Why can't I run faster?
Asked by anonymous on Aug 16, 2009
in Fitness
I am a 25 year old female and I have been going out to run for more to two months now. The only problem is that I run so slowly, 7.0-7.5 km/hour. I wish I could run faster, maybe 9 km/hour. What can I do? Do I need to wait and lose more weight? Can I not run faster because I am too heavy?
Answer
Your weight could be a reason for your slow speed, although running speed has a lot to do with accelerating quickly. Acceleration is improved by strength-training because it takes a lot of muscle to power the initial thrust that you then sustain. In addition, you need to be conscious of the position of your body - your arms, elbows, heels, toes and legs, and your angle to the ground. You can also develop specific muscles fibers associated with speed by doing sprint work, called interval training. But sprint work is a technical activity that requires a training schedule to guide your practice and recovery. Read more about increasing speed from the Guide to Sports Medicine at About.com and look for running-speed clinics in your area.
So you can log your weight -- which allows you to do the following:
- Plot your weight curve
- Analyze the trend of your weight (see under Recent in the figure above)
- Determine the projected target date (see under Overall in the figure above)