10k pace

[Gravymuncher]

Pardon??? Is this the same Roadrunner that raced several times within a couple of weeks of his marathon in April?

[Roadrunner]

Pardon??? Is this the same Roadrunner that raced several times within a couple of weeks of his marathon in April?

So therefore he should listen as I can tell you it didn't pay off and then I ended up needing a week of steady running to recover.

[bestathlete]

Haven't read to mch on tis thread, but noticed you set a PB and have two more 10ks planned in the next two weeks. It might work out for you, but my guess would be that doing this number of races so close might have a negative affect on your progression. The reason you have been setting PBs is because you have been training and now have a years background behind you as a base level. Racing too often will affect your training and you must build in recovery time and time for training.

All the best.

Roadrunner

....this bloke knows what he's talking about so I'm pleased he's said pretty much the same as me.

Regarding a 10k effort - i would regard it as being short enough to run VERY HARD from start to finish. Try breaking it down into smaller sections - the first two miles will probably fly in before you know where you are, then from 2m to 4m concentrate and try to ensure you are running as fast as you can sustain for the distance. From 4m to the end ensure you get every last bit out of yourself, dont think about how knackered you are how you're looking forward to stopping but think of it as a just one 2mile rep and try to pick it up a little, it's a third of the race to go and theres lots of time to be gained by pushing right to the line.
As long as you've done plenty of 10milers etc you should manage to run 10k without blowing.

As said previously - you wont know just how fast you can do it until you REALLY pu(ni)sh yourself beyond your comfort zone.

[Track Fairy]

Chuck the HRM away!! (or if its a posh one only look at the graph afterwards).

If you're racing a flattish course then set yourself a realistic target time (41 mins??) and set off at that pace.

[Trossachs?]

Lots of good advice. One race tonight so I'll let you know. It is flat, and next Thursdays is meant to be flatter and faster, but we will see.

However a problem I have is all this hill running seems to make me a bad judge of pace. I remember as a teen, which I when I last ran a lot, with Sunderland Harriers, I could pretty much judge my pace to within 15 seconds on the road and track, but since a 20 year lay off and now mostly running off road this isn't back, not yet anyway.

I like the idea of start hardish and check times every K to see what pace is, and aim for just over 4min/k? Sounds fast when I put it like that!

Jason

[ChrisU]

My advice is to run the first 1k slightly under pace, allowing the masses to surge away, then pick it up for the next 4k so that you are steadily overtaking folk, and then really turn it on for the final 5k so that it really hurts.

It's much better to "sit in" to a certain extent in the first half, and then hold position or pass folk 2nd half rather than the other way round.

[A.G]

Lots of good advice. One race tonight so I'll let you know. It is flat, and next Thursdays is meant to be flatter and faster, but we will see.

However a problem I have is all this hill running seems to make me a bad judge of pace. I remember as a teen, which I when I last ran a lot, with Sunderland Harriers, I could pretty much judge my pace to within 15 seconds on the road and track, but since a 20 year lay off and now mostly running off road this isn't back, not yet anyway.

I like the idea of start hardish and check times every K to see what pace is, and aim for just over 4min/k? Sounds fast when I put it like that!

Jason

How do your times compare to then?

[Trossachs?]

Awful, I wasn't much cop by north east standards in those days, but sub 2min 800m and sub 60 10mile. Training twice a day through school hols and 50-80 miles / wk in winter. 16-18 years old running felt like flying, I was a stone lighter and I flowed. Now its blooming hard work, the recovery takes longer and where has the pace gone? Last week was 1st 10k under 7 min miles....oh well at least I am improving at the mo.
Glum in retrospect
Jason

[Penguin]

Awful, I wasn't much cop by north east standards in those days, but sub 2min 800m and sub 60 10mile. Training twice a day through school hols and 50-80 miles / wk in winter. 16-18 years old running felt like flying, I was a stone lighter and I flowed. Now its blooming hard work, the recovery takes longer and where has the pace gone? Last week was 1st 10k under 7 min miles....oh well at least I am improving at the mo.
Glum in retrospect
Jason

ah well, at least you know you have got the abilty so there is something to work on.
by the way just hope you don't have a sprint off with me at the last 200...

[A.G]

It does feel like you’re flying when you are running well….I’ve just got that feeling back this week, after my 7th week back. When you’re unfit it feels like you are dragging along a tyre, whereas when at your peak it’s almost as if somebody has attached a cable to your chest and is pulling you along.