Running - getting from 5k to 10k - support and advice thread

[Lottapianos]

Hi all, I've been running 5k about 3 times a week for ages now and have decided to increase my distance on my Saturday runs. 2 weeks ago, I went up to 3.5 miles and it was fine. Last Saturday, I was aiming for 4 miles but got so into it that I managed 4.3 I think I overdid it as was a bit stiff on Sunday. Aiming for 4.5 miles this weekend, and will continue adding half a mile each week until I get to 6.2 miles, sometimes in July all being well.

Any one else working towards 10k?

hi Lottapionis,
good effort. i am ring to run 10km. have the 3 park runs but yesterday managed to do 7.5km. Wanted to do 10 km but my lo was getting impatient.. I intend to do 12.5 this weekend if possible with maybe 3 6-7 km runs in the week.. all the best.

Hi Gamma, and thanks for reply. It's true what they say - going from 5 - 10 is much easier than going from 0- 5k. I did 5 miles last Saturday so should be up to 6.2 miles by mid July. The first 2 miles are the hardest by far, when your body is protesting and starting to warm up, but after that, you get into a rhythm and my mile time starts dropping. Such a great sense of achievement! Enjoy

I've just got to 11k, and am v pleased! I did a "long" (for me) every week, increasing 10% per week for that run. Then 2 other runs - one hilly, one intervals.
It's way easier going from 5km to 10km than getting to 5km.

The general advice is that you shouldn't increase distance by more than 10% a week, so your new plan should be sustainable, if you can avoid excessive heat!

Hello lotta - I'm trying to do the same as you. Did C25K in Jan to May (bit slow as had an injury). Just done a 5k Race for Life and have entered for a 10k in December.

My training is all a bit haphazard at the moment as it depends on what DCs are doing when (chief taxi driver) but I'm now aiming to run 3 times a week and try to push the distance up. The furthest I've done so far is 6.8km.

What runs do you do each week? I keep looking at training plans on internet and getting bamboozled by the complexity of them all - they all assume that you can guarantee to do the same thing on the same day each week which just doesn't work for me.

I have got the Bridge to 10k podcasts which I've started following although I hate the music and the horrid bossy man with a passion. I wish Laura from C25k would do a 10k one. I love that woman.

Forgot to say - one of my main problems is having to stop to go to the loo! I had to stop at 5.6k today because of loo emergency! Its very annoying.

Veteran, I have two suggestions for you, if I may: first is that there is a "Bridge to 10K" app (free) by Zen Labs that lets you listen to your own music and each "change" (from warm-up to run, from run to walk, etc) is just a bell followed by a (very American) female voice very briefly saying "begin running" etc and that's all. No horrid bossy man. The second is a blog called "Shut up and Run" (also by an American, a marathoner) that has some excellent tips on avoiding loo emergencies by someone who has seen them all, by her own admission. The one I use most is to try hard as I can to get "regular" and make sure I go before I leave to run. I've known that 5.6km panic too! I'm training for a half marathon and am starting to worry I may need Immodium...

Good luck with the 10K, all.

Yes, me!

I did my first official 5k event at the very end of June (in 39:33). I am slow and fat but I'm working towards a 10k at the beginning of August.

I focus more on increasing my endurance rather than distance (not for any particular reason), so I'm increasing my runs by about 5 minutes a week at the moment.

Am finding it tough although my last few runs have been treadmill runs so I think it's more boredom than anything else!

I find running really hard but am slowly starting to enjoy it.....eventually! I run 5k 2-3 times a week and am hoping to do my first 10k in September/October. The furthest I've ran has been 5miles and I've signed up for a few more 5 mile runs over August. The competitiveness does put me off a bit, I'm slow and plodding and will no doubt be last