Saw a post about injury and was just curious if I should dial back my mileage.

I took about a year off from running and exercise in general and I’ve been getting back into running the last month. I’m not a complete beginner as I have finished C25K and couch to 10K albeit they were 2 years ago. Is this too much volume too soon even if I feel perfectly fine?

After my 5K later today I’ll be at about 135km from Sep.28th - Oct.28th. You can see in the photo my Strava was flatlining before late September. I run a lot of easy-medium effort 5ks mostly with a hand full of 6-10km sprinkled in. I feel good so it’s probably fine but was curious.

6 foot, 200lbs
Early 30s
Not training for anything specific

Started running in June and just wanted to get some opinions on how I’m progressing and what I might be capable of over the next few months.

First 5K in June: 39:11 (7:50/km)
5K PB in mid-October: 28:34 (5:42/km)
Today’s interval session: Fastest 400m at around 4:12/km pace

I’m 34, 175cm and around 68kg. Body fat is roughly 18% according to my scales.

I also do some weight training and average around 8–10k steps a day.

I’m still pretty new to running and definitely feel like my endurance needs work, but today’s intervals felt like progress.

Would you say this is good progress for around four months of running? What sort of 5K time could I realistically aim for by January? Is sub-27 or eventually sub-25 achievable?

Interested to hear how others got on when they first started running!

really tryna lock in and challenge myself, i really enjoyed it and am excited to go again weeee!

wouldnt mind meeting like-minded people in the community to help me stay motivated

If you'd have said to me 6 months ago I would be running (and walking) a 10k in under 1:15 I would have laughed at you, but this morning it happened!

I'm still doing run/walk intervals of 2:30/1:30 as my brain likes the walk reset, but I'm going to increase the running a little on my next run. I walk a 13:20 average mile anyway so I do struggle with slow running but I want to work on this.

For now, just pleased with myself!

Missing a week can make it harder to get back into the habit, especially when you feel like you've lost your momentum.

Do you pick up where you left off, start with shorter and easier runs or follow a different approach?

Tried to run yesterday but couldn’t. Got some pain above the knee when I try to push forward. I have been recommended to do 2 weeks of exercise to renforce my knee.

Any recommendations or tips?

It sucks to not being able to go out running 🥹

My easy pace is around 10/mile. Is there any benefit to covering a large distance for marathon prep (say 20 miles) rather than just running twice for 2 hours or so and getting 10 miles each and keeping total weekly load the same? Since I’m already using fueling and running for 3 hours or more isn’t easy every other week or so.

This is simply a personal interest of mine. I enjoy hearing what other runners think about running-related issues. There are no right or wrong answers, so feel free to share whatever comes to mind. I'm simply interested in your perspective.

So, what makes someone a serious runner? Is it about how often or how far they run, their commitment to running, what they achieve, or something else entirely? I'm interested in what being a serious runner means to you.

I know some people wouldn't consider this necessarily'beginner' but relative to the running world it is, and r/running takes down every post.

I started running in a consistent way about a year ago. Since then, I've done two half marathon races. Before the first half marathon, I was so in a groove, super enthusiastic about running, feeling great, did great at the race, etc. That was in Spring and my next half marathon was this fall, so the training over the summer in a really hot climate was really challenging. It really degraded my confidence and I feel like I still haven't gotten it back. I'm back to feeling like every run is so hard, whereas last year I had gotten to the point of feeling strong and capable during runs.

I pretty much always looked forward to my runs. Now, I just see them as something to get over with. I'm tired of my music, I'm tired of my routes, I'm tired of books about running- all of which were so motivating and I guess now the novelty has worn off.

It makes me sad! It was such a good outlet for me and i miss that feeling.ive decided to hold off on signing up for any races and im just doing low key maintenance miles right now.

