To run faster? Farther? Both?

jc2008

TL;DR -> After 5k, should I focus on getting faster or aim for a longer distance? Is it possible to do both? Primary goal is weight loss

Background:
Started running in January with Couch to 5k. Still run 3 times a week and have completed a few 5k races and even a 10k race (Virgin Media night run).

Really enjoying it - weight is falling off me. Still plenty to go but I look and feel a lot better (however my alcohol tolerance is noticeably less!)

Best times are as follows:
5k: 25:30
10k: 57:25

You can probably guess from the times that I was better trained for the 5k than the 10k!

I'm now deciding whether to train to get a faster 5k time or else run a farther distance.
Is it possible to do both?

Would love to get a faster 5k but also think working towards something like a 10-mile or half-marathon would be quite motivating!

Appreciate the training commitment for farther distance is more significant but I don't mind that.

Any tips or suggestions?

Swashbuckler

You'll get better advisers on here than me but improving 10k time will automatically improve 5k time too. More interval, threshold and tempo training will help.
My focus has pretty much been entirely on 10k time improvement and my 5k has improved as a result.

No harm in throwing in one slow long distance run during the week too. The weight will fall off you the more you run so nothing but positives regardless of what distance you target. If you have a nearby parkrun they run every Saturday at 9.30am. They are brilliant.

As for the drink, I found my tolerance dropped too, which is a good thing!

davedanon

If the goal is to lose weight, then run further, and slower, rather than faster.

Testosterscone

If primary goal is weight loss but are looking to improve your running slightly I would suggest following

* Add high intensity weight training once a week
* Add a short moderate effort run (20 min @ 10km PR pace)
* Alternate hill sprints (30-60 seconds off double recovery) with a longer run

Alternatively if you want to improve your running, run more* (might be overly simplified but practice makes perfect)

*use points two and three as well for variety as well as running more

davedanon

The basic point is, the slower you run the more fat you burn compared to carbs. Faster running uses up more carbs proportionately.

jc2008

Thanks all for the responses, lots of useful info & tips.
I've now signed up for the Dublin 1/2-Marathon at the end of September which should give me enough time to build the miles.

Very excited about conquering a new distance!

Testosterscone wrote: »

* Add high intensity weight training once a week
* Add a short moderate effort run (20 min @ 10km PR pace)
* Alternate hill sprints (30-60 seconds off double recovery) with a longer run

Thanks for this. Can I clarify - that would be 4 workouts per week? One weight training, 20min run, hill sprints and a long run?

Tired just thinking about hill sprints