Splitting 10k run in half????

SwdDub

I'll try and keep this brief while giving all the info.

Over the last 3 months I've been running 5-6 days a week (along with other strength based exercise) to keep get myself in shape and lose weight.

I've seen a dramatic increase in my fitness and am stable at the weight I want to be.

As far as the running goes I'd built up to running 10k (in roughly 60 minutes) 5-6 days a week. It was fine when I was gunning to get to a goal weight and get fitter but now I am satisfied with my fitness and weight

The thing is I'd like to stop the 60 minutes running. The last thing I want to be doing is running for an hour every day when I get home. It cuts a big chunk out of my evening straight away and also I must admit I find it incredibly boring. Now I've not gone lazy and realise I can't stop exercising just because I've got where I want to be.

My question, really, is would it be alright to split the running into 5k @ 30 mins in the morning and the same in the evening. I know my endurance won't improve by doing this but will it roughly stay the same as it is now or would this have an adverse effect on my fitness levels? Basically I just want to stay as I am.

Please keep in mind I'm don't care about running 10k or 5k faster than I already do or running longer distances. This is just about me wanting to stay at this level of fitness.

Thanks

Canis Lupus

Could you do it? yeah suppose so.

Will your cardio drop... possibly a small bit because there is as you know yourself a difference between running 5 and 10k

I'd be more worried about motivation. I love running and I couldn't be arsed to go on two daily runs.

Brian?

Why be satisfied with doing 10K in 60 mins and leaving it at that? Your body will adapt and you'll burn less calories when you do it.

Map out your 10K and try to beat your time every time you go out. Have mental way points and check your time passing each, this will help you force your pace each time. I bet that you can knock 10 minutes off that time in a month, no problem.

xgtdec

Id say get it down to 50 minutes, then 45 then 40, if you manage 10k in 40 minutes...well it aint half bad, and it would be 10 minutes more than what it seems you would run 5k in now, i reckon 10k in 40 minutes would be a decent cardio workout!!:)

kennyb3

briankeating wrote: »

Map out your 10K and try to beat your time every time you go out. .

Wrong, wrong, wrong. maybe tip over to the athletics thread before you give advice. This is likely to lead to burnout (esp mentally) and/or injury. running hard and fast every day is bad. some days should be longer but slower, some shorter but faster and others just easy jogs. anyway this doesnt help the op anyway.

SwdDub

Lads I know you think you are being helpful but I qualified my question pretty heavily for a reason.

I'm not as 'into' fitness as a lot of people. So far I haven't got a lot of feedback to the actual question I asked.

I didn't ask is it better to run 10 k in 50mins or 40 minutes rather than an hour. If I don't care about bringing the time down thats my own business.

What I did ask is will splitting it into 2 parts have adverse effects. So far all I've got is the suggestion that there will probably be a slight drop off in cardio. Aside from that can anyone add anything?

_TheLegend_

split it up, it wont do you any harm, and the fact you are running 10k a day just shows the commitment you have put into it, congrats

Colm_OReilly

As far as fitness goes, you could get away with reducing your mileage now that you're happy with your level of fitness.

You could do a 30 min run 3x a week and still be as fresh as the 60 min 5x a week, prob less likely to suffer injury or burn out as well.

What I would be careful of is as you drop the mileage, you might be inclined to start letting runs slip.

Brian?

kennyb3 wrote: »

Wrong, wrong, wrong. maybe tip over to the athletics thread before you give advice. This is likely to lead to burnout (esp mentally) and/or injury. running hard and fast every day is bad. some days should be longer but slower, some shorter but faster and others just easy jogs. anyway this doesnt help the op anyway.

3 wrongs in one statment, that must be a record.

I wouldn't run every day actually, I should have said that in the original post. But every time I run I want to show progress, that was my real point. Some days that progress is running further, somedays it is running the a set distance faster. Its progress that's the key.

I wouldn't be a runner anyway, merely someone who runs a bit. I take the same attitude to it that I take to weight training. If you could bench press 100Kg, why would you go to the gym 3 times a week and bench 100kg indefinatly? You add weight and push yourself for more.

Brian?

SwdDub wrote: »

I didn't ask is it better to run 10 k in 50mins or 40 minutes rather than an hour. If I don't care about bringing the time down thats my own business.

You said you wanted to reduce the time spent running in the evening and have the same benefits. Surely running the same distance quicker does both.

