I am doing my second take on ju-ju- 's Bridge to 10K after having to stop it at the 6th week due to a (very pleasant!) life event. Have just completed Week 1 today (hooray!) and feeling great!
In a moment of madness, I have also decided to register for a local 10K race (the Larkfield 10K - larkfieldac.co.uk/larkfield... - in 7 weeks and 4 days from now. It had to be this race, as it is the day before my birthday and I need to make the gift to myself a fitter, healthier me!
So, the question, particularly to JJ210K graduates: Would you save the 10k run at the end of the plan for race day? Or try to do the plan's 10K the Sunday before the race and then taper? What would be the pros and cons of each option? And would you have any additional advice in terms of getting ready for this event?
Thanks to all and best of luck with meeting your personal targets! Stay healthy and keep running
Written by
GeorgiosA
Graduate10
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This is great ... well done! For me personally I did the 10k first as it helps. But others may have differing advice. It means you have the confidence that you can do it on the day etc.... we will help you get there.
Thank you ju-ju- you are already helping me get there! My instinct is to leave the last run for the race, and finish in a triumph (with chariots of fire playing in the background :P) - certainly last but definitely happy! But if legs feel fine in one of the long runs in the last few weeks, I may just hit 10K before hand....
I never lacked confidence, only running ability But am too stubborn to give up - especially in events, and that helps push me...
I'm the same as Ju-Ju, I liked knowing I'd got the 10k distance in the bag already. It helps me psychologically to know I can do the race distance with no bother. I know others save up their distance and do their first triumphant 10 on race day though, and I imagine that feels pretty amazing.
I'm not sure what the official word is, but I've not heard of tapering for distances under a half—but whatever works for you is what is best for you!
Thank Sqkr ! As mentioned above, my instinct is to do the opposite, but my mind may change when we get to the last week... I love the idea of a triumphant 10K on race day
Thanks for the advice on tapering, I found it helps me if I get a few days rest before an event, even though the distance is short...it may be only 10K but for me it feels like a marathon!
Don't know what the longest distance is at week 8 but the fact you've trained this far before will help enormously. Just see how you get on in the next few weeks. Personally I had already run 10K before my first race but I do believe that if you run 7K in training then you can complete the 10K on race day.
I don't really do much tapering as such before a race, just reduce mileage a bit in the last week and hydrate, eat and sleep well, no alcohol the night before and nothing dodgy to eat either! I couldn't open your link but good luck and enjoy it, you'll be fabulous! And I hope there's nice bling!
Thank you Irishprincess I do love a bit of race bling - looking forward to getting a collection going again, especially as my 5 year old 5k medals got lost in a house move :(. Thanks for the advice - I feel rather confident of being able to make the distance, I managed a 9k training run 3 months ago, before rebooting.
Good advice on the pre-race week, especially around nutrition - I will make sure to keep any alcohol consumption strictly after the race!
I would bag the 10K first so you know you can do it - be great for your confidence too on race day. I did ju-ju’s plan in 5 weeks so just depends how you get on week on week. Good luck!
My triumphant first 10k at the end of Ju-ju’s plan was also my first 10k race and it was fab. The crowds were great and the double thrill of my first 10k and my first 10k race was sooooo satisfying!
I would save the final 10k for the race day, then you have double motivation to complete it, rather than, "I know I can run 10k already so why am I doing this race?"
On a slightly longer scale, I trained up to 11 miles for my one and only half marathon, then I had the excitement of conquering the full distance on race day.
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