My training Blog - 10k in 60mins challenge!

Morning All

Well done Pete - keep at it!

Adbru - well done to MrsA - I managed the South Molton 10k in 1:18 - a real struggle but worth it!

Did my first 5k training run of the year (yes, I have been that lazy) - ran the downs and walked the ups and made it in 54 minutes - oh dear - an awful long way to go! Still, at least I started.

Onwards and upwards! 

Ups and downs...

Good News : Ran my 3.5 miles in my best time ever...30 mins 25 secs (no sniggering at the back!)

Bad News: Reading an old copy of Runner World, there was a bit in an article about easy running - they recommended a Heart Rate of 130ish for an 8 minute mile. My HR was 175 average for an 8:40 mile! 130 is a brisk walk! 

I've got a long way to go yet... 

Well done Colin!

Fabulous stuff - it may not break any world records, but a personal best is as much of an achievement. I have been lazy all winter and have only managed 3k in 27 minutes so far! Take heart - you are doing great.

Doctors tomorrow for me - the leg is playing up something chronic and I want to get it sorted. If it is compartment syndrome (as we all suspect) - that will mean surgery - but I'm up for it. I really miss running around the lanes and I've managed to put on an extra 3kg over the winter - not good!

Keep up the great work!

Hi guys,

Colin - well done on the 3.5 , thats a good time and well up on the average needed for a sub-60.

Ignore the waffle on using a HRM, i tried one once on a "normal" 5.5mile run.I dont do tempo/fast/interval type runs, i just go out and run but according to the HRM at mile 4 i was at 105% of max heart rate........ It went back in the box and I am still breathing

DP, sorry to hear about the injury. I hope it works out for you and you get back in the swing of things.

I am taking (up to) a week of just now, got the start of shin splints in my left shin again (I think).
So trying to take it easy as I have my big event a week sunday !! yikes !!

Stretching/icing and ibuprofen-ing like crazy   lol.

run safe

Adbru 

Hey DP, Sorry to hear that you're injured - was hoping that you'd be doing the Bideford 10k as I'm thinking about entering, but need some moral support. I guess that you won't be there if your compartments are hurting.

Hello.....

 I was wondering if I could join this thread. I'm pretty much a beginner  in that I used to go for sporadic runs around the block (which i now work out were about 2 miles or so), but then a month or so ago signed up for the BUPA 10k on May 26th. At first my goal was just to get round, but as I started following a training schedule I got a bit more confident. And then my sister (a tri person) seemed to think I could get round in under an hour. I thought it might be interesting to have a time to aim for, and of course sibling rivalry kicked in . 

 I've been reading over the forum - this thread of course caught my eye and I seem to have world of questions. It's been cool reading over the thread and seeing the stories and progress. Seeing as I just 'ran' before and now I have become aware of all this training terminology - I was wondering if I could post on this thread with questions and blog a bit about training. Seeing as my housemates have suffered enough with my new obsession !

The longest run I've done so far is 4.5mile in roughly 47 mins (I haven't actually got myself a watch yet and I'm deducting 3 mins for getting lost/ standing at traffic lights) so I obviously have a way to go if I am actually going to hit under 60 mins! This weekend I'm planning to do 10k as long run, just to see how it goes and to get an idea of the distance.

 In the meantime...how do i get faster?

Hiya Tort,

Welcome aboard

Lots of good advice to be had here (not from me as i'm a numpty ) , 4.5 in 47 isnt bad at all !!

The advice i got was to do the miles and the speed will follow.
I started on this thread back in august and struggled to do a mile, through good advice and feedback i got my first 10k in 57:50 in september.

Just dont try to do too much too quickly of you will run the risk of injury, build it up reasonably slowly

have fun

Adbru
 

Thanks adbru,

 I keep reading things about fartlek and laps and the geek in me wants to try it all out all at once! I reckon I could seriously geek out about training and technique, but then as you say the first thing is to actually get the mileage. Although you wouldn't believe it considering the only expense I've so far given in to is proper running shoes.

Is very encouraging to read everyone's progress and get inspired.

 Lots of questions to follow from me I'm sure... 

Even though I still haven't bloody cracked 60 minutes yet I'd agree that getting in the miles is the key thing. Go for a nice slow 10k run, even if it's your first and you have to do it really slowly, get it done. Once you can 'do' 10k, its just a case of doing it a few more times, and then slowly trying to improve on it.

Eventually you get a better sense of how tired you are over the distance and at what points you usually start lagging, which should help with pacing. 

I have to say, and I don't know if anyone would agree, but I think running further than 10k (probably as far as 8 miles) is a good thing to do, even if you do it slowly. Once you done longer distances, the smaller ones seem pretty trivial. I completed FLM on Sunday in just under 6 hours, and I have to say now that 10k in about an hour seems like a trivial piece of pee in comparison

Pete, well done on FLM 

I would agree with being able to run further than 10k, my longest run before my first 10k was 4.5 miles.
I got round but I was really hurting later,  wasnt the run but the recovery that took the time.

AshleyMac, Welcome
Is it a flat course ?? or all hills and altitude ??  (if so then RESPECT !!)

1:10 isnt slow for a first run, get it out of the way and then start taking time out of it.

run safe

Adbru 

Hello all,

 haven't been on for a while - too busy training (actually too busy drinking too much and eating chips but I'll pretend it was training). 

Last week I finally achieved my aim - did a 10K in under an hour, 56 minutes 15 seconds to be exact. 

Totally agree with you pete, I started the year training for a half marathon and was gradually increasing my long runs - up to averaging about 10 miles every sunday for quite a few weeks.  Now 10K just seems so less daunting.  Well done for completing the FLM, I was watching for most of Sunday, on interactive they showed the finish and just left it running pretty much all day so might even have seen you finishing.  I'm doing the Berlin marathon later on in the year - all because of the inspiration I got from watching you all finish the FLM and the look on people's faces as they crossed the finish line.

