For the run test are we to do a 10k or 1/2 marathon? What should we use for pacing guidelines based on our recent runs? I thought we would be doing a 5k test at the end of the outseason...
I remember reading a coach's reply in another thread that we can run our choice of a 5k, 10k or 1/2 marathon at the end of the OS. The distance is largely a matter of personal preference and local races available.
Got the run in, 30' including wu, 10x30s strides and 8' of ABP+ pace. Ventured outside for the run and pretty near froze my nose, but I just don't see the logic of doing strides on a treadmill. I really just need to HTFU, since I've been coddling myself wrt running outside when its cold the last few years. That said its going to be the treadmill for me the rest of the week (windchill tomorrow daytime is supposed to be -30 (-22F). Hang in there everyone!
What started as a 4 mile trail run and a moderate RPE turned into a 7.8 mile run with some significant rollers thrown in. Today's lesson, when you're already smoked from the morning's bike workout and job requirements, don't go for a run on trails you don't really know that well. But, all's well that ends well.
Keep getting done what you can and don't worry about what you can't. Remember, anything is better than nothing
With all this talk of the last day of the OS being a 'test' I'd like to do it as an actual race....but there are no 10Ks on that weekend. I found a 10K this Sun...wondering if I do it a week early so I am with folks or just hold out and do on my own...but on my own I am thinking I'd do better with just a 5k....any thoughts?!?!
Today's run went better than the bike....did it 4 hours after my bike. Did a 15 min warm up then 30 min @ my mp. Yea!
@ Ann ... Since I'm leaving for ski vacation next week, I'll be testing sometime in the next 6 days. Either a 10K race this Sat, or 5K on a treadmill on Monday. Im leaning to the 5K, as I want to get as high a VDOT as possible, not necessarily for training purposes, but just cause I may never get another chance to get within spitting distance of a 50 VDOT.
Run done, boom. lower case boom for mediocre mojo: due to cold front, I ran on TM at the gym which has a TV and since I never watch TV while working out, I was a bit distracted watching Federer.... nevertheless, hit the paces, but didn't go the extra 'oompfh' due to Mr. Federer, and quite frankly, I'm kinda over VO2 runs..., so only a mini-boom today...
That being said, I've been watching the threads regarding next week's run test distances. I had planned on running a 5K so i'd have an apples to apples comparison; however, after my transition week, I'll be dropping into Week 9 of the HIM plan so based on coach P's response in the macro thread, should I do a 10K instead? I've never run a 10K before and have no idea how to pace myself. i'm a bit nervous about having a bad test and being cranky coming out of OS... I looked at McMillans to see how my assumed 5K times translates to a 10K. Is that a good reference to use? Any thoughts or suggestions? thank you!
Hi Kate - sorry to hear you're fighting a cold - a boom is still a boom even if it's just a boom!
Funny what you say about IP runs..
Based on what you say about apples-to-apples, I'd do the 5k test and then find yourself a local 10k that sounds like fun sometime in the next couple of weeks because the race experience will be good for you, and it's fun. To pace yourself, start with the VDOT based race prediction, then adjust for course conditions, then adjust so that you're running negative splits by about 5s/m.
You should get a target in the same range from McMillan's site. Adjusting for course conditions, your own state on race day and negative splits is all on you either way.
Hi Kate. What is it about week 9 of the HIM that requires a 10k TT? Curious because I am on the HIM plan soon as well.
Personally I think a 10k TT would be just too mentally demanding to be able to produce a consistent reproduceable effort. I don't think I could push that hard for 40+minutes just 'for the fun of it'... When I have raced 10ks I am usually seeing stars by the end.
I plan on doing another 5k TT to gauge my fitness gains and guide me for workout paces going forward. 20 minutes is much more palatable for a TT effort, and less susceptible, imo, to environmental factors. Of course I don't run on a track. It might be 'easier' to do a 10k TT on a track, but maybe not.
If you are planning a 10k race, that is another matter. Like the relationship between HM to Marathon, a 10k race is much more than just twice the 5k distance. The Mcmillan calculator is a good estimate of your best possible 10k time. Whether racing or TT, for 10k would build over the first 3k to just under your goal pace, try to bump up 1-2s/k for the next 3-4k, hold it for 1-2k, and then blast the last 2k as hard as possible. I wanted to try to convert these to miles for you but that makes my brain hurt. sorry.
Got it done but I'm so sick of the treadmill. Minus 37 this morning (it's so cold that celcius and fareinheit are starting to equalize) so there was no option to go outside. Only two more months of winter to go. I know it's cold for many other folks across the continent, so why not have some fun with it.
