5k to 10k Support Thread

MallyGirl

That is really interesting - thanks.
It suggests I am going a bit fast for the easy/steady and about right for the tempo. I can walk at the pace it suggests for a long run!

donglemouse

long run could be between 8-22 miles for some people depending what event they are training for, if you have to do a long run each week it's important not to try to be too fast as you increase the risk of injury if you overdo it

counter intuitive as it seems to most of us - doing most of your running slowly is the fastest way to improve!

if your weekly mileage is gradually increasing as it will if you build from 5k to 10k, you will probably find your times across all distances will improve dramatically

MallyGirl

Week 2 day 3 complete - 35 min steady run plus warm up/down.
I was going to use ParkRun but the weather was hideous with torrential rain and the PR course is grass by a big river so muddy at the best of times. I went for a very rare swim instead. Roll on 24 hours and it was a gorgeous Autumn morning so I went out then and it was lovely. I am probably still going a bit fast but did around 5k in my 35 mins - so a bit slower than my PR pace but not much.

MallyGirl

Week 3 day 1 requirements met by Run club. The weather was a bit of a pain - it was raining so I borrowed OH's lightweight hi vis cycling jacket to put over my short sleeved top but it was 14 degrees at 7pm so it ended up like a sauna suit. Next time I will just get wet.
I am pondering a 10K on 18th Dec. I will see how the increase in distance over the next couple of weeks goes.

indesisiv

MallyGirl wrote: »

Week 3 day 1 requirements met by Run club. The weather was a bit of a pain - it was raining so I borrowed OH's lightweight hi vis cycling jacket to put over my short sleeved top but it was 14 degrees at 7pm so it ended up like a sauna suit. Next time I will just get wet.
I am pondering a 10K on 18th Dec. I will see how the increase in distance over the next couple of weeks goes.

Its always a fine line with rain ... get wet from the rain or get wet from sweating to death ... personally I prefer to get wet from the rain and have lighter weight clothing that drys quick.

I don't see why you couldn't run a 10k now to be fair. I am presuming that your plan gets you to 10k by then anyway? So it may be worth entering and having it as a target race.

MallyGirl

Week 3 day 2 completed this lunchtime as the weather was just too wild last night to be safe. 5 min warm up, 10 min jog, 5 min tempo, 10 min jog, 5 min warm down. I really didn't want to go out there but I did it anyway and it was fine once I got going.
There is still little variation in my pace - I 'jog' at 6:45 min/k but only manage to speed up to 6:05 when trying for tempo. My legs just don't have any sprint in them.
Mind you when I put my PR time into the calculator above it said:
Easy - 7:57 min/k
Tempo - 6:41 min/k
Long - 7:57 - 8:54 min/k
which suggests it is not my tempo being too slow but my jog not being slow enough. Somehow it feels wrong to be going slower than I am comfortable at - maybe it will make more sense over longer distances.
I walk at 9:15 min/k

Day 3 is a 40 min steady run so ParkRun and then keep going towards home is still the plan

indesisiv

With those sort of speeds there won't be much variation in your long/easy paces. At those sorts of speeds then its more important to have time on your feet.

I must admit those speed calculators are interesting, I know I train slightly too fast for my slow runs as I drift towards 7:45 min/mile if I stop concentrating as opposed to 8:05 mins/mile that I should be training at.

I figure that as long as your are able to gossip for the entire run then its probably fine to train at that pace.

PS Speed and sprint work is something to be done once you have a good solid base of training in place. It will come once you have the basics. Well done so far

MallyGirl

Thanks - I have a GPS watch on my Xmas list so that I can take more note of my pace at any time. The phone on the arm is useless as it goes to sleep

indesisiv

MallyGirl wrote: »

Thanks - I have a GPS watch on my Xmas list so that I can take more note of my pace at any time. The phone on the arm is useless as it goes to sleep

GPS watches are great for reviewing a run, but their actual point speed calculations are not the best.
For the runs that you are doing you should be able to program the intervals and their paces in advance which should allow you to pace each bit as planned.

I must admit I now use mine to check distance rather than pace. Pace I generally do by feel.

catherinekate

I had a GPS watch for my birthday in June. Highly recommended, much easier than using a phone app. I don't really use its pace readouts though, just distance over time to work out approximate speed over the run, so I can aim to keep roughly constant mins/km.