I haven’t posted in a while. Finished the C25K in September and just kept going a bit. I thought it sounded like a good idea at the time to keep me motivated to sign up for a 10k that was at the end of November.
To start with it was going great, I just kept going a little faster or little longer every week then boom out of nowhere I had to take 3 weeks off due to a sore back that is still not 100%. I see a chiropractor and I can keep on running but the last 2 weeks have felt the hardest of all since I started.
The 10k is next week and I’m the rules it mentions I’m not allowed my earphones in or MP3 player. I’ve never run with anyone else before apart from my dog.
How on earth am I supposed to keep my normal pace and not go too slow or fast without my app?
What do people do the week of a big run? Should I be resting or running?
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reluctantrunner76
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1. If you have access to a running watch such as a Garmin Forerunner you can set a pace alert to keep you in the optimum range for your level of fitness. The watch should beep or buzz if you are running too fast.
2. Do the conversation test. Try repeating a phrase out loud whilst running if you are unable to do this it indicates you are pushing too hard and back off the pace a little and try again in a few minutes.
3. Does the event have pacers? If its a big well attended event there are usually pacers for 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 and possibly 65mins try and see if they are about when you get there.
The last week or so before an event is usually a tapering week where all your runs are lower in intensity and length. This is so you are fresh to put in a good run and to keep your bio mechanics in order.
Most of all enjoy the event it will be full of people of all abilities and the crowds and the other runners will give you a lift.
Thanks for the advice. I do fancy one of those watches so might have a sneaky look. Not sure if it has pacers or not, but I’ll do the talking thing maybe. Thanks for the advice:)!!!
If I understand you correctly, you have had 3 weeks off, and now you find running hard.
As a rule of thumb, it takes roughly twice as long to regain your fitness as the break you took. So after a 3 week break, you should expect to spend about 6 weeks to get back to where you were prior to the break.
So it's not surprising that it feels very hard. Because it *is* very hard.
Likte Tanethra says, give yourself this week to recover. Reduce mileage and get stronger.
Once you're in the event the pacing is likely to take care of itself. You'll run according to how you feel, and that's often the best pace. Particularly given your time off, don't push yourself too hard, just try to focus on enjoying it and keep your legs moving gently and steadily.
That explains why it feels so tough now then, only 4 runs back into it. Will keep it steady and hopefully will get round ok. What a pain it takes so long to get it back, I was getting well into it before. Thanks for the advice:)!!!
I think if you are wanting to participate in races and work at improving your performance you'll find a running watch like a Garmin Forerunner really helpful as you can tell at a glance whether you're in the right ball park pace wise.
I think you'll find that there are alot of road races that prohibit use of headphones and getting used to running without music etc is something you'll have to embrace at some point.
I did my first 10k race in the summer and like you, wasn't sure about pace. Somebody on this forum said forget about the watch and just enjoy running. And that's what I did. I did wear my TomTom but didn't look at it at all during the race. I just gauged my pace on what felt comfortable at the time, slow up the hill, a bit faster around the flat bits.
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of running with several thousand others, and at the end I did a pretty decent time... for me, not compared to the winner and the thousand other people who finished in front of me.
As for running with other people, I hadn't done that either so I did a park run the week before the race. That was a good experience because it taught me to stick to my comfortable pace and not start far too fast, like many, many people seem to do.
Midriff_Crisis makes a very good point about the use of headphones. It's worth reading runbritain's advice about headphones and the "UK Athletics rules of competition": runbritain.com/news/wearing...
They state
"The wearing of headphones, or similar devices, (other than those medically prescribed), is not permitted in races on any single carriageway road that is not wholly closed to traffic.
This restriction does not apply to races held on dual carriageways provided that there are clear, structured separations between the separate carriageways. Competition Providers of races held entirely on roads closed to traffic may apply this condition where appropriate to local circumstances."
Tapering for a week last week, and the week of the run you just run enough to give your legs a stretch. Two or three short jogs through the week, round the block sorta thing
You’ll be fine with no music. There’s plenty going on so make the most of it and have a good time
Regarding running with no music, I trained the last couple of runs before my first 10k race with no music just to get used to it and it was fine. There really is a lot going in so you wont get bored. The harder part is just to stick to running your own race with so many others pushing hard around you at the start.
That’s exactly what I’m worrying about. As I’ve never run in a big group before don’t want to burn out early. I always remember a school cross country race 30 years ago going out like the clappers and leading round the first corner only to finish last I think. That’s what’s probably put me off running ever since!!!
I made that mistake on my first 5k😀 For my 10k, I did use a Garmin with a pace alert set to a faster range I knew I could do in training. It worked out to a PB as I just checked my watch every so often to make sure I was in the range. With or without a watch, if you can resist the urge to run hard at the beginning, you’ll be more likely to have something left at the end 🙂
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