Not sure I can finish running the 10K I signed up for. Any advice?

bossymom15

I signed up for a 10k a couple of months ago. I routinely run 3 miles or more and have worked up to 4.5 pretty easily. I thought I would have plenty of time to get up to 6, but job changes, heat wave (heat exhaustion too) have slowed me down. I've never tried a 10k, will I be humiliated if I have to walk some? Does anyone walk some of these? It's the 1st year for this race so there is no history for me to ask the sponsor's. Its in 2 weeks and I'm running out of time!!

janejellyroll

I race a lot and virtually every race I've been in includes people who incorporate some walking into their running. My mom uses walking breaks in all her races (including 10Ks and half marathons). It's very common and nothing to feel humiliated about. Your first 10K is an accomplishment!

Kida_Johnson

Go slow. Walk as needed, and go back to running. Have fun with it.

Joanna2012B

I say walk/run the race. You'll be awesome!! Start a walk/run interval right now. See how it goes for you. The heat will definitely slow you down a bit, but don't worry about that! You are lapping everyone on the couch!!!

lporter229

There will definitely be people walking. In just about every race I have ever done there have been people who do scheduled walk/run intervals (e.g. run 4 minutes/walk 1 minute) and people who will run as much as they can and walk when they need to. In most shorter races (5K and 10K), especially if they are charity events, there are almost always as many walkers as runners. It will not be an problem and you will have nothing to be embarrassed about. You may also be surprised to find out that you get an extra added push from the race atmosphere that can carry you through. Go do it and have fun!

TavistockToad

bossymom15 wrote: »

I signed up for a 10k a couple of months ago. I routinely run 3 miles or more and have worked up to 4.5 pretty easily. I thought I would have plenty of time to get up to 6, but job changes, heat wave (heat exhaustion too) have slowed me down. I've never tried a 10k, will I be humiliated if I have to walk some? Does anyone walk some of these? It's the 1st year for this race so there is no history for me to ask the sponsor's. Its in 2 weeks and I'm running out of time!!

will you be humiliated? i don't know the answer to that....? there's nothing wrong with walking during a 10k though.

in 2 weeks you cant do much to improve your fitness so it is what it is. enjoy!

rsclause

I run for fun. Go out and enjoy it. My last road half marathon I ended up talking with someone I had never met the last 6 miles. Walk when you need to, no shame

kwtilbury

Yes. Many people even walk a 5K.

Start toward the back of the pack, that way you can pass more people than pass you.

T1DCarnivoreRunner

I don't think I've ever done a race where I didn't walk at least a part of it, whether a 5K or a HM. My PR's range from 24:24 for a 5K to 2:10:07 for a HM, despite doing some walking.

Run when you can, walk when you must, and you will be fine. Just be courteous and stay off to the right when you walk so those who are running can pass you.

While I don't intentionally follow the Jeff Galloway method, there are some runners who do. In my case, I just walk sometimes because I struggle with pacing and sometimes need to catch my breath. This is more often true when it is hot and humid with heat indexes in the range of 100F-120F as we have seen lately in my area.

slowclydesdale

No sin to walk, when you have to...Even ULTRARUNNERS walk, some-of-the-time. You paid for the race. Run (when you can), walk (when you have to), and enjoy the course and post-race festivities! Have fun!!

laur357

Keep training, and run or walk alternately if you need it. You may even finish faster using a run/walk method than if you ran the entire 10K. Have fun!

heybales

Purposely run/walk it from the start - that way at the end you can finish it strong running rather than be forced to walk it.
Like 3-4 min run, 1 min walk.

stanmann571

heybales wrote: »

Purposely run/walk it from the start - that way at the end you can finish it strong running rather than be forced to walk it.
Like 3-4 min run, 1 min walk.

This exactly. You know you can run 4-5 miles. So build in your walk breaks. Front load them so that you're taking them before you have to. That way you can finish hard and strong. If you've got a good 4mph or better walk pace, you won't really even lose that much time off your race.

I just did a 10K back in mid May. And I beat my target time/estimated finish by 10 minutes by resting before I had to. I'd planned to run/walk with a 75-80 min target. I finished just past 70.

MobyCarp

The humiliation, if any, will all be in your own mind. No one else will care, and you will do better than all the people who sat out the race because they were intimidated by the weather or the distance.

Bry_Fitness70

If you can run 4.5 miles in training, I am fairly certain that the adrenaline from participating in the race will inspire you to run the entire 10k! People regularly walk parts of these races - I would just line up toward the back, do your best, and if you have to walk portions of it, honestly, no one is going to notice.

tiny_clanger

MobyCarp wrote: »

The humiliation, if any, will all be in your own mind. No one else will care, and you will do better than all the people who sat out the race because they were intimidated by the weather or the distance.

This - absolutely this!
But if you want to feel in control of walking, and have some positive tips on walking, I'd recommend having a look at Jeff Galloway's method. It has got me through many 10Ks, 10 milers, HM's and a marathon.

