10K Training, too ambitious?

[UtahDan]

As I posted before, I have been running for about a month and a half now and just ran a 5K to help motivate me to lose weight. I need a new goal and there is a 10K very near to me on September 27th. I can right now run four miles without killing myself but have not tried to do more. I did the 5K in 32:47 which is obviously not that fast, but was as fast as I could do it.

Do people think that the 10K is too ambitious given that I have almost three months to get ready, with maybe another 5k mixed in half way through? Having a goal out there has really helped and I don't want to lose my momentum, but many of you have also warned me not to over do it.

Thoughts?

[BigPiney]

You could run a 10 k today and be fine. It would hurt and you wouldn't be as happy with the time, but you could do it.

The first 2 10ks I did were without any training at all. I just signed up for the race and went all out.

I think you will be fine if you start your training now. 3 months is more time than I took when I decided to do a 1/2 marathon.

BTW, races are great motivators for making you get out there at work. Only when I sign up for something do I really feel like I need to get out and train.

[Pheidippides]

Agreed. I did a 10k+ run within a month of starting to run again. It was on a treadmill, and it wasn't fast, and I was absolutely dead afterward, but it mentally was a huge deal for me to keep me motivated.

[marsupial]

As I posted before, I have been running for about a month and a half now and just ran a 5K to help motivate me to lose weight. I need a new goal and there is a 10K very near to me on September 27th. I can right now run four miles without killing myself but have not tried to do more. I did the 5K in 32:47 which is obviously not that fast, but was as fast as I could do it.

Do people think that the 10K is too ambitious given that I have almost three months to get ready, with maybe another 5k mixed in half way through? Having a goal out there has really helped and I don't want to lose my momentum, but many of you have also warned me not to over do it.

Thoughts?

Just do it. Sign up. Train the best you can and have fun. You can always sign up for another one later when you have more miles under your belt and improve your time.

[ewth8tr]

I've been using Hal Higdon's novice marathon training plan and just noticed that he also has some 10K plans on his site. Here's the novice one if you are interested, it's only an 8 week plan as well, so you could continue to build your endurance for a few more weeks before starting it out.
http://www.halhigdon.com/10ktraining/10knovice.htm

[UtahDan]

I've been using Hal Higdon's novice marathon training plan and just noticed that he also has some 10K plans on his site. Here's the novice one if you are interested, it's only an 8 week plan as well, so you could continue to build your endurance for a few more weeks before starting it out.
http://www.halhigdon.com/10ktraining/10knovice.htm

How are you liking that? I was looking at it yesterday but it seemed odd to me that he only has you running three days a week.

[marsupial]

How are you liking that? I was looking at it yesterday but it seemed odd to me that he only has you running three days a week.

I only run twice a week and I kept a 7:28 pace last month when I ran an 8K. I think I am faster now that I am cross training than I was when I was running five or six times a week.

[ERCougar]

How are you liking that? I was looking at it yesterday but it seemed odd to me that he only has you running three days a week.

You can run a marathon on 3-days a week.

EDIT: Looks like soup beat me to this, but the trend is definitely away from daily running and towards cross-training. Since I switched to 3 days a week, I've had zero knee problems. The idea is that running is similar to weight-training--your body needs a day to recover and rebuild. If you do run every day, your "off" days should be light easy runs. But better than that is cross-training--aerobic enough to get blood flowing through recovering muscles and get your heartrate up, but not stressing those recovering muscles.

[UtahDan]

You can run a marathon on 3-days a week.

EDIT: Looks like soup beat me to this, but the trend is definitely away from daily running and towards cross-training. Since I switched to 3 days a week, I've had zero knee problems. The idea is that running is similar to weight-training--your body needs a day to recover and rebuild. If you do run every day, your "off" days should be light easy runs. But better than that is cross-training--aerobic enough to get blood flowing through recovering muscles and get your heartrate up, but not stressing those recovering muscles.

The only cross training I really seem to have access to is biking or eliptical at the gym. That's probably what I will do. That and walking, which I keep hearing is an underrated form of cross training.

[ERCougar]

The only cross training I really seem to have access to is biking or eliptical at the gym. That's probably what I will do. That and walking, which I keep hearing is an underrated form of cross training.

Biking's great and is a perfect form of cross-training. I've read different things on ellipticals. You decrease the pounding impact, but you're still using some of the same muscles, and in an unnatural way (widened stance being the chief problem). Some think that this may be harder on your body overall than running, but some people swear by them. It probably depends on the person.

[Jarid in Cedar]

Biking's great and is a perfect form of cross-training. I've read different things on ellipticals. You decrease the pounding impact, but you're still using some of the same muscles, and in an unnatural way (widened stance being the chief problem). Some think that this may be harder on your body overall than running, but some people swear by them. It probably depends on the person.

We have a treadclimber and my wife hates it for this exact reason.

[Coach McGuirk]

BTW, races are great motivators for making you get out there at work. Only when I sign up for something do I really feel like I need to get out and train.

Ditto, that is what makes winter in Utah so hard for me. Just have nothing short term to motivate.

[ewth8tr]

How are you liking that? I was looking at it yesterday but it seemed odd to me that he only has you running three days a week.

I am actually doing the marathon version, which has me running 4 days instead of 3 which is still actually hard on me because I enjoy running. Here is my calendar, I am startin gweek 8 right now.
http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/novices.html

[SteelBlue]

I only run twice a week and I kept a 7:28 pace last month when I ran an 8K. I think I am faster now that I am cross training than I was when I was running five or six times a week.

Look at Soup! She never says a thing about her speed in these running threads and it turns out that probably only Big Piney is faster than her among all of us. So humble.