In short, do some tempo running, maybe one night a week. Then on another night do some speed work. One “long” run/jog after that (which you’d work over time). 3 structured sessions like that and you’d fly up in pace.
The speed work could be fartlegs on a track, or even find a nice stretch of road or a park path or somewhere with some kind of circuits. Do something like a 200, 300 & 400 working up and down. Take nice long breaks of 2-4 mins when first doing it, and just keeping shortening the rest over time.
If you want to add anything to that after then do, you’ll know your body and also the time you have available better than anyone. But those 3 nights would be the pillars of a 10 KM loosely enough. You can get very technical about it, but that certainly would be good enough for a beginner.
You will only see very small improvements by doing 3 4 or 5 mile runs a week.
Your pretty close in fairness Fenway. I would know about what runners do, but my actual experience is pretty limited. Its been years since i did a run, other than ones done in Triathlons, and thats even back a bit. Sometimes you forget what these things do to the body. Ye lads would have more experience of that.
Actually disagree with you there Kev
Best thing for a beginner is increasing weekly mileage bit by bit, you’ll get your greatest improvements at the start when you increase your weekly distance- an extra night a week and building your LSR before you ever get to tempos, Fartleks and hills.
The Great Limerick Run? I only saw the website there for it. The 6 mile run looks good, i used to walk most of that route when I was in Limerick, a fairly easy route as there is very little incline. Could be one to aim for alright.
There is training plans and all on the site, as Im ahead of schedule for the 6 mile maybe the half marathon could be worth a try. 53 days to up the tempo.
I agree with you to an extent, but anyway there is a hyphen missing there, it should “3-4 5 Mile runs”. Personally i would never tell a beginner to run more than 3 miles in the first 2 weeks. And you might as well start as you mean to continue, and starting with best practice will save the injuries. Even one night of road running to a starter is hard on the body. While you have to push yourself, there is far too much of this “no pain, no gain” stuff with amateur(casual) runners.
You don’t really do hills for most 10KM’s, only if the course actually has hills that you intend running. But anyone can do tempo’s or fartleks. They are only different types of running, you shouldn’t be afraid of them.
Running seems to be massive in Ireland now, of all sorts. The amount of people at the tracks in Cork every night of the week has doubled if not trebled in last 2 years. All sorts of running clubs popping up. Great to see.
Anyway, for anyone, there is simple a massive amount of info out there for beginners running. Make sure you read a few different programmes so that you find a common ground, and not just some lunatic american programme.
I spent the first few weeks jogging a route that brought me up a hill across the top and down. While I found it would definitely open my lungs i found when I ran a flat route I was slow at it. Since then I’ve used the flat route for the running and the hills for the walking and found its helped my speed and distance.
Thanks FP, Yeah its on sunday around the 1pm mark.
Preparations slighty hampered by a sinus infection last week but did 7.5 miles tuesday night to wrap up the preparations. (thinly veiled as get your excuses in early!)
Hoping to clock under the 80 mins.
What do you eat the morning of a race FP?
The whole hyrdation the few days before the race can lead to a distruped nights sleep, I have a path worn in the carpet between the bed and the ensuite.
I had a bowl of porridge and two slices of toast abour two hours before start time. Bring some jaffa cakes and have a couple if you still feel hungry. Drink plenty of water right up to sat night. Stay away from it sun morning as you will be pissing every few minutes.
Best of luck kp. Make sure you do a warmup before hand and stretch well afterwards. I forgot the latter and paid the price in the days after.
All was going well till mile 7, I clocked 48 mins over 10k and felt great up until then. Then took on a good sup of water and started feeling like shit… eventually puked, swallowed it again :o and stayed going. I knew I was going to puke again and had to pull in. Walked for about 5 mins and then trotted the last 2 miles feeling like a small hospital. Crossed the line around 86 mins.
My longest run up to this had been 7.5 miles and it cleary wasn’t enough. Not sure where the sick stomach came from but it defintly didnt help.
Anyway, Onwards and upwards, eating like a mountain goat all evening.
[quote=“Kinvara, post: 63423”]
86 mins is still good KP. You have to get the miles into the legs otherwise your going to feel the pain in latter stages. I was bombing along in ballycotton 10 till mile 8. had done about 4 10 mile runs in preparation but really i should have being doing 13 mile runs. well done again
All joking and codding aside, I was stuck behind this absolute cracker of a bird for about 3 or 4 miles, an arse like 2 eggs in a tea towel. I definilty felt a soothing rythm in my stride as I tried to keep focus. Her heavy breathing got tedious in the end and I had to pass her out…
unreal talent to be seen at these things
the adidas series in the phoenix park and the bupa run are ridiculous for it too.
nothing wrong with 86 mins
sounds like you burnt the track up for the first 5 miles or so and were running on empty for the last 3
no shame in that, valuable lesson learned
might be worthwhile going back over what you ate pre-race and see if there’s something there you can improve
any way to determine your pace for the first few miles? were you too far outside your normal training pace?
+1
Excellent talent at the running, better in the non “fun run” type events where there are usually a bunch of monster munch eating munters about
The running types seem to take good care of themselves
Good advice here-
Also can be as simple as getting too psyched for it, running is a funny old game, some days its easy other days its terrible
Training the distance and knowing that you are able for it at a given pace is really important, I did two halfs last autumn and took 7 minutes off from first to second despite doing way less training second time round, the knowledge that I could do the distance at the given pace was invaluable
