Increasing my distance

[Cally73]

I can manage 5K fairly well now and it usually takes me about 32 mins but I feel worn out at the end. I was hoping to gradually increase my distance but was wondering if I slowed my pace I would find it easier initially. Struggling with pain down one leg after a run due to tight hip flexors but also notice the pain isn’t as bad if I slow it down. Sounds silly but it seems to be a natural pace I have but don’t know if can manage an extra 1k at the same pace!

[Dexy5 Graduate10]

Definitely cally. Why not look at the magic plan to 10k in pinned posts. The long run is to be done slowly. You can start it any time but if you hang around a week or two the new one will start and you can virtually do it with others.

[Cally73 in reply to Dexy5]

Thanks. I had s look at it and added half a K on last night. Small steps as I don’t want to be injured!

[UnfitNoMore Graduate10]

As a general rule, we should run slower most of the time, especially when extending the distance. Hopefully the flexors won’t be an issue... are you doing any physio for them?

[Coddfish Graduate10]

Hi Cally

I frequently have adductor and hip flexor issues, I have a permanent slight limp through stiffness on one side. I find stretching and rolling before and after running really helps. A lot of people say you shouldn’t do static stretches before you run, but I find I get injuries if I don’t do this.

Some people find run/walk to be an easier method of increasing distance than just continually lengthening time / distance. I am in that camp, it all feels a bit less relentless that way.

[Cally73 in reply to Coddfish]

Thank you for your reply. I added half a K last night but did slow it down. Legs and hips don’t feel too bad this morning!

[UpTheStanley Graduate10]

It's perfectly natural to have to slow your pace if you want to increase distance. I can sustain 4'00"/k for about 400m, 5'00"/k for 5k, 5'30" for 10k and (hopefully, I'll let you know after the Great South Run ) better than 6'00"/k for 10 miles. You're currently running just over 6'00" for 5k, so I'm pretty sure that if you set out to follow the "Magic Plan" doing the long runs at, say, 7'00"/k you would find it easy - and your 5k times would come down too.

My OH Dexy5 graduated from C25K in May 18 doing 4k in 30 mins, so 7'30" pace. She celebrated with a first 5k parkrun in 40 mins, so a bit slower, but her parkrun times rapidly came down inside the 37'30" which is the equivalent to her graduation pace. She then went over the Bridge to 10K doing around 7'45" fairly consistently as distance increased, and graduated in Oct 18 with a 7'44", by which time her parkrun pace had come down to 6'30" (32'30", so very similar to you right now). Her first "proper" 10k, the "Great Bristol Run" this May, was done in 73'54", so back inside what by now I was seeing as her natural (?) 7'30" pace. She's now committed to the GSR and finding the extra distance challenging, but I'm pretty confident come the day she'll run it at around 8'15" pace. With repetition (which she says won't happen), that might come down to 8'00", but I think 10k is probably her upper limit for that "natural" 7'30". Similarly, I thought I could stretch my 5'30" pace all the way out to 10 miles, but it's beginning to look like I was fooling myself, having discovered recently what "hitting the wall" feels like

There is a website which purports to tell you how fast you can (should?) expect to run certain distances based on your known pace for a specific distance - here's the link, hopefully … runsmartproject.com/calcula...

Sorry that's a bit rambling, hope it helps …. best of luck

[JonathanP Graduate10 in reply to UpTheStanley]

Very informative UTS👍

[Cally73 in reply to UpTheStanley]

Thanks so much for that information. It has really helped. I went out last night and did slow it down and added half a K on. So I ran 5.5 in 37 mins. It felt a nice pace. I managed my last Parkrun in 30.41 but I know I can’t keep that pace if I am increasing distance. I am never going to be an amazing runner or be entering marathons! Just want to build on where I am. Good luck with the Great South Run.

[madmother Graduate10]

I’ve recently started a 10K plan. I liked the intervals in C25k and this goes back to it. It’s a 5 week plan and I’m really surprised by how my stamina is building. It starts with 5 min warm up walk and then 10 min run and 1 min walk. Repeat x 4 then 5 min cool down walk. I’ve done week one and now on week 2 warm up and cool down with 3 x 15 min run and 1 min walk.

[madmother Graduate10 in reply to madmother]

That’s a ramble-sorry! 🙄