Longest distance yet

[Sharonb9999]

I ran 8.5km this morning in just over an hour. This is the furthest I've run to date & I'm pleased to say I didn't feel completely shattered. I'm adding 0.5km a week until I get to 10km which is really working for me at the moment. I've entered a 10km in September & by then I hope to be well used to doing 10km with a half way decent time. My pace is still slow but it's getting better every week. I don’t usually eat anything before a run but as I'm running further I'm now thinking maybe I should. I don't know what to have though so any suggestions would be gratefully received

[Pigivi]

Well done, and good time too!

I tried different things, and still go back to a banana - sometimes a small sandwich ( 1 thin slice of bread, nut butter and banana) . I started bringing frozen grapes with me on runs longer than 1 hour (I'm slow so I do not count in km!) , they'll be defrosted by the time I eat one, but still cool. And water. I am a date addict so sometimes I bring those (but need a lot of water with them)

Before my HM I read about a "keep hydrated" pre-run drink drink and it seems to work - but it could be a placebo effect! :

2 tbsp chia seeds, 2 cups water, 1 cup coconut water, 1 cup cooled green tea - I add mint to it because i find the taste of coconut water disgusting, and optional, 1 tsp of honey or maple syrup and a pinch of salt It keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge, needs to be stirred before drinking or the seeds stay on the bottom.

[Hidden]

Well done ! I did my first 10k event last weekend using the same strategy of adding 0.5k max per week and it worked well for me. Small incremental increases in distance mean that the base you build for running the 10k will hopefully be very solid. I usually just have a slice of toast and yogurt or fruit 1 hr before a 'long run' and that seems to be fine for me. Good luck !

[runningnearbeirut Graduate]

When I did long runs (past tense as the longest for a while is just 35 mins), I found I needed to eat something to get through the last 20 minutes. Try a rice cake or toast (with honey or peanut butter, etc) or a banana.

On my round I had fruit pastilles with me (the larger ones you buy in a big packet) and found they were good for a little boost part way round. I found it worked best to have one at 20 minutes then another at 40 minutes. I tried these because I couldn't find jelly babies, which other people on here were recommending.

[Irishprincess Graduate]

Very well done on your achievement Sharon. That's a great distance and you should be chuffed.

As I run late morning I have porridge with honey and that keeps me going for my longer runs. But some people can't eat anything so I guess maybe you should experiment and try to find what works for you. The important thing is to make sure you're well hydrated.

[old_git Graduate]

Well done Sharon,

I have been going through the same process and found that i was OK up to 10 K as long as I ran early in the morning and ate well the day before.

As I have carried on past 10 K, I now have an early breakfast of porridge and honey and delay the run for about 1.5 hours later.

Seems OK

Good luck with your race preparations!

[Susieruns Graduate]

Hi Sharon, I'm going to try for 9k tomorrow (very slowly). I'm trying to go up by 500m a week (on one of my favourite routes there are handy markers in the pavement). I don't like to eat anything before I run but try to remember to drink plenty of water. Good luck with your training.