long distance runner in need of help

[gina_b]

right so I suck at short distance running (5k - 10k) but im good at long distance running (anything over 13 miles)

I want to get better at my 5k's mainly, I am very slow for them but its a mental thing, in my long runs I use them as a warm up pace.... and I automatically do that in a 5k race too. I cant seem to start fast in those ones.

any help? I have a 5k in 3 weeks and I want to finish that in time to go collect my 10k race number - doing both 5k and 10k in run preston and they are same day, 90 mins apart from each other.

I have 3 weeks to get better at 5k's while doing marathon training too.....

 

[Shazzabir]

Gina do you do any interval training? This will help with speed.

 

[gina_b]

I don't! I will try that though in my shorter runs and maybe at the end of my long run, like spring home when it's in my view?

 

[Shazzabir]

I tend to make one run a week just interval training. It feels great afterwards, burn more cals and feel more refreshed afterwards. I have certainly noticed a difference in my speed from doing it.
Hill running is also a good training session., but must admit I rarely do this.

 

[Domane]

I'm a relative newbie to running, I only started in May and at 50 I'm never going to be the fastest on the planet. But I've surprised myself by falling in love with something that I really only started as a tool to assist my weight loss and it's now an established part of my weekly life. I'd just got to the point where I was running 5K three times a week (I did C25K to get me there!) when I saw on FB a "Move a Mile for 30 Days" challenge and decided that I'd shake things up and run a mile every day instead of 5K every couple of days or so. I did it for a week, then got cold feet and worried that as I'd only just reached 5K, that after 30 days I'd find it hard to go back to longer distances so I stopped the challenge and went back to running longer distances... BUT.... I found that in just that week, my longer-distance speed had increased dramatically! The shorter sprints had really added some strength and stamina to my overall performance! So I would suggest you do something like that. Drop your distance, maybe to just a daily mile, but work on increasing your speed daily. Challenge yourself to beat your yesterday's PB... even if you only do it for a week, you may surprise yourself... xx

 

[gina_b]

one thing I cant drop is distance, I have 4 marathons coming up and my first is in 10 weeks and my 2nd is 4 weeks after that one! averging 124 miles a month but ill try doing a mile a day aswell, on my "rest" days I go to the gym and I never catch the bus there, always walk it. might run it instead

 

[gina_b]

Theres a local park run I'm joining Saturdays now, same route each time and hilly.
Got 39 mins on Saturday

 

[Domane]

Ooh, gina_b.... I MUST tell you - I joined our local gym a couple of weeks ago. With a view to using the treadmill over the winter when it is cold, wet and windy (at 50, I don't care if I AM a fairweather runner!!! ) Anyway, I have to admit that I've learned that long-distance treadmill running is going to be a self-dicipline that I am going to have to knuckle down to (although I suspect I'll get keener as it gets colder and colder!!!) To be honest, I've been "playing around" on the machines.... fast walking up steep inclines on the treadmill... or short sprints. Bit of HIIT on the bike and using the weight machines to strengthen and tone. Not really got down to the task of the long run.

So yesterday I was fired up and decided that I WOULD run a full 5K on the treadmill. So I got there to discover that two of the machines were broken and the rest were being used. So I weighed up my options and decided to run outdoors.... in the pouring down rain. I grabbed my arm cuff out of the car and switched on Endomondo to tell me how far I was going. Now I live in hilly Shropshire and slopes and inclines have been my nemesis, I usually have to walk. I got off to a cracking pace and the first 3km resulted in me beating my previous PB by a whopping 42 seconds. Hills were tackled with verve and achieved with determination. And I shot past the 5K mark with energy to spare. I actually ended up running 8.1km.... my furthest ever (I only started in May!) in a respectable 59 minutes. To be honest, I only stopped then because I was back at the gym and couldn't think of another 2km loop to bring it up to 10.... but I felt FANTASTIC and energised. If I hadn't been dripping so much rain water I'd have gone back into the gym and run another 2km on the treadmill, just to make it a nice round 10, but I really was very soggy!!! Turns out that all the "playing around" on the machines has done me a world of good. So I'm going to continue in the same vein and just run looooooong on a weekend. Upon reflection, I was rather glad that all the treadmills WERE in use.

You should definitely try it to see!!!!

 

[gina_b]

i always ran on treadmills at first, was good until I decided to a 10k. trained on the treadmill and ended up being so upset with the 10k result it almost put me off running again.
it took me 2 hours to do 10k

only used treadmills if im desperate though, like slippy weather