10K Sub 50 Min goal

[Octopus]

Hi There,

Thank you for a very informative website and a great forum!

I ran my first 10K event in the beginning of September (Bridge to Brisbane) this year and surprised myself with a finishing time of 53.49 which was a big surprise. About three weeks later I ran another race in 56:30 (can't remember the exact time but it was a bit more them 56 minutes. The first race was done early in the morning, I am guessing maybe it was 15 degrees outside or less. The second race I ran in the afternoon in nearly 30 degrees hear. Hopefully this explains why I performed so much worse on the second race. It was hard and hot and I think I might have found by max pulse at 186 when I crossed the finish line!

I have been running on and off for a few years, sporadic at best really, without any specific running plan, but have followed the time to run program since July to prepare for my 10K races. I have goal to start the next Bridge to Brisbane in the sub 50 min wave. To do this I must have completed another 10K run in under 50 minutes to be allowed to register for this category.

We are currently in the hot season here, and there are not many fun runs or events on at the moment. The next one is not until the beginning March next year where I can have my first attempt at a sub 50 minute 10k.

I have just started the off traninig period after doing the normal 10K program a few times. In the post it states that a hear rate monitor is good to use in the period to ensure that you are not running too fast. It does not state however what heart rate range you should aim for. I believe my max hrt to be around 186 (++)

Would you recommend me to continue with the build up period after the off period? And for 1 or 2 rounds? As it is a long time until next race I am afraid that I will loose motivation in the meantime if I don't have any ways of testing my progress and to see that I am on the right track to meet my goal. It would be nice to have something in the short term to look forward to.

Regards,

Octopus

[TheEd]

Hi Octopus, and welcome to the forums

first off, find out about Park Runs in your area, as these can be used to maintain your motivation

what I even recommend for now, is to do a Park Run, get the 5k time, report back, and then we can see where we can go from there.

So for this week, find a park run and the get ready to run that

let us know what happens in the week before the 5k, where and when you find a Park Run

onwards TheEd

[Octopus]

Hi TheEd

Thanks you for the reply!

I will be doing my local park run this Saturday and let you know how I go.

I have a meeting tomorrow night after work, so will take the day off from running. Was thinking to do a run on Thursday instead. Would you recommend this to be an easy run or more of a fartlek session as per your 10k traning cycle in the week before a race?

[TheEd]

do a simple easy run. No fartlek, a light leg stretcher and then enjoy the Park Run

and we take it from there

enjoy

TheEd

[Octopus]

Hi There,

So Park Run done and dusted! It was nice running conditions today. Light rain in the air and not too hot.

Overall time was 25.44.
Average pace 5.08 min/km
Average heart rate: 168
Max heart rate: 185

Kilometer/Pace/ average heart rate
1. 5.12 - 157
2. 5.20 - 164
3. 5.19 - 168
4. 5.07 - 172
5. 4.38 - 179

Hope this is enough info!

I haven't told a lot about me. I am a 32 year old guy, and for a runner I believe I am a bit on the heavier side? I am 1.73 m and weigh 77.1 (as of last week). I think it might help to improve my times if I try to drop a few kilos.

How would you like me to proceed with my sub 50 min goal?

[TheEd]

thanks for the feedback, regarding weight, that should drop with consistent training

Day 1 is Tuesday on the program

Thursday = 3 x 2k @ 5.20 to 5.25 per k with Rest 90 seconds to 2 mins

2k time .. 5.40 to 5.50

do not worry too much about the pace for now, and if you feel good after the 1st 2k, then try to run quicker

TheEd
ps.. it looks like you have good pace judgement, as well as a quicker last 1k during the 5k. This looks good for the future, so for now, we look to get you into a routine, and work on from there.

[Octopus]

Thanks for the reply.

Tomorrow I will be doing day three of the program. It has been a cold spring here, but now It has really warmed up the last couple of days.

It's interesting to see how much the heat affects my performance. Today I went for an easy 30 minute, and stayed in the same work out zone as earlier in the week when it was cooler. My bpm was slightly to higher Today, but my pace was 20 seconds slow per kilometer.

Tomorrow it is forecasted 34 degrees. I will wait until after sunset to do my 3x2km, and I will do them in a local park where I can jump in a beautiful pool afterwards! I will keep you posted how I went!

Until next time...

[Octopus]

Hi There,

Thursday done and dusted!

I feared the heat today, and read 28 degrees before I left home at 6.15pm. It didn't really feel that hot at all, I think I have been running in much worse conditions before.

I must have remembered wrong what pace I was suppose to aim for for the first 2k. I thought it was between 5.15 to 5.20.
For the second interval I decided to forget about the watch and focus on the breath to get in to a good, but hard pace, and just listen to the body. It was actually nice to run like this without constantly looking at how fast I was running, a little bit liberating. I knew from the start that I was running faster than the first interval, and that I could keep this pace up for "a while". By the end of the 2nd interval I was convinced that I would not be able to keep the same pace for interval number three.

Here are the stats:

1st 2k
Pace: 5.17
Bpm at break: 159 (down to 108)

2nd 2k
Pace: 5.04
Bmp at break: 166 (down to 116)

3rd 2k
Pace: 5.02
Bmp :171

Average heart rate: 161

Then I jumped in the pool!

Also some other slow runs this week.

Monday 30 minute run:
Temperature: Felt cool
Bpm: 132
Pace: 6:32 m/km
Distance: 4.7km

Wednesday 30 min run
Temperature: Felt hot
Bpm:134
Pace: 6.38 m/km

I try to run around 70 -75% of max heart rate, but I am a bit surprised how slow the second run is compared to race pace for the 5 km time test for example. Do you think I should continue to focus on the 70 -75% or is it better to aim for a minute slower per km as a guide?

Cheers,

Jan Gustav

[TheEd]

Jan, thanks for your detailed reply with hr data.

focus mostly on keeping things controlled and on recovery between the quality sessions from Day 3 to Day 8

that is the most important

once you adapt to the program, you will note things change on its own, your slow pace speeds up while the pace stays the same.

do hydrate well, especially when it is hot

the heat, certainly makes the pulse rate rise .. cooler conditions are always better

you coming along nicely

TheEd

[Octopus]

Hi There,

It has been a lovely and busy weekend. Got my running sessions in between repainting the kitchen. We have three failed attempts behind us, as we did not like the three first colours.

Yesterday I went for my long run, it was hot in the start, but when I turned around at the half way point some clouds appeared which was really nice. It suddenly got really black and I was chased by a thunderstorm on my way home. I had to do a little shortcut to get back quicker which left me run 5 minutes short of the 1h 45min. I did manage to get soaking wet but escaped before the lightning hit the area. I decided to take a back pack with water with me, so I carried about 1,2 liters on my back. It was a bit awkward to get my water bottle out when running. I have asked Santa for a running style camel back pack for Christmas

Stats for the run:
Distance: 14.17 km
Bpm average: 138
Min/km: 7.07

I went for a short 30 min run today, legs a bit tired at first, but it felt fine one I got going.

What do you suggest for the 1k session next week? It looks like you are pointing me to the sub 55 min training plan times according to the 2k suggestions time earlier.

Have a great Sunday!