Benefit of running longer distances?

jussy123

I have been running 5K around 3 -4 times per week for about 2 years. I have been happy with that distance, because I enjoy it, and find it an efficient workout for the short time that I have available.

However, I have some friends who are doing a 10k soon, and would like me to do it as well. Is there any point in trying to train for this? Will this make me better at my 5K? (I like running races. I am not looking for medals, but I like to see my time improve - currently around 30 min.) I only plan on training for the one 10K, and then going back to my usual 5K.

The other issue is that I am going to start lifting weights again next week (I took some time off from this during the summer, when I ran a lot more, and did more yoga, just to change things up.) I am in maintenance, at around 130-132lb at 5'8" (36yoF), and have been there for around 2 years. Will the increase in running just counteract the amount of muscle I want to build, or is really just a matter of ensuring I am careful about calories, and replacing the calories I lose by running?

I am planning on a recomp with maintenance calories for at least 6 months, and eating back roughly half my exercise calories, as determined by myfitnesspal. (This method of calorie-counting has worked to keep me in maintenance for the last year that I have actually tracked things.) Last year, when I started lifting, I found I had very quick 'newbie' gains on maintenance, and I am anticipating the same happening this year, but I don't know if this will happen if I am running twice as much.

TL; dr Will training for a 10K improve my 5K distance appreciably? Will this undermine my attempts at doing a recomp?

ETA: I neglected to mention the 10K is at the end of January.

bwogilvie

Running longer distances will improve your time in shorter distances, other things being equal. But doing high-intensity interval training will also do it, so if your only goal is to run a faster 5K, look into HIIT training for runners.

I don't think the increase in running to 10K will affect your strength training. You'll probably just extend one of your runs each week from 5K to 10K, so you'll be going from a weekly volume of 15-20 km to 20-25 km. If you were training for a marathon, especially following a method like Galloway's where your long training runs actually equal or exceed the race distance, then it might have an effect, though even there I'm not sure.

MeanderingMammal

jussy123 wrote: »

but I like to see my time improve - currently around 30 min.

So I'd ask, if you've been running for two years and your 5K is now at 30 minutes, where was it when you started running 5Ks?

Will the increase in running just counteract the amount of muscle I want to build, or is really just a matter of ensuring I am careful about calories, and replacing the calories I lose by running?

Really depends on the plan that you want to follow, and the priority. I wouldn't suggest that training for a 10K is going to make an appreciable difference, as long as you consume the caloeires that you expend. A 10K training plan will have you topping out at 12K once a week, with most runs being in the 6-8Km range anyway.

TL; dr Will training for a 10K improve my 5K distance appreciably?

As you're currently at a 30 minute 5K, training for 10K could reasonably take 3-4 minutes off your 5K time. The resistance training may help, but it won't give you anything significant in addition to that. My personal experience was that my first 5K was 31 minutes. Training for 10K brought my 5K PB down to 26 minutes, then training for half marathon brought it down to 24 minutes. I don't train for the 5K at all, so those are alal just beneficial gains from the longer distances.

To improve your 5K pace you need to build in a range of different sessions, and it doesn't sound as if you're doing that at the moment. There is a 5K improvement group in the forums, although personally I don't subscribe as my focus is on longer distances.

Generally you'll want to go longer than 5K at least once per week, and do some tempo and interval work. Personally I do one long run, one tempo or intervals session and two recovery sessions per week. I sometimes swap out one of the recovery sessions for another tempo session. Those should help you make gains in your 5K pace. Essentially the ability to run 10K is the basis for any real improvement in the 5K.