self concious about speed

Hi, I'm a 15 year old girl and I've been running since last easter and love it. I've trained myself up from a healthy-low weight and almost zero fitness to running two 6 mile runs and a 13 miler weekly. I am planning on running a marathon when I'm 18 (I'll start training for it when I'm 17) and a half marathon when I'm 17. I am very proud of my progress so far and know I must be relatively fit now because I'm quite toned, have very good lungs when I go diving and can outlast the rest of my class in aerobics. I'm feel so much better about myself now as I've never been even remotely fit before.

However, recently a couple of my mates have seen me out running and have said that I run 'like a granny' and am 'awful at it'. I am very self conciousness and my confidence has take a huge blow, I am dreading the run tomorrow as I don't want to have to go through the town and be seen. I run 6m/10k in about 1 hour 5 minutes, and half marathon distance in 2 and a half hours and seriously want to improve to a better time, as I can't afford a fitness coach so any advice would be great. I'm wondering if strength and flexibility would help? I've always been last in sprint races but my endurance is quite good. I don't know any other runners and my family hates exercise of any sort so I've had my training has probably been quite unbalanced and illadvised.

Thanks for reading!

By the way, my guardian won't let me run more that three times a week.

I'd ignore your mates. They're just jealous.  They can only judge properly if they are out running with you.

You're doing really well to do those distances - I run about 6 mph in training too. 

The 13 miles is probably too much though - its a big jump.  I'd bring that down to maybe 9 or 10 miles. Clearly your stamina is there already so you dont need to do that long a run. 

If its 3 runs a week I'd do a shorter faster run - maybe 4 miles or so. Throw some intervals in.  Do your 6 miles in an hour, and then the 9 miler at a slightly easier pace. 

The key to good running is consistency and not getting injured. 

You're doing really well and ignore any muppets who say you aren't. You'll just get faster and faster with time whilst they get fatter and fatter.

Just ignore your 'mates' its more than likely them just taking a pop for a bit of a laugh...you'll meet this in life...just let it wash over you...

You sound like your pretty fit and I know what you mean about diving...I gave up smoking a noticed my tanks lasted much longer than previously...

Cannot give you any fitness advice as I only manage to muddle through it all myself

Good luck and ignore the 'haters'

Dave.

In their defence, (sad silly muppets that they are!) if you're not a runner yourself, you tend to think anyone going slower than a flat out sprint looks slow and shambling. Until you try to do it yourself! Try inviting them to come out running with you on one of your 13 milers. If they realised how much harder it is than it looks they might give you a bit more respect. I doubt they'd try it but you never know...

And yes, it's hard, but just do your best to ignore any negative comments. Think of how good it makes you feel while you're doing it and hold on to that feeling. You SHOULD be very proud of yourself - you're doing great. Why don't you look around for a local running club and see if you could join it and go out running as part of a group? Training with other people would be great motivation and a confidence booster as well as probably helping you togradually improve your speed too.

Or is there a sports centre with a running track anywhere near you? That would be an ideal place to train away from public view and you'd be able to get chatting with other runners...

As above say ignore your mates, they are just jealous of your achievements.  I’m just as slow as you and completed my first marathon in Berlin two weeks ago in 4:41, don’t care about the time... I finished! Keep on training and you will naturally become faster with time, when you are able join a running club as my improvements came on after joining a club. Good luck

Aww Abigail it sounds like you are doing so well so try not to be disheartened! You run faster than me for one haha I agree, jealous friends! Ignore as there will be many as Dave says! The others have given great advice about how to get your time up which you can follow if that is what you really want to do (for you though.... not to please anyone elses perceptions of speed). Maybe a running or athletics club would be good for you, as there will be like minded people there, if your friends and family don't share your mindset. Or maybe there is a club at school?

I felt stupid when I first started running because sometimes I had to do it so slowly in order to pace myself and train correctly! I remember someone on here said the same and then one day posted that as he ran past a group of teens (who he expected would give him grief for running slowly), one of them said "ohh cool, look that guy must be training for a marathon" Ahhh

For some people like me, atm, speed doesn't really matter, for some it is what it is all about, for some running is a way of life, for some just a bit of fun - YOU find what YOU want in what YOU are doing and follow it with your heart (or legs!) - don't let anyone else tell you otherwise or change what running means to you or how fast you want to or can do it.

At your age, I wish I had have found something I felt so passionate about and was good at. At your age I was smoking and drinking in the park with my mates, wasting away with no hobbies or interests or ambitions. If you are enjoying it, relish in it, keep going and believe in yourself.

And yes, cougie is right, you will be fitter and your friends will be fatter. And then we will see who feels self concious

Oh and Tarquin...congrats on first Marathon!!

There are plenty of videos that you can watch that will help with running form. Once you know that you look good when running you won't feel quite so quashed when silly people make silly comments.

You are already running quite long distances for a 15 year old.

The US RW site has a wealth of knowledge, just dip into and out of it. Don't read it all at once.

http://www.runnersworld.com/channel/0,,s6-238-0-0-0,00.html

i saw this and it made me laugh.
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-267--14549-0,00.html

http://www.runnersworld.com/subtopic/0,7123,s6-238-267-268-0,00.html

This should take you to the section on running form

T Mouse - LOL at snotrocket

I would also ignore ypur mates.......

I was watching a cross country event.and the guys at the front looked like they were running ever so slow............and they were running twice as fast as i ever can.......

we also noticed that hey all had different form and different ways of running...One of the best american runners ever had people for ever telling him to change his running style to a normal one yet he broke many world records.......

let your self run naturally  and be careful you don''t run too much as it can make cause injury and also make you lose too much weight.if you get skinny this can make you look like the granny effect that they talked about

good luck

In my experience, anyone who actually can run knows what sort of effort you are putting into it and would never take the mickey. The ones who make fun / abuse you are the ones who can't manage it themselves. I'd feel pity for them.

Unfortunately the criticism from your so called mates is pretty typical, some people will always find something to criticize ie too fat, too thin, too tall, too short etc. you just have to agree with them and make it clear that what they are saying does not bother you at all (even if it does). They will probably try to find something else that you are sensitive about to criticize, again you have to make it clear that it does not bother you. Eventually they will give up and pick on someone else. Do not allow them to stop you doing something you obviously enjoy. Why people feel the need to run people down for no good reason I do not know, maybe it is jealousy maybe they are just having a bit of fun (at your expense) who knows? Otherwise runs-with-dogs has said what I was going to say, joining a good club is an excellent next step. It is great to hear from an enthusiastic new runner! A future Olympian?

Haha, thanks for all the responses and advice, that snot-rocket video was hilarious T Mouse. I had a good fartlek training session this morning so I should start seeing improvements if I keep it up. I'll try to ignore my friends, I guess I'm a bit over sensitive I've started looking into running clubs.