lay off the fish and chips..

6'2 and 11 St - my advice would be to eat more !!

Ok we have a winner....

VO2max ranged from 58.4 to 59.9 so settling for *59.2*. Engine is a WHACKING GREAT 4198!!!

At 6'2" 'normal' would be 85kg's, and -15% would be 72kg's, so 70.9kg's is even under that... you may find your weight is 100% spot on, but you may experiment with 1kg more, or 1kg less and see how it feels, but surely no more than that?

To drop under 35minutes, and run 34min52secs you need to increase the VO2max to 61 and the engine to 4325, or put another way, improve the engine by only 3%.

Since your times are scaling perfectly, ie a small fluctuation in VO2max figures is covering all 3 distances, it indicates great stamina and LT threshold. So for improvement, look down at the 1 mile time. To run a 10k in 34min52sec you need to first be able to run 1 mile in 4min53 or lower. At present I'm predicting you at 5min1sec, so an improvement of 8secs per mile is required. If your current 1mile pb is 4min59, for example, still aim to remove 8seconds off your mile pb (hope that makes sense).

To do this, split the mile into sections, and run repeats of that section at speeds just faster than the target mile time, and rest for 60secs, or until the heart returns to 120bpm. This gets your body used to running over-speed. Also do 1 run a week of 13miles at 16sec/mile slower than your current 10k best. With a HRM/speed pod it's easy to do this, otherwise getting the paces right needs practise.

Another good one for you would be: warmup well and stretch properly after warmup, then run flat out for 3minutes trying to cover the maximum distance. Rest 5 minutes. Take that distance, then run repeats covering *your* distance at +10% time, so say you coverd 1200m in 3mins, run repeats of 1200m in 3min18sec with 60sec rest many times. Each day you do this exercise, you need to do the first test and set the distance, it may be 1250m the next time you do it, so that's the distance for THAT session. After 4 weeks you should notice good improvements.

I would think that most people who use a trainer probably are a bit podgy themselves and would be more intimidated by someone with a perfect physique. I think you should go for it. You can only ever regret things you haven't done.

Thanks, you make some interesting points. Although I have never timed myself over a mile in race conditions I did a few 1500m races in the summer and my times were what I considered to be poor. I think my best was 4.43 which would put me over a 5 mins for a mile as you suggest.

I will give those sessions you mentioned a try and see what happens, will report back in 4 weeks!

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Having given some more thought to it, I wanted to expand on my "weight" point. If you were to gain a kilo or so, It should be concentrated in the core-muscle area. I'm wondering if by growing strength and endurance in that region, you could improve your core-stability and hence improve your running economy? At that weight you must be on the limit in that department, and the weight gained may be out-weighed by the economy improvement.

Aaaah - that's interesting... your 1500m time was 4min43? It should be 4:39 for your VO2max... that's the answer, your speed needs more work. The 5 and 10k are using your impressive stamina, but your basic speed needs improvement, or more to the point "balanced" with the rest of your package.

You will get good improvements from the fast-repeat, short rest exercises, especially the latter one in which the pace is decided relative to your CURRENT form. Core work for sure if you're improving base speed.

Report back in 4 weeks with a new 5k pb!!!

I'm 6'2 and 12st 5lbs. Although I'm skinny compared to a lot of guys my height, I can't seem to run any faster, although I can comfortably lope along for miles without ever stopping when I get right into my training. I'm 38 years old.
both my 10k's were 55 mins
my half marathon was 2.03

I don't know why I seem to have fatigue a lot and always feel like it's a struggle to run faster, I just can't maintain pace at faster speed without getting puffed out. I do have mild asthma which I have to treat by using an inhaler before I run, but I don't believe that this is the problem as my breathing is ok as long as I use the inhaler beforehand. I think my average mile pace on a 5 mile run is 8.50. I try to run 4 times a week and always eat lots of carbs and protein and when I was training for the half I dropped to about 12stone at one point. It does baffle me when I'm getting trounced by people who have shorter legs and weigh 2-3 stones more weight. If I dropped another stone and was 11st 4lbs like I was 5 years ago, I'm still not sure I would be faster because it would involve eating less to get to that weight and hence, having less energy as a result. I'm still trying though, you have to keep trying

VO2max 35.8, engine 2816. Not great numbers there for someone of your height.

Speed is produced by stride frequency and stride length. Stride frequency should be between 160 and 180 steps per second. Where-ever you are most comfortable in that window should be about fine. If, when you try to run faster, your stride length extends, but your stride frequency reduces, then your leg strength is lacking.

