Advice on moving on to 10k: I am a 50 year old... - Bridge to 10K

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Advice on moving on to 10k

-melc- profile image
17 Replies

I am a 50 year old male with no previous running history. I have been following the programme for the last 9 weeks religiously. Did week 9 run 1 yesterday and managed 5K ! At the start of the programme I entered the Grimsby 10K which is on 31st July as a target to motivate me (my son's idea). Does anyone know of a good podcast which takes you from 5K to 10K, I have found the couch25k just what I needed so far.

Thanks in advance for the advice.

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-melc-
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17 Replies
JoolieB1 profile image
JoolieB1Graduate10

I have battled to get from 5 to 10k and have an event in June which is Race for Life 10k. I graduated a few months ago from C25K but my legs needed time to recover. I just worked from 3 X 30 minute runs, then did a 5k, then 3 X 5k until that was ok. Then I introduced one long run a week, started with 5.5, then did a 6, 7, 8 and then a 10! You have two months, give it a try. Trouble is, the legs, will they let u! I struggled today to do my 5k, temperamental toffee legs of mine!

Oldfloss profile image
OldflossAdministratorGraduate10 in reply toJoolieB1

Loving that phrase 'toffee legs'... sums the feeling up wonderfully!

-melc- profile image
-melc- in reply toJoolieB1

Thanks JoolieB1, this seems to be the most popular way to move onto 10k. I have consolidated the 30min runs and this week moved onto a longer 3rd run of the week. Managed 7.4k which was a bit more than I planned but I felt good so just went for it. I will be back to 5k for the next 2 runs and then go for a longer 3rd again. I have got 2 months to move onto 10k, hopefully that will be enough time. Thanks again.

Sandraj39 profile image
Sandraj39Graduate10

Oo, there are so many training plans to take you there if you google but what many of us have done is consolidate 3 runs of 5k a week and then start increasing one as the weekly long run. Try sticking to the 10% rule which means don't increase total weekly mileage by more than 10%. I did it this way, sometimes not increasing my long run for a couple of weeks if I wasn't comfortable, so as not to lay myself open to injury. My advise would be take it easy but enjoy! I love 10k, it is a challenging distance but also one you can really settle in to. Good luck🙂

misswobble profile image
misswobbleGraduate10 in reply toSandraj39

I did the c25k+ podcasts. Ran them all inside out and then moved onto Sami Murphy Bridge to 10k podcasts. Free to download on here. Someone put them in a drop box file . It's probably got a link on the right of the screen in blue text. Week 1 is a bit quiet and it cut out before it finished, but from week 2 it's fine. It delivers 😊

Sarah-A profile image
Sarah-AGraduate10

I used a freebie app called 10K runner. It was a similar format to c25K and actually starts at the beginning of that programme. I therefore picked it up at week 9 and started from there. The whole programme was only 14 weeks (if i'm remembering correctly).

I liked the structure of a fixed programme like this, but others has successfully just added an extra km onto their longer runs once a week. I'm using that system now to progress to longer distances.

Good luck with your 10K!

Daisyrun profile image
Daisyrun

I did something similar to JoolieB1 and did 2 30 minute runs a week and added in a run increasing each week 5km, 5.5km, 6km and so on. Did my first 10km on Sunday.

JoolieB1 profile image
JoolieB1Graduate10 in reply toDaisyrun

How do u feel after your 10k? Are your legs ok? I did 2 X 10k and a 5k last week, feeling it so going to slow a little! Legs let me know when I need to be careful. I have a 10k event in June and HM in September, so hanging everything around making those! Can't imagine I will be able to do 20km but guess I can increase my weekly long run. Did 15k one time so maybe LOL

Daisyrun profile image
Daisyrun in reply toJoolieB1

My legs really ached on Monday but they were fine again by yesterday.

If you have done 15k then you should have no problem doing a HM.

JoolieB1 profile image
JoolieB1Graduate10 in reply toDaisyrun

I like your faith in my legs! I struggled with 5k two days ago! My 15k was a one off and now I am just keeping my feet on the ground and I keeping my eye on 10k for my event. Knees a bit achy right now, don't know where that came from LOL

Daisyrun profile image
Daisyrun in reply toJoolieB1

Yeah. Get the 10km out of the way and then work up.

JaySeeSkinny profile image
JaySeeSkinnyGraduate10

I went relatively quickly to 10k just by extending my runs when I felt like it. But got shin pains 24 h after my 10k run, although the run itself was fine. So maybe I overdid it. I cut back to 5k once the pain subsided and am now building up slowly again, about 0.5 or 1 km a week. About 8 km now (4 weeks after my shin problems). It seems sustainable!

JoolieB1 profile image
JoolieB1Graduate10 in reply toJaySeeSkinny

I try to run on grass as much as I can and that seems to minimise shin pain. However, grass certainly works the whole leg so it is harder in a way. Just keeping going and see how it goes

Don't think there is anything I can add that the others haven't said, other than a cautionary note about not over doing it and risking injury , the too much too soon saying is very true , I speak from experience.

RunningS profile image
RunningSGraduate10

I used the free MyAsics plan, which can be tailored to your times. It starts with what seem ridiculously slow run targets, but there is method in their madness and it worked for me (I ran the slow runs faster than they said, but still slowly). Having read up a bit on Heart Rate based training I think their plans fit in with that. I think for a 10k they will only let you do a plan from 12 weeks out, but you could maybe join it part way through? I did my first 10k event last weekend and finished it 2.5 minutes faster than I had managed it the 3 times that I had run it previously. Hope that helps.

MarkyD profile image
MarkyDGraduate10

Getting to 10km doesn't mean every run has to be 10km. If you are running 3 times a week, try this:

5km run

3km of intervals - walk run or jog/run or walk/run/sprint (30-20-10)

'Long' run as slow as you like. But only increase your total weekly distance by 10% each week.

Good luck. You'll be fine.

Jaxsy_runs profile image
Jaxsy_runs

I would also recommend following misswobbles notes. It does deliver, not just on the run but on the recovery following your 10k. And keeps training fun along with specific😊... She knows her stuff ...

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