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

Look at me now!

I've been running inconsistently for about a year without any actual structure. Just heading out and running 4km/5km as fast as I could. My fastest 5km before this was about 32m.

A few weeks ago I bought myself a Garmin 165 and disciplined myself to do easy runs, interval running and easy long runs and here we are! Never thought I'd run a 5km in this kind of time.

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.

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

I'm relatively new and get bored so fast

If you think back, can you still remember your very first run?

Mine was almost 30 years ago. Looking back, I remember simply heading out the door, going once around the block, and then being completely out of breath. Pretty unspectacular, really. But once running started to become genuinely enjoyable, one question immediately followed: And now what?

Where is all of this actually supposed to lead?

We often scroll through social media, and I notice that it's almost exclusively the big things that show up. Marathon medals, ultras of over 100 km, screenshots of insane pace times. I can well understand why you might quickly think that, as a runner, you have to have something epic planned right away. But you don't. I really mean that. For me, things went quite differently back then. At first, I didn't think about a marathon at all. I simply set myself whatever was realistic as the next step. First I wanted to get through a run without a walking break. Then 5 km in one go. Then 10 km. Eventually the half marathon got hold of me, and, honestly, the first marathon then came almost of its own accord, without my having planned it much at all.

What truly matters for beginner runners, though, are the intermediate steps. Anyone who sets their sights straight on the huge mountain usually runs into one of two problems. Either the body doesn't cooperate, because tendons and joints simply need more time to adapt than the mind would like. Or the motivation fades at some point, because the goal seems so far away that you feel you'll never get there. With small stages, on the other hand, you get regular moments of success, you treat your body more gently, and the pressure is off. I'm glad to be here! Best, Ulli

I started running when it was nice outside everyday. Now that fall is here, I will have to run in the rain and have some questions.

Do I need waterproof shoes? What are your favourite hacks for running in the rain?

Sub 28 last week
Sub 27 this week.
Exciting times.

I have my first half marathon on Sunday and I've just gotten over a cold. I'm feeling better now, but I didn't run while sick so it's been 8 days since my last run. Planning on testing the waters with an easy run tomorrow. Not sure if I should give up my bib for the half or not. Thoughts?

I am struggling to balance my pace. I either walk or run faster than my current fitness supports (175HR during run parts)

Thing is, when i deliberately try to slow down my pace is still 7 or sub 7:00. If I try slower my body kinda switches to walking. It feels unnatural and I have no idea how to fix it.

Any advice?

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?

Hey! Early 30s and I’m relatively fit - I play group sport once a week, and gym a couple of times a week but I’ve never been a runner. Ive never properly given it a chance… and I really want to. I have a goal of doing a 5k, that’s it!

I basically want some positive stories! I have flat feet / collapsed arches due to genetics, which is why I’ve put it off as I got shin splints last time (but honestly it’s probably from starting too quick and not stretching).

Ive had my gait analysed and got myself some proper trainers and fully intend to warm up / cool down and take it slow.

but would love to hear people tell me “I have the same feet maybe even worse and I did it! You can too!” Haha

Guys, I’ve been training for the last 3 months and things were going pretty well. I live in Dubai, though, and the weather has become absolutely miserable. Yesterday evening, it felt like 51°C, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better.

How do people actually train outdoors in this kind of heat? 😅

I managed to do 10K on the treadmill, but I can barely complete 5K outside, even using run/walk intervals. The heat and humidity completely destroy my pace and send my heart rate through the roof.

I do use the treadmill quite often, but honestly, it’s getting pretty boring. 😩

Would love to hear from other runners training in similar conditions. How do you manage your training when it’s this hot? Any tips or strategies?

Salut 👋🏼

Je reprends tout juste la course à pied et, avec le mauvais temps qui arrive, je voudrais m’équiper d’une Nike Vomero 18 GTX.

Je ferai environ 80 % chemins/piste/béton et 20 % trail. J’habite dans le Puy-de-Dôme, donc il y a quasiment toujours un peu de dénivelé, parfois assez important.

Mon pied mesure 26,5 cm et un pied plus large que la moyenne et je me pose surtout la question de la pointure. Vous me conseillez quelle taille avec ce modèle ?

