Help with extending distance

[SeeJillRun]

Ok, so I graduated in March and did 3 weeks of consolidation. As I want to gradually increase my distance to 5k, I then did 2 x 30 minute run and 1 x 35 minute run for 2 weeks, then last week I did 2 x 30 minutes and 1 x 40 minutes

My question then is this. Do I continue with 2 x 30 minute runs and 1 long run, gradually extending it? Or do I increase 2 runs to 35 minutes now my long run is 40 minutes, then do 2 x 40 when I increase the long run to 45 minutes, and so on?

I hope that makes sense 😂

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate]

It makes sense SeejillRun, a lot of times, to get to 5k, just gradually increase the distance you run, but at the same pace, by 45 minutes of running slow and steady you should not be far off the 5K distance.

[SeeJillRun Graduate in reply to AlMorr]

Thanks AlMorr, that works for me 😃

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to SeeJillRun]

👍

[Stuart448 Graduate]

Last year I followed Ju Jus plan to get to 10k. She’s updated it this year to either time or distance. It follows a similar format to C25K. The only increase is on the 3rd run each week until you’re running for an hour. I picked up an injury late last year and have just started her plan again it definitely worked for me.

[SeeJillRun Graduate in reply to Stuart448]

Thanks Stuart, I’ll take a look 👀

[Pianism Graduate]

My approach is to continue to run roughly 30 minutes twice a week and then increase the remaining run in time/distance.

[SeeJillRun Graduate in reply to Pianism]

Thanks, that’s what I thought I should be doing but thought I’d gather some opinions from all you more experienced folk 😊

[RunRunRun13 Graduate in reply to SeeJillRun]

I agree with Pianism

Two x 30 minute runs, then a long one (I alter the timing for a long run depending on how I feel)

[SeeJillRun Graduate in reply to RunRunRun13]

The consensus definitely seems to be 2 x 30 plus 1 long run, which is what I’ve been doing so looks like I’m sticking with that 😊

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

It is up to you, but for most people 2x5k/30 mins runs plus one longer run is enough.

[SeeJillRun Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Thanks, that’s what I thought but I wondered what others do

[Tasha99 Graduate]

Swap to distance now, not time.

[SeeJillRun Graduate in reply to Tasha99]

Why’s that? I went with time as it’s easier to monitor than distance (don’t have a Fitbit/Garmin). The distance alerts on my tracking app only go in mile n half mile increments n I’m not running either of those lol, it’s either about a mile n a quarter or a mile n 3 quarters

[Tasha99 Graduate in reply to SeeJillRun]

You’ll never know if your doing a faster pace if you only measure by time. Plus all races are distance. Most people measure distance then time.

[SeeJillRun Graduate in reply to Tasha99]

My app tells me my pace but I’m not running to do a faster pace, I’m running to get to 5k so I’m gradually extending the time cos my distance is inconsistent. When I hit 5k I plan to consolidate for a few weeks n then work on pace to bring the time down

[Tasha99 Graduate in reply to SeeJillRun]

Oh so you are running to distance

[SeeJillRun Graduate in reply to Tasha99]

Only in the sense that I aim to get to 5k eventually. Currently I’m doing around 2.2k in 30 minutes n 2.8 in 40 minutes but I just run for my set time n see where I get to. The distance is increasing gradually n I’m happy with that at the moment

[Redcat19 Graduate in reply to SeeJillRun]

Your plan is my plan. Currently on week 8.

[SeeJillRun Graduate in reply to Redcat19]

Ooh fantastic! Best of luck for your imminent graduation then! 😁

[Granspeed Graduate in reply to SeeJillRun]

I run by time as well, and it’s worked well for me. When I get back, I look at distance but thinking about speed or distance while I run puts me off. So you are not alone in this! 😊👍🐢

[SeeJillRun Graduate in reply to Granspeed]

Thanks Granspeed, I can’t see the point in looking at speed right now, I’m running for health and my own pleasure so I don’t really mind how fast I am. N I’ll get to 5k when I get there lol. I think it’s take a lot of the fun out of it to make it all about the speed or distance right now

[Granspeed Graduate in reply to SeeJillRun]

Completely agree. 👏🏼😊

[SeeJillRun Graduate in reply to Granspeed]

👍👍👍

[Bookbizlady Graduate]

Gosh isn't it confusing! I will graduate on Thursday. I had read about a 10% rule but presumed it was time so 30 mins for a bit, then 33 minutes, but all the advice is about distance, which isn't something I have measured, just looked at when I finish! Can you just go with what feels comfortable? I know I need to do a few weeks of 30 minutes, but if I am on a roll, do I have to stop, could I carry on to 40 minutes as long as I felt able? I'm doing a park run on Saturday, could I just see if I can do the 5K?

