Roped into a 10km run

Pinch Flat

Got roped into the spar run 11th April - it's on a work / team building thing.

I'm a regular cyclist, nearly 44 yo, fit enough but not exactly light (90kg). Have started running and building myself up - 3km I can manage in 14 mins, did double that distance in just under the half hour mark.

Any tips on what I can do in the short time available?

walshb

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Got roped into the spar run 11th April - it's on a work / team building thing.

I'm a regular cyclist, nearly 44 yo, fit enough but not exactly light (90kg). Have started running and building myself up - 3km I can manage in 14 mins, did double that distance in just under the half hour mark.

Any tips on what I can do in the short time available?

You have got 3 weeks to go. I would get in 4-5 runs per week, 2 of them per week should be 10 k runs and the other two faster 3-4-5 k runs. Very little you can do at this stage, but getting the ks into the legs will benefit you.

libelula

Go for distance rather than speed at this stage, maybe this weekend try 8k, and the following week 10k. Take it handy, don't race your training runs. The long runs should be a comfortable jog. If you get that far, race day adrenalin will carry you through.

During the race remember to pace yourself, don't go flat out or you could end up running out of steam towards the end. Pick a reasonable time and pace you think you're capable of and stick to it, rigidly.

And most of all, enjoy it.

Pinch Flat

Thanks for the advice folks. Although billed as a race, I''ll be taking it at my own pace. The regular cycling is definitely helping for the cardio, it's a matter of teaching the legs what to do.....

There's a big of healthy competition in the office, a few regular and handy runners in fairness, but I'll be leaving them to their own devices. Main thing is not to get the wooden spoon in our group - then I'll be happy.

walshb

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Thanks for the advice folks. Although billed as a race, I''ll be taking it at my own pace.
.

Spot on attitude here. No point in trying to do something that you aren't at all comfortable with. Race it at a pace that feels cardio comfortable, and adjust as you go along. Take it out in a moderate to comfortable pace. Your 3 k pace is 4 mins 40. Maybe star out the first few ks at 5 mins 15-2 pace and take it from there. If you get to 5 k in 26-27 mins and feel comfy then maybe put in 1 k at a faster pace and reevaluate. 1 k at a time, before you know it you have 1-2 k left and you may feel good, and that will allow you to pop in a couple of 5 min ks to finish.

average_runner

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Got roped into the spar run 11th April - it's on a work / team building thing.

I'm a regular cyclist, nearly 44 yo, fit enough but not exactly light (90kg). Have started running and building myself up - 3km I can manage in 14 mins, did double that distance in just under the half hour mark.

Any tips on what I can do in the short time available?

How often do you run a week, got to be careful you don't try to up the amount runs too much or you won't make the start line.

Pinch Flat

average_runner wrote: »

How often do you run a week, got to be careful you don't try to up the amount runs too much or you won't make the start line.

Haven't run since 2009 :eek: So have done 2 runs so far.:cool: I do cycle about 300km in a good week though.

Yeah, don't want to over do it. I'm confident I'll do it, even if it's a bit of walk / run. But don't want to arrive at the finish (or start line for that matter) with shattered hamstrings either.

average_runner

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Haven't run since 2009 :eek: So have done 2 runs so far.:cool: I do cycle about 300km in a good week though.

Yeah, don't want to over do it. I'm confident I'll do it, even if it's a bit of walk / run. But don't want to arrive at the finish (or start line for that matter) with shattered hamstrings either.

Ok, to be honest I would keep it to three times a week, no speed work. Technically you have 2 weeks to play with.

So what I would do is as follows:

Week1
1st run 4k (keep to your 5 min pace if comfortable)
2nd run 4k (keep to your 5 min pace if comfortable)
3rd run 7k (slow, 5.30 per k pace)

Week2
1st run 4k (keep to your 5 min pace if comfortable)
2nd run 5k (keep to your 5 min pace if comfortable)
3rd run 9k (slow, 5.30 per k pace)

Week3 (week of the race)
1st run 5k (keep to your 5 min pace if comfortable)
2nd run 4k (5.30 per k pace here)
3rd run Race.

Pinch Flat

Thanks for that - yeah it's not far away. I'll try and get out again over the weekend, then mid-week next week.

Silly question, but how do you keep track of the pace? I have mapmyrun on the phone but (i think) that live pace is a premium option.

Failing that, I have a bike garmin which should give this data - can set it up to beep when a km covered AFAIK and a quick gander will indicate where I'm at.

walshb

Most decently organized races will have K markers. Simple stop watch on the wrist should be ok.

Pinch Flat

Been runnig a few times a week - 3km / 5km / 6.5km distances typicall. Managed around 5:00 (5:07) pace over the longer distances. Last night I decided to give the 10km distance a go - more for psychological reasons than anything to see how the body would perform. A relatively flat track.

Mapmyrun recorded this as 47:48, with a 4:46 pace. Felt pretty good - last few km tough but dug in. So I'll do another shorter run Thursday - about 5 - 6km, I'm away the weekend so that'll screw that up - perhaps a few shorter runs next week. I'll be laying off the bike as well to try and preserve energy in the run up to the 11th April.

libelula

That's fantastic progress in two weeks!
Good job

Pinch Flat

Ok, so here's the report from the Great Ireland Run on Saturday. Thanks to all that contributed - was very useful to gauge training, ability, etc.

Finished in a time of 51:19 - gutted I didn't break the 50 minute mark. I set off perhaps a bit too slowly - I knew the hills at the magazine fort and furry glen would be challenging, so didn't want to arrive at them fecked.

I had my bike garmin with me and set to beep at 1km intervals and give me an idea of pace. With 2 km to go, and the furry glen ahead of me, I realised I needed to quicken the pace - finished the last km in 4:39, but it was to little too late.

All in all I enjoyed the day out and glad I could finish with a half decent time and also run it non-stop.

libelula

A month ago you weren't sure you were up for it, and you've finished it well in a decent time too. Be proud of that.

And today - sign yourself up for another 10k in a months time. Break that 50 min