Mileage help please from graduates

[Setters]

I am thinking of doing a year long challenge in aid of a charity that is very close to my heart and was wondering if trying to run10 miles a week for a year was being way too optimistic. I should say I am approaching 70, but fit and healthy, I walk around 10-12 miles a day. I will graduate Couch to 5k early Feb, and would like to start this challenge towards the end of March. So very experienced and thus wiser graduates what do you think?

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Ten miles a week is eminently doable as long as you build up to it.

Three 5k runs is only one kilometre short of the ten mile target.

My usual routine since I first ran 10k a couple of months after completing C25k has been 2 x5ks and a 10-16k run each week and once you are used to it there is not a problem, apart from life getting in the way.

[Setters Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Thank you was hoping you may answer😉 Feel quite confident I can commit to three runs a week as I am retired and walk the dogs everyday anyway, so if they come with me then that will count. My idea is to run 1mile every week for each of the 10 Setters that have been in my life, get my friends to sponsor me, then give the dosh to Irish Setter Rescue and Rehome, who let me have my latest, and probably last Setter. I would not start until March 21 as that is the date Fin came into my life, so if I get a wriggle on that will give me around 8 weeks after c2-25 completion.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to Setters]

That should give you time to consolidate your duration at 30 minutes or 5k before you need to nudge up the distance.

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

You can do that for sure! Are you looking at total for the year or running every week? Both doable of course.

[Setters Graduate in reply to UnfitNoMore]

Total for year I think then hopefully I wil be able to bank some miles before winter just in case we get feet of snow or ice, or anything else that throws a spanner in the works. But I would aim to average 10 miles a week.

Thank you for answering!

[UnfitNoMore Graduate in reply to Setters]

That’s cool... if you run 5k every other day that’s 10.5 miles a week rounding to 3 miles. So, without rounding, each week you’d bank 0.8 miles without extra running distance.

[Setters Graduate in reply to UnfitNoMore]

Do I still need a rest day between runs even if distances are short.? Our “out before breakfast” walks are around 2 miles, so was wondering if I could run those to add to the tally. I would still want to do longer runs as well during the week.

[UnfitNoMore Graduate in reply to Setters]

It’s best to keep all rest days in until you’ve been running at least six months and then only dropping one at first. Some also recommend that the maximum number of running days is dependent on age amongst other things.

Also, when you do add a day, weekly mileage should remain the same, so in that week you’d have to still run the mileage that you were used to, so 3-4 runs and then add 10% maximum to get it back up, so 15k would go from 5,5,5 to 5,3,5,2 or similar. It doesn’t stop you building up, but takes a little thinking about. Also, having different paces becomes important, you’d have to run some (certainly ever other run) as a “recovery run” so at your slower pace.

Hope this helps.

[Setters Graduate in reply to UnfitNoMore]

Lots to think about, many thanks for your time