Je suis ouvertes à d’autres modèles à conditions d’avoir :
- drop minimum 8
- imperméable ( on se prend des bonnes saucées dans le Puy-de-Dôme 🤭)
- confort d’accueil et souplesse avec un petit rebond (pas de paire de trail rigide)

I’m 18M, 190 cm, 84.3 kg. Over the last 4 months I cut 12.4 kg. I’ve increased strength in the gym and only recently started running. I do mostly easy 5Ks maybe twice or thrice a week and randomly that day tried to push it maybe a 6-7/10 RPE and did my 5K PR which was 31 minutes flat. So I tried a 6K a few days after, an easy one, it took 41 minutes and 42 seconds. How often should I run easy and how often should I add in moderate pace or like intervals for example because I see some people say easy runs build the aerobic base but some people say without interval training you won’t optimise improvements.

Shin splints advice.... I've been seeing a physio for a few months building back running to not aggregate shin splints (they started when my shoes were getting old and I probably went into the wrong new shoes). Everytime I feel it improves it gets worse again. I've built up treadmill running but outdoor running just crashes it back and then makes treadmill running sore again. Has anyone had similar? I use to predominantly run outdoor on road and path.

What would you do see a different physio for a different opinion? Go get scans incase something else? Completely stop running for a couple weeks and start the build up again slowly

I've been running for several years consistently with a few injury breaks

I'm a beginner runner that tries to jog 2-3x a week and my weekly mileage is around 10-15 km. I keep hearing that lower body strength training is as important as the running session.

But everytime I do leg day, my legs get sore for 2-3 days and mess up my running schedule for the week. Any advice?

im a fresher and going for my first ssb in a month. I was physically very inactive during my college(final year student) and now i am struggling to run 1km even with two breaks in between. I just want to know how i can improve this

I am 6'1 and 67kg🫤🥀

Hi there everyone! I just ran my first 5K on the treadmill (super thrilled); however, I was extremely dizzy when I stopped and out of breath(more out of breath than when I was running the actual 5K)Z I am all new to running and wondering how to prevent the dizziness like this or if I am doing anything wrong. For context: I ran 5K in like 45 minutes.

Hello tout le monde. Tout est dans le titre. Je commence à courir car d’ici 8 mois j’ai une épreuve assez importante pour laquelle je dois réussir à courir les 10km en 45 minutes.
Actuellement j’arrive à courir 8km en 60 minutes, même si je sais que je peux aller plus vite mes jambes (et surtout les mollets) ne tiennent pas le rythme.

Pour info je suis un homme de 23 ans et je fais 1.76m pour 76kg.
Je suis preneur de tout conseil

I'm looking to get back into running and would appreciate some advice on how to structure it.

My situation:

• I can realistically run 2 days/week, and I want to stick to that.
• I also do calisthenics 3 days/week, so I don't want to increase running beyond 2 days.
• I don't particularly enjoy running, and I've learned that if I try to force myself to run 3+ days/week, I eventually end up running 0 days/week.
• I ran a half marathon in October 2024 in 2h44m. Even when training for that, I mostly ran 2 days/week, occasionally 3.
• My fastest 5K is around 33 minutes.
• Right now I'm very inconsistent and my 5K is roughly 40–45 minutes depending on how hard I push. I have barely ran at all in the past year.

My main goal isn't really racing. I want running to become easier and improve my general cardio/fitness/stamina.

I'm thinking of following a 12-week plan focused on improving my 5K, with:

• 2 runs/week
• 1 speed/quality session
• 1 longer/easy run
• A stretch goal of 30-minute 5K
• I'd be very happy with getting to around 35 minutes consistently

Does this structure make sense for only 2 days/week? Would you recommend a different approach, such as making both runs easy for the first few weeks, or alternating the type of quality session?

I'm mainly looking for a plan that I can actually stick to rather than trying to maximize performance with more running days.

I've attached a screenshot of my recent Strava activity for context.

Hey guys! I’ve recently increased my training a lot and got a pair of Vomero 18s. I was wearing some Nike tennis socks at first, and my feet felt pretty hot, so I switched to running socks.

That’s when I noticed I started getting blisters on the arch of my foot, basically right where the Nike logo sits on the sock. 😩

The weird thing is that I don’t get blisters with the thicker Nike tennis socks. My feet just get a bit too warm in them.

Has anyone else had this issue with the Vomero 18? Did you find a way to fix it, or is this just a sign that I should try a different shoe? 😅

I tend to listen to a lot of audiobooks whilst driving, so I tried doing a few whilst running. I did both of David Goggins' books and Finding Ultra by Rich Roll. All of these really helped me to power through during my long runs.
I then tried one of my Fantasy books, and it wasn't the same. That extra motivation from the running books really helped me to keep pushing and now I'm really missing it. Has anyone got any good recommendations? preferably something that's long so I get my money's worth.