BrianSharpe

Lots of people use a run/walk system at races and you'll eve seen pace bunnies at some of the bigger events for both continuous running and run/walk.

At 4.5 miles you're already pretty close but heat kicks my butt too. There's no shame in either slowing down to run continuously or walking part of the race.....just remember stay well hydrated and smile for the finish line photo.

stanmann571

If you need to ease off your training due to the heat wave/potential for heat injury, do that as well... you've got a good base, you don't want to end up injured coming up to the race.

ritzvin

bossymom15 wrote: »

I've never tried a 10k, will I be humiliated if I have to walk some? Does anyone walk some of these? It's the 1st year for this race so there is no history for me to ask the sponsor's. Its in 2 weeks and I'm running out of time!!

Nope. A LOT of people will be walking at least portions of it. There are usually some people walking all/most of it. Don't worry about taking a walking break. In fact, average pace will usually be a lot faster if you take that walking break when needed instead of letting your run devolve into an extended slow slog.

FYI-Of the races I've done, the fastest cut off time I've come across amounted to ~13:00/mi average (half marathon with no corresponding marathon)(the same race has since switched to a 15:00/mi average cutoff for the current year).

Sandra37405

I received advice years ago from an experienced distance runner - "if you can run 3, you can run 6". I bet you will have no problem with the 10K. Just pace yourself.

cwolfman13

Every race I've ever done has had walkers...

Rerun4733

Run/Walk/Run is a popular program. Check out Jeff Galloway's book on it. Great program to run with minimal injury.

iPhone has apps where Galloway coaches you through programs from 5K to marathon. Check the app store for lulu apps. I've not seen these available for Android devices. The app actually plays music to match your cadence through the run and walk segments, adjusting tempo up and down to match your run/walk.

You'll be surprised as to how much faster you can actually finish the race using this method. I can cover a 5K faster using run/walk/run than trying to run the complete distance at my current fitness level.

4legsRbetterthan2

I walked alot in a half marathon I did. I am 99.999999% sure you will not be the slowest one. And no reason to be humiliated! For what its worth I had a blast doing the half marathon even though I wasn't as prepared for it as I would have liked. Runners are awesome, go, have fun, chat with random people on the course, and then sign up for another one and keep bettering yourself!

Best wishes~

stanmann571

ritzvin wrote: »

bossymom15 wrote: »

I've never tried a 10k, will I be humiliated if I have to walk some? Does anyone walk some of these? It's the 1st year for this race so there is no history for me to ask the sponsor's. Its in 2 weeks and I'm running out of time!!

Nope. A LOT of people will be walking at least portions of it. There are usually some people walking all/most of it. Don't worry about taking a walking break. In fact, average pace will usually be a lot faster if you take that walking break when needed instead of letting your run devolve into an extended slow slog.

FYI-Of the races I've done, the fastest cut off time I've come across amounted to ~13:00/mi average (half marathon with no corresponding marathon)(the same race has since switched to a 15:00/mi average cutoff for the current year).

That is fast, because you've got beginning/casual runners that are running 4.3 or 4.5 mph and for a Half they're going to take walk breaks.

jlavdl86

Run at a slower pace than you're used to at the beginning. Feel free to run/walk. I ran my first 10k in June, I had an injury that prevented any sort of training. Never running greater than 5 miles prior to this. I got clearance from ortho the week before the race. I took that entire week off from high impact exercise. Went to race, ran slower than I am used to and finished. The adrenaline will definitely pull you through. If you can run 4.5, you can run 6.2. Trust yourself. It'll be fine, have a great time!

rednote49

Walking is not humiliation. It's a training program and running technique like any other. It's called the Galloway method and it's used for any distance from 5ks to full marathons. So run when u need to and walk when u need to. More importantly, enjoy your race.

emdeesea

I did a 10K and walked probably about half of it. And I didn't even finish last. There were people behind me. The point is I did it - so did they. It's not a competition.

lorrpb

It feels like an insult to those of us who walk all our 10ks to label walking=humiliation!!

spiriteagle99

Since you still have two weeks before your race, it might give you confidence to run a 5 miler this week and possibly a 5.5 the next. It isn't necessary, but since you know you can do 4.5, it isn't that much of a stretch to add another 5 minutes or so.

On race day, keep your pace easy, especially if it's hot. Starting slow and speeding up at the end feels a whole lot better than starting out fast and crashing and then dragging yourself the last couple of miles. (BTDT)

collectingblues

There's nothing wrong with a walk/run blend. I actually get better times when I do that, as opposed to when I tried to force myself to run the whole thing. I care more about time than whether I "run" it all, so I certainly don't feel humiliated.

Every race I've done, I see people walking. Considering that includes several half marathons, there's certainly nothing "humiliating" about it.

JIJames2017

It is the most amazing feeling to finish a race - run or walk but just get to the end , I set myself little challenges - like run to the next marker or tree - step by step. Whatever you do make sure you go and have a go otherwise you will regret it.