Better 10K or 1/2M? (Read 1006 times)

i ran a horrible 10K last weekend. I was almots 5 mins slower than I wanted to be. My goal for this year was to finish a 1/2M this fall with a decent 10K at the beginning of the season. I'm starting to rethink my goals. If it were you would you go for the 1/2 or really buckle down and improve the 10K? I'm leaning towards the improving my speed. I think that would show a greater improvement than the extra distance. Of course I would need to increase my stamina to increase the speed.

I would focus on adding more distance. I didn't see a run anywhere in your log ( this year ) that was 6.2 miles or longer... from you times on you training runs it looks like you might be "racing" all your training... Perhaps slowing down... running more often and a bit longer would improve your 10k. My advice is run slower... longer... more often... run fast once a week.... ... to give good advice I think folks will want to know what you are seeking to improve... by improvement what do you mean? if you are just looking to improve your 10k time... then focusing on endurance will probably help you more (looking at your log) in my opinion than speed...

Thanks guys. I was thinking along those lines. I don't think I race my runs. The first half of the race this weekend I was running at 8 min pace which is faster than my normal runs but I couldn't hold it after and really slowed down. My weekly goal for now is 20 miles. Hopefully that will halp with the endurance.

Run more. Run more often. Run easy. Then race whatever you want. Whether its a half or a 10k doesn't much matter. If you run more, and more consistently, your times will drop dramatically at both distances. If I were you, I'd have just one goal: six straight consecutive months of minimum 100 mile months. Consistency and patience is the answer to every training question. The races just prove you're doing it right.

That's good to hear - maybe I have a chance! Two months in a row over 100 miles, and my HM isn't until September. I've increased very gradually and am running 5 or 6 days a week. I'm up to 9.6 miles non-stop. Sometimes I still can't believe it!

I would say you need to slow your easy runs... and long runs down to 10 min miles... or even just a bit slower... like 10:30's... get a schedule going sometime like

That's what I'd do. Easy runs easy (easier than you think you should), hard runs hard. If there's one mistake that's the most common, its not running the easy miles easy enough.

/quick high-jack Your training looks awesome. Truly awesome. What's your goal? If you can keep that up all summer, you're going to rock your race. You could finish one tomorrow. You're going to do a lot better than just finish.

Oh, my gosh, I don't know, Jake. I'm like the little kid among giants. I'm still so slow! I feel good about what I'm doing until I enter a race and find myself way at the back! I know I have to get over that feeling. I've really been dedicated to running since early December (9 miles a week or so before then), so I think I will just keep on plugging and pick a goal after my 10k at the beginning of August. I will be asking more questions then. Thanks for your opinion. It means a lot to me! MTA: As many others have mentioned, I wouldn't be doing this without the advice and support on RA.

Oh, my gosh, I don't know, Jake. I'm like the little kid among giants. I'm still so slow! I feel good about what I'm doing until I enter a race and find myself way at the back!

What HM are you doing? Unless its a small one full of fast people, you wouldn't be at the back of the pack if you did it tomorrow. If its a big one, come September you won't be within miles (literally) of the back of the pack. I'll even guarantee right now: if you keep your training like it is, you won't be in the bottom half. Great idea to do an August 10k and then set a goal ... and to check in here. If you feel up to it, maybe a few weeks of faster work before the goal HM would give you that last sharpening of the blade, although its probably not really necessary. I just scribbled a time at the bottom of the September page of my calendar next to your name. I won't jinx you by telling you, but it'll be fun to see how close you come.

i ran a horrible 10K last weekend. I was almots 5 mins slower than I wanted to be. My goal for this year was to finish a 1/2M this fall with a decent 10K at the beginning of the season. I'm starting to rethink my goals. If it were you would you go for the 1/2 or really buckle down and improve the 10K? I'm leaning towards the improving my speed. I think that would show a greater improvement than the extra distance. Of course I would need to increase my stamina to increase the speed.

you will increase your speed FAR more by increasing your long slow distance than you will with speed work. Sloooow. In 2 months I took 3 minutes off my 10K with virtually no fast running.