Possible to train for and do a sub 40 minute 10K in 7 weeks ?

aoa321

Hi all,

I'm wondering if it would be possible for a mere mortal like myself to train for running a sub 40 minute 10K in 7 weeks ? My favourite 10K race is on at the end of May and I would LOVE to do it in under 40 minutes.

Yesterday I did a 5K in 21 minutes 10 seconds 5K.

Last year in the same 10K race I did 45 minutes, am I fooling myself even setting a target of sub 40 minutes? I'm really willing to work hard to try to do this, any advice/opinion would be appreciated.

Should I be concentrating on speed work or distance work? I'm going for a run tonight, jog into the park (about 20 minutes), 2 timed/measured kilometers as fast as I can (I will have to getting them in comfortably under 4 minutes) and then jog back home.

What do you think? I might be deluded but I'm loving it !!

Sonderval

With a 7 week timescale, it certainly is possible, IMO.

I was going for the exact same time/training window as yourself. Unfortunately, I had a back injury for 2 weeks that precluded training, so I've only had 2 weeks to retrain for the Bupa 10k. Needless to say, I'm still pushing for under 40 mins (but I reckon its a long, long shot).

What do you think? I might be deluded but I'm loving it !!

Perhaps a lunatic was simply a minority of one. - George Orwell

If you love it, keep doing it!

dermCu

How many miles you run a week ?
Post your training to date and people will be able to give you a good indication.

Personally I'd say that if you have not been hitting lat least 30-40 miles a week forget about speedwork. Build yourself an aerobic base then think about working some tempo runs into your schedule.

Transform

Agreed post your current schedule as most people just go out and run based on how they feel where as for someone who is training for a specific distance you should have a structured running schedule.

aoa321

I've just looked up my training diary, I'm not doing half as much as I thought I was, sub 40 is beginning to look unrealistic.

Up to four weeks ago I was going out twice a week for a number of months, probably about 10 miles a week ... for the last four weeks ...

Mon 27/2/2006 to Sun 27/2/2006 9 miles
Mon 6/3/2006 to Sun 6/3/2006 14 miles
Mon 13/3/2006 to Sun 13/3/2006 21 miles
Mon 20/3/2006 to Sun 20/3/2006 18 miles
Mon 27/3/2006 to Sun 27/3/2006 12 miles (easy week because I wanted to do a 5K race, played a game of 5-a-side football)

Is there any hope for me? What do you think I should do? Do 30 miles a week for a couple of weeks, then 40 for a couple, get a bit of speed work done in the last 3 weeks? Or just relax and watch a bit more telly?

Transform

Need the specifics

e.g. monday 8km in 40mins at heart rate of etc

Wed - 2 km easy 4km intervals 2 km easy - details

Milage means very very little unless its a maraton you are training for

Clum

I say keep up the good work. You've loads of time and you're almost there.

I started training in January from absolutely nothing (except a few years of drinking and smoking) for the Bupa 10K thinking I'd do it in sub-40. Obviously I was still drunk thinking that but so far in my training I've managed to run 2 10Ks and each one around the 45 minute mark.

My 5K times are just under 21 minutes and although I know I wont do a sub-40 this weekend I'm going to keep up the training for the Calcutta cup at the end of May and try for a sub-40 then. Speed work will be required, realistically I should be running somthing like a 19 minute 5K to run a 40 minute 10K.

aoa321

Right, I'll get more details on the actual sessions I was doing (some speed work mostly medium paced running), I hope you have some advice to offer after I get this together - no idea what my heart rates were in any of the sessions!!

Clum, you sound like you're just a bit ahead of me in training right now, what made you think you could even do a sub-40 10K? I think that's an excellent time - did you do some running before you took up booze and cigarrettes?

Keep me up to date with your training, I'm very interested. Good luck at the weekend in the BUPA 10K - what is the Calcutta cup? I'm getting a right buzz out of this running at the moment, I find the most important thing is to pick a race every few weeks and that provides a really good target to aim at.

My plan is to pump my mileage right up to about 35/40 miles a week over the next 3 or 4 weeks to see if i can make myself stronger - still haven't a clue what I'm doing - what's the point of doing 40 miles a week - what does it do to/for your body?

dermCu

It really depends:

IF you have a naturally high level of fitness, IF you are not carrying too much weight IF your body can handle a steady increase in mileage you MIGHT be able to pull it off. To be honest looking at the miles you are doing it would be close at best. That's not an excuse not to try. Give it a go.

How about going 25 / 30 / 30 /35 /35 /40 /35
Try to get in one long run a week 15k-20K. Longer if you can. This should be long and slow.

As regards speedwork maybe for the first half of your 7 weeks take one midweek run and use the first half of it as an easy run then for the second half up the pace gradually until you are close to 10k race pace at the end.
For the last few weeks maybe dedicate 1 day to speed work. e.g. warm-up, start off at 5x400 @ 75% effort, warm down or maybe a fartlek session - 1 mile warm up then mix it up depending on how you feel, 5min steady, 1min easy, 2 mins fast, 2 min easy...etc
There are loads of 10K plans out there. Find the one that suits you and that you think you can achieve. Google.....

The harder you run the more lactate your muscles produce. Your muscles can cope with a certain amount but when they reach a threshold level it's meltdown time.
Increasing overall mileage pushes this threshold level higher and higher. It will also increases your muscle strength and the amount of O2 that you can absorb.

Clum

aoa321 wrote:

Clum, you sound like you're just a bit ahead of me in training right now, what made you think you could even do a sub-40 10K? I think that's an excellent time - did you do some running before you took up booze and cigarrettes?

Yeah, I used to run for my school. Nothing too spectacular, won a few team cross country medals but after I went to college and in the years since I've been slacking off a lot. Tried to get back in to the running a few times but it only ever lasted a month or two...

aoa321 wrote:

Keep me up to date with your training, I'm very interested. Good luck at the weekend in the BUPA 10K - what is the Calcutta cup?

Calcutta Cup is another 10K around the Phoenix park, for Goal I think. At the moment I'm only running 3 days a week and doing circuit training once a week but that will all change from next week on. Up to now I've been trying to build up fitness, from next week on I'll be looking at my pace as well.

Transform

Unless you have been fitness tested and are monitoring HR ranges during training sessions i think its just guess work.

Get this done first http://www.peakcentreireland.com then you can focus on your goal.

aoa321

Transform wrote:

Get this done first http://www.peakcentreireland.com then you can focus on your goal.

Hmmm, thanks for the info but this looks a bit complicated for me, I would spend a fair chunk of the 7 weeks trying to get this organised. I haven't a hope really, but I'll give it a lash, I'll report back in six weeks and four days, as long as I train my hardest and beat the time from last year it's a result for me.