
i still have struggle points at 8 and 12 miles

nat3wills

04/05/2007 at 11:19

How did you get over it PH?

Plodding Hippo

04/05/2007 at 11:21

still have trouble now nat

but you have to talk yourself out of it

its very very hard

you sort of feel"entitled" to the walk break

you know, ive only ever run four half marathons all the way-and never a full marathon

Nessie

04/05/2007 at 11:26

Re the speed thing:

Keep your speed work and your long runs separate. The long runs should be slow, and build endurance. Speed work should be short - repetitions with recovery breaks (walk or jog) or something similar.

Doing it that way, you will find over time that your long runs get faster for the same effort, and you can run longer reps at the faster speed.

Yes, the walking thing is mental - you just have to learn to shout over the voices.

Funny Hipps - 8 and 12 are my weak points too.

Doncon

04/05/2007 at 11:30

Hi all,
hope you don't mind me joining in. Feel like a bit of a voyeur as I always read but never join in!
It took me a year to finally lose the walk break. I would agree with Nessie, better to s-l-o-w right down and sort of bounce along gently and fool your brain into thinking you've had a break. I fyou can break then continue to run for that length of time then you definitely don't need it physically.
But also, I wouldn't worry at all about your speed until you have your stamina sorted. If you try to run faster on a long run you'll become more tired and you brain will say 'i told you so!' Once you've built your stamina up you may find your speed picks up a bit naturally anyway.

bungee - www.justgiving.com/kayvmac

04/05/2007 at 11:34

You can definately get over this, it is sheer mental determination to get past that point of needing to walk. I also struggle a lot with this but its more in my training when I am on my own rather than in races. When I ran my 2nd half last month (I ran all the way) I SOOO wanted to walk from miles 7-9 when it was really windy and slightly uphill but I was determined to get a PB and also what works for me is thinking of my mum and dad who have both passed away. I can hear my dad telling me in his own stubborn way, keep going, you can do it and that works for me. So I stuck in behind a couple running in front of me and followed them up to the mile 9 point where I got some water and then it had passed and I was ok.

Keep at it, once you know you have done it once before, in the mind it becomes easier to accept doing it again.

Egglett

04/05/2007 at 11:38

Only skim read the replies so I might repeat what everyone has said!

In my view it's probably mental.. you have trained to walk/run.. that means when you want to walk your head says "ok"

THAT needs changing

Probable the first thing to do is drop the baggage of self beating about it

(I've just had to do that because after 7 years of running I realised I am alot slower than people who've been running 1 year and it naffed me off big time, but I realised that my personal battle will scupper me up if I am trying to push too hard too soon)

Dropped it yet? Good

Next thing is to start building smaller runs with the aim of running all of it

Next week aim to run a 3mile running ALL the way, think someone said slow right down if you feel the urge to walk.. slow down, concentrate on your breathing and just keep going - forget pace and speed... your aiming to run all the way worry about anything else later

Once you can run 3 miles running all the way build one run up to 4 miles running all the way... once you start getting your head to see your not going to walk you'll soon get results

My sis told me "If I dont run it all the way then it doesnt count" just before she did FLM - can you imagine being left with that bloody thought!! LOL.. I ran all my first and second marathon because I cant face telling her I had to walk.. and that's what stops me walking

Plodding Hippo

04/05/2007 at 11:43

i also used to have a progressive time goal in a race(sometimes miles are too hard to cope with)
so, get the first 20 minutes over with
next time do 21 minutes, and so on

Chocolate Moose

04/05/2007 at 11:48

Hi there.

I think this shows the problem with run/walk strategies for getting started. The trouble is that sometimes people get used to taking their walk breaks and never learn to find a pace slow enough to be sustainable for long periods. In effect, they're running interval sessions whenever they go out. Without a good aerobic base, this is counter-productive.

Once you find that sustainable pace, and get used to stretching out the distance, you'll find that your 'base pace' gradually speeds up.

But I'm with Doncon in thinking that you should forget about speed work entirely for the moment.

I'd say slow down, find that base pace and keep working it until you start to feel the improvement (note how your resting hear rate drops over the weeks as you do this). Then you can start introducing some quicker runs and/or intervals.

Good luck!

Doncon

04/05/2007 at 12:07

Steady pace is best - always more elbow room at the back!!

Plodding Hippo

04/05/2007 at 12:09

mmmmmm

very, very true

Chocolate Moose

04/05/2007 at 12:09

Doh! "Resting hear rate" - Resting heart rate, of course.

nat3wills

04/05/2007 at 14:32

I agree CM I always worried when I started run/ walking that if I trained that way I would get used to it.... turns out I have!! But at the time I was 2 stone heavier and there was no other way of doing it as I struggled too much. I think your right about the speed session I suppose there's no point going any faster if it's not sustainable. I think it's a habit I have got myself into and like anything else you just have to learn a new behaviour pattern. Do you think that if I started reducing my runs to say 30 mins in the week and didn't stop at all (which I think I could manage if I put my mind to it and ran slow enough) what do I do for my long run on the weekend? Should I start say trying to push it by an extra 10 mins each week? i.e doing 40 mins... As opposed going straight out to run for an hour but having to stop again after 30 mins?

Hourglass

04/05/2007 at 14:50

Hi nat
Echo what Hipps says about running to time rather than miles.
To keep going for another minute...then another one and so on, can be less soul destroying (I would often mentally berate myself if I ended up with a walk break) than thinking you've got another point of a mile to go. The minutes soon add up.

Good luck, and congrats on your marathon.

Doncon

04/05/2007 at 14:53

I too started out 2 stone heavier so had the same problem.
I'm no expert, can only report on what I did but think you're on the right track.

Start with the distance you know is sustainable for you, then build up in manageable steps, e.g. 10 mins or 1 mile, whatever your preferred medium. You could still complete a slightly longer weekend run, rather than your usual long one. As you know yourself it's a mental rather than physical block, once I could manage 4 miles without a break I never walked again and the distance came easily after that.

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