10 10ks??

Options
nicola8989
nicola8989 Posts: 381 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So... this year I'm running my first 5k in September. Next year I'd like to do 10 10ks over the course of the year and ask people to sponsor me for charity overall.

What do you think - am I setting myself up for a fall?? Will it be too much for me as I am still such a novice?

Replies

  • BasicGreatGuy
    BasicGreatGuy Posts: 868 Member
    Options
    Why not set a goal for 5 10K's next year, and see how that works for you? That way, you are not putting too much pressure on yourself mentally and you will also be giving your body adequate time to recuperate. If you find that you can reasonable add a couple more for the year, you will be able to.

    Running for charity is a great idea. At the same time, you don't want to be overzealous and run yourself ragged.

    Balance.
  • cheshirecatastrophe
    cheshirecatastrophe Posts: 1,395 Member
    edited July 2015
    Options
    If you can run 5K in September, you can absolutely run 10K next year. (If you can run 5K in September, you can probably run 10K in October, though there might be some huffing and puffing involved at the end. Generally you are capable of running 2x as far as your longest training run.) There are some good 10K training programs out there, too.

    **Personal opinion forthcoming**
    I don't like the concept of running to fundraise for charity. First, many/most shorter races (5K-10K) already *are* fundraisers for a charity. Second, when you ask friends, family, and local corporations for donations to "sponsor" you, you're not actually increasing the amount of money donated to charity overall. Instead, you're cutting into their annual budget for charity donations. IMHO, it's a way to feel good about yourself, not to make the world a better place.

    Running is awesome and I love it. But I have no illusions:I do it for me.

    Okay, soapbox over.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Options
    If you train consistently and follow a reasonable progression it's very doable. What seems impossible today becomes merely difficult and then enjoyable.

    At 52 I ran my first 5K and it seemed grueling. Fast forward 7 years of consistent running and 10k is now an easy mid-week training run (mind you, racing a 10K for a PB is hard). So the answer lies in how you approach it......
  • nicola8989
    nicola8989 Posts: 381 Member
    Options
    I know what you mean - for the 5k I'm doing I chose a small local charity who have helped me personally, so I hope I've raised awareness for them and will raise some money that may not be much but will seem a lot for them as they are smaller. But yes I can see your logic
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    Options
    I ran my first 5k and 10k in 2014. Also ran my first half marathon that year. So far in 2015 I have run 6 half marathons, and have more half marathons and full marathons even scheduled this fall.

    If you can run 3 miles now, by next year there is no reason at all you can not regularly run 6 miles. That is just not too difficult of a feat to worry about overtraining or injury. Not to say you can't set yourself up for either if you simply get too agressive in your training. But I have a little trouble seeing how running at 10k volume can lead to overtraining. Injury..well, an accident is all it takes. Or a misplaced step. Or pushing too hard (as in running too fast in this case).

    My opinion. I'm sure someone out there willl chime in about how running 6 miles is dangerous. It is if you're not up for it, but you are already at a 5k distance, and are askign about 10k's a year away.
  • questionfear
    questionfear Posts: 527 Member
    Options
    It might just be an issue with my area, but I would think the biggest obstacle for you would be FINDING 10 10ks to run! You can find enough 5ks to run one every weekend if you want, but hardly anyone does 10ks anymore.
  • nicola8989
    nicola8989 Posts: 381 Member
    Options
    thank you - I've had the opposite problem, there are regular 5k park runs about 40 min drive away from me and they have 5ks in the nearest city sometimes but it's pretty rare for me to find a local 5k!
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
    Options
    I think it's perfectly doable and with a sensible approach you will minimise the risk of injury.

    You don't have to race your 10 10ks. You can set the aim of getting round at a nice pace and enjoying them.

    I started off with C25K back in October and the moved to 10k version. I was never a runner before then (apart from being forced to do it in PE as a kid and hating it...) Did my first 10k race back in February and have done a couple more since. I now routinely run a 10k every week (sometimes multiple times a week) out of enjoyment at a slow and steady pace.

    Keep the pace suitable, build up slowly and consistently and you will be golden.
  • litsy3
    litsy3 Posts: 783 Member
    Options
    questionfear wrote: »
    It might just be an issue with my area, but I would think the biggest obstacle for you would be FINDING 10 10ks to run! You can find enough 5ks to run one every weekend if you want, but hardly anyone does 10ks anymore.
    nicola8989 wrote: »
    thank you - I've had the opposite problem, there are regular 5k park runs about 40 min drive away from me and they have 5ks in the nearest city sometimes but it's pretty rare for me to find a local 5k!

    This is true - in the UK lots of people race 10ks, but it's relatively rare to find a proper 5k road race.

    I've nothing against the idea of running for charity, but I don't think it always has to be 'here's a BIG CHALLENGE' like running more races than other people etc.; people won't generally give you 10x as much money for doing 10 races, and you'll end up getting most of the sponsorship before the first one, unless you really put a lot of work into promoting your fundraising on social media etc. So I'd think about what you would like to do and what would be challenging to you yet manageable rather than just going straight for the big round number.

    Having said that, I don't see any reason why you couldn't complete the 10 races, unless you are unlucky with illness or injury (which would be an argument in favour of having fewer races, so you won't have to worry if something stops you doing them all).
  • nicola8989
    nicola8989 Posts: 381 Member
    Options
    thanks everyone - I definitely won't be racing them, just running them for the enjoyment and keeping at my own pace, although I would like to see my speed increase by the last one!

    That's a good point about the sponsorship - I think I just didn't want to keep annoying people by asking for sponsorship each month - but I could always commit to, say, 5 for the sponsorship, then run extras if I feel up to it.

    Really I'm looking for something to keep me going through the year, but again I could space 5 out and do one every couple of months rather than one every month.So I might just keep my options open, commit to 5 spread out through the year, then anything else is a bonus.

Categories