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Laura
Laura Sendmail

10k to 10miles...

posted 11 months ago | Report

I'm really very new to running and started on Jan 1st doing the couch to 5k plan.

I have a 10k race on Sunday week (I use the term loosely as there is no chance of winning it!) and I'm hoping to finish in about 1hr and 15mins.

I have also signed up to do the Great South Run in October and I'm looking for some advice from people as to how best to get faster. I'm really aiming to get to able to hold an 11-12 min mile rather than 14-15min mile which is what I currently do.

If you have any experience of something similar or have some ideas I can try I would really appreciate the help. I should add that I have lost 2 stone from running since the beginning of the year and have at least another 2 to go - so is it really just a case of getting faster as you get lighter?

All these questions!!!

Thank you

Laura

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9 posts

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  • Joe H.
    Joe H. Sendmail

    same way you got here. get a plan, follow it, listen to body and give it proper nutrition and rest and kick booty. fwiw i like the free generic training plans at halhigdon.com but there are lots of other plans out there. look around and see which ones fit your goals and lifestyle

    posted 11 months ago

  • Erik K.
    Erik K. Sendmail

    To the best of my knowledge, three things will make you faster at endurance running.
    1) Not have "extra" weight. So yes, loosing weight will make you faster.
    2) Having better aerobic capacity. This comes from putting in the miles along with proper rest times.
    3) Running with better efficiency. This means form work such as not over striding, running "light" and smooth, etc. The top runners tend to follow close to the natural form taught by Chi Running, POSE, Natural Running, Etc.

    In terms of running a longer race, plans can be good but not at the expense of having fun while running. Except for the weekly long run which is key to going longer, don't be afraid to change the type of workout on any day. I personally made my own plan that's really simple

    -Run 5 or 6 days a week (at least one rest day is needed each week, as second may be taken if my body seems to need it)
    -Include a long run every week, this should be the longest run of the plan every other week at least 50% during the build-up to roughly race mileage (see the free beginner plans for what the minimum peak should be). This run can and usually should be done slower than race pace.
    -Include hard running once or maybe twice a week. Right now I'm doing race pace 5k's, fartlek trail runs, or barefoot intervals at the park. Distance isn't very important on these days.
    -Other runs are based on what I feel like doing any given day. I believe my body is a better judge of what I should be doing than any generic plan available.
    -I put an emphasis on having fun when I run and having lots of smiles on my face during workouts.

    If that's too loose of a plan for you, feel free to use something more structured. Just keep in my to be flexible to adjust when needed.

    posted 11 months ago

  • Doug
    Doug Sendmail

    on the same training you can probably get 2 seconds per mile per pound. lose 10 pounds and gain 20 seconds per mile on your pace. At least that's a close estimate. the other advantage is your body can add more training with lower weight. There's less stress on the body.

    posted 11 months ago

  • Kris B.
    Kris B. Sendmail

    Great progress, and great goal! And a race is a race regardless of where you finish, so don't sell yourself short. There is no substitute for improvement than more running. So slowly build, add variety to your training (longer vs shorter runs, faster vs slower pace) and be consistent, and you will get to where you want to be!

    posted 11 months ago

  • Russell B.
    Russell B. Sendmail

    Just keep running. You can lift weights and do run workouts (hills, track, etc). But just keep running. I started running in April of last year and was doing like 15/min pace. I ran my first half marathon (1:58) in October of last year and then my first marathon (4:28) this past march. I just ran my first 5k in over a year and dropped my PR from a 35:15 to a 22:58. I haven't really done much other than get out and run.

    I would also add a) find a running club so you can run with faster people, you might not always be able to keep up, but keep trying. b) run with a friend who is faster, see 'a' for the reason, lol

    I'm not sure what a stone is, lol... but here in the states, I lost 175 lbs during that time (not an ounce more since my marathon, lol... but anyway... you most certainly get faster as you get lighter and as your muscles develop.

    Good for you, keep at it!

    posted 11 months ago

  • Laura
    Laura Sendmail
    in reply to what Joe H. said:same way you got here. get a plan, follow it, listen to body and give it proper nutrition and rest and kick booty. fwiw i like the free generic training plans at halhigdon.com but there are lots of other plans out there. look around and see which... read more

    Thank you Joe. I'm happy keeping to a plan and trying to figure all the other bits about re nutrition and rest. I have loads of determination so hopefully I'll get there.. just don't want my 10mile race to take hours and hours!

    posted 11 months ago

  • Laura
    Laura Sendmail
    in reply to what Erik K. said:To the best of my knowledge, three things will make you faster at endurance running. 1) Not have "extra" weight. So yes, loosing weight will make you faster. 2) Having better aerobic capacity. This comes from putting in the miles along... read more

    Thank you so much for your response full of lots of interesting things...

    The weight is coming off (very slowly) but an easier measure for me is how my body shape is changing and how the runs are taking less out of me. I used to religiously train to music relying on it to keep a pace but since I switched to podcasts I feel like I can listen to my body more.

    As such for my long run each week (on a Monday so it's nicely out the way) I listen to Podcasts and switch up the speed according to what I feel I can achieve... bizarrely I always seem to finish the last couple of km much quicker. I'm keeping to 3 runs a week currently as I still have so much excess weight to lose but hoping to up that as I feel I come down to a weight which is less likely to cause any injury.

    3 kids in 5 years is just about enough to tire anyone out generally but putting together a body after is just taking time... lots of it!

    Thank you for all your pointers - helped me tremendously!

    posted 11 months ago

  • Laura
    Laura Sendmail
    in reply to what Doug said:on the same training you can probably get 2 seconds per mile per pound. lose 10 pounds and gain 20 seconds per mile on your pace. At least that's a close estimate. the other advantage is your body can add more training with lower weight. ... read more

    Oh I love a stat - thank you for this response. It's a real revelation to know that I can gain such an advantage as the weight starts to come down. I'm coming to the realisation that at 5 foot 5 with disproportionately short legs I'm never going to be the best runner but I'm enjoying it so much I'm determined to be the best I can be. Thank you again - Laura

    posted 11 months ago

  • Erik K.
    Erik K. Sendmail

    Being small and having short legs might not be good for short distances, but if you ever get to ultra distances it will actually help.

    posted 11 months ago

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