A 40+ female runner's journey to the sub 50 minute 10K

[Mistral]

10K easy run: Avg pace 6:19 min/km, avg HR 142 bpm. Feeling great, all well.

[Mistral]

The last quality session of the second cycle: 3 x 5 min @ 10K pace.

Pace LHR AHR MHR
4:48 144 167 174
4:45 151 173 178
4:42 149 175 182

I ran on a track today, so I know the GPS data are slightly optimistic, but the real pace should still be comfortably below 5:00. Real pace on the last lap was very close to 4:45.

This was a great session. It was tough enough, but unlike last week's 1K session I felt strong and in control all the time, despite it being very warm and a low-energy time of day.

On Sunday I have a 15K race. It's reasonably flat, but there's all sorts of surfaces; asphalt, cobblestones, trails and grass (I will be running in trail shoes). I'm unsure what goal to aim for - any suggestions?

Cheers

[TheEd]

which part of the course is the quickest? based on this you can have 2 approaches

1st. you can see how fast you can run your 1st 10km for and then jog in, depending if the first part of the course is fast

2nd. run the race, trying to build up your speed every 5k

how does this sound?

TheEd

[Mistral]

The trickiest part is in the middle, the last 5K are not bad. I'll try option 2. Not sure what pace to aim for, but I can try steering a bit by heart rate. Thanks!

[TheEd]

how things going?

TheEd

[Mistral]

Hi TheEd, thanks for asking!

Last week was all work and parental duties, so after Tuesday's session I was only able to fit in a single recovery run before toeing the line for today's 15K.

Based on my recent 10K Macmillan predicted 1:19:47, so I decided to try for sub 1:20, knowing it would be a stretch on the difficult surfaces.

The first 12K were OK. I started a bit too fast, but my heart rate was where I wanted it and it felt easy despite really muggy weather. But at 13K appeared a long stretch of really bumpy grass field ... on an uphill slope, which I must have suppressed from my memory. After that, my legs were logs and accelerating was not an option.

I finished in 1:20:51. As I didn't quite reach my goal I wasn't super pleased until I discovered that I ended in the top 15% of my gender and age category. I'm more used to top 35%, so maybe I did a decent race after all, given the conditions.

The question now, of course, is "what next". During summer I'll have more time for running, but probably no races until September. So far this program seems to be working very well for me, and I'd like to continue my progress towards the sub 50 min 10K. However, my true love is longer distances and I'd also like to build on my marathon training to work towards a couple half marathons in the fall and a faster marathon next year. Any suggestions for how to train over the summer are welcome.

Thank you so much for all your counsel and support so far, I really appreciate it!

[TheEd]

Hi Mistral, how things with your plans going and what are you currently up to

TheEd

[Mistral]

Hi TheEd,

I'm up to rest & recovery. Life has heaped a lot onto my plate lately and I've been operating on too little sleep for too long. Last week I paid for it: Totally drained physically and mentally. I only did a few easy runs for pleasure and otherwise tried to keep my head above water.

This week we're also in for a hot spell, up to 39°C. I'm useless in this kind of weather and sleep will suffer again, so I won't plan anything more ambitious than a few easy morning runs if temperatures allow.

But July and August will be better! Less stress, more time for running.

Summer is (very) low season for racing around here and my next race is a half marathon on September 20. There doesn't seem to be any suitable 10K races before that. Maybe the best approach is to focus on the half marathon for now and come back to my 10K goal later in the fall?

Cheers

[Mistral]

Hi TheEd,

Change of plans! My half marathon race got pushed out until November (when does that ever happen?!?), then I finally found a suitable 10K race on September 13. So now I'm planning to start a 3-week cycle on August 2nd and another on August 23, leading up to the September 10K.

Question: Can I put in a few more long runs than the program calls for, and if yes, what would be the best way to include them?

[TheEd]

Mistral, you can increase the long run on Day 5 towards 18k, this will assist in running the 21k, and as you develop further you can increase that distance

the programs are designed progressively, so you will have an off period and go onto a build-up period, which provides a foundation of aerobic running

so lots more to come, hope this helps for now

TheEd
ps: apologies for slow reply (I read the email that came in, and didnt answer immediately)