10 K Build Up Training

Aug. 2, 2019
2.5 k: 12:33.98
2.5 k: 11:54.47
2.5 k: 11:29.88
2.5 k: 10:44.30
Total 10 K: 46:42.63

How many different methods of re-igniting your motivation do you have? I've never counted mine, but as far as motivation management the more methods you have the better.

As a citizen runner, I've always thought that one easy way to stay motivated is to have many different course choices. Sometimes it's too boring to keep on running the same old course. Variety is the spice of life as the saying goes. When you feel sluggish, running a new course can be a motivation booster. Changing pace is another method.

Today, in addition to the methods I just mentioned, I discovered yet another way. That is to run a flat course at a slightly faster pace than usual a few days after high resistance training such as hill sprints or intervals. There comes a moment when you suddenly feel light, having recovered from the lingering fatigue resulting from high resistance training, you feel like capable of running a lot faster than before. And often you can.

Today I went for a 10 K build up. I ran a 2.5 k loop four times. I aimed at sub-4 marathon pace for the first lap, sub 3.5 pace for the 2nd and 3rd, and sub 3 pace for the last. The results are as shown above.

I ran in split-toe minimalist shoes above for minimum protection of my right sole. There is a callous (=thick dead skin) on the ball of my right foot, and it was bothering me a little. 

I started off at a comfortable pace, but when I checked my lap after the first round, I was a lot faster than my original target. I was a bit afraid that I was going too fast to increase pace later. But it turned out not too hard to steadily increase pace in the second lap, and keeping the same pace remained manageable through the third lap.

Then came the last lap that I was going to run the fastest. I increase the cadence and worked my arms more than before. Breathing became harder. I was afraid of running out of gas before a final surge. I didn't want that to happen. I always want to finish strongly. But if you relax too much, you cannot meet the goal. There is a fine line between relaxing too much and relaxing just enough to keep the perfect pace. I breathed through the nose to keep that perfect pace, because if you breath through your mouth, you can temporarily get more oxygen, but precisely by virtue of it you can get too fast to hold the right pace long enough. 

So I carefully controlled my pace by nose breathing. And when I turned the last bend and came into a 200 M stretch I finally switched to mouth breathing and put on a spurt. I took longer strides and swung my arms like a track athlete. The last 50 meters or so was run in complete oxygen debt. I was almost suffocated when I stopped my watch. But all the discomfort was soon forgotten when I saw 10:44.30 on my watch, which is well under my original target of 11:15.00.