Question:
How much training and how long did it take any intermediate runners out
there to jump from one to the next ?
I can do 5K in an 35 minutes or so, 10K in 1:15 to 1:30. I don't care
about speed and competition, only fitness and weight loss. I jog and
walk if needed at a comfortable pace for my body.
Answer:First, I'd recommend avoiding events longer than 2 hours until you have a
substantial amount of training under your belt. When your 10k times indicate
you can break 2 in the half marathon, I'd suggest giving it a shot. You should
look for about 54 minutes or so in the 10k.
I am guessing by your times and interest in weight loss that you are carrying
some extra weight. Your times will drop rapidly as you lose weight. Until you
get very thin, a 10% drop in weight will produce approximately a 10% drop in
your time, and that's without taking into account the effects of aerobic
conditioning which in itself brings about substantial improvements. So, 54
minutes for 10k may not be as far off as it seems. But for now, work on those
5k and 10k times.
The second point others have already raised is that you need to build the length
of your long runs. I'd suggest steadily increasing the length of your weekly
long run until it's of about 2 hours duration. Since you are presumably not
racing on your long runs, a 2 hour long run will not cover the full
half-marathon distance, it may only cover about 10 miles or so. That's OK, you
don't need to run the full race distance in training.