Tortoisenothare, sounds like you're on track to beat the one hour, just over 10 minute miles at this stage isn't bad going at all, certainly based on my experience anyway.  As well as increasing the distance one thing that will help with increasing speed is to run on a treadmill.  This is how I've managed to increase from my first 10K which took me 1 hr 4 minutes to my last one.  You can increase the speed very gradually and as you get used to running a little faster you can then take it out on to the road and it will feel natural to run a little faster.  Just make sure it is very gradual. 

Ashley - you're right the aim in the first race has to be to finish - you will also find that you run a lot faster in a race situation so you'll probably suprise yourself - I know first time I ran 10K I was expecting to come in at around 1 hour 15 and thought I could come last - as it was I finished in 64 minutes. 

NBFS  

NBFS,

Well done on your sub60

(good luck in berlin, i have my first marathon in 10 days time ...yikes !!! )

Adbru 

I did my first 10k jog (that IS 6 miles isn't it?!) yesterday just to see how different it was from my normal 4 mile route.  I was surprised that it wasn't too bad, but saying that it was 80% road and my normal route is 60% off-road!  Unfortuantely I got a phone call near the end and it reset the stopwatch function grrrrr!

Not sure how long it took, but I'll try to get the time again tomorrow!

Morning all

Welcome to Tortoise, Ashley and Natalie - good to meet you all!

Adbru - hope the rest does you good - and very best wishes for your first marathon. I really can't imagine going that far!

Pete - many congrats on the FLM - fab going - total respect!

Colin - When is the Bideford 10k? I'd love to give it a go - but it will be slow! Doctor won't refer me until he has done all the diagnostics, so I'm back next week for a "Doppler (?) test" - something to check circulation. If that's OK then I can get my compression tests, and maybe, just maybe, be on my way to getting fixed. Meanwhile, it's not life threatening, so I'm plodding along slowly.

I'd agree with everyone's comments about distance not speed. It's time on your feet that counts - go far, not fast. Speed will come. Oh - and be careful not to increase the milesge by too much each week - I believe the recommendation is 10% week on week - but I guess it depends where you are starting from! 

Switzerland sounds fab Ashley - I love running forest trails! Mind you - give me a pair of skis any day. Lovely, beautiful country, good luck with your races - keep us posted!  

Must get some work done (but much prefer talking about running)... 

Bideford 10k is Sunday 18th May

 I'll go along with the advice to start slowly - I started running last August and was really pleased with how rapidly I could progress and was running 7 miles two or three times a week within 8 weeks, unfortunately it gave me ITBS, which put me out of running for nearly 3 months.  Now had to start again from scratch and I'm taking it really slowly this time...

Hello, may I also join in? I have been running on/off since my teens, more "on" over the past eighteen months/two years because I was doing a lot of heavy studying alongside my training job, and it helped de-stress me. I want to get a sub-60min 10k time too but haven't had the time or circumstances for proper training as yet! I did one 10K last year and got 1:00:06 (gutted!!) and entered another this year, which was on Easter Saturday. Easter saturday being as it was so early in the year, i wasn't able to do as many miles outside as I wanted (nowhere near) as I have asthma and it was just too cold. And did you SEE the weather on Easter Saturday?! Hail, sleet, snow all accompanied by a driving wind. I did 1:01:35, something of a step back, but not too bad all things considering!

 Typically having been inspired by the marathon and with life settling down a bit for me now, I am toying with the idea of entering the ballot for FLM 2009 (a kind of now-or-never thing, really). To this end, I have entered another 10k in May, and I'm doing the RFL 5k in July. I'll be having a look around for a half marathon later in the year, I think.

So, am I mad? Too ambitious? Certifiably insane? Probably.  

Hi all would like to join too, but must say 10k will be something for me to think about in a couple of months time, concentrating on the 5k's for now!!!

Well about me, I'm female 28 and haven't done any sort of fitness since school, actually didn't even do it then as spent a total of 5 years between a wheelchair and crutches (age 13-18) then on top of that have smoked heavily for the last ten years.

Am married to an extremely fit solider (competes in national cycling champs most years and has done tri's too) after having our 2 kids I got my figure back and found myself wanting to compete like the hubby does (haven't ridden a bike in 18 years so no way was I going to take that up!!! lol ) so on Xmas day I gave up the fags and in Feb brought myself a treadmill (hard to get out a lot due to kids and hubbies job) spent the 1st month and a half plodding away 2 to 5 miles 3 night's a week, then was a little unwell and then went away on hols, before I knew it hadn't done anything for a month. My motivation had gone and I was really missing the running, hubby saw this and took it upon his-self to enter me into a 5k so with only a week to prep I did two 5k runs then had to tapper for the race!!! so not the best training.

Well that was on Sun and as you can guess didn't do too well but then again it was aPB as it was my 1st!! did a 27:30 came 10th out of 39 women.

Now I'm following a training plan (8 weeks) and want to get a sub 25 on the next race, and depending on that a sub 22 by the end of the year (ALWAYS BEEN A DREAMER LOL)

Well I have to say that the 5k training runs I'm doing are seeming very easy, think it's because it's inside on the treadmill and not in the pouring rain and winds like Sunday, or maybe it's because my motivation is well and truly back and the running bug has me in it's grips either way I want to run and PB again and again and again.

So can I join as you seem so friendly and helpful?!?

Mercy 

Wow! Loads of new people! 

Welcome all! 

 Not actually entered any 10Ks this year but might do a couple. Would love to break 40 mins, knee permitting.