training plans

So I'm finally trying to follow a formal training plan, leading up to my next half-marathon, in hope of breaking 2 hours. It's from the Runner's World website; I put in recent 10k time, current weekly mileage, etc. The plan is pretty much what I was doing anyway, except for one thing-- it has me doing easy runs and long runs at a 10:30/mile pace. I never run that slow. I can't even when I try! My usual easy/long pace is somewhere between 9:30 and 9:45 per mile, depending on the weather and the hilliness of the day's route and how I feel...

Why does this plan have me running so slow? Will running as slow as I possibly can somehow make me faster? I don't get it... Any wisdom out there?

Learning to run more slowly was something I really had to work at when I upped the mileage.

Here's a clue: if you can't run slowly comfortably, work on your form. If you're generating so much impact that you're a pogo stick at 10:30, then you're still a pogo stick at 9:00, it's just that it's going by quicker and you don't notice it as much.

Chi Running made all the difference to me.

Long runs are about endurance. You won't be able to build endurance if you're at your lactate threshold. That's the reason for making it slow and easy. You shouldn't be challenging your CV system at all on the long runs - the idea is to accustom your muscles and joints to the duration.

You'll find it crazy hard to significantly increase mileage at the pace you are used to running. A combination of speedwork/tempo runs at faster pace and long runs at an easy pace will help you eventually get to higher mileage at a pace faster than the 10:30/mile. The ultimate goal is consistsency, so if you start a long run at a 9:30 pace for a long run but end it at an 11:00 mile (with sloppy form, just to get the miles in) you aren't helping your body adjust to the longer mileage.

My former 10k pace was about 8:40/mile, and I trained for my marathon at about a 10:15/mile pace.

I have the same problem! It is not easy for me to run a slower pace. I feel like my form breaks down when I go that slow. It actually hurts more. I have gotten the pace to slow down to about 10 mm, but that is the best I can do.

One of the "experts" on this board told me that I was not imagining that, that your form is actually better when you run faster because you recruit more muscles.

They suggested that I would be better off running my normal pace, and taking walk breaks. I did that on last week's long run, pretending that I was walking every other water station at a race. I stashed water on my route( it was very hot), and took a short walk break about every 15 mins to drink.

It seemed to work just fine.

For reference, I've never done a 10K, but my 5K PR is 25:08 (@ 8:05), my marathon training pace is right around 11:45 - 12:00, and I ran my first and so far only marathon in 4:21:28 (@ 9:58) and my first and only half marathon in 2:00:41 (@ 9:12) ... and as a first-timer I went out conservatively in both of those races, and definitely could have gone quicker.

I can't say enough good about Chi Running. Before I started practicing their technique, I literally couldn't run three miles without my head and shoulders aching horribly from all the pounding.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

I can't say enough good about Chi Running. Before I started practicing their technique, I literally couldn't run three miles without my head and shoulders aching horribly from all the pounding.

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Oak - did you do the workshop, read the book/DVD or all three? There is a workshop here on 8/15.

Well, I'm trying to run slow. Sat.'s long run was 10 miles at 9:55/mile, and it felt ridiculously slow. And I was so sore afterwards (but I was also sore beforehand; I think I over-did a bit in the new circuit training class at the Y on Friday).

I'm gonna try to run slow. But I'm still not convinced it'll make me faster in the end. We'll see.

Thanks, y'all