Found that soo hard ☹️

[Megzy24]

Tried to do run 1 of bridge to 10K and found it really hard. Iv completed couch to 5k a couple of months ago and have been running ever since but find it so hard to run past 6k? Need to up my game because I’m running a 10K race for life in June 🤨

[Hidden]

If you are running 3x a week ?5k, just add 10% of your total each week and you will soon be up to 10k

[siobhp Graduate10]

I'm following ju-ju- 's 10 is the Magic Number programme and it's working. Hoping to hit 10k this weekend 😀. You can find all the posts on the forum here and follow them or sign up for her next one. I didn't know how to increase distance after graduation and her programme is great.

[Bazza1234 Graduate10]

Find it hard to go past 6K? - Legs, lungs, strength, general energy, mind??? Which of those things is causing this??

[Megzy24 in reply to Bazza1234]

I would probably say legs and mind. As I keep wanting to stop so I’m constantly battling with myself to carry on x

[Bazza1234 Graduate10 in reply to Megzy24]

Hmm - the old mind playing tricks. I think that our minds only tell us to stop doing what it is we are doing , after our body has told that mind that it is not happy!! - for whatever reason that may be. So, although you say that it is only your legs that are a problem, you may want to think a bit more about this. Sometimes we say that we are running comfortably at a certain pace - but are we really - and especially considering the distance involved. ?? Can you talk in a completely conversational manner while running?? You will probably find that the pace of a truly conversational run is very slow and hence you increase it just that bit more - but then after a while ( 6K in your pace) it has maybe become just that little too much

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate10]

Run slower for the longer distances Megzy...keep something in the tank like you did for the C25k plan😊x

[SaskAlliecat Graduate10]

You've got lots of time to reach your 10k goal before your race. I agree with Bazza and Jan, slow it down. I sing while running, sometimes talking to myself instead, to ensure I'm staying in this conversational pace. Truly running at a comfortable sustainable pace can be very difficult to achieve early on, but once you manage it, you'll find your runs will get easier. If you think you're going slow already, go slower. It feels painfully slow at first (and you'll feel like you're at a crawl), but it really does work. Once you are able to reach your desired distances comfortably, there are ways to work on picking up the pace but at this point, it's all about putting in the miles and enjoying doing it. I find changing up my routes and using a new playlist also helps with the distraction part of it. If you're running on a scenic route, it can slow you down while you take in the beauty of your surroundings and look for birds and other wildlife.

[Jonesycat Graduate10]

Totally agree with all of the above. One of the hardest things I think in the transition from 5k to 10 is learning how to go more slowly. I'd spent months going at 'my' pace to complete and consolidate C25k, but found it so difficult to progress meaningfully from there. Going more slowly felt unnatural and a bit silly, to be honest, but I stuck with it and was very soon improving my distances. Now I've found running at different paces according to distance is something I really enjoy - the quick short blast, the long slow meander - and helps keep things interesting.

Good luck!