It's so cold that ... [fill in the blank] (can be tri related or not)
I'll get us started: It's so cold that I saw a teenager pull his pants up!
got my run in yesterday morning in Houston -- nice time to be here with the FREEZING temps up north
was my 3rd VO2 run in 6 days due to recent biz travel hacks and my legs (especially calves) were feeling it -- anyone else feel like their calves are extremely tight with all the intensity we've been throwing at them?
based on the coaches's advice, i tried to go under my target IP for the intervals (using the target vDot predicted by Coach P in the Heads/Tails challenge) and managed to go slightly below IP for the 2 x 800. wasn't happening for the 2 x 1 miles and ended up ~12" slower than IP on each.
i'm making quite a few excuses as to why i'm not hitting recent bike -- and now run -- targets, but i rationalize it by thinking RnP have really pushed me to my limits with this OS. can't wait for next week's testing and hopefully no more excuses!
will hit the FTP and VO2 bike today and tomorrow
re: 5k vs 10k vs half-mary -- to each his/her own, but i'm planning on running a solo 5k at the track as i've done for the previous two run test. i thrive off the apples-to-apples comparison and i'm sure there'd be too many what-ifs if i did a different distance.
@ Kate -- as you've seen vDots can be translated from one distance to another for pacing, but some folks (like me) can't maintain those predicted paces at longer distance -- ie, my marathon time was significantly slower than my 5k vDot would have predicted. others are the opposite and run faster paces than predicted for longer distance races. running a 10k might be a chance for you to figure out where you sit on that spectrum. re: pacing, i'm a relative newbie to proper run racing execution and generally terrible at negative splitting, but i'd say to start out a touch slower than your vDot predicted 10k pace for 1-2 miles and then see if you can crank it up each mile until you're all out for the final mile.
@ Russ - thanks for the sympathy, but I don't HAVE a cold, I just AM cold. We dipped below 30s this week, and that's TM weather for me
@ Saatish - sorry if I'm sounding confusing ... so, let me try again ... our NOS wraps up w/ a run test of either a 10k or a Half Marathon. Someone posted a question in the macro thread yesterday asking if we could do a 5K instead since that's what we'd be doing throughout the OS. Coach P said sure, but he also said (I think) that some folks should or like to test w/ a 10K if they're about to drop into a HIM plan because they're starting to add volume, so I'm wondering if that applies to me? I have absolutely ZERO desire to run a 10K (totally agree with you on mental headspace and physical limits...), b/c being the inexperienced runner that I am, I'm sure I'd crash about 5.1K... (thanks for the pacing tips, somehow it always seems so much easier on paper...), but I also want to do what's best for me training-wise, so I will adhere to the guidance from da Haus! Make more sense??
@ Naomi - you saw a teenager pull his pants up? That's hilarious! On days like these, I think of poetry:
I'll play. Only those of us past 30 or so might get it. It's so cold outside that as that famous character George Constanza said, "I was at the pool!! I was at the pool!!"
I for one will be doing the 5K - apples to apples thing. In the test I am not building fitness, I'm looking to measure change. I need to earn the right to run faster by testing faster. My goal is a VDOT at or above 47. Running a solo 10K or HM will not get me there, but a solo 5K will tell me where I am now and how much work I still have to do.
Recent weeks I have been ramping up run volume while maintaining the intensity work and at the end of the OS I am focusing squarely on Boston. I will do speed, hills and volume as training sessions, not as a second goal in a test.
At work now and will be on the DM later tonight.... will post details of 5K potential after.
@ kate. OK gotcha. A 10K effort (or HM obviiously) will for most generally be a better estimate for HM or Marathon ability than a 5k. That being said in my experience, my 5k,10k, and HM all time and seasonal bests pretty much line up according to what mcmillan predicts. For me, I have never been able to achieve my 'predicted' marathon best according to this (and other calculators). Others may have the opposite experience, and it is because of specifics of body make up.
I would do a 5k TT to 'earn' a set of training paces and set a benchmark. If you are set on 10k or HM I would look for a race. You could always do a 10k or HM race later, depending on where you are in your plan. A 10k race wouldn't require much recovery time, a HM a bit more.
Good run this morning on the little (14 laps = 1 mile) indoor track at the Y. For some reason I feel really fast on that track, and even thought there are lots of turns, the surface is more forgiving than a road. And I just can't stand treadmills for more than about 30 minutes. Anyway, did 2 x 800, then 2 x 1 mile all at 5K pace. Six miles (84 laps) and felt really good. Mixing things up for the rest of the OS to do my bike test this weekend. End in sight!
Just in case anyone missed this from the micro thread: Patrick's answer to my question re: vDot test distance
Posted By Patrick McCrann on 22 Jan 2013 07:10 PM
@Brent, the 5k is fine…many folks go longer as part of their natural build up to an early season Half Iron, for example, but there's no pressure for you!
Regarding whether to test using a 5K vs 10K, in light of one's upcoming training plans.
