Working my way up to a 10K

Txnurse97
Txnurse97 Posts: 275 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am planning on running my first 10K in February. I did C25K to start running, and I've run about 5 or 6 5Ks in the past 7 months. Planning on running one a month until February.

My question is, do I need to do any specific training to get to the 10K endurance level? Is Bridge to 10K worth it? Is there another program you've done to get you to the 10K level? Or will just my normal routine (work out 4 days a week, cardio two of those days and strength training+cardio with a trainer the other two days) be enough?

Also, I know I can run it...I've run 7 miles once before. So it possible...but do I need to do more? Thanks!

Replies

  • AsellusReborn
    AsellusReborn Posts: 1,112 Member
    You have plenty of time before February gets here, so you'll be fine! How often do you run? You just said cardio - does that mean running?
  • pbl1966
    pbl1966 Posts: 207 Member
    I do not think you need a special program. Just keep adding a little mileage each week to one of your longer runs. I never did any formal programs and ran my first 5K without walking last Thanksgiving, did my first 10K in March and am currently training for a 1/2 marathon. If you are after a specific time you may want to incorporate some speed work but I found as I increased my mileage I natually became a little faster at the shorter distances. Best of luck to you!
  • Txnurse97
    Txnurse97 Posts: 275 Member
    I run but not for long...usually 15-20 minutes on the treadmill. Also do elliptical and stair master.

    Definitely need to make one of my runs longer though...that would definitely be a good place to start.
  • RaeganDoucet
    RaeganDoucet Posts: 4 Member
    I like to follow a program. It gives me exact goals to work towards each week (I'm a by-the-books kinda runner). I love Jeff Galloway. His training schedules are a little slower and include step-back weeks so you don't feel like you're building mileage to quickly. Just google him, I'm sure several websites will come up. My opinion is that you would want to build up your weekday runs a little too. I would think you'd want to be near a 2-3 mile run on your weekday runs and obviously up to 6 miles on your long slow weekend run by race season. I'm no pro though, that's just pretty much what I personally would shoot for. Good luck!
  • ixap
    ixap Posts: 675 Member
    You do not need a special program, especially if you're already successfully run that distance for fun. But you'll probably have a better performance if you follow a good beginner 10K program. Bridge to 10K is good, or google for other plans.
  • jonchew
    jonchew Posts: 239 Member
    I did my very first 10K today... it wasn't bad at-all!

    I've been doing a 10 min walking-warmup, then 5K run, then 10 min cooldown for several months now, today was a nice cool, cloudy day, so I just kept running. I did know how far to run in-order to complete 10K on my circuit (I've been looking at the route for a long while now), but I've never had the nerve to attempt it.

    I feel great, I thought I was taking my time, but when I got back and looked at my Endomondo stats, I discovered that I ran the 10K in 58:26, and my 5K split came in @ 27:48 - a new personal record for me.

    Aside from running 5K fairly consistently 4-5 times a week, there was no planning or training here, I just kept running.

    You CAN do this - personally, I have a feeling that my biggest challenges are in my head, I doubt myself into failure!
  • MelisRunning
    MelisRunning Posts: 819 Member
    Also, Hal Hidgon has a 10K training program online~and it is free! He does different levels for different runners ie: beginner, intermediate, etc. Look him up. I have done his programs for every long race I have done and am using it right now for my Half coming up in Nov. Good guy!
  • BosBruin5
    BosBruin5 Posts: 52 Member
    I never followed a specific training program for my 10Ks, but I liked to know that I was comfortable running the distance. I just made sure to build up gradually and that I was comfortable with 6 miles. If you ran that 7 miles recently, I'd say stick with it a couple days a week and you'll do great. If it was a long time ago, you have plenty of time to build up miles before Feb.

Categories