My Sub 50 minute 10k challenge
I call myself a runner now, but not a quick runner. I happily pound the pavements for pretty much any distance, but at my pace. I have decreased my 5k times from 38 minutes down to 21, half marathon to a sub two hour and will be working on my marathon sub 4 this time around. The 10k distance is one that is great to keep chipping away at, and after each stage I know the next target time is only a few minutes away. I started with the aim to get a sub hour which came with losing weight, the sub 55 was a little more difficult but with time and patience this is now a standard. The sub 50 is something that seems unattainable. The closest I have acheived is a 50.26, but I was in no fit state for quite a while after that.I have been close to the threshold point numerous times, but it has always eluded me. I am hoping that throughout this training plan I will either break this barrier or at least build the confidence to do it on race day.
I will be logging the runs, stages and concerns throughout the training plan and hope that the predicted 48:04 is not too far from reality on the day.
Preconditioning
Going back to basics. I know these runs will be difficult to keep a slow pace, but I want to follow the plan as rigorously as possible. When I have done this in the past, I was mere seconds off the predicted times for race day. When I have deviated, the times have been a little more of a pipe dream.
Wednesday 7th June - 3 mile jog @ 10:55/mile
It is always a great little break to the working day when I nip out on my lunch for a run. Working near Media City in Trafford Park means that the scenery is a little more appealing than my usual streets. However, when the English summer fails to raise it's head and we are presented with gale force winds and torrential rain, I am generally not taking in the sights! Slow gentle jog today, back to basics. I struggled to keep a 10:55/mile pace, primarily because of the weather, but I was very comfortable at 9:40/mile.
Friday 9th June - 5 mile jog @ 10:55/mile
Another little jog to keep the legs moving. Looking forward to getting into the real running soon
Sunday 11th June - 5 mile comfortable @ 10:00/mile
Last run of the preconditioning phase, decided to take in my favourite hill to get the heart pounding.
Getting Faster
This is a stage that I really enjoy, it is all about pushing the limits more and more and normally the stage that I start to see the results. As the stage approaches July I will be incorporating a monthly challenge routine to work on my core as well. Interval training will be done as 1:00 fast (100%) and 1: 00 slow recovery for the full distance recommended.
Tuesday 13th June - 3 mile Fast @8:03/mile
Having not run a fast paced routine for about 6 weeks, and may have gained a few pounds due to a holiday in Italy, this was definitely a challenge. I set out a little too quick and then settled into a 7:40/mile pace. Knowing that this is the pace I should be running the event in puts a little fear into my heart. I was DONE at 3 mile.
Friday 16th June - Interval 2 mile 1 min/1min
Not feeling too great on the Thursday, I pushed the run on a further day. 1 minute full blast, all out sprint followed by 1 minute recovery. More fun than anything else, but great for the recovery heart rate.
Monday 19th June - 3 mile Fast @ 8:03/mile
Missing the weekend run due to family commitments, I pushed it back to Monday afternoon. With another busy weekend ahead, I need to fit in all my runs during the week. Luckily the weather at the moment can only be classed as Heatwave. Although, running in this heat is really difficult.
Wednesday 21st June - 3 mile fast @ 8:03/mile
Still in our heatwave, trying to maintain the lower pace is difficult. I know I will get there, but it will take time. Opting for little loops near work, I started to slow on the third mile.
Thursday 22nd June - 2 mile Interval 1km/3 min recovery
Changing the format of the intervals to fall in line with the training plan, with a 1km (0.65m) run at full pace followed by a 3 minute recovery jog. No walking, but jogging allowed. After the second 1k, I started to struggle. The 3 minute recovery was not long enough, but I persevered on!
Friday 23rd June - 3 mile fast @ 8:03/mile
Having to fit in all my runs during the week due to a busy weekend, I finished the week off in style. I cycled into work (11 mile) after 7 months of recovery after my collision, and then ran 3 mile fast in my dinner followed by my cycle return journey. Feeling full of energy and ready for the weekend!
Tuesday 27th June -3 mile fast @ 8:03/mile
After a little hiatus (no runs at the weekend) I was back in full force. The sunny weather has really depreciated so afternoon runs are not so hot. hitting an average pace of 7:59/mile, it was tricky but feeling great.
Thursday 29th June -2 mile Interval 1km/3 min recovery
Returning to the interval plan from last week, I found this a little easier this week. I say a little easier, I made the last 1K in style, but the last 3 minute recovery jog was well needed and well deserved. Looking forward to the increment to a 3 mile interval next week!
Saturday July 1st - 3 mile fast @8:03/mile
Whilst on a little weekend break in North Wales, I joined the beachfront promenade for a fast 3 mile back and forth. From one caravan site to the next repeated. The sun was beating down, but I was feeling great.
Wednesday 5th July - 4.5 mile fast @8:01/mile
Now the distances have increased, I am unable to do the runs during lunch breaks in work. These have now moved to the end of the day after a full day work (not very strenuous), evening meal and putting baby to bed. The downside to this is my home town is a little hilly which means that the flats of Manchester are a thing of the past. The last mile was a struggle.
The only way to keep my mind off the interval training was to draw the GPS dog. Having to think about which roads to turn down and where to go next helped me. The fast sections went really well but the recovery 3 mins became more and more welcome.
At the end of the 3 (it turned out to be 3.9) mile, I was done!