Ciaran500

Very surprised no one has recommended replacing some runs with intervals, you can get your workout done in about 10min and get more benefits. Not really sure what intervals are suitable for a runner though, someone else will have to give you advice there.

kennyb3

briankeating wrote: »

But every time I run I want to show progress, that was my real point. Some days that progress is running further, somedays it is running the a set distance faster. Its progress that's the key.
.

Now that is totally different and much more correct. put it this way paula radcliffe doesnt try break her own world record every time she runs. different workouts provide different stimulus to the body

PS i wasnt targetting your post btw, just dont want anyone even getting the wrong idea when reading how it came across

Brian?

kennyb3 wrote: »

Now that is totally different and much more correct. put it this way paula radcliffe doesnt try break her own world record every time she runs. different workouts provide different stimulus to the body

PS i wasnt targetting your post btw, just dont want anyone even getting the wrong idea when reading how it came across

3 wrongs to much more correct in one easy post. Nice.

SwdDub

briankeating wrote: »

You said you wanted to reduce the time spent running in the evening and have the same benefits. Surely running the same distance quicker does both.

I said I was happy as things are now and wanted to know if splitting the run into two parts would have any adverse effects.

The suggestion of of running 10k in 40 minutes might seem simple but how many more weeks/months of work is it going to be to go from running an average pace of 10kph for 60 minutes to sustaining 15kph for 40 minutes

The whole point is I'm happy in and around this level of fitness and don't want another 3 months (or however long) workload to try and get down to 40 minutes for 10k

Krusty_Clown

If you're not interested in improving your running times and are purely running for fitness, then splitting your 10k run into two chunks is fine, but you may need to make them slightly longer (e.g. 6K + 6K) to account for the loss in cardio workout (running at a sustained pace for longer periods of time).

As others have suggested, if you want to reduce the amount of time you spend running, then consider swapping one or two of your runs for an interval session. This will give you variety, an anerobic workout, will improve your overall speed (even if that isn't one of your goals), and take up less time. Just be aware that interval sessions are difficult, and shouldn't be done too often/too close together.

You could also consider following a 10k training program, even if running a 10k race isn't a goal.

menoscemo

Ciaran500 wrote: »

Very surprised no one has recommended replacing some runs with intervals, you can get your workout done in about 10min and get more benefits. Not really sure what intervals are suitable for a runner though, someone else will have to give you advice there.

Very simple, run a set distance or time at a fast pace then have a short recovery and repeat.
Eg. 1k warm up, followed by 5 x 600m fast (with a set distance or time jog/walk recovery maybe 200m or 90 seconds) followed by 1k wark down.

You can do 10 x 400m intervals, 4 x 1000m or whatever. As you improve you can either increase the number of intervals/ increase the distance of intervals/ decrease the recovery distance or time.

You shouldn't do this everyday as you will burn out, but certainly it is good to do once or twice a week to break up the boring monopaces runs. It is also more effective as a workout and in improving your fitness than a steady (slow) paced run.

floggg

Running twice in one day? Of you are finding it boring now, try doing it twice a day.

Plus you will end up taking much longer to get 10k done if you factor in changing showers etc.

The more you make it into a chore to get over and done with the less you will be inclined to do it.

If you merely want to keep the same level of fitness, why not try only running every second day, but doing the full 10k. That way you will have days with full evenings off and you will maintain current fitness levels.

Alternatively run every second day, but do some days 10k at your regular pace and then do some days of 5k but at either faster pace or by intervals. That will help bring done the 10k time, and will give you more time in evenings.

Or, it you don't pike running, try something else. Get a bike, go swimming, take up a sport etc.

I know its not the question you asked, but that because I think in my opinion your idea was unsustainable and ultimately not productive enough with regard to the effort involved. And by productive I just mean getting some form of personal value and results, not becoming the next Paula radcliffe.

SwdDub

Right thanks for the input lads. I do play a sport so thats already a factor in there. I have also started to do some core strength drills, reccomended to me by a friend of mine who is a boxer.

How does this sound?

Mon: 10k run
Tue: Strength Training
Wed: 10k run
Thu: Strength Training
Fri: 10k run
Sat: Rest Day
Sun: Match Day

EDIT:

Also, how big a risk is burn out? I mean I know what it is and all but I'll be honest I don't really know at which point it becomes a danger. I've been more prone to little niggles in the last couple of weeks if that is any indicator? I've been running 5-6 days a week for 3 months now

If I kept this up, with perhaps gradually increasing my 10k time but I mean over a loooonnng period of time since doing it faster isn't a cheif concern, should I be able to sustain my current levels of fitness and maintain my weight?