When I started C25K I knew I would be able to run for 30 mins by the end of it because I’d done it regularly for years, the last time only three months before starting the programme. I also knew I could run 5km as I’d done that hundreds of times too. 10km is much more of a challenge for me as I’ve never gone further than 5km that I can remember so I think today’s 5.5km is my longest ever run, woo!
I made a deal with myself before I went out that I would run no faster than 8:00/km. I couldn’t quite manage that but I did succeed in really slowing myself down, I was at about 7:45/km for most of the run and then went a fair bit faster at the end as I had lots left in the tank so ended up with an overall pace of 7:37/km. I know it’s not that slow but it’s a big step forward for me and it was a lovely, easy run. I think I’ll need to slow down more as I add distance so I’ll have to set a new time challenge for next week’s 6km!
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mancrunner1
Graduate10
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Well done with your run on the plan .And well done on keeping the pace down , that will certainly help as the distance increases and it's always nice to have some left in the tank at the end of a run 😁👍
Thank you! I struggle not to try to outdo myself on every run so I decided I still needed a challenge and I think a target max pace will work well for me, even though I didn’t quite get there today!
Fantastic effort, my guess is that you’ll do just fine without slowing down. Remember every run adds strength so by this time next month your legs will be far more used to the longer distances. Happy running 🤗
I have trouble slowing down, too - even though I know it’s better for stamina. My ‘slow’ is much slower than you, though - but it did get me to 10K and beyond with little effort! Good luck 😊👍
Pacing is one of the hardest things to get the hang of. Back in 2019, my first 5k, 10k, 10 mi and HM were run at about the 7:50/km pace. These days, I typically aim for 6:30/km although my PBs are in the 5:15—5:50 range. Generally I just go with what feels right at the time, but I do spend a fair bit of my time yelling (internally) to slow down and that I don't need to go so quickly.It's very much a truism though, that to run further, run slower.
Well done on today's run. If you cover the distance you were looking for, the pace really doesn't matter.
It’s really tough, isn’t it?! I am a very competitive person and used to pushing myself hard in all areas of life so there’s a strong temptation to aim for a PB every time I go for a run! I can’t really run without a goal so I found it helpful to set myself a target ‘slow’ pace and try to stick to it (I didn’t manage it but it did slow me down) so I think that’s the trick I’m going to play on myself for a bit!
Good idea because if I set off with no strategy I just run and really push to my limits, crazy really I shall try to stick with it tomorrow morning we will see!
Well done. Just keep going with seeing if it feels ok and you'll be fine. Very good managing to slow down, I thought I did yesterday but no, still same pace as usual! I'll have to try again!
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