July 12th - 4.5 mile fast @ 8:01/mile
Considering the hills that I encountered near the end of my last fast run, I decided to drive to my run location. Salford Road is undulating, but not massively hilly (or so I thought). With an out and back the last mile again was not "up hill" but a long drawn out incline. Happy with the pace though @ 7:51/mile, but with this being a main busy road, the crossings were a little unforgiving and I had to stop a couple of times.
Moving all the rubble a further step towards the tip was the final decider. Absolutely drained, but proud of the work achieved. I think the full weekend workout fully justified the skipped training.
RACE STIMULATION:
This phase builds on the fitness you acquired in the previous phase. You will extend the distance and build leg strength.
With 3 weeks to go until race day, this is where it gets difficult.
July 19th - 6 mile fast @ 8:09/mile
I set off with great intentions, my first three mile were all around the 7:40/mile pace. But then the unavoidable hill section (and this time it was a really steep one) took its toll. The last three miles (of which 2 were at a nasty gradient) were a real struggle. I had to take a couple of rest stops which I feel bad about, but they were needed. I am going to re-look at this route to see if I can mirror the race day run. 6 mile in 49:59, near my goal.
July 21st - 3 mile jog @ 10:52/mile
In my lunch break at work, I went out for a gentle 3 mile jog. The crazy thing is, my jog pace has increased to 8:40/mile. I felt very comfortable at this pace and could have continued much further.
One side note, I commute into work on my bike on Friday's, so a 12 mile journey either side of this jog, I didn't want to push too much.
July 23rd - 6 mile fast @8:11/mile
We all have those runs, the ones that after a mile you start to think about quitting and heading home. From my very first mile, my head was playing games with me. My GPS tracking with serious cloud cover and heavy tree coverage, was coming back with false data which again demoralises more. I felt like I was covering a decent pace, but my watch told me that I was running a good 1 min 30 slower per mile. I also went out in new trainers, but for some unfathomable reason I didn't wear run socks, which resulted in a new shiny blister. With all these excuses, at the 4 mile marker I had reached the end of my first loop and decided to call it a day. Annoyingly, when the data came back true, it seemed like I was having a decent enough run.
July 26th - 6 mile fast@ 8:09/mile
Feeling a little more on form that my previous run, although that is not too difficult, I tried to retrace some of the route from my run last week. The path is really undulating, with some good old inclines to test the legs. As the 50 minute marker loomed, I decided to throw all my last amount of effort into my legs and push. 50 minutes gave me a 6.14 mile run. With the terrain, I think the sub 50 is closer than ever.
July 28th - 3 mile jog @10:40/mile
Again, with a cycle into work in the morning and a pending cycle home, the 3 mile jog is a welcome treat. Focusing on maintaining a zone 3 heart rate for the full 3 mile was a little tricky as there are a couple of bridges o'er the Manchester Ship Canal. My only blip was going over Centenary Bridge, but that is always a climb. On my return to Media City, I became involved in a triathlon cycle course which was a great distraction. Hitting 95% in Zone 3 with only a 47 second (2%) venture into zone 4July 30th - 6 mile fast @ 8:02/mile
With Sunday being a busy day and also the day I purchased my new trusty steed (my new road bike), the only time to fit in my run for the day was late in the evening. I was feeling a little sluggish after a beef dinner, but pushed myself out of the door ready for action. Trying an old favourite route from my marathon training days, I set off at a good pace knowing that there was a good 3 mile incline around the corner, but also a 2 mile descent at the end of it. My intentions were to keep a decent enough pace on the ups that I could negative split on the way back. Looking back on the run, I set some PR's on the way up! As I made my way down the long straight last couple of miles, I had to keep upping the pace to hit the negative splits, but it all paid off. My sub 50 10k training plan has done it's job. Now I just need to replicate on a nice flat route on race day., but with a little less pressure now as I am now the owner of a sub 50! (ps, Strava has logged this as a 49:52, so I am taking that as official)August 2nd - 6 mile fast @ 8:02/mile
August 6th - 6 mile fast @8:02/mile
Even though the plan said fast, I planned to see how fast a comfortable pace could be. Hitting 8:08/mile for my first four, which included a loop of the Leigh 10k course, it all started to go a little pear shape near the latter end of the run. With the intention of cutting back through the green land to my starting point, I soon found myself in the middle of a field full of horses. Thankfully, I made it back safely, although a little muddier than when I had set off. Entering the final stages now for the remainder of the week, there is little more I can do to improve any run strategies, what is done is done.
August 9th - 3 mile fast @7:42 (Race Pace)
I can try and think of as many excuses for this run and I am sure some will be warranted, but I found this pretty difficult to maintain the race pace. I had admittedly just eaten a huge bowl of Spag Bol and this had not settled well. What I have found out though, is that I am happy "jogging" at an 8 minute mile pace which could be interesting for Sunday....RACE DAY
August 11th - 24 mile cycle (gentle)
My final session of the training plan was scheduled as a 3 mile jog, but as I cycle to work and home again on a Friday (and usually go for a run in my dinner), I decided that the two cycle rides would be enough.
Final thoughts - As I stated at the start of this training plan 10 weeks ago, I am not a fast runner and a sub 50 minute 10k was something that I wanted to achieve, but it always seemed elusive. With the continued efforts and determination, I hit this target twice. Now with the race day only a couple of days away, I hope that with 580 other runners, Leigh crowds cheering and very little inclines that I should replicate the sub 50's from my training.
I am very happy with my 5k, 10k and Half Marathon personal bests, but there is one more distance I need to work on.....
A full report on the Leigh 10k can be found here to let you know how I got on
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