How can I get back into it? Anyone experienced this and got back into it?

i started running two summers ago/1.5yrs ago, but only started to seriously commit to training like 2 months ago. pacing yourself/not going too fast, having proper running form, the right shoes and prep work (taping blister prone areas & whatnot), fueling before and after, and making sure to not push yourself to injury are all of the key factors that made me able to run this far, thus far. (i’ve also lifted/am lifting now and did swimming, so honestly running isn’t much different to swimming in terms of the sport. they’re both individual, time-based, repetitive, pacing with distances, form & breathing matters a crap ton, and the hardest parts are mental/consistency in trusting the process.)

i found a 29 mile trail that was super flat with my family this week, so i knew i wanted to do long runs and test pacing. my ideal pace for a full is 11min/mi, but today i decided to try and hit a half PR because i wanted to go crazy and stupid. i ate a banana, had coconut water, and had part of some liquid iv that i ran with before i started, besides a water and gel i consumed in the back 10k of the half.

i should have pissed before, cuz i had to squat right at 5miles (didn’t stop my watch cuz in races they don’t stop the clock for u to piss LMAO), but otherwise i was fine. i also had to run past a deer (female thankfully) that way not even 6 ft away from me, so that was scary af but i was fine.

after the run, my legs were sore and dead, so i pushed carbs, protein, and hydration immediately with a pumpkin bagel with peanut-butter, another banana, with honey on top (heaven), protein shake, a bowl of granola & milk, and juice.

Mi meta con mucho cuidado es de 21K para el siguiente año, con cargas, descargas y fortalecimiento trabajando y motivando porque mi hijo también logró el tercer puesto en el reto del duende del 25 de octubre de 2026 y es muy emotivo con una distancia de 8K en trail running y apenas con 13 años.
Realmente estoy muy feliz de compartir mi objetivo de llegar a los 21k en running a los 42 años y quien fue el responsable de que iniciara en el deporte.
Esperemos que pueda lograrlo les estaré mostrando El Progreso de entrenamiento y como me va a mí.
Cuál quier sugerencia lo acepto.

When I started running this spring, I had no idea how much I’d fall in love with it and how much I would improve. I still have ample room for growth, but I’m proud of how far I’ve come. I couldn’t even run for a minute at the beginning.

Hi

I was hoping someone went through something similar and has some advice that helped them improve their longer distance running (I'm talking anything above 200m 💀).

I can walk for miles and miles a day and I don't really get tired walking. I'm good at short distance 60 and 100m are my favourite. I know that my overall fitness level must be very bad as start tasting blood after about 2 minutes of running. My mile times are basically walking speed because I stop and walk to catch my breath.

Is the only thing I can do just keep jogging? And slowly improve my fitness. Should I be jogging super slowly instead of jogging+walking?

I want to be able to run a couple of miles at a reasonable speed - but I feel so usless at it and don't enjoy it right now because it feels like all pain no gain.

Sorry if this sounds dramatic.

Looking for a bit of advice on how to maintain my aerobic fitness and running baseline this year. I’ve been a casual runner (parkruns and the like) for a few years but normally focused more on strength trainings. This year I completed my first half marathon and really focused on the training for that. I did the half in a pace of 7:40/km which isn’t breaking any records but I was happy with it for someone not naturally built for running.

I’m now trying to maintain my running fitness but I’m in Australia where days are already getting up to 30° (86°F) with high humidity and it’s not even summer yet. I tried to go for an “easy” 5km at 8am this morning at gym and even though my pace was only 8:47/km I had an average HR of 157 and ended up having to do a 2 min run / 1 minute walk interval just to get it done.

I have some regrets about the gym I’m at because they don’t really have air conditioning, just big fans and they open the windows but obviously that also lets all the moist, warm air in.

Does anyone have tips or strategies to maintain running as it warms up more? I was going for 3 runs a week in winter but already I’ve dropped to 1-2 and I’m losing motivation because it’s just so sweaty and I feel worn out even doing a slower pace. Are there other intervals or even other movement I can be doing to maintain my aerobic base, or is it a matter of just getting at done in the least hot times of the day and just pushing through?

