If you are comfortable then you are not running too fast.
You might be running too slow.

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Originally posted by mrinertia:

I am a pretty analytical guy. However I've been reluctant to get a HRM because everyone says it's going to tell me to slow it down. I don't want to want to slow down. I run, for the most part, at a pretty comfortable pace, even if that pace is closer to race pace than recomended. I'm not a particularly fast runner yet and slowing even further would be psychologically uncomfortable for me. I run my training runs about a 9:15-9:45 pace depending on the distance. A few things about slowing down: firstly, I am comfortable at that pace. Secondly, time is a factor. An 8 mile run at 11 minutes takes 14 minutes longer than it would at a 9:15 pace. When my feet hit the floor at 4:45 am, I am thankful for that 14 extra minutes. I understand that I cannot run every run at race pace, nor do I want to. By the same token, it makes sense that running slow teaches slow running.

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So, you run a lot of 9:30 miles, including long runs (well 9:40 you stated) and you aren't sure you can run a 8:30 paced 10K? If you can't then you are clearly running too hard, period. You should be able to hammer an 8:15 fairly easily with those training efforts.

Aside from that, you sound like your mind is made up. You don't want to slow down. Maybe you don't need to. You might run a sub 8:00 10K time.

I run a lot of 9:00 to 9:20 miles. 90% of my miles lately are in that range, if not more. I can run 7:45 miles without much effort. Conversational, even. However, that doesn't mean I do it every day.

Running slow does teach slow running. You are right. However it doesn't make you slow. What you fail to understand is that can make you faster, yet you don't want to hear that. You say you don't want to slow down, but do you want to get faster? You just might have to slow down to get faster. Let us know how the 10K race goes, and good luck.

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Originally posted by mrinertia:

Thanks for you input everyone. My 10k is next Saturday. I'll post my results. I'm pretty nervous. I've entered races before and have run them all pretty hard, but I don't know that I've ever run a full on, bang your head against the wall RACE. I'm looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. It's almost a week away and I'm starting to get jitters. I'll asess my training paces based on my performance next week nad make adjustments if needed. Wish me luck, I'll keep you posted.

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I know how you feel. I've run...oh..8 to 10 races in the last 9 months, and I still don't know that I've really laid it all out there during a race, perhaps aside from my last marathon, but even then I'm pretty sure I could have run 10 seconds faster per mile.

Just make sure you get a good warmup in. I'd say at least 1.5 miles, up to 2 or so. Trying to race hard without a good warmup makes for a rough start I've noticed.

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Originally posted by sack77:

My old 10k PR was a 51:30. I ran a 46:40 last week. Since I'm not doing any speedwork, the only possible explanation is the increased mileage. I don't think I could have done the extra mileage running the pace I was before. So, FWIW, more mileage + slower pace = almost 5 min PR for me.

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You were doing tempo runs without even knowing it. Your tempo pace is somewhere between 7:30+ to 8:10+ or so when you improved from 51:30 to 46:40.

So, for people who define speedworks to include tempos, you were almost doing weekly speedworks!!!

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Originally posted by mrinertia:

Firstly, I'm in taper hell. I've never really thought there was much need to taper for a 10k because they're comparitively short. Chalk that up to being an uneducated Newbie. Per my mentor's recomendation, I'm only doing 12 miles this week leading up to the race on Saturday. My week looks like this:

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I don't know if you need to taper so much for a 10k. I usually do about 2/3 of my normal mileage but will reduce my tempos and intervals significantly.



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Happy running !

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