My Asics plan - how slow can you go?

[Anniemurph]

Some good advice on here about an Asics plan to help with the preparation for my 10k race at the start of May. So I plugged in all the relevant info and it spat out a plan for me. Lovely!

But 5k tomorrow at 10.25km/min? Seriously, even for me that's slow. I walk faster than that on my 5-minute warm-up walk.

Looking at the plan, this is the only one at this pace and it does speed me up (slowly) over the next few weeks, but I am a bit worried about it. I might combine it with The Hill because that does slow me down

Any thoughts on running r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w-l-y?

PS - ha, the tag is about right

[benwill Graduate10]

I am doing the asics plan for a marathon and it gives me slow runs, but I ignore it and just run at normal conversation pace also allows me to trail running as well i am always alot slower doing trails.

[Anniemurph Graduate10 in reply to benwill]

That's a good point - I think this is mostly a trail run I'm training for so I will be quite a bit slower. Perhaps I should try and slow down a bit tomorrow but not try and run in slo-mo Thank you!

[dagshar]

Trying to slow yourself down is a good exercise and making sure you do your longer runs at a clearly slower pace is certainly beneficial. however, I agree there are limit! I struggle even to run at 8min/k unless it's uphill

[Anniemurph Graduate10 in reply to dagshar]

By the end of my 8k surprise!hilly run last week I was running at 8.5 mins/km but I am still relatively unfit and unused to the longer runs, plus the hills caught me out The plan wants me to do this 5k tomorrow at 10.25, then on Sunday an 8k at 9.49 - 9.15. But then for the next two weeks it is speedier. I do have it set to only 2 runs a week as I'm a bit busy at the moment, so that might be the problem.

Ah, well. We'll see what happens!

[Bazza1234 Graduate10 in reply to dagshar]

- sometimes I struggle to run at 8 mins per k too - unless it is downhill!!

[dagshar in reply to Bazza1234]

Sorry, of course, it's all relative. ..maybe better to say that it can be hard to run just 1.5 minutes slower than instinctive pace

[Anniemurph Graduate10 in reply to Bazza1234]

ha ha, Bazza, good one

[Irishprincess Graduate10]

I had that too when I downloaded an Ascis plan. I just ignored it because like you I honestly don't think I could run that slowly. I just ran as slowly as I could with the logic that the important thing is getting the mileage on the legs but what do I know?

[Anniemurph Graduate10 in reply to Irishprincess]

I think it's about mileage too. And if I crash and burn on the day, someone has to come last, right?

[Irishprincess Graduate10 in reply to Anniemurph]

You won't come last Annie. I promise.

[Anniemurph Graduate10 in reply to Irishprincess]

Honestly, truly, I don't mind if I do.  Someone has to, and I have very low expectations of this one!

[secan Graduate10]

"10.25km/min" is 615km/h... I think only you, the Flash and Superman walk faster than that.

[Anniemurph Graduate10 in reply to secan]

Ha ha, Secan - I was always useless at maths! Perhaps I'll do okay in this race after all!

[secan Graduate10 in reply to Anniemurph]

You'll smash it!

[misswobble Graduate10]

Annie there is a blurb about the slow runs in the pre-conditioning phase which goes something like there being lots of lower paced training in this phase. Don;t be tempted to speed up , you will have plenty of time to train harder in later phases. I suppose it amounts to save yourself for what's to come

[Anniemurph Graduate10 in reply to misswobble]

I did my best, missw, but even up the hill I couldn't do less than 9.5mins/km (is that right now, Secan?  :D)  When I tried to slow right down my feet plonked down really flat and everything jarred.

I guess it's also to do with still being overweight.  If I run at a really slow speed, I feel more self-conscious than usual.  Normally I don't care - I get on with my run and stuff what anyone else thinks.  I know there are people who run a lot faster and further than I do, and that's fine - good for them, but I'm doing the best I can. 

But running really slowly makes me feel fat and heavy and ploddy and clunky and useless again

[Slowstart Graduate10 in reply to Anniemurph]

Annie that's so true! 

And why is it that you never bump into someone you know on a flat when your running great, looking good and feeling healthy, why do they always appear at the very top of the hill when you're basically shuffling the last few steps, red as a beetroot and sweating in a very un-ladylike manner

[Anniemurph Graduate10 in reply to Slowstart]

Yes!  When you're dripping with sweat, huffing and puffing and looking as if you couldn't run for two minutes together!  It's a conspiracy

[GoogleMe Graduate10]

I can show you how to run that slowly!

I thought I might be super speedy yesterday as I was putting some oomph in, pumping the arms etc and not bogtrotting and mainly on tracks.... still didn't crack 9mins per Km overall.

[Anniemurph Graduate10 in reply to GoogleMe]

But I've seen you run and you are light on your feet.  I land like a ton of bricks when I slow down, and everything jars, I go very flat-footed and it is uncomfortable.  You don't seem to do that.  You skim over the ground.

[GoogleMe Graduate10 in reply to Anniemurph]

I think that is possibly one of the most flattering things anyone has ever said about me! Thank you!

[Anniemurph Graduate10 in reply to GoogleMe]

You are very welcome