First run in 3 weeks, second since February, and 7th ever. Last time I ran 3 weeks ago (a 6K), I was already proud of myself for lasting until the 1.25 mile mark before taking a walk break after my lungs finally caught on fire. Last night… I just kept finding more in the tank and never actually stopped to walk? I know beginner gains are a thing, but this has to be a pretty ridiculous gap even as far as those go. I’m 25, 5’11, 214, and about as unfit as one can be at this age and size. I do walk a lot, but even that’s waned over the last few months, and I never do cardio, so I’m a little curious where this came from, given that my hydration’s always the same (~1.5-2L of water beforehand) and that I’m a little skeptical my body would get my heart that much more into shape in 3 weeks with zero other impetus besides that 6K.

Completed my first 5K today. I started running 8 weeks ago and was only able to do short run/walk intervals. Now I can run for a mile at a time fairly easily, albeit slowly. For this run, I did a 2ish minute walking break after mile 1 and mile 2, so about 45 minutes of this 50 minutes was running. My average mile pace was 14:41 according to Runna, so the walking breaks skewed everything a bit higher at that 15:51 average pace. Next goal for me is to continuously run for longer than 1 mile.

I’m 38F and recently started trying to get into running again, but I’m running into the same problem I’ve experienced throughout my life: my heart rate skyrockets almost immediately, even at what seems like a relatively easy pace.
This isn’t a new issue or something I’ve only experienced because I’m a beginner. Every time I’ve attempted running throughout my life, I’ve struggled with this. It also happens when I mountain bike, although my heart rate doesn’t increase quite as rapidly.
I’m reasonably active. I strength train, hike, mountain bike, and enjoy outdoor activities. I’m currently on my fifth run, but I’ve attempted running at various points throughout my life.
Here’s what happens:
Running at approximately 12:30/mile causes my heart rate to climb rapidly, sometimes reaching 170–185 bpm within about 30 seconds.
I become extremely winded, my chest gets tight, my head hurts, and sometimes experience lightheadedness.
When I stop running and walk slowly, it takes several minutes for my heart rate to decrease.
Even while walking slowly, my heart rate frequently remains around 140–150 bpm.
This happens on flat ground, not just hills.
I’m tracking my heart rate using a wrist-based fitness watch.
During my most recent 45-minute run/walk workout, my average heart rate was 154 bpm, with a maximum of 186 bpm. My average pace, including walking, was 17:28/mile.
I have a history of asthma and low iron levels, which may be contributing factors. I’ve also experienced blue lips after a longer run.
I’m planning to seek medical evaluation, but I’m curious whether anyone else has experienced something similar.
A few questions:
Has anyone experienced this throughout their life, regardless of their fitness level?
Did you eventually discover an underlying cause?
Did improving your aerobic fitness help, or did the issue persist despite consistent training?
If you pursued medical testing, what tests or specialists were most helpful?
I understand that heart rate varies considerably between individuals, and I’m not looking for a diagnosis. I’m interested in hearing about similar experiences and what people learned.

Thanks!

So I got into running a few months ago and went down a rabbit hole about how endurance athletes use saunas after training.

A buddy of mine has been running for years and swears by sauna sessions after his runs. He told me about how heat exposure can help increase blood plasma volume and improve heat tolerance. Also read some stuff about how it might help with VO2 max which got me interested in trying it out.

I started doing short runs around my neighborhood and have been using the wood fired sweat tent sauna at his place after some of my runs. Been at it for a few weeks now and man I feel like my body is getting more used to the heat. Been thinking about getting one for my own backyard too.

The cool part is learning how heat exposure might help with endurance and oxygen delivery. Kinda wild that sitting in a hot sauna after a run could have an impact on running performance. Anyone else here doing sauna sessions after runs? How do you guys track if it is making a difference?

Hello, I've been trying to get into running for a few months now. The first time I tried, I definitely did too much and got some knee pain which made me take some time off. Was maybe doing up to 12-15 miles, 3-4 runs a week.

This most recent attempt, I slowed down my approach and I still managed to injure my foot. Barely got up to 9-10 miles a week. I can still feel it being off even though it's been about 3-4 weeks.

Is there something wrong with my running form or maybe my shoes? Do you guys have any recommendations on what I should do? I want to run again but I am afraid my foot pain will come back since it does still feel off from time to time.