Several 5k's done, am I ready to move on to a Tri or 10k? (Read 1496 times)

Hi, I've just completed my 4th 5k this Sunday. I'm not a super fast runner. I came in at 30.20 But I would love to increase my endurance and give a Triathalon or a 10 k a go. Am I acting too premature, Should I wait till I'm faster, or should I go for it? Any advise is greatly appreciated!! Melissa

Unless the races have qualifying times or cut-off times that you wouldn't make (and they generally do not), speed is not a primary concern unless you want it to be. Train for a 10k and/or sprint tri... see if you like them!

Do it! As long as you can run the distance, it's fine. My first race ever is an upcoming 10k. :-D

OF course the nice thing about fitness is that its all about you.....you can and should do what you want to do to continue your fitness...... My 2 cents (for what little its worth) is that if your new to running and want to get better, I would suggest you continue to increase your distance and speed (since you dont share your log we dont know for sure where you are).....and run a few more 5k, but start giving them all all out effort and watch your times get a little better (get below 9:00 per mile for instance).....then as you increase your distance, you will find a 5 miler or 10K and run it for fun....just cause you can do it....dont worry about speed, just do it for fun. How long have you been running and how many miles per week do you currently log? Cant answer to a Tri -- I'm not a good swimmer and HATE biking (tris just arent for me)....

Thanks so much for all the advise. I'm not quite sure how to make my logs accessable, I just became a member of run ahead. As for my running history. I've been running on and off for about a year. But really started becoming serious about it this summer. I am much more comfortable running than I am swimming or biking although I like both. So I think working on increasing distance and time and give a longer race a go. Thanks again, I feel much more confident! Melissa

Awesome, thanks! Now don't laugh at my workouts, I'm just getting into the swing of things!

I concur with everyone else and say, go for it! You are faster than I am (33.34 5K PR) and I'm training for a Half in September. I can't swim and am a horrible biker, so I can't comment on a tri, but if you set a goal and consistently and smartly train for it, there shouldn't be anything that you can't accomplish.

I would say that you should go for it! I started running in October of last year with the C2K program and once I was able to finish a 5k I moved on to the 8k training for an 8k race. After that I did the sprint tri training and completed a sprint tri over the summer. Now I have moved on to the half training. For me, I need a program with a training schedule to keep me motivated. I am a slow runner, but speed is not my main focus.