New Runner/ Experienced Runner

[ponydoc]

Hi all,

I've finally got my partner to go running with me.  The only issue is that I'm a experienced 5-10k runner and he is mostly a newbie.  So I find I don't really get a good workout in when I run with him.  This results in him pushing himself too much and fatiquing quickly when he tries to keep up.  Anyone been in this situation?  I'd like to keep running with him if possible.  Any tips?

[Caramammal · Accepted solution]

Maybe you could use your run with him as your warmup, and then do a quick run by yourself after, a 5k will only take you around 30mins, so by the time you get back, he'll be out of the shower 😉

[SunsetRunner]

@ponydoc if you are inviting a less experienced runner to run with you it is your responsibility, in my opinion, to let them set the pace.  Having experience on both sides of this - my brother (experienced runner/more fit then me) would offer to run with me when I was first starting to be healthier and always kept asking if the pace was good and if he saw me lagging behind/getting winded would tell me to set the pace and he would just stick with me.  Granted it is less of a workout for the more experienced runner you are there to help someone else get healthier.  As the other poster said, you can do a quick 1-2 mile warm-up (your partner's pace) then continue to run another mile or two at your normal pace after they are done.

[ponydoc]

I should mention that I am a slower runner than my partner for the first kilometer.  This is mainly because he is 16 inches taller than me and because he hasn't learnt to pace out his run.  So he is setting the pace but it fatiques him.  We went for a run yesterday and he worked on trying to slow down and match my pace.  As a result he was able to go farther and not fatique as quickly.  I think in the future I will treat running with him as a warm up and complete an extra 2-3k on my own.

[HelenaFitbit]

Not so much with running, but I've had friends and family who have done some workouts with me. 

I know it can be bothersome but in their case, they are teaching me so I'm pretty much setting the pace. My brother and sister in law are EMTs and have some really heavy training, so they let me set the pace and if I get tired, they do a quick lap or a couple extra exercises. 

My point is, patience! We were all newbies at some point 

[PaleoCrossfit]

Exactly what Hell said! We all had to start somewhere, and we were all new at one point. Six weeks from now, your partner will likely be close to the same pace as you 🙂

[e_thomas]

My Husband and I have learned we just cannot run together. We will quite often start a run togehter, that way we're working out at the same time, but then we don't put any pressure on each other to stay together. We both fall into our own pace/distance. That way we both get the workout we want, but we've had the experience of working out at the same time and in the same place and pushing each other to get out the door and get the workout done.

[Harbourboy]

Every runner needs to do some slower base miles so take the opportunity to do these when running with beginners. Most runners do their training runs too quickly too often anyway, so it could up being beneficial in the long term.