First, what i'm doing: I'll be taking a ten day ski vacation ("transition"), then starting a 12 week HIM plan for St George. I intend to test by doing a 5K on a treadmill, where I've been doing my IP intervals the past month. I already did a half marathon 3 weeks ago. And I want to get a pure apples to apples comparison on any VDOT increase in the last 6 weeks, so onto the treadmill for 20 minutes it is for me.
Now, how to decide whether to do a 10 vs 5K or even a half marathon. Most of that decision, I feel, should have already been made weeks or even months ago. 10K and HMs are real races, and deserve a measured build-up and training approach to get decent results. A 5K, however, one can pop into with little fanfare, assuming you've got a few sessions of strides and IP intervals under your belt. So if you didn't jigger your training around doing an HM or 10K for the past 6-8 weeks, that would point to doing a 5K.
Here's the only circumstance in which I would say it might make sense to do a 10K or HM (if you haven't been specifically training for one in the past two months). If you have an A-ish IM or HIM coming up within 12 weeks, AND you feel you will not gain any appreciable VDOT boost with a 5K test, then go for a 10K (HIM) or HM (IM) to help you set your racing VDOT for that upcoming race. But keep your current 5k-based VDOT for training purposes in the build-up towards the HIM or IM, if it is higher than the "new" VDOT you get from the longer test/race.
There is a twist one can add, and it's what I'l be doing: During March or April, I will be doing a 10K (with my wife and daughter, for SAUs), to get a read on the VDOT I should base my HIM pace off of. So I'll be getting the best of both worlds. A nice fast VDOT for training in the lead-up to my early season A race, and a reasonable VDOT for that race, measured within 3-6 weeks of the race.
Take-home point: VDOTs which determine training and racing paces are often two different numbers. A common rule of thumb is: race VDOT is 1 (HIM) to 2+ (IM) points below the training VDOT. Why train with a slower VDOT (thus getting less benefit) if you can safely workout at the faster paces?
I re-read my post above, and I sound a little like a grinch, IMO.
Another reason to do a 10K or HM: Girls (and guys) just want to have fun! Maybe you don't have any big races coming up, and you've run yourself ragged on the trainer and track/treadmill for the past 3 months. You feel like stretching it out with other like-minded folk in a race setting, as a celebration. Sure - go for it! It's really a big part of why we do all this stuff, isn't it? When it comes time to train with intent for a big race, you can always re-test @ a 5K to get your training pace.
The benefit of testing on a minor race of any length is that you begin to get experience that is invaluable for racing and ongoing training..
How to create and execute a race plan that works for you
How to push hard but not too hard - e.g. greatest effort without blowing up
How your threshold (vdot) scales with distance
How to manage your anxiety level
How your fitness has developed as the result of OS
Kate - surprised you're not psyched about a 10k... perhaps it's because you've been pretty psyched about everything else (maybe that's the after workout adrenaline high?) but don't rule out the possibility that you'd really enjoy planning and executing a 10k, and that would contribute to your planning and execution for a longer event (don't recall what your A races are...)
(And I'm glad you're not suffering a cold - shows what happens when I read everyone's posts in a hurry ..)
In fact, I'd bet anyone who completes the almost every workout in the OS could run a competent 10k as long as they're willing to play the first half conservatively. Certainly we can all run a 5k. I'd put forth that now is a great time to see what happens if you run a 10k, because the information that comes from the longer distance will inform your training and racing better than a 5k at this point, and because it could be a blast on top of the new fitness platform we've worked so hard to build!
@ Al - you don't sound like a grinch at all. That was well laid out and logical to follow. Thank you, it helped me noodle things over in my head and come to a conclusion. I will do the 5K test because a) I get apples to apples comparison; b) I didnt' hack Os w/ extra runs so I don't feel ready to run a 10k or half marathon hard; c) my HIM isn't until May, so I should have enough time to build distance and find a 10k or half marathon to figure out my HIM pace.
I was just confused when I saw the reference to 10k/half marathon on the training plan. Since this is my first OS, I'm being diligent about doing exactly what it says. Yes, that means if P&R tell me to stand my head and run w/ my feet in the air at MP, I will do that too...
Comments
From the last day of the OS training plan:
I think we need some clarification from Patrick. Here is tomorrow's run workout:
MS: 2 x 800, 2 x 1 mile all @ 5k Test pace with full recoveries between each.
Tip: Do the math on what you think you COULD run next week and put it to the test in this session.
I have asked Patrick for clarification over in the micro thread.
run done this morning. 'twas not easy even though it appeared easy on paper. 10' warmup, 30'@MP.
@Peter - hang in there, I get the sense we are all feeling it, I know I am - the OS is hard work!
Great job Rich and Peter!
