[Mars]

So I've been running for about ten months now, have my 5K time down to 23:40 and my mile down to 6:30 not so good, not so bad.

My problem is, I've been trying to work up to a 10K for about a month now, and I can't seem to run a full 10K at even 6mph (10 minute mile). Could it be a nutritional thing or do is there a specific thing that I missed?

[Blue Lion]

Can you finish a 10k period?

[StarSlayer]

Are you unable to run 10K non stop or just not maintaining the speed you want?  Quite frankly 6 minute miles for 3 miles ain't nothing to be ashamed of.  I run about 10-9 miles and I find I just naturally run at a set pace which is pretty damn slow.  I find it difficult to try to set an overall faster speed then what I would naturally do, so instead I'll fartlek.  That is I'll throw in sprints for about 2 phone pole lengths (200 feet) where I'll run at full speed, then resume my standard pace till I recover then do it again.  It's a pretty good routine because it makes the run both an anaerobic and aerobic workout.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fartlek

I'm not a professional runner or anything but hope that helps.

[Locutus of Borg]

I got up one day and did a half marathon on no training. (I sound like an INFOMERCIAL...:S)

The method I use is this:

buy a watch which you can set to go off at intervals. Then set it to go off at intervals of say, 2 and 1 minutes.

The idea is, you will run for two minutes and then take a one minute walk break. Yes, you will be walking 33.33333% of the time, but you can still go pretty fast. If you feel up to it, up the ratio. I know someone who does six minutes, forty-five seconds running, then only thirty-five seconds walking.

[Mika]

Mars, could you post your training schedule? What is your age?

From personal experience, buying a heartbeat monitor will drastically help running and if you don't know already, it makes distinguishing different breathing regions easier.

My guess is that 10 miles at 6 mph speed is probably too high target for starters. Longer distances are usually trained within aerobic region (116-140 BPM). While it is possible to do such distances faster (140-166 BPM), that is done once or twice in a week, while keeping the rest of the running slower.

[Mars]

I run hard 3 times a week and remain fairly active for the rest of the week. I am 20 years old.

Thank you all for your help - it seems my issue as almost entirely nutritional. I ate 1000 calories of pasta last night and went on a run tonight. I ran 6.7 miles in 6.2 minutes (9:15 minutes a mile) and it was amazing. I'm feeling prepared for my 10K race this Wednesday. 

[General Battuta]

You ran 6.7 miles in 372 seconds?

I mean, damn! That's 95 feet per second!

[StarSlayer]

You ran 6.7 miles in 372 seconds?

I mean, damn! That's 95 feet per second!

must have been killer pasta

[Mars]

lmfao - that should have been 62 minutes.

That pasta would be the ****.

[TrashMan]

I'd collapse after 2 miles.....

[Mars]

I'd collapse after 2 miles.....

Many people think that. I've gotten two people who swore up and down they couldn't run to do decent 5 kilometer runs. And I've not even been running for a year.

[achtung]

I've always wanted to do some serious running, but I seem to have issues with extreme throat pain on cooler days, it's a non-issue on hot days.

Does anyone else get throat pain and know what to do about it?

[Mars]

This may seem rather silly, but have you tried cough drops? Also dehydration is an evil, common thing.

[Blue Lion]

I've always wanted to do some serious running, but I seem to have issues with extreme throat pain on cooler days, it's a non-issue on hot days.

Does anyone else get throat pain and know what to do about it?

Drink more water and maybe chew some gum while you run.

[achtung]

I always keep myself well hydrated.  I've also tried chewing gum/coughdrops, and sometimes they exacerbate the problem.  I've considered going to see an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist, just to see if it's something more severe.

It basically feels like my throat is drying out, but you would think it would come about on hot days if it were just a dry throat.

[Mika]

I run hard 3 times a week and remain fairly active for the rest of the week. I am 20 years old.

This may or may not be too much depending on the rest of your activities during the week and how hard is "hard". Please be a little more specific. If hard means trips lasting one hour or more, getting really sweaty and running out of breath, then there is a possibility of trying to overdo your physical capabilities, especially if other activities are involved.

[Mika]

I've always wanted to do some serious running, but I seem to have issues with extreme throat pain on cooler days, it's a non-issue on hot days.

Does anyone else get throat pain and know what to do about it?

Do you mean pain in throat or dry throat? And some other questions: what kind of running are you doing or planning to do? How cold are the cool days? Also, you said you would drink enough, then how much do you drink water?

[achtung]

I've always wanted to do some serious running, but I seem to have issues with extreme throat pain on cooler days, it's a non-issue on hot days.

Does anyone else get throat pain and know what to do about it?

Do you mean pain in throat or dry throat? And some other questions: what kind of running are you doing or planning to do? How cold are the cool days? Also, you said you would drink enough, then how much do you drink water?

Pain in the throat that feels like a dry throat, but in my experience, isn't.  Water, milk, and juice is all I drink.  I usually drink either a glass o milk or half a glass of water no more than thirty minutes before running.  The type of running I usually do is kind of like a brisk jog.

[Colonol Dekker]

I've always wanted to do some serious running, but I seem to have issues with extreme throat pain on cooler days, it's a non-issue on hot days.

Does anyone else get throat pain and know what to do about it?

Take a sporty water bottle / Lucozade style on your run. Drink water, not enough to fill your gut, just enough to rinse.. Then spit...

OR STOMACH CRAMP WILL KILL YOU!

[Titan]

I'm an excellent sprinter. I'm just to lazy to actually commit to anything.