1 hard run per week

[telford_mike]

I read on one of the FAQs that we should only do 1 hard run per week. This seems difficult. This week I did week 2 of ju-ju-'s '10 is the magic number' plan. It went like this:

Monday. The long run, did 6.3k at 8:19/km. Never run that far before, so was that a hard run?

Wednesday. The short run. Decided I needed to work on speed ready for parkrun. Did 3k at 7.21/km. Never run that fast before; hard run?

Saturday. Parkrun. 5k in 36.14, knocking more than 3 minutes off my previous best 5k. Hard run? I reckon they're all hard 😂 Is 'one hard run per week' just a comfort blanket for us newbies?

[IannodaTruffe Graduate10]

No, in answer to your final question, it is the way that elite professionals train.

[telford_mike Graduate10 in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Ah thanks, so that's why they all seem hard - not an elite athlete 😀😀 Better keep at it I suppose 🏃🏻‍♂️🏃🏻‍♂️ I do like the 10 is the magic number plan - it's great being able to do the runs in any order during the week.

[UpTheStanley Graduate10]

In my opinion (only) ….. if you're chasing Parkrun PBs on Saturdays, that's your hard run. You're sensibly doing the "long run" at a more moderate pace, so that's probably mostly hard on your legs, while speedy stuff for a shorter distance is working on your heart and lungs.

You do realise your Parkrun pace (7'15"/k) was actually quicker than your short run, don't you? I assume that means you were doing intervals of some sort on Wednesday rather than a steady pace? That's the way I'm doing it …. and (going on 3 weeks experience only) it seems to be helping my Parkrun time.

Of course, the long run makes Parkrun seem short …. so easy? And the speed work makes Parkrun pace comfortable …. so easy? Oh heck …. I've no idea really….

[telford_mike Graduate10 in reply to UpTheStanley]

Yes, I was surprised at the parkrun pace, but I think I was just swept along by the pack to be honest - I was expecting something nearer 39 minutes. To be honest I found the 'long' run harder, but maybe this was just mental as over 6k was unknown territory for me.

7k tomorrow 👀😬

[ju-ju- Graduate10]

I think it’s about variety..... a longer run where you aren’t really going for it, a short interval run where you push yourself and then the 5k, which as you say is often Parkrun so by default you are pushing on that too... I think it is good to have some runs when we go easy on our legs so we aren’t constantly pushing but you will find what works best for you 😎

[telford_mike Graduate10 in reply to ju-ju-]

Thanks ju-ju-, I do just plod on the longer runs - reading between the lines of your plan I had guessed that this might be what was needed, along with going for speed on the short one. It's great having a 5k in the plan every week for parkrun! Thanks for inventing and promoting it 😀

[Sybilw Graduate10]

3 minutes - that’s impressive!!

[sallenson Graduate10]

Noooo!!!!

Not "hard". Just a bit long. So slow it down and take it easy. Go for a bit of pace on one of the shorter ones. Don't flog yourself on the long one.

We like you and don't want you hurting yourself

[cheekychipmunks Graduate10]

Hey Mike. I came back from my ‘long’ run this morning - 6.5k, my longest yet, and deliberately took it really steady.

I got back and checked my stats and they were, as expected, quite a bit slower than my PB at parkrun last weekend. Of course I then began doubting myself! Should I have gone faster?

So I put a search into here along those lines, and your post popped up. All the replies have reassured me I’m doing the right thing, and I should use my 4k run on Thursday to push it a bit.

So thanks! You indirectly answered my question! Like in your post, I’ll be at 7k next week. 😀

Happy running! 🏃🏃‍♀️😀

[telford_mike Graduate10 in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Hi Cheeky! Yes, it's a problem, I think because we get all these lovely stats from our phones, watches etc and we want to 'improve' every time we go out. I'm finding I needed to think a bit longer-term. My 5 and 10k times are getting better, but gradually, whereas a couple of months ago I got used to lopping huge chunks of time off my PBs every time I put my trainers on. I do try to be fast(ish) on my weekly short (4k) run, but I don’t record a PB for that distance anyway so I'm not under pressure.

Who would have thought it would get so complicated!

In the U.K. for a few weeks. Parkrun yay!

[cheekychipmunks Graduate10 in reply to telford_mike]

It’s true, we’re so technical nowadays. A few years ago this wouldn’t have been a problem!

Enjoy your parkruns! Can’t wait for Saturday myself! 😀