Sub-40min 10k

[Daniel]

Hi TheEd - completed the 5x2k session today so providing a quick update.

Did the first 2 days very easy, I can see there is plenty of quality work coming up so wanted to stay fresh. Also feeling a bit of soreness in the calves so trying to nurse them through it. Day 2 was particularly easy, slowest I've done since run/walk sessions early in my recovery program.

Day 1 | 61:05min | 12.28km | Avg Pace 4:59/km | Avg HR 145
Day 2 | 30:57min | 5.93km | Avg Pace 5:13/km | Avg HR 137

Completed the 5x2km R90 session this morning. Target pace is 4:14 but I took your advice and held back on the first few reps to be sure I'd get through the session.

1km warmup with some dynamic stretches then:

Rep 1: 8:36 (4:18)
Rep 2: 8:32 (4:16)
Rep 3: 8:29 (4:15)
Rep 4: 8:23 (4:12)
Rep 5: 8:24 (4:12)

Total: 42:24 (4:14)

Stuck to the 90sec rest for all intervals. Very happy with that result especially as I haven’t done intervals for so long. Was feeling quite strong through Reps 1-3, Rep 4 was a bit tough and Rep 5 was very tough. Feeling great about having got through the session, and glad to have a rest day tomorrow. Interesting that the average pace was bang on target despite holding back in the early reps. Fortunately no problem with the calves.

[TheEd]

A very good session, makes very nice reading, excellent

focus on recovery between sessions, the long run coming up over the weekend, break it down into segments, stop at least twice during the run to loosen calf muscles and give them a light massage

once you get the 1k session out the way, it is very easy running compared to day 3 to 8

so nurse yourself and take care

enjoy

TheEd
ps.. if you have any heart rate data for the intervals, please provide, may come in handy

[Daniel]

Hi TheEd,

I didn’t record HR on the 2k intervals but made sure to record for the 1k session.

A quick update now that I have completed day 8 6x1k intervals.

Day 5 was a terrible run. As I haven’t run long for a while I only planned to do about 70mins. From the start I was struggling and was fatigued the entire run, heart rate was very high even though pace was low. Just accepted it was a bad run and put it behind me. My legs were still feeling fatigued Day 6 and 7 but they were much more comfortable runs and helped to freshen up.

Day 5 | 1:12:42 hrs | 13.34km | Average Pace 5:27 | Average HR 146
Day 6 | 31:17 | 6.22km | Average Pace 5:02 | Average HR 146
Day 7 | 53:10 | 10.28km | Average Pace 5:10 | Average HR 133

Today was 6x1k session, splits as follows:
Rep | Time | Avg HR | Max HR
Rep1 | 4:09 | 143 | 161
Rep2 | 4:06 | 151 | 169
Rep3 | 4:03 | 149 | 173
Rep4 | 4:03 | 154 | 166
Rep5 | 4:02 | 154 | 167
Rep6 | 4:00 | 155 | 165

Total | 24:23 (4:04)

It felt very tough, probably felt harder than the 5x2k session, but I was very happy to get through it with consistent improvement in pace. No major problems with the calves, massaging them regularly and stretching. Now looking forward to a few lighter sessions the next few days.

Question - what is the strategy and target time for the 5k paced run? I was planning to do the local parkrun, same course every Sat morning so would be a good marker though it has a few hills and uneven surfaces.

Thanks for all your help.

[TheEd]

nice going Daniel, sometimes the body can struggle a little

lets see what your morning pulse is for the next couple of days

then we can see from Thursday what the plan for the paced run shall be

on we go

TheEd

[Daniel]

Hi TheEd,

I've had a couple of good easy days. Day 9 easy 30 the legs felt a bit heavy after the intervals but still a nice, relaxed run.

Day 9 | 30:03mins | 6.25km | Avg Pace 4:49min/km | Avg HR 140 BPM

Then this morning Day 10 easy 60 felt great, light on my feet and very fresh. Felt like I could keep running all day, HR tells the story.

Day 10 | 1:00:24hrs | 12.26km | Avg pace 4:56min/km | Avg HR 135 BPM

With a rest day tomorrow I expect to be feeling quite fresh on Saturday for 5k paced run.

[TheEd]

nice to see you working through the cycle

TheEd

[Daniel]

Did the 5k paced run this morning. I wasn't quite sure what pace to target, so I thought I'd try to go sub-21 pace and slow down if it felt too hard.

I used the local parkrun. It's a slow course, mostly uneven ground and a decent hill. Found the pace early and stuck to a consistent effort level, finished in 20:45. Not easy, but never uncontrolled and finished feeling fairly fresh.

Splits:

KM1: 4:09
KM2: 4:09
KM3: 4:28 (uphill)
KM4: 4:07 (up/downhill)
KM5: 4:10

Total: 20:45

There are no races locally next week so I'm planning to do the parkrun again. Will be interesting to see how much I can improve.

Do you have any suggestions on pacing for the 400m intervals on Tuesday?

[Daniel]

Hi TheEd,

A quick update on progress. After the 5k paced run did the 2 easy runs and this morning did the 10x400m intervals.

Day 13 | 1:03:38hrs | 13.34km | Avg Pace 4:46 | Avg HR 138
Day 14 | 30:00min | 6.00km | Avg Pace 5:00 | Avg HR 133 (treadmill @ 1.5% incline)

Day 15

I decided to target 1:32 for the 400m intervals. Recorded HR at end of each rep (MHR) and also at the end of each rest period (RHR). Stuck to 60sec standing rest for each rep.

Rep 1 | 1:33 | forgot to catch HR
Rep 2 | 1:28 | MHR 153 | RHR 67
Rep 3 | 1:30 | MHR 155 | RHR 95
Rep 4 | 1:29 | MHR 157 | RHR 83
Rep 5 | 1:29 | MHR 155 | RHR 116
Rep 6 | 1:28 | MHR 160 | RHR 93
Rep 7 | 1:27 | MHR 162 | RHR 82
Rep 8 | 1:26 | MHR 163 | RHR 87
Rep 9 | 1:25 | MHR 163 | RHR 89
Rep 10 | 1:24 | MHR 168

TOTAL: 14:39
AVERAGE: 1:27 (3:39/km)

Seems I ran too hard for the purpose of the session. I didn’t deliberately keep dropping the times apart from the last rep but I was enjoying the session and the times just kept coming down gradually.

Now looking forward to finishing off the cycle and racing this weekend. There are no races locally so I'm planning to do the parkrun again (same course/event as the 5km paced run).

[TheEd]

have a good run on the weekend, and make sure that you work on keeping your calf muscles loose after the 400m session

you understand the 6 x 1 minute session, yes?

on we go

TheEd

[Daniel]

Thanks TheEd,

Pretty sure I understand the 6x1min session. 30min slow then 1min @ race pace with 1min slow recovery 6 times. Sharpen up and get a feel for race pace without working the body too hard.

All good to go.

Cheers,
Daniel