Sub 45 10K......on the right track?

[Mark46750]

Hello,
I just completed my first race on September 26. I ran a local half marathon in 1:42. My next race will be a 10K on October 25 and I would like to try to complete it in under 45 minutes to improve my seeding for another half marathon on my schedule in the spring.

I ran about 15 easy miles throughout the week following the half marathon and began the sub 45 program the week after that. I could only complete two of the 2K repeats on day 3 because I ran too fast. I ran the first 2K in 7:58 and the second in 8:05. I finished with some easy running instead of doing two more.

Today felt like it was the best workout so far. I did the 6 x 1K and they all felt great. My times were

1- 4:15
2- 4:05
3- 4:09
4- 4:12
5- 4:15
6- 4:15

Should I be concerned about the burnout on the 2K's or am I on the right track for a sub 45 in 12 days? Thanks

[TheEd]

Hi mark and welcome to the forums

you seem to be pretty OK .. with your 1:42 half it shows you have a touch of an aerobic base to work on

running at a new pace is always tough and the 2k session is a toughie

you seem to be coping and it is 2 weeks (more or less) to the race

so hopefully your body is able to go up another level ..

so do week 2 of the cycle this week but switch to week 1 routine for the weekend and roll on to the Tuesday session

provide feedback as to how you feel and then we can consider whether you ready for another 2k session next week

how do you feel about this suggestion?

Cheers

TheEd

[Mark46750]

I am up for whatever you suggest. So should I start over with the first week on Sunday? I would definitely like to do the 2K session again just to prove to myself that I can.

[TheEd]

I would like you to do another 2k session but on Tuesday if possible

the 2000m session is the crux of the program, this session prepares you the most for racing

Cheers

TheEd
ps.. please keep me informed as to how you cope with the sessions

[Mark46750]

I did 30 minutes yesterday at a little more than 8:00/mile pace. I did have a little pain just below my left calf throughout the day. That pain has gone away today though. I will not be able to do a 60 minute session today because of my schedule. Should I do 60 minutes tomorrow and just make today my rest day? Thanks for all of the advice.

[Mark46750]

I was able to do a 5K trial today in 21:30. Everything feels good

[TheEd]

Mark .. how did you feel with the pace?

were you relaxed enough to consider that an easy pace?

OK .. so you on to 2 weeks to go, right?

an easy 1hr tomorrow should be fine

you seem to have reshuffled things around .. somewhat

as mentioned .. the 2000's is the session that provides the best training for 10km racing .. let's see how you recover from the 5k run before looking towards next week .. next week is more or less the last week of training, the week before the race is a simple run down to the race

Cheers

TheEd

[Mark46750]

The 5k did feel quite easy. I didn't really push myself to achieve that time and I was still able to finish that workout with another mile at a slower pace. I felt like my breathing was consistent throughout the entire run.

My race is actually on the 25th, just 1 week from tomorrow.

[TheEd]

OK .. that is good news .. do you know the nature of the course next week, hilly or flat etc .. where there are hills if any etc?

yes, for the 25th ..

sorry .. for mentioning 2 weeks its this damn mist ..

somehow I went on 'mind walkabout' and I was wondering why you were doing the 5k paced .. lol .. though you were actually going to program

my apologies

so that's it then ... you have done your prep for the race

once you give me a little detail about the course we can discuss pace because if you can go through the first 5k comfortably with a 10 second cushion at 5k you should set yourself up for a good race over the last 3k .. when the 10k focus is needed

Cheers

TheEd

[Mark46750]

The course is mostly flat. There are two hills. One between the 2nd and 3rd km and another between the 6th and 7th km.

So I should be able to complete the first 5k at 22:20? Is that the 10 second cushion you are talking about? Thanks