45 min 10k

I've got my first ever 10k coming up in Hull on 3/6. I am really looking forward to it now and my training is coming on niceley. In fact, I'm following a marathon training schedule and it just happens that it expect me to race 10k on 3/6 anyway!

I am very competitive with myself and I desperately want to get near the 45 minute mark but my best time yet is 56:18 but that is with a dog and some bloody great hills too.  I am hopeful that on a flatter course, in race conditions and without the dog I can get that time down - but 11 minutes is a big ask isn't it?

Instead of a 30 minute steady jog today I got up and wanted to runa  fast 5km to test myself. After the dogs lack of stamina on my long Sunday run I decided to leave her at home.  I live at the bottom of a hill so to do any decent circuit I have to start with a hill climb. I pushed hard and when it levelled out I just kept pushing.  I know there were times where I slacked off and had to switch myself back on and I was determined to get the 5km in user 25 minutes. In the end it was 25:07 with a fast descent down hill near the end -not at all happy with myself.

I know I'm still a relatively new runner and I am getting quicket but I really wanted uner 25 mins.  But I'll turn my frustration into motivation and keep pushing. I aren't going to adjust my 45 min 10k target - it's a real goal to aim for.

Rant over...

Keep going and you'll do it.

As its your first race you are guaranteed a personal best and you'll find that you run faster than you expect. 

That's what I am hoping for tbh. I think mentally being in a race will help more than anything else. I am also expecting to look at faster people and use them as pace makers in some way - although I know I need to run my own race.

Keep 45 as a long term goal.  See your up coming race a step along the way to it.

10ks are tough and to run them well, you have to train for that distance.  Marathon training wont get you to that target as the marathon is different type of discipline.  Once you've completed your marathon and you've recovered, go back to 10ks.  Find a plan and follow that, racing more often if you can.  Your times will improve and you'll hit your goal.

Good luck with your marathon and your 10k.

Run some 5k's. Find a parkrun and do it regulary once a week as part of your stamina/speed training for the week. Then the Sunday after do a recovery run then back to your usually easy running come Monday. 5ks are great training for 10ks as they are all about stamina and speed as well. The guy who started parkrun should be given some kind of award as he as provided for free one of the best ways for people to get over their fear of running against others. Also for the rest of us an aid  to getting faster without shelling out loads of cash.

Good fortune and leave the dog at home. People are better runners.

David, I agree with others I would keep 45 as a longer term goal. I took up running last August. I aimed to beat 55 minutes for my first and came in at 52 mins which I was pleased with. I then ran one a month later and tried to beat the 52 and came home in 48:40. Because my first target was 55 I enjoyed the run and was delighted with my time. I would not want you to just miss out and feel dejected. 56:18 running with a dog and in a training run is a good effort. But 11 minutes is a big gap also. Why not aim for sub 52 and see what happens.

I ran my first few 10k's in approx 48 mins. It didn't matter that one was flat, another hilly, one was off road, and another was multi terrain and undulating.

As a beginner and training for a marathon I was stuck in that slow marathon plod. Not running short and fast or varrying my pace enough. I only started doing shorter runs about a year ago. My 5 and 10k times dropped by several minutes each. This year I was going to target 5k's but my immune system broke.

I'm only reitterating what has been said, train for the distance. If you are marathon training at present don't compromise that by trying to go for 10k PB's at the same time. Concentrate on your marathon and building endurance. You want to be as best prepared for that physically and mentally as you can.

When you have run your marathon you can start to target your 45 min 10k goal. As you have discovered, running fast for a prolonged distance is as much mental as it is physical.

Remember also that you are training to race. Your training runs are not races. Don't time them and think that's it. They are just training runs. Race in a proper race where you will be psyched up to push yourself both mentally and physically.

Don't beat yourself up about a training run that wasn't as fast as you wanted. That's just going to make you feel bad about your running. That's not what it's about.

Enjoy, relax.

camillia sinensis assamica mouse wrote (see)

I ran my first few 10k's in approx 48 mins.

As a beginner and training for a marathon I was stuck in that slow marathon plod.

LOL! I wish I could run my 10Ks and marathons that 'slow'!

Agree with previous comments - keep 45 mins as a long term goal and go back to it after you've run your marathon. Set smaller goals - aim to get your 10K down a minute at a time which is much more achievable than 10 minutes all at once. Good luck!