[SeeJillRun Graduate in reply to Bookbizlady]

It’s 10% of the total distance you run in a week usually but you can do it with time too. So if you’re doing 3 x 30 minutes then you could extend one by 9 minutes in theory. I just went for 5 minutes cos 9 seemed like a bit of a jump.

Although the 10% figure is arbitrary, the idea is that by extending a controlled amount you lessen the risk of injury. Without knowing how close you are to 5k now it’s difficult to advise. I’m only doing 2.8k on my longs runs so I know I’d be asking for trouble if I tried to run 5k 😂😂

[Bookbizlady Graduate in reply to SeeJillRun]

I'm upto nearly 4k in the 30 minutes. I think I'll just see how I go. Having had an ankle injury at the start of the year I don't want any repeats and all along I've listened to my body and taken an extra day or two rest if I've felt any discomfort at all. I'll do the 30 minutes and then take it a minute at a time!!

[SeeJillRun Graduate in reply to Bookbizlady]

Sounds like a plan! Enjoy your Parkrun! 🏃‍♀️

[MarkyD Graduate]

I’ll take a contrary view.

Keep running based on time. As soon as you switch to distance you start to get hung up on pace & speed. We are recreational runners, so just go out for 30 minutes: 15 out and 15 minutes back to your house or car. In this approach distance is irrelevant.

And run 3 times per week. One short run (20 minutes as slow as you like). One 30 minute run, and one longer run where you gradually increase the time.

Whatever you decide to do, please ensure that you don’t over-do things. Many graduates come a cropper by trying to run faster, further and longer all at the same time (“I want to run 10km and 5km in 30 minutes”). Just have one target at a time. And listen to your body. Those aches become niggles and the niggles become pains and the pains become injury couch. Even if you plan a longer run, the niggle in your foot/Achilles/leg/knee/ITB/thigh/groin/hip/glute is a warning to cut back.

[SeeJillRun Graduate in reply to MarkyD]

Thanks MarkyD, that’s great advice. I’ll be sticking with my time based approach for sure, though I tend to do 2 x 30 minutes and one longer. What are the benefits of doing one 20 minute run a week?

[MarkyD Graduate in reply to SeeJillRun]

The short run is really there just to give us permission to have a shorter run. It gets us out for a run, but without any pressure at all. As the 'long run' gets longer our bodies sometimes need a bit of a rest, and the 'short run' gives us the benefit of going out for a run, but not exhausting us.

[SeeJillRun Graduate in reply to MarkyD]

Ah right, that makes sense. Thanks! 😊

[Hidden]

As a recent graduate, I've been following ju-ju's magic running plan on the Bridge To 10K community.

You can follow timed runs over the program, ending with a 60-minute run in week eight.

healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

I'm a relatively slow runner too, and following the time plan stops me getting hung up on how far/how fast I'm running. I'm happy enough to know that I've gone from zero minutes to fifty minutes running in six months

[SeeJillRun Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Thanks nazz88, I’ll definitely take a look at that. I didn’t realise it was time-based so hadn’t bothered as I’m not even at 5 k, let alone 10 lol. But I like the idea of a structured plan so it may well work for me 😊

[Hidden]

I'm quite enjoying this plan because it progressively gets more difficult just like C25K. If I struggle with a run, there's no pressure. I can just try again. Once I get to the end, I'll start again at the beginning, and hopefully I'll be able to run a little faster and a little further in the time allocated next time round. If I can get up to running 60 mins, then I'll be pleased with that.

[SeeJillRun Graduate in reply to Hidden]

I like the sound of that 😊 I’ve had a quick look n it looks great, I just need to read the post when I get a minute