Happy Wednesday! I honestly cannot believe that we are less than 2 weeks away form Christmas – how did that happen?! Luckily I have finsihed all of my Christmas shopping so I will not have to go out into all of the craziness next week!
Let’s be clear – I’m not an expert racer! I run because it’s fun but also a challenge for me, and I am always up for a good challenge. I’m sure there are MANY things that I could do better during races and I’m still learning all the time. That being said, earlier this year when I was in the middle of my crazy race schedule, I started thinking about my favorite race distance. I spent a good amount of time thinking about this because there are so many options. Besides the obvious 5K, 10K, Half Marathon and Marathon distances, there are also 1 Mile, 4 Mile, 5 Mile, 7 Mile, 15K, 20K, 50K, etc.
After much thought I finally decided that the 10K is my distance sweet spot, which is funny considering I have completed more 5K and half marathon races than 10K races!
I really like the 10K distance for a few reasons:
- Time on my feet – As I start training for the NYC Marathon next Fall, I know that banking “time on my feet” will be very important. The 10K distance usually takes me around an hour, or a little over an hour, so that’s good training time on my feet.
- Challenging distance – I believe that all race distances are a challenge, but to me the 10K is a happy medium. Harder than a 5K but not as long as a half marathon. Also I feel like I can push myself more during a 10K vs. a half marathon.
- Opportunity for a PR – For over a year I’ve been chasing a sub 60-minute 10K. I know I can do it because I’ve accomplished that time during a few training runs, but never in a race. It didn’t happen this year but maybe it will happen in 2016!
Of course this doesn’t mean that I’m going to stop running other distances, but I think I’ll try to add more 10K races to my schedule next year so that I can really get used to doing them more often.
I’m curious – What is your distance sweet spot?
I love running marathons. But running every day? My sweet spot is about at 8 miles. Though my body at the moment seems to differ. I think I will take that down to about 6 miles when I get back. I think that running pace is the big factor for me. i think that I am running too fast and hard and that is getting me hurt!
I think for daily runs I'm good at about 4. I'm so terrified of getting injured again!
I LOVE a good 10k but they are so hard to find so I've been concentrating on 5ks getting faster and stronger. About 6 miles is my favorite.
I'm very similiar to you Renee!
I've ran only a few 10kms but everytime I do one, I'm like man, I love this distance!
I also really love the half marathon distance. It's a good challenge but training doesn't eat up my entire life like a marathon does.
Very true! I hope that at some point I can get more comfortable with the half marathon distance also.
I was actually just thinking about this. I always race the Half Marathon and I am not sure what got me hooked on them. I am guessing because there are lots of fun out-of-town half marathons that I wanted to run. I've run a couple 15Ks lately and that was kind of fun…you know, mixing it up, changing from the usual distance. I think it would be fun to throw 10Ks in there. 10Ks are great for speed work too and they feel so competitive since you run them at a faster pace than a HM. It seems that if you did focus on the speed needed for the 10K, instead of a HM pace, you could totally get the time you are shooting for! You so got this! Keep us posted!!
I agree about the half marathon – last year was my first "destination half marathon" and I had so much fun! I'm planning on doing a few more of those trips next year. I agree about the 10K and speed work. Thanks so much for your comments!
I like the 10 mile or half marathon distance. I feel like I can settle into a nice pace but push it if I feel good.
I've only done one 10 mile race but I did enjoy it!
I actually agree with this! I think it's just long enough to be a challenge but short enough to let me try to go fast. We barely have any in Alaska so I'm going to have to look out for ones when I'm traveling!
I agree. The 10K distance doesn't seem as popular as the 5K of hald marathon so I always try to sign up when I see one offered!
I think the 10k is my sweet spot too- I haven't had the opportunity to run a ton of them (just not a lot in my area) so there is definitely a chance to PR the next time I do!
I'm sure you will PR your next 10K. You are such a great runner!
Hmmm. I think my "Sweet Spot" is half marathon for keeping myself healthy and well. I think I am past my PR (it was a few years ago), and I don't run competitively enough to care if I get back to it, but this distance makes me feel good about myself, like I can conquer the world.
I hope that eventually I can consider the half marathon a sweet spot distance for me!