Aug 5, 2013

10k or half marathon?


The question I'm being asked the most when I meet people who have just taken up this sport is "how long have you been running"?

Well, I have been taking part in races for the last 3 years, on and off. But I have never been to bothered with marks or anything like that. I'm just happy to actually cross the finish line! 

However that recurrent question made me realise that I haven't improved much since my first race. Which is why I think it's time to crank it up a notch. 

Now, let me tell you that I have never been much of an athlete. 

My dream as a girl was one day to run a marathon. Well, it was more an idea than a dream. And quite a vague one I might add. Never really acted much on it, to be honest. But the idea kept coming back every now and then, specially when I started to do 5k and 10k races. However, given my current performance at those, I might not manage to do a marathon... ever!

Everybody says running a marathon it's about determination, mind over body and so on but I have feeling that my limit is much more... limited that for most people. 

I also realised that if I want to make any progress, in terms distance or speed, I have to take up running a bit more seriously. Without loosing the enjoyment factor, of course. Otherwise, I'm out of here! OK?

And that is where the Lanzarote International Marathon enters the scene. It's ideal for me because it offers 3 distances: 10k, half marathon and full marathon. And it takes place on the 8th of December this year. Which means that I still plenty of time to prepare. 

Now, the big dilemma is: 10k or half marathon?

Do I sign up for the 10k and try to improve my time 

Or do I go for the half marathon which is a length I have never attempted before?

My main issues are: lack of endurance, lack of consistency training & lack of speed. So I do really have my work cut out for me, don't I?

Since the Lanzarote International Marathon offers discounted entry fees until the 30th of September I have almost two months to decided which race to do before the fees go up. 

I have asked some fellow runners what their thoughts are and this is what I have come up with:

I will try to run about 2 or 3 times a week this month to see if I can reach again my longest training route so far of 9k comfortably and see what kind of times I do. 

So, what do you think? Does it sound like a plan? I am actually kind of getting excited about it now! 



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