Sticking to the shorter distances

I hate 5K's but I think it's cuz I don't know how to pace myself at them. My times are like 32 to 33 min. in a 5K but 27 something in my 10K split. :shrug: The 5K really intimidates me. 8O

I like the marathons simply because training for them forces me to stay in reasonable shape to make up for my eating fetish.

As you pile on more and more miles per week it become necessary to train fast to get faster, (in a 5K.) After a 5K race this weekend I spoke to a track coach and he said that speed workouts are the only way to go and long-slow-distance is unnecessary. That might be true when you are an elite runner and have several paces, decent mileage, and no body fat. But maybe not for the mid-packer.

I recently been increasing my miles per week and finding my times dropping significantly, however, I am unable to obtain the 180 bpm for any extended period of time, I am unsure if this is because I am over-training and cannot handle it mentally, or if I am in better condition and shouldn't have my heart rate up that high anyway. Who knows?

When I do my speed workouts for the next few weeks I am going to have my heart rate up about 175-180bpm and focus on QUALITY, not so much as quanity.

Best of Luck.

:1: I like to push myself further, not necessarily faster. A different kind of hurt, a different kind of reward. Though my short distance times continue to go down as a result of focusing on the long distances + tri training.
:1:
Now that I did my 50K ultra my mind has wandered to what other kind of long distance races I could try.
Hmmmm 50 Miler???
Pikes Peak 1/2 Marathon (not long but hard!!!!!)
I guess that 50K did something to my brain.