Running-increased stamina-increased speed

Ok y'all here's the specifics:

1) RNY on 04/22/09
2) Started "running" more of a jog really around mid August
3) First half marathon 11/07/09  13.1 miles in 3:14:07 Ran the first eight to ten miles and walked the rest due to my wife's knee hurting.
4) I've got a bad, and I mean BAD right knee.  I've had two surgeries.  Have a frayed ACL that may or may not need repair.  Had my MCL reattached in 1982.  Had it scoped in 2007 with cartilage  removed.  Arthritis has set in.  Will probably need a knee replacement sometime in the future..hopefully a long, long time from now.

Now that you have the facts I would like to know how I can speed up my pace.  I run somewhere around 4.5 miles per hour and would really like to be running at least 6 miles per hour.  I've never been a fast runner.  I do have stamina and endurance though and I'm determined to be better.

I've gone from 399lbs on 04/22/09 to 244lbs in eight and a half months.  I know as I get lighter running will become easier and faster.  Thanks for any help that you can give.

Duane

 

I rely on a treadmill for a lot of my speed work, especially in the winter time.  If you are just starting with speed, you may want to start with shorter stints like 1/4 mile runs and increase the tempo.  For your first speed workout, do 4 quarters at 5.5 and go from there.  If you find it pretty easy, increase the speed next time.  If it's too hard, do fewer or a bit slower.  I would start with one speed workout a week.  After a bit, you can up the distance at the same speed.

I'm slow too, always have been, probably always will be.

I want to run faster too, and just recently I started doing just that.
Initially I was a 12 minute miler 5mph.  Now I can do 10 min miles 6mph consitantly with increases for shorter 1 mile distances.  Over the course of a year I have gone from a 36 minute 5k runner to a 28 minute 5k runner.  Now that's still slow compared to some of our speed demons here, but it was a huge improvement for me, and it's right in that range of improvement you are looking for.

Now, I find that I can't run that 12 min mile any longer, it feels uncomfortable, my body just wants to go faster.

How did that happen, well I think this is what did it.

My coach had me start to increase my distance each week while training for a 1/2 marathon.  I would have 3 workouts

One of them was a constant 4 miles and it was on the same course every time.  Each time he would tell me to try and take a few seconds off the time.  This was my speed work and it wasn't huge, he wasn't asking for me to take minutes off my time, just a couple seconds.  Something a little faster than my comfort zone or race pace

The second workout was a distance of 4-6 miles at whatever felt comfortable, race pace is what he asked for.  This started to help with the endurance over longer distances.

The third workout each week was a long distance. At least long for me at the time.  It was 8-10 miles.  This was done a sub race speed.  The goal was to be able to finish without stopping.

Somewhere in there everything just clicked.  Between trying to run faster once a week, and building up the endurance, My body just started moving faster.  At first it wasn't for any great distance, but eventually it increased to cover my whole distance.

When I have to run on the treadmill I play with the speed and elevation.  I may crank the speed up to whatever my max is for that day.  Then I try to run it as long as I can.  Then scale it down until I can catch my breath then do it again.  Intervals,  I also play ladder games with it where I try to run negative splits.  1/4 mile at 5 mph, 1/4 mile at 5.1 mph, 1/4 mile at 5.2 mph all the way up until I finish the distance I was planning to run for the day.

Take care of yourself and ease into it.  Destroying that knee will make sure that you are running 0 mph. 

Good luck

Scott

 Thanks for the feedback guys.  You gave me some good advice.  One thing that I've noticed about the treadmill is that when running outside I can do ten miles without stopping.  Lately, when I'm on the treadmill  I can't run one mile without stopping.  I know this is all mental.  I've ran for miles before on the treadmill without stopping but now I can't.  I just need to man up and get my butt moving.
Thanks,
Duane

Another couple things I do is:

1)  Add in a 1- or 2- minute burst at 0.5 mph faster than you usually run every 5-10 minutes.  Sometimes I go normal pace for .8 miles then do the burst for the other .2.

2) Run at a faster speed for a shorter distance than normal

These 2 things helped my speed a lot.

Linn 

HIIT helped me.  I started at the local HS track and did 40 yd dashes, 1 per lap, that grew to 100 yd (1 straight) sprint per lap.  Then sprint on straight and jog the other (walk the curves).  Now its sprint the straights/walk the curves.  I find that when I jog, if I don't monitor myself (pace control), my body wants to go faster.  And sometimes I test the water just to see how far I can go at the pace that seems comfortabel to me (sometimes based on the music I use also).

I sincerely belive the HIIT trains your body to go faster as well as to recover from getting winded, as on my longer distance routes I jog till I feel that wall,...and if I am not working to get thru it, I walk a ways then get back to my jog.  The formal name I believe is Intervals or fartleks; as I work to get the walking stretches back to just slower jogging/run but not walking.  I have seen y jogging or run to walk ratio progress from 3:1 to 15:2 over 5-6 miles as well as my speed from 14 min miles to 10 min. 

I was getting my HIIT workout in at least once a week and occassionally twice but have backed off with frequent BBall officiating after work during the weeknights and weekends.  I plan to get back to it and continue the process to where I can sprint a lap at a time and then 2 and so on when I do my other days runs.

Its what I feel has helped speed me up the most.  Good luck and take care of those knees.

Thanks for the info. Linn and Joe.  I really appreciate it.

Duane

Duane,

This is what helped me increase my speed using my treadmill, which is my primary training tool.  Try increasing your speed just slightly each time.  By that I mean if you run at 4.5, try for 4.6 for the next week or so, then move to 4.7 the following week.  Your body cannot tell much difference between these miniscule differences in speed and you will slowly build yourself up to a higher pace.  If you attempt to go for a full .5 mph faster, you will notice the difference immediately and will be more tempted to quit.  Unfortunately, the sprints/dashes never did anything for me but just wear me out, especially since I am much better doing a single, consistent pace than changing it up.  Go slow, have fun, and you will get there in no time at all.  Until then, endurance is a great thing to have.  Now that I am in training for my half, I have actually slowed my speed down to 6.0 mph so that I can run longer and it is working out really well for me.