Increasing distance. Advice please

[Dups]

Would love some advice on the rights and wrongs. Since I completed 10k I decided I would try to work towards running 10miles . I have increased the distance by 1k each week where I completed my first 13k on Monday.

The 12k seemed quite comfortable which I completed in 1hour 22. So that was great. Then on Monday tried 13k which I did manage non stop but found the last 3k really really uncomfortable, and it was only willpower that got me to the end without stopping. I just felt as if the tank was empty.

So to the questions eventually....... Does anyone take fuel bars etc with them as energy boost? Or is it that I need more fuel on board before I go out running?

Question 2... I am doing 3 runs each week, how far would you recommend I run the 2 shorter runs of the week?

Any advice would be most welcome as I really want to get to 10miles non stop without collapsing 🤣

[damienair Administrator]

The furthest I have run is 15K. At the time I was running 4 times per week. 5K on a Tuesday, 7K on Thursday, 5K parkrun on Saturday morning and a 10K plus on Sunday morning.Perhaps just get comfortable with 10K for a few weeks first and then do exactly what you are doing, add 1K onto your long run each week.

Very well done by the way, that is great running. Don’t put yourself under pressure to run too far too soon.

[Dups Graduate10 in reply to damienair]

Thanks for the advice. You are probably right, I think maybe drop back and do some more 10k runs as I have only done 4.

I am terrible for wanting to achieve which definitely puts the pressure on. Will only be doing a 5k tonight after work and 5k on Saturday to join in on the completion of COGH which has been brilliant 😊

Thanks for advice 👍

[damienair Administrator in reply to Dups]

When I first did 10K it took me 1 hour and 20 minutes. I continued to do 10K once a week, and did only 10K, no further. I was trying to improve my 5K times for parkrun and was running 7K and 10K for endurance training. I was also mixing in some speed and interval sessions into the 7K and 5K runs. Once per month then at parkrun I would go after a PB time. Over a period of about 8 months I brought my 5K finish time down from 32 minutes to 25:36. As I was also still running 10K once per week and entering the odd 10K road race I managed to also bring my 10K finish time to below 58 minutes. At this stage I was running 4 times per week, 1 x 10K, 1 x 7K and 2 x 5K's. The speed work and interval sessions for 5K helped greatly with my 10K running too. I think it is good to have a mix. I had good fitness then at that stage and could manage to extend runs to 13 or 15K no problem if I was running with a group.

[Dups Graduate10 in reply to damienair]

I’m going to try your plan for a few weeks doing 5, 7 and 10 and then fuel up with jelly babies for increased distances as Nowster has suggested.

Thanks for great advice 👍🏻

[backintime Graduate10]

I got to 18k (pre-non-running-related-injury). I just added a bit on each week, sometimes less than 1k, sometimes a bit more - it all depended on my route and how I felt.

I was doing 3 runs a week ,sometimes 2, sometimes I would replace one run with a hills or trail session just to change it up

Occasionally I would do some intervals (I have one strip of road that is 250m long, so I would run fast along it and walk back) a few times.

My family / work routine sometimes imposed only 1 run in the week so I would run Saturday and Sunday (but many people do that with their park run and long run) so I would just make sure that the Saturday run wasn't a hard run if I was doing a long run on Sunday.

In the end, you have to do what works for you

Good luck!

[Dups Graduate10 in reply to backintime]

Thanks for the advice. It’s hard to know what is right and wrong. I only started running last May as many others did while gyms were closed.

I’m going to consolidate with a few more 10k runs but if I feel There’s plenty of energy left I’ll add on. I will get there in end but I want to do it right and avoid injury. Maybe I expect too much too soon.

Thanks for taking the time to reply👍

[nowster Graduate10]

Over 12km I've found I needed some fuel.

I did a 13.5km run and found my legs had turned to jelly when I stopped.

I started eating a couple of jelly babies every 1km that I ran, starting at about 10km, and the problem didn't recur. I suspect also that my body had adapted after that long run.

My longest run so far was a bit over 18km.

[Dups Graduate10 in reply to nowster]

Well I love jelly babies , so I need no convincing there 😂 I definitely will give that a go.

18k...... That’s something to be proud of. Brilliant achievement 👏👏

Thanks for your advice 👍🏻

[alpacagirl 60minGraduate in reply to Dups]

Don’t know if it helps but my son who does a lot of running (his longest runs are about 15miles) always takes a cereal bar on longer runs.

[Tasha99 Graduate10]

I did when I first started running that distance! I would have some sweets at 8k and 12-13k. 3 years later I don’t need to fuel for that distance but it’s taken my body a lot of training to learn to fuel from fat.

[Dups Graduate10 in reply to Tasha99]

Thanks for the advice Tasha99, jelly babies in the menu 😂

[mrrun Graduate10]

I aim to run a half marathon once a week, if life permits. I don't need anything to complete 21K unless the weather is hot, in which case I will run early in the day, and drink an electrolyte drink (not plain water). What drains us is not so much the distance, it's the tempo. If you run in comfort, for example in low cardio zone 2, at times you'll feel you can go on forever. If you push it though, you will struggle (supplements or not). For my 50km run I only took electrolytes mixed in water and a chocolate bar. And it worked. The key is to train and adapt over time. I didn't want to suffer or prove anything to myself, I was simply comfortable with what I had (what my body actually needed). Try different things and see how it goes. Also, pay attention to your regular diet (hydration and food intake). Everything matters.

[Dups Graduate10]

Thanks for the advice mrrun. Having read everyone’s advice I think I need to take it much easier. I think a year plus doing running is not nearly enough time to have the expectation of running the longer distances comfortably. I have never been in zone 2 yet. I try to runner slower to keep my heart rate down, but I find it difficult to find the slower pace ( which shows my inexperience).

I had a conversation with my daughter last night who does competitive weight lifting and she also explained the importance of nutrition and hydration.

I think I have a lot to learn! Thanks so much for your advice 👍🏻