Thinking of doing a 10K

stephanieogle35

I had a 5K this past Saturday and set my PR (28:01!). I've been thinking of doing a 10K but am nervous for several reasons. I've never trained in the heat of summer before, and I have type 1 diabetes, so I have to be extra careful to manage my blood sugars before, during, and even after a race. I found a 10K mid-August that I'm thinking about trying as I feel that'll give me plenty of time to get myself ready, but that will require plenty of summertime training. What is everyone else working toward right now? Any tips in going from a 5K to a 10K?

sprintto50

I hate running in the heat, but that said I am working on the transition from running 5kms to 10. Basically I just vary the distance and intensity day to day. I added 1.5 kms easily and ran 6.5 and 7 kms for a couple of weeks, along with 5km sometimes, and some 1/3 walking, 2/3 running days in there too. I have worked up to 9kms so far using this method and plan 10km soon. There are also B210K (bridge to 10k) programs on the internet you can follow. Good luck. If I can do it, so can you. You are a much faster runner than I am.

PS I am a Stephanie too.

samgolod

I'm doing a 10km too (it's in 2 weeks time) and for the last two weeks I've been following a programme on Runkeeper, it's free and I think it's quite good, it pushes me but it's not crazy. Good luck!

EdTheGinge

I'm working towards a full Marathon in October, moving up from 13.1miles to 26.2. Basically the change I'll be making is changing my diet to allow more carbs, drop the protein a little along with fat, I will be training around 3-5days a week and mixing up the distances with small quicker runs say 3miles to a max of about 18-20miles. Not all running, add some cycling and maybe even swimming once I sort my dodgy shoulder out.

Whatever you do make the transition gradually don't the training straight away, your body needs time to adjust to the added workload. As far as heat is concerned, make sure you drink plenty of water before you head out, maybe a banana and either carry a bottle of water or have some of those gel packs runners use (I understand that there are special ones for diabetics).

Good luck and try to enjoy

twoboysnmygirl

I just ran my first 10K Saturday! You got this! You really only need to up your mileage one run a week, for your long run. When I trained, I did a tempo (3 mile) run, an easy run (3-4 miles), and then a long run, once a week. I started with 4 miles and added a half a mile or a little less, each week.

Do you run in the morning? I do, so I don't think summer training will be that awful, but if you run normally in the middle of the day, it might be difficult. I also have access to a treadmill for occasional runs, that might help you as well.

Do it! You won't regret it! My 10K was the best race I've had to date and I'm still riding on a runners high from Saturday!