My first ever 10k

[xrodolfox]

Oh my goodness.
This morning I ran my first ever 10k. Well, I did a 10k before, as part of an Olympic distance triathlon, but this was different. There was no swimming or biking to put me 30minutes ahead of the pack. I had to deal with the madness of running sans buffer.

Results:
4819 Rodolfo Palma Ann Arbor MI Male 30-34 33 M 50:03 50:19 196 148 24

My time was 50:03. I was *so* close to breaking 50 minutes. I was so strong until the last 2km, which was straight up a hill. I suck at hills. I died completely. The rest of the race, I was comfortable at 7:30pace, and I was fine with that pace too once we topped the hill. But holy cow. Hills. I dropped to 9min-miles at that point. I have no idea. I practice hills, but I just suck. I need to develop some speed too. I

I still don't get running.

That's my simple race report.

[soniczip]

hey, next time you're gonna break that wall

[runrevolt]

Just knowing what to expect makes a huge difference in your next race. Running another 10k, even at the same fitness level as this first one will undoubtedly give you a greater PR.

Go for it man!

[Konstantin]

Well done, decent time.

[KjKranz]

I really dislike 10k's. I will suffer for 5k, but then I don't race until I'm at a half marathon. A 5k is basically a sprint, a 10k is a slightly slower sprint. I just do not feel like suffering for that long of a time duration! Once you hit half marathon at least you can talk and run at that pace.

Nice job though. Now you have a bit of motivation for the next one!

[xrodolfox]

I don't like distance.

I like the feel of my lungs burning more than my muscles aching. I get that with medium distances, since I really am not fast twitch enough for a sprint of any kind. I actually am looking to put some 10k's in my training as bench marks. I need to break that wall. I actually liked running (i know !!!!!!!!) for a few miles in there. The rest, though... holy cow. Not so much fun.

I was wishing I could use my arms to swim through the muggy air more than once.

[Mr. Cleetus]

Well done xrodolfox!

I don't like distance. ...

That'll change, just keep at it.

[xrodolfox]

I don't like distance. ...

That'll change, just keep at it.

I'm not that interested in changing it.

I just want to make sure I keep winning tri's, and for that, I need to up my run.

[xrodolfox]

I don't like distance. ...

That'll change, just keep at it.

I'm not that interested in changing it. I'm committed to disliking distance.

I just want to make sure I keep winning tri's, and for that, I need to up my run.

[KjKranz]

No disrespect, but you are winning triathlons and only doing 50 minute stand alone 10k races?

[xrodolfox]

^ yes.
I'm a very fast swimmer (Often winning), and a decent cyclist.
I've never won the whole race, but I've gotten top three a few times, and I've won my age group all but a handful of times. I've only been doing tris for three years now.

I know that if I'm ever to win the whole thing, I need to be a much faster runner. I usually tend to destroy the eventual winner in the swim, and barely hold off the winner in the bike ride, but get crushed in the run. All I need to win a race is to do sub 6:30 miles in a 3mile race, but the fastest I've done is 7:10 in a three mile race. That's why I'm doing these darn 10k's. I need to up my speed.

I want to know that I've given it my all. I'd love to win a race outright, especially when I've been so close before. I'm so darn slow in the run that just two minutes faster out of my spectacularly slow run would get me a first place in 33% of the races I do. A 4 minutes decrease in a 5k would get me first in well over 50% of the races.

[Konstantin]

It sounds like you would benefit from some running interval training. Overall that sounds like an impressive athletic ability, but if the run is holding you back, and you do a decent session of intervals/hillsprints 40 times over the next six months, I imagine you'll notice the difference.

Either that or do even more speed training in the pool so the 2nd place triathlete is so far back they actually give up and go home.

[xrodolfox]

It sounds like you would benefit from some running interval training. Overall that sounds like an impressive athletic ability, but if the run is holding you back, and you do a decent session of intervals/hillsprints 40 times over the next six months, I imagine you'll notice the difference.

^This is what I have to do.

I wish I had a training partner *on my schedule* so that I could do this. Or the money to get a running coach.

How exactly do I do this? I've started doing intervals with running, to some success. I like intervals more than regular running. I don't know what to focus on, though, and i still don't really know how to just got faster, even for short runs. Ideas?

Either that or do even more speed training in the pool so the 2nd place triathlete is so far back they actually give up and go home.

Yeah, that's unlikely to happen.

I'm already near the limit of what my training can bring me in the swim. At this point, it's small gains for quite a lot more effort. I just need to work on sighting.

...and clearly, running. I don't feel like I can improve my run, but most folks I race with have confidence that my run can only get better. I just don't get running, or understand it, or "feel" it. It just feels miserable, and slow, and inefficient.

I'm already part of a run club, but I can't go to their workouts as I have family, and their workout are at night when I'm putting the kids to bed.

[Konstantin]

How exactly do I do this? I've started doing intervals with running, to some success. I like intervals more than regular running. I don't know what to focus on, though, and i still don't really know how to just got faster, even for short runs. Ideas?

Basically just run shorter distances, faster. I subscribe the Greta Weitz pholisophy that shorter intervals should be done full speed, longer ones should be done at target race speed, with a shorter rest. So, if I was tagretting a HM in 1:45, which is an 8 minute mile I might do:
4 x 1 mile, each mile 8 min, with a 75 s rest.
8 x 800m, each 4min, 45s rest
20 x 100m at full speed off a 40s rest, followed by
10 x 200m full speed off a 1:10 rest.
Maybe also some 8x800s at full speed off a 3 min rest.
Include some hill sprints. I just set my watch to go off every minute and do 1 min sprint uphill then take 2 mins to jog back down to the start, 10 reps.

I listed some other ideas on my training log:
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=16086&start=15

And recently my training log has been almost all intervals so you might wanna look at that.

[vegan hal]

great job Rodolfo!!! i'll bet with a little help from the vegan runners here, you'll be kickin serious butt in the run section of the tri real soon. keep it up.