What should be my running statergy : Running slow for longer or Running fast with short breaks

Question

I am beginner in running (started running 3 weeks before) and I wonder if I am on the right track :

My goal is to cover more distance in the same amount of time , but at the same time taking less walking breaks in between . Currently I am running 5k in 35-40min .

For the first 3Km-3.5km running is not an issue . I run about 9 km/hr - 10km/hr .

The next 1.5 km becomes difficult to run at a single stretch . So I (this is what i am currently doing) run at 9km/hr-10km/hr for 2 min with 1 minute breaks and the final stretch is for 3 minutes (plus bonus 100 m slow walk). These short runs are of total 10-12 minutes.

Now should i continue with what i just wrote above or should I run slow say about 7.5km/hr-8km/hr for longer duration (6 minutes) with 1 minute of walk in between?

Answer 1

I think it depends on your goal of running. Are you looking to lose fat, run faster, run longer without stopping, etc.?

Some thoughts I have, they may not be accurate for you but you can experiment and use it as a basis to find out what’s good for you.

1. Something I like to advice for my clients, if you are starting a new activity or going back to an activity after prolonged rest, it is better to be conservative and go easy. Many times; injuries arise due to going too intense and too fast in an activity.

2. Do you feel your muscles giving up or you are unable to catch your breathe when you mentioned you need to break up your runs into intervals?

• if your muscles feel exhausted, I’ll recommend some strength training for your lower body. Squats, deadlifts, lunges. When your muscles are fatigue, your form may break down and injuries may occur.

• if you feel breathless and assuming your goal is to run without stopping, I will recommend slowing down in the initial 3-3.5km. You might be running at 80-90% your maximal capacity and oxygen debt is coming for you. Might be good to do some dynamic warm up before running to get your pulse up and your body prepared.

• you can also try alternating your training between running with a distance as a goal and interval training

3. Breathe in through your nose when running, it will help quite a bit! The oxygen goes in “deeper”

Hope it helps

Answer 2

Just keep running.

I decided to start running (after not having run since school, quite some time ago) in mid-June. The first time I managed 5KM+ was 20 days later (so nearly 3 weeks which is where you say you're at), having gradually built up to it by running 3 days on, 1 day off, then repeat. My pace at that point was 06:33/KM so a little bit quicker than you, but not by much.

I just kept running, stretching myself a little each time (when I feel like I'm heading towards my limit I start playing the "I'll just get to the next lamppost" game until several lampposts are behind me) and not aiming deliberately to try and run quicker or further, at least in the early stages. I'm now 5 months in, almost to the day, since the first run I did - which incidentally was 0.5KM and I felt like throwing up at the end of it!

Yesterday I did a 14.5KM run, without any breaks, at an average pace of 05:00/KM which is the longest distance I've run but not the quickest (that was 6.5KM at 04:38 just under two weeks ago) which is down to the distance and the fact that there was a good amount of up-hill running.

I'm far from a physical fitness expert, but hopefully the description of my experience of both stamina and speed increasing over time will show that the answer can be as simple as "just keep doing what you're doing".