Increasing distance

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 Huds88 20 Aug 2021

Im fairly new to regular running and would like your collective advice on increasing distance, I get out for 3 runs a week at 5km. When i try to push towards 10 km i hit a wall at 7km and cant seem to get past it.

any advice or tips is very welcome

 The New NickB 20 Aug 2021
In reply to Huds88:

Describe what you feel when you say you hit a wall at 7km. Energy systems shouldn’t be a problem. It might just be an issue of slowing down a little whilst you build distance and then building the speed back once you have built more endurance.

OP Huds88 20 Aug 2021
In reply to The New NickB:

I think its more of the mental wall of "why am i doing this"  pacing has got a lot better of the last couple of runs, i agree slowing down a little over the full run may be a big help

 mountainbagger 20 Aug 2021
In reply to Huds88:

> Im fairly new to regular running and would like your collective advice on increasing distance, I get out for 3 runs a week at 5km. When i try to push towards 10 km i hit a wall at 7km and cant seem to get past it.

> any advice or tips is very welcome

A jump straight from 5km to 10km is significant on one run. Even a jump from 15km total for the week to 20km total would be if you're new to regular running.

I'd move up more slowly and just add 2km to one of the runs for a week or two, then add 2km to another etc. Once all three are comfortable 7km runs, repeat the process of adding a bit at a time until one of the runs is 10km. It takes a while for the body to adapt.

Another consideration is how hard you're working on the run. If the 5km is not easy and you're breathing hard, trying to run that fast for a longer distance will be difficult, so consider slowing down when upping the mileage.

How hard do your 5km runs feel? Do you have a heart rate monitor?

Edit: sorry I see Nick has already beaten me to it with similar advice!

Post edited at 11:07
 The New NickB 20 Aug 2021
In reply to Huds88:

Running with a friend may help with the mental side, it certainly helps me. If you haven’t got anyone to run with go to your local parkrun early do 5k then join the rest of the parkrun crowd for a second 5k. Just remember it isn’t a race and it doesn’t matter where you finish.

 Sealwife 20 Aug 2021
In reply to Huds88:

I returned to running after a very long break last year.  Did Couch to 5k then was at a bit of a loss as to what to do next.

After taking advice from more experienced friends, I continued running 5k twice a week and on my third run, would increase the time I ran by 5 minutes each week.  This was very achievable and allowed me to gently increase my distance to 10k and remain encouraged and, most importantly, injury free.

Have recently run my first half-marathon distance in over 10 years by working away using pretty much the same method.

 SouthernSteve 20 Aug 2021
In reply to Huds88:

Go somewhere nice, don't worry about the pace or even if you walk a bit and see how that feels. Going with a friend and chatting whilst you run would be another way of just getting it done a few times. 

 mrphilipoldham 20 Aug 2021
In reply to Huds88:

Yes just slow the pace down on longer runs. Concentrate on getting to the distance, then you can refocus on your speed. Repeat ad infinitum.

 Wheelsy 20 Aug 2021
In reply to Huds88:

> I think its more of the mental wall of "why am i doing this"  pacing has got a lot better of the last couple of runs, i agree slowing down a little over the full run may be a big help

I think that happens to a lot of runners. Lots of running pages on Instagram regularly post memes with a mood graph for a run, that generally start off feeling great and then go through a period questioning your own sanity, before coming out the other side. I guess the difference might be that if you're reasonably new to running you might not have experienced that getting out the other side feeling as much.

Do you use Strava or something similar? A friend of mine was going through a bit of a running lull, but when she joined Strava and started seeing small improvements and getting praise from others it really picked her up.

Another question would be what are you eating in the run up to going out? It seems a lot of people do fasted runs in the morning without having anything to eat - it seems to work for some, but personally I need to have eaten something a couple of hours before the run to avoid feeling fatigued.

 The New NickB 20 Aug 2021
In reply to Wheelsy:

Running in the morning without having breakfast isn’t really running fasted. The need to eat before a short run (let’s say up to an hour) in the morning is likely to be more psychological than physiological. Leave it a few more hours and you may well feel a physical difference. However, doing what works for you is the best approach.

 NathanP 20 Aug 2021
In reply to Huds88:

My personal experience is that big increases in distance is a quick and sure way to pick up injuries. What worked for me was having one longer run, consciously slower, and a couple of short ones, increasing distance by no more than 10% a week.

 Yanis Nayu 20 Aug 2021
In reply to Huds88:

Better route planning and avoiding the cul de sac. 


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