Search the internet for exercises that suit you for improving your "core stength". Basically the muscles in, around and above the pelvis. This is where everything stems from. Specific leg sterngthening exercises like 1-leg-squats are important too. Remember teh hamstring must be over 60% as good as the quad, this means it can lift the same weight over 6 times to the quads 10 before losing form.

Concentrate on core exercises and leg sterngth exercises for a few weeks, then start sprinting. I mean warm-up, and just sprint, like you'r running from lava. Do it for around 100m or so. Then rest, then do it again and rest. Concentrate on how your pelvis feel, make sure the economy of your running is there, looking ahead, everything firm and supported yet fluid and supple.

Once you are used to running hard and fast over short periods, you can begin a structured interval training routine, but I don't think you should get all fast and heavy given how slow for are for your height, I just worry that you'll push those long legs beyond their ability and quickly find yourself injured. Get the core strong, get the quads and 'strings stronger and then learn to sprint again!!

thanks luthor1, I've been running about 8 years but I've only been doing races less than a year so I've only recently started to pay attention to my pace. I think you have a point about lack of leg strength. I have no muscle definition on my legs or backside, although I am lean, I just don't have muscles and look a bit like a beanpole! But I am getting a bit quicker than I was a year ago, although the improvements are very gradual. I just did 5 miles today again in 44 mins and that's much faster than I used to do it last year, I think I'm 5-6 minutes faster than I was, so there is some improvement happening since I started doing races and my runs have become more steady and feel better just lately. My performance aside, I'm having fun running and racing and eating junk most days whilst staying reasonably fit and slim, but I always aim to try my best and never skip training runs, so thanks for your input. This thread is good reading

Core improvements and fast interval training gives results *extemely quickly* I mean measureable improvements in heart rate will be after as little as 2 quality sessions, you'll wake up after your rest day and you heart will be resting 5-10 beats lower as the stroke volume of the heart improves...

8 years of good regular stamina running, you are ready for those times to tumble!!! I am certain that any improvement in lungs, and general cardio vascular fitness will help you a lot with the asthma too!!!

Rob, something simple you could try is adding some 'strides' within your normal runs 2 times a week. Basically they are quick 20-30 sec bursts in the second half of a run at a pretty quick pace (not sprinting, but a controlled pace, say what you think your 1 mile pace would be). The short time period doesn't knock you for six, but just gets the body used to a bit more speed. Just go back to your normal run speed in between for 1.5 min and repeat 3-4 times at first.

lazyjones,
I've been experimenting a bit the last couple of days by striding a bit more and I've taken onboard the comments here about introducing bits of speed here and there, obviously not going mad and injuring myself in the process! I've started doing my regular short run now as a 5 miler instead of 3-4 miles and I'm concentrating on running that distance as quick as I can to improve my 10k time and tonight I did it faster than ever before at 43:11. My aim is to get it down as close to 40 mins as I can as my current goal. Thanks for your input

After 3 weeks of structured hard interval training 3 times a week, my resting heart rate has dropped from 73 to 48 per minute. When I am running flat out over my 1.5mile test course my max heart rate has lowered from 194 to 182. The limit now is my legs (which go hard and un-supple) and my breathing (still giving up the last few fags I have). I can no longer hear my heart-beat in my ear and feel it in my neck! (which is nice).

I've started calf development exercises, which are standing on the stairs facing upstairs, with your heel off the step, and working 1 leg at a time, lower your heel below the level of your toes and the slowly driving up to tip-toes. I'm doing 2 x 10 reps per leg. Will report back! Also doing 1-leg-squats to 90 degrees 3 x 10 per leg and I've upped the flexibility exercises as when I run fast I feel a little inflexible.

Keep training peeps!!!

Luthor

I can't bite my tongue any longer on these claims, Luthor. 194-182 maybe, just maybe, is possible in 3 weeks, however 73 to 48 just don't happen. Lots of things can alter your heart rate on any particular day; fatigue, food, alcohol, medication, illness, caffeine etc. I know from my own experience that I can do the same run, in the same time, in similar conditions and my heart rate can be as much as 10 bpm different.

Also, I suspect your 73 resting heartrate is spurious. 48 is probably there or there abouts. Resting means just that, while your still in bed in the morning, having done nothing - not even scratched!!

I've just reread your bit about your HRmax on the 1.5mile run, this isn't aproper HRmax test as this should not change with CV improvements, it will only reduce with age. You should really be monitoring your average HR over your test run to establish improvement. I can almost guarantee you won't see a 12 bpm improvement in less than a few months. Make sure you are properly warmed up before any test as this will also affect results.

Flakey

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