5k to 10k - Week 11

Very good training this week despite the weather being absolutely freezing. Total mileage this week was 25.50, which is the most I've ever run in a week. My long run was actually not as painful this week and I probably could have gone another mile or so but I was cold and ran out of water.

On the subject of water, I found that my water bottle & belt are way too heavy when filled full so I need a better solution to my water issue on long runs. I dropped my bottle in my neighbors yard halfway through my run because it was weighing down my pants, so when I come back to pick it up I see him trying to string it up on the tree. I was like "Oh, that is actually mine. I dropped it on purpose halfway through my run, so if you see it in the future you can just leave it." The best part his response was, "Okay, do you want me to refill it for you if I see it?".

5k to 10k - Week 10

This was my first rough week in a while, I only ran 14 miles out of the 24 I was scheduled to run. My long run was brutal this week and was physically painful towards the end. I did post a new long of 8 miles but it was a struggle compared to the 7.5 miles last week.

I am hoping this upcoming week will be better if I can get more runs in. January 1st is fast approaching so I need to decide if I am ready for the Lowell 1st 10k race.

5k to 10k - Week 9

Training continues and each week I realize that running in the winter in New England, regardless of distance, is a feat of strength in and of itself. Despite the cold, I reached the 100 miles run mark in a little under a month a half.

This week my long run was 7.67 miles and the temperature was 27 degrees (22 degrees with the wind chill).

I still need to sign up for the 10k in Lowell on New Year's Day, but I am questioning just how cold it will be and whether or not I am crazy for thinking it.

5k to 10k - Week 8

This week, like last week, was a good week. I ran a total of 22.5 miles this week and am getting closer to the recommended 25-35 miles per week range for peak 10k performance. I have done some additional research and am going to add hill sprints into my training, apparently sprinting uphill on an 8% incline for 20 seconds, 10-15 times is good for building running muscle and preventing injuries from the increased mileage I am running.

It was also my first week doing some of my work out inside in the gym. I gave the elliptical a shot, but I am not too happy with it. For some reason it didn't feel like as good of a work out as running and I still get that weird feeling like you do when you get off roller skates when I get off the machine. I am going to try the treadmill this week since that would also allow me to track my total miles with the Nike+ running app.

5k to 10k - Week 7

First week of my new training sessions and it felt pretty good. My two medium runs were around 4.5 miles and felt pretty easy. I really like the short runs as they are a good stretch for my legs in the off days and I am surprised at how easy 2 miles feels now.

The long run was where I really saw the difference in this training schedule. I was only aiming to increase my run by .5 a mile each week but this week it was nearly a full mile. My knees and hips felt surprisingly good and my only complaint would have to be the 37 degree weather...got to love New England!

5k to 10k - Week 1 thru 6

After my race and success, I thought, "What else can I do?". I decided to start training right away for a 10k. Around this time is where I began thinking that there was a small possibility that I may possibly be able to run at least a half marathon and maybe even a full marathon.

Running a 5k is something that I feel most decently in shape people could do easily as long as their time didn't matter, the 10k on the other hand is a completely different beast.  My first month of training was great after the 5k, I continued to do my telephone pole method and running 6 days a week up until 4.5 miles where it started to get tough. My body was beat up from running so regularly and not resting;  this is when I realized that I probably couldn't brute force my way through this race by running long distances every day.  My hips would kill and my knees would get really sore after long runs and prevent me from running for multiple days. I felt terrible and guilty about not running but if I had I probably would have hurt myself, so in retrospect I am glad I didn't. 

I dropped down to 3 days a week with between 4.5 & 5 miles a day and I realized I had gotten stale and was definitely not making the progress I needed to be.

I started doing some research on the internet and found quite a few good sites which I have posted in the "Running Links" section that covered training programs for running a 10K or Half Marathon.  Below is the program that I started last week in hopes that it will get me to the 10K and well beyond.

Schedule Monday: Medium Tuesday: Short/CT Wednesday: Rest Thursday: Medium Friday: Short/CT Saturday: Long Sunday: Rest

Run Description Short: 2 Miles Medium: 4-5 Miles Long: 6-12 Miles CT: Cross Training

This training method, known for its "Long Runs", is apparently pretty widely accepted and each week your long run should be .5 to 1 mile longer than your last. In my case, I am going to do .5 miles so it will take me roughly 12 weeks to get to 12 miles if all goes well.