Training for 5 and 10k after Marathon

[Kai]

Hi,

I am currently preparing for a Marathon in April and would like to use that solid endurance basis for tackling the 20 mins @5 Km and the 40 mins @10 Km later this year. I followed the discussions in this board with great interest and got fascinated by the concept of the 10k training program.

I'm 44 years old. My personal bests are 25 years old (16:40 for 5k, 34:50 for 10k and 2:49 for the M). But these days are over - I added some Kg's and got re-attracted by running only 3 years ago. Last year I missed the 20 minutes for the 5k several times. The best was a 20:10 and I managed a low 42 over 10k. I would like to do better this year and wonder if I could use the very nice training program described here to reach my aims. To prepare for the marathon I am running 90 - 100 Km per week since the start of the year and I can feel that scaling up the weekly miles helped a lot. Though the focus is currently clearly on endurance I have the impression that also the quality of the speed units has been improved.

My questions: Would you recommend a build-up phase after recovery from the marathon or would you advice to start with the cycles right away? Would you recomment to adapt the program in order to make use of the basis set by the marathon preparation (and the ability to easily "digest" longer runs)? What would be the optimal test to determine the speed for he practice.

Kai

[TheEd]

Hi Kai and welcome to the forums .. apologies for not seeing this earlier

first off we recommend a full recovery (which you have mentioned) after your marathon and then you can roll straight towards a 10k program according to the time you run in a 4k time-trial

you will be able to maintain your long run distance on the first weekend of the program and can maintain the long run accordingly, depending on the distance you are used to

we can play around with getting the balance right while you adapt to the program. If you have read you will note that the 5 x 2k session is the 'crux' of the program.

over to you

TheEd

[Kai]

Hallo TheEd!

Thank you for your reply. I read the explanations of the program and the different discussions/blogs. I am definetely looking forward to do some speedy units (even though 5 x 2k with those short breaks sounds tough) after all those recent long runs and I will certainly come back to you once I completed the marathon and started enjoying my recovery weeks. :yes:

Meanwhile I will start to search for some suitable 5 and 10k competitions in my region.

Kai

[TheEd]

good stuff Kai

We are also working on a new marathon training program that is only for runners who have been on the 10k programs

we would train on the 10k but incorporate a long run of (around) 30k every 3 weeks while still on the 10k training

and then 6 weeks before the marathon we would switch to marathon training BUT still keep the 5 x 2k session as part of the training cycle



may your marathon be a success

TheEd

[Kai]

good stuff Kai

We are also working on a new marathon training program that is only for runners who have been on the 10k programs

we would train on the 10k but incorporate a long run of (around) 30k every 3 weeks while still on the 10k training

and then 6 weeks before the marathon we would switch to marathon training BUT still keep the 5 x 2k session as part of the training cycle



may your marathon be a success

TheEd

Hi TheEd,

sounds interesting. Will you post that program here?

Kai

[TheEd]

yes, however it will only be aimed at those runners who have gone through the cycles of the 10k program

and I shall be looking to add these around June / July if all goes as planned

TheEd

[Kai]

Hi TheEd,

I think I am nearly ready for my first 3 week cycle. I could do my 4k test run within the next week. Unfortunately I do currently not have access to a 400 m track. Instead I could do it on a measured 1 km circuit. Would average spead and HR for each 1 Km circle be OK for you to give me input for the first 3 week cycle?

Kai

[TheEd]

Kai, you able to run on any course to have a 4k time to start with. Then you keep the same course to assess progress when you do the 4k in the future

so it does not have to be a 400m track and if you have a 1km loop then that should work

TheEd

[Kai]

Sorry for the long absence. I had been ill with a very clinging cold.

Nevertheless I did now complete my 4k test run and should be ready for my cycles. The aim is to get below the 20 mins on the 5k. However, if you think I could reach that goal by practicing with your 10k program that would also be fine with me (and probably be a better fit for my plans to run a marathon in autumn). A potential competition for the 5k could be on the first weekend in August.

Here are my 4k data (16:11 min in total and % is HR in % of my maximal HR determined 2 yrs ago).

Km 1 03:56,0 88%
Km 2 04:03,8 92%
Km 3 04:06,3 93%
Km 4 04:05,0 94%

I did that run on my own on a measured 1 km circle. Conditions were very good. On the last 1.5 km I had the feeling that though I was not at the absolute limit of my heart or lung capacity my legs were simply not able to go any faster.

I can run 5, maximally 6 times a week and would prefer to have one 25-30 Km run in a cycle to stay used to the distance. Please make a suggestion for the first week.

Kai

[TheEd]

Hi Kai, good to have you back and glad to hear the winter miseries (colds) are going

yes, I would prefer you to run through a few of the 10k cycles, as they do allow for a fast 5k as well and if you run through things accordingly you will be able to switch to marathon training a great deal easier.

are you able to start with the cycle from Tuesday, so that the rest of this week can be running until Tuesday and then the 2k session Thursday?

TheEd