How do I get faster at 10k?

Runningmama wrote:

I've been running 3 years. I'm up to about 25-30 mpw with my long run around 12 miles and one workout a week on track or running hills. I'm a middle aged female and my 10k time is about 46 minutes. The women winning my age group are throwing down 42-43 minutes. Based on my mileage, should I be adding harder workouts or just up the easy miles until I hit 40-50 mpw? Do I need a longer long run?

If you're running 12 miles you don't need a longer run. You need to run 6.25 miles faster. So at some stage you need to do the sort of intervals that allow you to deal with the pain of running faster.

MAny peopel think the fitter they get the more comfortable and easier it will be. Just the opposite. The fitter and more prepared you are, the deeper into the pain cave you can descend. Success is all in the head. You need to have a strong mind to run faster.

Look at your splits. Where are you losing it? INvestigate where you can improve. Are you even paced the whole race? Are you coming in hard, are you going out hard and blowing up. Its not just a matter of increasing miles. You need to find out how you can run faster.

You don't give any information on this thread.

My splits are pretty even, within about 10-15 seconds apart. I tend to go out conservatively, pick up in mile 2-4, struggle in mile 5, and pick up the last .2.

My splits are pretty even, within about 10-15 seconds apart. I tend to go out conservatively, pick up in mile 2-4, struggle in mile 5, and pick up the last .2.

Is your one workout a week ever at 10K race pace or a bit slower (tempo)? Those paces are good for building up some endurance at 10K race pace.

If anything you should be cutting down your long run - 40-50% of your weekly mileage shouldn't be on a single day. Build up the length of your non-long run easier runs.

Runningmama wrote:

I've been running 3 years. I'm up to about 25-30 mpw with my long run around 12 miles and one workout a week on track or running hills.

Run more.

Runningmama wrote:

I'm a middle aged female and my 10k time is about 46 minutes. The women winning my age group are throwing down 42-43 minutes.

They run more.

Runningmama wrote:

Based on my mileage, should I be adding harder workouts or just up the easy miles until I hit 40-50 mpw?

Yes to both.

Runningmama wrote:

Do I need a longer long run?

No.

30% of 30 is 9. that's your "long run." you need 6 mile fartlek runs, 4-6 mile tempo runs, and a LOT of speed endurance. we're talking 10x400, 6x800, that kind of stuff. 46 isn't even that fast, neither is 42. the main thing that plagues female runners is doing too much mileage and not enough speed.

Runningmama wrote:

I've been running 3 years. I'm up to about 25-30 mpw with my long run around 12 miles and one workout a week on track or running hills. I'm a middle aged female and my 10k time is about 46 minutes. The women winning my age group are throwing down 42-43 minutes. Based on my mileage, should I be adding harder workouts or just up the easy miles until I hit 40-50 mpw? Do I need a longer long run?

Do like this:

mo: Restday

tu: 12- 20 x 400m at 95 sec , recovery= easy walking until pulse is 120 bpm.

we: 5 miles easy

th: 5-6 miles easy

fr: 4-6 x 1600m at 6: 52 min , recovery= easy walking until pulse is 120 bpm.

sa: Restday

su: 12 miles easy

total week : 34 miles at most (without warmup and cooldown)

Test it out for some weeks and see if you get some change. Good luck!