Hi all,

I have been running now for some time and have entered quite a few 10k's, which i enjoy. The problem is that no matter what i do i cant seem to get under the 50min mark, infact the fastest i have run is 52.48. Im not sure the best way to improve my performance. I generally run three times a week and the runs range from 3 miles to 8 miles and can be on forest paths or roads and often include hills. I tend to stay at one pace although i do try to sprint for the last 200-300 yrds. My average pace for last month was 9.06 per mile. Now, Should i try to run some shorter distances but faster, run longer distances or perhaps concentrate on hill work? Any advise to help me achive my goal of under 50 mins for 10K would be great.

John

Hi John

It looks like you need to add some speedwork to your training and start varying the distances a bit.  Have a look at our 'training pace guide' under the articles and advice menu - this gives a guide to the type of speedwork generally recommended and how to split your training into different sessions.  Good luck with your goal.

Hi John

I experienced a similar issues a while ago when I also got stuck in terms of progress. I changed my running plan and since have improved my AG % by around 5% (in 6 months), a few suggestions

1. run more often - 3 times is enough to maintain but you need to run 4 or even 5 times a week ideally

2. as noted by Louise  below vary the types of run - perhaps try a 3k as fast as you can every couple of weeks; throw in a long run (10+ miler) once a month; try some interval training etc (but make sure to keep doing the steady runs too.) If you have a 5k Parkrun (http://www.parkrun.org.uk/)  in your area give it a try - it is an easy way to test yourself in a competitive environment without all the pressure of a full-blown 10k event

3. perhaps join a running club to find others to run with or if you have friends or family that are runners go out running with them

4. What you will find is that as you start to improve you will actually want to run more and then the progress is accelerated

Good luck

Great advice by both Rod and Louise but also what i found (and i note you have only been running a year or two) is the body takes time to adapt and then all of a sudden makes a jump even with no extra training so patience is a virtue. Although speedwork and extra mileage will help make this happen sooner. Also, as Rob says, there is nothing more motivating than success so as you improve your times so you are more motivated to train harder, which in turn....etc etc.

Andy

Yep you are right Lisa ...then the hard work begins! But by then you are probably hooked anyway!

Andy

Hi All,

Thanks for your replies. Will stick with it and take some of the advise given. It tricky for me to fit more than 3 runs a week so will try to concentrate on hill work, Speed and distance.

Cheers
JOHN