How do I seal the deal on a sub 50min 10k??

MarieC

Ok so my story is Im in week 5 of my training programme for the Limerick Marathon. Im really enjoying it and loving being out on the road. Im very happy with diet and I do feel myself improving. My normal pace is now in the 8.2min/mile range, give or take a little.

I did the 10K run as race#7 of the limerick race series last thursday evening at 7. I know I can run the pace requred for a 50min 10km, and I thought I was going to do it thursday night so I was gutted to see my time of 50:30. Now I was absoltuely shattered all of last week, as Id submitted my PhD on Tuesday so the stress and tension has knocked me a little. Im hoping being energised and refreshed this week might help but what else can I do to try and knock 30sec off my time. My first 5km were done in 24:55 last week, so even if Id kept that I should have been in under 50, and the second half actually felt faster so I really dont know......

Ok Im rambling now, any advice or little golden bits of advice would be super thanks!

Burgman

Congratulations on getting the thesis in. No doubt you were drained (probably physically as well as mentally) - but is a week enough to recover?

Be patient. Your time is very close to your target. You don't have to improve every week. If you are going to treat a race seriously, you should "taper" for it - ease off the training just before it. Otherwise, it can be just part of your training schedule. Relax. Enjoy your running. Don't put yourself under pressure. Build yourself and your training up gradually. Ease off for a week every four weeks. Don't increase your mileage by more than 10% from one week to the next.

Your recent race time is respectable - in the Raheny race yesterday, 133 out of 577 women finished in under 40 minutes for 5 miles. You are not far off that. And you are just beginning. Keep at it.