5k to 10k

sophie1095

I am relatively new to running started in July this year my first parkrun at the end of July was 44 minutes, I am now doing this in 36 minutes.

I am now wanting to increase the distances I run. Does anyone know the best way to do this?

I run Tuesdays with running club, Saturdays at Parkrun, and Thursdays when I finish work at 7 PM. I did try running two consecutive days but it was too much for me (not sure when I will be ready for that/how to tell)

Any advise would be much appreciated

tomaattikastike

Congrats, that's quite an improvement already! And a 10k is a nice goal to aim for.

How long are the runs you are doing at the moment? As you just started, and because you already noticed that it was too much, I would not recommend running more than three times a week at this point. Instead, you can gradually increase (not by more than 10% per week) the runs you currently do, and for example, try to make your longest run a little longer each week. But it would depend on what you're currently doing.

sophie1095

Thank you for your reply, that's really helpful.

I run 5k / 3mile on Saturdays.
5k or 6k on Tuesdays
5k or 6k on Thurs

I did a hilly, muddy, uneven 5k in the Yorkshire Moors today & had good fun.

TavistockToad

Add a k to your Tuesday or Thursday run

tomaattikastike

Are you running every parkrun as an "all out" effort? I think parkruns are great, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend racing once a week, perhaps once a month or so (and do the others purely "for fun"). Otherwise, if Tuesdays are your club runs, then you could try to make your Thursday runs progressively longer. For example, try 7k next Thursday, and then maybe 8k the week after (or perhaps two weeks after, depending on how the 7 felt). Don't focus on speed with those long runs. Of course, if Thursdays become your longest days of the week, then you may not be optimally rested for your park runs, so when you want to set a new PB, take it easy on the preceding Thursday.

Edit: and if you can run a hilly and muddy 5k, I am sure you can run 8k on a flat path, at least in terms of endurance - but it's still a good idea to increase the distance (also the overall weekly distance) gradually, because your muscles and joints adapt more slowly than your cardiovascular system.

lorrpb

Bridge to 10k app, a continuation of c25k.

DX2JX2

lorrpb wrote: »

Bridge to 10k app, a continuation of c25k.

This is probably the best way to do it. Remember that at this point the bulk of your miles should be easy. If 36 minutes is close to a 'flat out' effort for 5K for you, then you'll want to do most of your miles anywhere between 1 and 2 minutes per mile slower than that.

Once you learn what it feels like to run at an easy pace (fully conversational, no straining to maintain pace, etc.), adding miles becomes relatively easy. Just make sure that you add miles gradually to give your body time to adapt.

SarahSloth342634

Well done on your progress already. I run 5K once or twice a week at the most. 6 months ago I was burning up by the end but very gradually improved. I get to the end in roughly 34 minutes then do a walk on a high incline and jog a little more. Hoping to improve.

TavistockToad

SarahSloth342634 wrote: »

Well done on your progress already. I run 5K once or twice a week at the most. 6 months ago I was burning up by the end but very gradually improved. I get to the end in roughly 34 minutes then do a walk on a high incline and jog a little more. Hoping to improve.

you'll get the most improvement by running more often.