ROFL That's what Clay used to call me when I did it the first time. Rep.

right now I am doing intervals and I do a little less than 10 minutes per mile for 3 miles. At this point my routine is getting a little bit easy. I'm thinking of either increasing speed and sticking with 30 minutes of cardio or maybe adding 2-4 more intervals into my routine.

Crap, that means in some things, Clay and I have a similar thought process. I should just kill myself now.

Never let it get easy. That's the best advice anyone can give you when it comes to running, or really fitness of any kind. Constantly feel like death warmed over when you're done, and you will continue to improve at satisfactory rates.

Go walk 3 miles with a 30 lb kettlebell in each hand.

Whether it's faster, longer, or both, always be ready to die when you step off. That's what I did, and it worked wonders for my endurance and my speed. It also helped the **** out of my self image. May not be an issue for you, but you can never feel too good about yourself and your accomplishments.

Down two pounds since original weigh in.

I intend on weighing myself once a week.

ROFL Guaranteed you're not the first to say this...

Hootie, I'd say jump it up to 45 minutes of cardio. That's a good start. And then increase it 5 minutes every week or two. The kettleballs are a good idea as well. Strength building is a good thing.

Agreed.

I'll have to start pushing myself more. This last week felt like a breeze compared to when I started a month ago, and I've been gradually increasing speed. (From 7.0 to 7.7).

I think I'll start with 7.7 and get up to 8.0 and add an extra interval and see how I feel today.

I'll be working up to 6 miles, that is my goal simply due to time. I can get to a 8 minute mile, so 6 miles with warm up and cool down is about 1 hour. I like your idea of pushing yourself faster though, as last time I was fit I was going a little faster, but never pushed to get down to something like a 7 minute mile. Let's do this Mr. Floppynuts.

I'm far from an expert, but I can tell you what works for me.

When I run, I set a pace in my mind that I know I can keep. I don't try to run my absolute fastest, at least not very often. For me, trying to get my best time is like maxing out on the bench press. There is a place for it, but not every time.

I don't concern myself with my average time. I want to set myself on cruise control so that every mile is run at the same speed. (If I'm running six miles, my fastest and slowest WILL BE within fifteen seconds of each other.) If that means my fastest time for six miles averages ten minutes per mile, I may run at a 10:15 pace just to make sure that my last mile is the same speed as my first mile.

While I can't say what a good pace is for anyone else, I can pass along something that happened to me when I started running (just last spring). I was running with another beginner, and I am a better athlete than my running partner, so I had to adjust my pace a bit so I didn't get way ahead. After a while, I started having knee problems. This kept up until I ran with an experienced runner who watched me run for a few miles and then said "keep up" before taking off. I had to damned near sprint for about a half mile to keep up, but my knee pain went away.

Afterwards, he told me that I had been running too slow (about a 10:15 pace iirc), and that I was essentially running with the gas and brakes on at the same time. Running with a slower partner had caused me to slow myself down every step and was exerting pressure on my knees. Speeding up to a 9:00 pace was much easier on my body and wasn't much harder for my lungs.

My advice would be to find a pace that works for you and let yourself naturally get faster. If you run six miles at a ten minute pace and feel like you have energy left at the end, try 9:45. Just make sure that you know your marks ahead of time. By that, I mean that you should be at 2:26 after a quarter mile, 4:52 after a half mile, 39:00 after 4 miles, etc. Make a game of it.

I like to run outside, and I know every inch of the path I run most often. I know the fence post I need to hit at 2:30 if I want to run a pace of 8:45. I know the scratch in the pavement at 27:30. I always thought I was weird that way, but I've talked to several runners who are the exact same way.

In the end, it's really about what keeps you going. From a results standpoint the distance matters WAY more than the speed.

Never looked at or posted in this thread.

Bet the wife for a big screen and a piece of furniture in the BR that I'd lose 35 lbs in 3 weeks.

FAHK ME.

I'm not 16 and in wrestling shape.

This should be fun...

Eventually, you'll hit a point where that is virtually impossible. Generally, that's about the time you can run 6+ miles without walking. If you find your pace, you'll get to six...seven...eight...and feel like you can just keep going forever...and that's because you can. You don't have to feel like trash afterwards in order to have a great workout, IMO.

Hope you're 300+ if you're going to do that.