Now running 5K. Improve speed or move to 10K?

ipiddock
ipiddock Posts: 97 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I've never been a runner. I remember back at school I hated it, it was one of those horrible experiences I've carried with me all my life. I remember the 1500 metres, jogging round lap 1 and then walking the other 3 laps and being shouted out by the PE teacher. Then there was the cross- country. Jog until out of sight of the PE teacher and walk the remainder until the last stretch where you sprint for the finish.

Now, 35 years later I've decided to take up jogging, because it's exercise I can take anywhere, and because of my busy work life I can fit it in.

I used the the C25K app on the phone to train. I must say I was sceptical, but it worked. I was actually running 5KM at week 7, finishing the program 1 week earlier than planned. So I picked a speed to jog at - 9kph. Which means I'm doing 5KM in 33.5 minutes. I burn something like 400 calories for that effort :-). I'm wondering now whether to set new goals? I actually like to do 60 minutes exercise at at a time, so as part of my 5k run I'm walking before and after to make up the time to 60 minutes. So I'm actually covering 7.5KM in 1 hour.

Here's the question. Do I aim to reduce my 5KM time as a goal or aim to do a 10K run? Or, do I work to achieve both? I'm not planning on entering any marathon or anything, just want to continue to improve my fitness and wellbeing.

Replies

  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,594 Member
    I’ve started tracking my running in runkeeper to track my weekly mileage. I’m working to build weekly mileage by no more than 10% per week and saving speed work for later.
  • _mr_b
    _mr_b Posts: 302 Member
    Seems to me your goal is a 60 minute run.

    Really it’s up to you, but you could have distance and speed as goals and mix it up. Doing the same training every time gets boring so do speed work one week and endurance the next, you’ll find they compliment each other nicely.
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
    " Do I aim to reduce my 5KM time as a goal or aim to do a 10K run? " They are not mutually exclusively. "Or, do I work to achieve both?" Yes. you get faster at your 5 by increasing the length of your runs. You increase your endurance, to be able to go 10K, by increasing the length of your runs. Add distance, get faster, have greater endurance. Do both
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    BrianSharpe wrote: »
    I hated running when I was younger too, I think a lot of people get conditioned to think of as punishment (coaches & phys ed teachers I'm looking at you....)

    Given that you've only been running a couple of months I'd suggest that you continue to focus on building your aerobic base before worrying too much about speed. A very wise coach once told me not to worry about running a fast 5K until I could run a slow 10....

    This guy gets it...run longer for slower. You'll increase your calorie burn, enjoy it more, and naturally increase your speed at lower distances with a lower potential for injury and/or turning running into a chore.

    You might not believe it now but the 'leap' to 10K isn't all that bad once you can do 5K. The only question will be when you do decide that your long runs are long enough for you! (I ultimately decided that a 10 mile long run is the longest I'm willing to entertain on a regular basis simply because of the time it takes to run longer).
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,743 Member
    Running more miles will improve your pace as you become more efficient as a runner, so increasing to 10k is a good idea. When I finished C25k, I moved on to the One Hour Runner plan, since Bridge to 10k went back to walk/run intervals and I wanted to avoid that. Once you can do that, you might try adding another day to your running - 4 days instead of three.
  • Silent_Soliloquy
    Silent_Soliloquy Posts: 237 Member
    I'd look at how much time you have available to commit. I often can only steal away an hour (80% of my runs are over lunch break at work). So i have worked in some higher intensity intervals. I like to do a hard mile then run tired and practice my active recovery. Doing this i have raised my recovery pace from 6:00/km to 5:20/km. And my sprint intervals are sub 3 min/km.

    The perfect system? 80% Long Slow Distance. But we have jobs and kids and free time is at a premium. So only you know how much time you can put aside. I'd love to do 2 hour + runs and zone out... but i don't have a regular babysitter.

    Once you're running your max allowable time ... Doing the second mile at 90% effort will REALLY notch up the difficulty of the rest of the run.

    I am not an expert, or "that serious" as a trainee... but this has worked well for me.
  • dougii
    dougii Posts: 679 Member
    Keep putting more miles under your feet and speed will automatically increase over time! Run whatever makes you feel good!
  • angmarie28
    angmarie28 Posts: 2,885 Member
    I was the same in school, I HATED running, hated hated hated it. Now im 31 and I still hate it, haha, just not as much, and I do it willingly. That being said, I have ran 2 marathons, and you can do both. Some runs I run for time, so I will do and easy run for say 60 minutes, other times I run for speed, shorter distances at a faster speed, then end it with a walk. Mix it up and you can surely improve both.
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
    I've always found that increasing my long runs tends to increase my pace for my shorter runs. I've started using the Nike Run Club app for half marathon training, and it does a really good job of building a plan around you for the distance you want, mixing in distance and speed training. I've definitely noticed a bump in my pace over 2-5 mile runs since I've started.
  • funjen1972
    funjen1972 Posts: 949 Member
    If you can run the 10k, your 5k pace will improve as a side effect. One of the greatest contributors to speed improvement is increased distance. Go for the distance and you'll get faster, at least at the shorter distances.
  • SchweddyGirl
    SchweddyGirl Posts: 244 Member
    Most respected running coaches suggest having a year of a solid running under your belt before adding in speed. With that said, focus on your base building. A 10K plan is a great way to do that. Just as everyone else has said, as you increase distance your 5K time will naturally decrease. Once you hit a year of running you can start bringing in strides, fartleks, tempos, hill repeats, etc....

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