When to start at 10km plan?

[ScottJB]

Just looking for some advice on when to start a 10km based on the date of the race. I’m in week 9 of C25K and know I need to graduate first, and then I plan to do 2-3 weeks of consolidation.

But I’ve signed up for a 10km on the last Sunday in October which is 16 weeks away. I’ve looked at a few plans that range from 8-12 weeks but haven’t settled on one yet.

Would it be best to start the plan after a few weeks consolidating 5km, meaning I’d be running 10km a good few weeks ahead of the event? Or for example if I was doing an 8 week plan, start it 8 weeks out?

Thanks

Scott

[Debston Graduate10]

Why don't you do your consolidation and then do Ju-ju's Magic Plan which is 8 weeks long. That would have you running 10k at least once before the race and would give you chance to do shorter runs in the week before the race. I think it's called tapering, so you have plenty of energy for the race.

[ScottJB Graduate10 in reply to Debston]

I was thinking of starting a plan straight after consolidating. Does the magic plan include one intervals/speed type session each week? Seen some other plans that have a mix, 3-5km run, interval/drills and then a long run.

[Debston Graduate10 in reply to ScottJB]

It's one short, one long and one medium per week. You can do it based on distance (that's what I am doing) or on time. Also core strength exercises each week. Have a look at the pinned post on here, it explains all about it. healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

[cheekychipmunks Graduate10]

I’d recommend the first of your suggestions ScottJB - graduate C25K, consolidate 30 mins/5k for 2/3 weeks and then start the Magic 10 plan which is 8 weeks. You can ‘fly solo’ if the timing doesn’t fit in with the main group on here, or wait until the next one starts up (I’m slightly out of the loop with timings).

Once you’ve graduated that (and you will, the plan is amazing!), you can consolidate 10k for a while before your race. 😀

Have fun! 😀😀

[ScottJB Graduate10 in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Thanks. Yes I was definitely thinking of the doing the first option, I think I might have to ‘fly solo’ though.

[Tasha99 Graduate10]

I went straight on to building up the week after graduation and managed it in 3 weeks. It’s not that hard to build up to 10k. 6 weeks max. Personally I like to have done the distance before a race as I’m anxious (although won’t be doing marathon distance before the day). Just build up a km or 1.5km on your long run per week and do 2 other normal 5ks.

[ScottJB Graduate10 in reply to Tasha99]

Thanks. I was definitely thinking it would be good to get a few 10km runs under my belt before the event, but a lot of plans seem geared towards your first being race day.

[Tasha99 Graduate10 in reply to ScottJB]

Don’t need a plan for 10k

[backintime Graduate10]

I'm following the 10k plan on here after having done 3 weeks of consolidation. I have no race planned just doing it because it's there. If I were entering a race I would definitely like to have done 10k a few times first

[ScottJB Graduate10 in reply to backintime]

Thanks. Yes definitely agree with that, wouldn’t want race day to be first time at that distance.

[Jogunlikely]

16 weeks gives you plenty of time to finish c25k, consolidate then move on to a 10k plan. You'll then have a few weeks to consolidate at the 10k level.

If you decide to go solo and not follow a set plan just make sure you follow the 10% rule. It's in the post about c25k what next? Explains all about increasing distance safely to minimise the risk of injury.

It is considered wise to consolidate at 5k before stepping up as your body has been through a lot of stress over the last couple of months.

Good luck

[Julia187 Graduate10]

The consolidation runs are a must, I ran 5k 3 times a week for 2 months before moving on but that was because I wasn't sure where I wanted to take my running! 3 weeks ago I decided to start the Magic 10 with the others on here, you can do the runs in any order so can fit them around your week. I'm doing them in reverse order so always start with the longest run on a Sunday, 5k on a Tuesday, the short run (3.5k this week) on a Thursday and then have a couple of days break before doing the next long run. I think you should be in a good shape to meet your October race date if you follow the plan you outlined.

[E27M14 Graduate10]

Move on as soon as you feel ready. I worked out all the timings for a 5 mile (8km) race that I had entered and worked up from 5k, but then life got in the way, I missed a few runs, wasn’t as ready as I wanted to be and only managed to run 8km once before the actual race. It left me feeling very disappointed with my performance so I would say get on with a plan as son as you feel ready, and leave yourself time for things to go wrong, and if they don’t and it all goes to plan you will be more than prepared! Good luck.