Help please I don't have a clue on training pace

Sorry this is a long question/post have tried to compress it but didn't do very well!!

I am 42 year old male in reasonable shape (not overweight)

I have 3 main aims for the next 12 months.

GNR in September this year  (aiming for sub 1:33)

VLM in April next year (aiming for sub 3:30)

Triathlons after the London marathon

My PB's are 5k 20 mins / 10k 42 mins/ HM 1:35

I am really struggling to know at what pace to train.

I run 5-6 times a week which currently looks somthing like this

4 "Easy" runs between 6 and 7 miles at 7:30-7:45 mile pace

1 Speed work for example 5 miles at 6:45 mile pace plus 1 mile w/u & c/d

1 Long run 12-14 miles at 7:30-8:00 mile pace

=weekly milage around 45 miles. I also have 2-3 gym sessions a week (upper body work and swimming)

Do I need to slow the pace of my "Easy" and long runs? I run these at close to my HM pace and faster than my desired marathon pace-but they do feel reasonably comfortable most of the time-I am tired at the end but not exhausted my HR av is around 165 for these runs.

If I try to slow it feels wrong and dosn't actually make the run feel any easier. I am also worried about loosing race pace if I slow any of my runs. But alot of the advice I read suggests my easy pace is to fast- can someone give me examples of there pb's / aims achived and with what training pace.

Thanks

 

 

 

Running eye, briefly, way too fast.

From that 10k in 42mins your 10k pace would be 6.45

That would make your easy pace in the 8.20-9 zone

You're actually running your easy runs somewhere between Marathon Pace (7.20-7.24) and Steady (under 8.05)

It's no wonder you say you're tired running easy/long at the 7.30-7.45pace.

As a comparison, I often run easy at 7.30 pace, and i'm in the 35 10k mixer.

Slowing your easy pace down, means you're fresh to work hard once or twice a week, in a tempo or speed reps session. It's here where you earn your pbs.

That 6.45 pace for 5miles sounds very tough, as that's your 10k pace. Is that broken down into 1mile reps, or 5miles solid? If it's solid that's a crazily hard workout.

I'd suggest a much better bet is either a tempo of say 6miles at MP (with warm up and cool down included), or shorter reps.

In an ideal world you'd do a session of each per week.

For now though, i'd get those easy and long runs lower,  and get a tempo run involved, 10miles with 3mile wu, 6miles MP, 1mile cool down is a good one.

 

Thanks Stevie G.

The 5 miles was solid running. On my rep speed sessions I have been running 6.10 pace. ie. 1 mile at 6.10 pace then 1/2 at 7.45 pace repeated 3 times. Yes the 5 miles solid was very hard for me I would estimate at least 95% effort.

Thanks for your feed back its intresting you say that reducing pb's come from the speed work. What i don't know is where I should be aiming for my pb's.

I started running regulary 7 months ago with a aim of under 2 hours for my first HM, I did my first HM in May @ 1:40 then 1:35 in a training run last week. What I am afraid of is slowing training pace and not obtaining my best possible pb's.

What do you think to me slowing my mid and long runs, but pushing hard on the speed work, maybe increasing speed work to twice a week? I must admit currently I rarely feel like I have fresh legs.

Running eye, you should take heed of your last line. You shouldn't feel like that, and that's a sure fire sign you're overdoing it pace wise in training.

If you have the patience, you can comfortably lower your pbs and feel fresher into the bargain.

Off your pbs, even the half marathon one which you seem to be counting from training, the pace zones i gave prreviously sound about right.

Therefore, if i were you i'd slow the easy pace running down immediately to the 8.20+ zone.

Similarly i also think you're overdoing it in the speedwork.

5miles at 10k pace is a monumental effort. You might as well run a race then do that.

As for that 6.10 pace x3 , with 1/2mile 7.45 pace, I'm not sure what the thinking is there?

6.45 is your 10k pace, so 6.30 at fastest would be your 5k pace, so what is 6.10? Probably 3k pace?

Doing 3miles at 3k (1.8mile) race pace is too much. To make it even more challenging, you don't even give yourself a standing recovery, instead doing 1/2mile at easy pace!

A better session would surely be 3x1mile at 10k pace with 2min recovery. That would still feel a challenge. I can only imagine how wrecked you must be after your one!

If you want a session that will feel medium hard, i'd do the 10mile session of 3miles warm up, 6miles at MP, and then 1mile cool down. It's a session that's never easy but gets you worked out, without needing too much recovery time.

Therefore, i'd suggest slow it all down, add that MP session, and try and add 10miles to your total basket over the next couple of months.

On coming through without any problems,  you can probably then think about adding a speed reps session to go along with the tempo. This session would be based on your calculated times, and dependent on the target

10x800 at 10k pace, 3x2mile at HMP, etc

Thanks again Stevie.
Have tried slowing thing and last few easy runs have been at 7:50 pace.
There is a big difference between 7:50 and 7:30 much bigger than I would have thought.
Still worried about slowing in training will lead to slower PB's but that probably my inexperience. Did run a 7.5 miler at 6:50 pace which I classed as a tempo run big hills involved also- think I over did it as legs aching more than ever after a easy long run today.
But have a enforced 2 day break this weekend so should give them time to recover. Then I will try to stick to the slower pace.
Very hilly around here (peak district) so every run consists of big hills, think I will try going to the local track ( soon to be the Jess Eniss stadium) for speed work.

Thanks again for your input Stevie
Cheers from the Lazy one ( other forum post)

Trust me as someone who has thought exactly the same as you...slowing most of your training  keeps you fresh, and allows you to smash the big sessions of the week.