Got the run in, 30' including wu, 10x30s strides and 8' of ABP+ pace. Ventured outside for the run and pretty near froze my nose, but I just don't see the logic of doing strides on a treadmill. I really just need to HTFU, since I've been coddling myself wrt running outside when its cold the last few years. That said its going to be the treadmill for me the rest of the week (windchill tomorrow daytime is supposed to be -30 (-22F). Hang in there everyone!
Keep getting done what you can and don't worry about what you can't. Remember, anything is better than nothing
I was stuck on the dreadmill tonight for the brick run. Completing the strides first let my les settle into the marathon pace nicely.
Today's run went better than the bike....did it 4 hours after my bike. Did a 15 min warm up then 30 min @ my mp. Yea!
@ Ann ... Since I'm leaving for ski vacation next week, I'll be testing sometime in the next 6 days. Either a 10K race this Sat, or 5K on a treadmill on Monday. Im leaning to the 5K, as I want to get as high a VDOT as possible, not necessarily for training purposes, but just cause I may never get another chance to get within spitting distance of a 50 VDOT.
Run done, boom. lower case boom for mediocre mojo: due to cold front, I ran on TM at the gym which has a TV and since I never watch TV while working out, I was a bit distracted watching Federer.... nevertheless, hit the paces, but didn't go the extra 'oompfh' due to Mr. Federer, and quite frankly, I'm kinda over VO2 runs..., so only a mini-boom today...
That being said, I've been watching the threads regarding next week's run test distances. I had planned on running a 5K so i'd have an apples to apples comparison; however, after my transition week, I'll be dropping into Week 9 of the HIM plan so based on coach P's response in the macro thread, should I do a 10K instead? I've never run a 10K before and have no idea how to pace myself. i'm a bit nervous about having a bad test and being cranky coming out of OS... I looked at McMillans to see how my assumed 5K times translates to a 10K. Is that a good reference to use? Any thoughts or suggestions? thank you!
Hi Kate - sorry to hear you're fighting a cold - a boom is still a boom even if it's just a boom!
Funny what you say about IP runs..
Based on what you say about apples-to-apples, I'd do the 5k test and then find yourself a local 10k that sounds like fun sometime in the next couple of weeks because the race experience will be good for you, and it's fun. To pace yourself, start with the VDOT based race prediction, then adjust for course conditions, then adjust so that you're running negative splits by about 5s/m.
http://www.attackpoint.org/trainingpaces.jsp
You should get a target in the same range from McMillan's site. Adjusting for course conditions, your own state on race day and negative splits is all on you either way.
Feel better!
Hi Kate. What is it about week 9 of the HIM that requires a 10k TT? Curious because I am on the HIM plan soon as well.
Personally I think a 10k TT would be just too mentally demanding to be able to produce a consistent reproduceable effort. I don't think I could push that hard for 40+minutes just 'for the fun of it'... When I have raced 10ks I am usually seeing stars by the end.
I plan on doing another 5k TT to gauge my fitness gains and guide me for workout paces going forward. 20 minutes is much more palatable for a TT effort, and less susceptible, imo, to environmental factors. Of course I don't run on a track. It might be 'easier' to do a 10k TT on a track, but maybe not.
If you are planning a 10k race, that is another matter. Like the relationship between HM to Marathon, a 10k race is much more than just twice the 5k distance. The Mcmillan calculator is a good estimate of your best possible 10k time. Whether racing or TT, for 10k would build over the first 3k to just under your goal pace, try to bump up 1-2s/k for the next 3-4k, hold it for 1-2k, and then blast the last 2k as hard as possible. I wanted to try to convert these to miles for you but that makes my brain hurt. sorry.
It's so cold that ... [fill in the blank] (can be tri related or not)
I'll get us started: It's so cold that I saw a teenager pull his pants up!
was my 3rd VO2 run in 6 days due to recent biz travel hacks and my legs (especially calves) were feeling it -- anyone else feel like their calves are extremely tight with all the intensity we've been throwing at them?
based on the coaches's advice, i tried to go under my target IP for the intervals (using the target vDot predicted by Coach P in the Heads/Tails challenge) and managed to go slightly below IP for the 2 x 800. wasn't happening for the 2 x 1 miles and ended up ~12" slower than IP on each.
i'm making quite a few excuses as to why i'm not hitting recent bike -- and now run -- targets, but i rationalize it by thinking RnP have really pushed me to my limits with this OS. can't wait for next week's testing and hopefully no more excuses!
will hit the FTP and VO2 bike today and tomorrow
re: 5k vs 10k vs half-mary -- to each his/her own, but i'm planning on running a solo 5k at the track as i've done for the previous two run test. i thrive off the apples-to-apples comparison and i'm sure there'd be too many what-ifs if i did a different distance.
@ Kate -- as you've seen vDots can be translated from one distance to another for pacing, but some folks (like me) can't maintain those predicted paces at longer distance -- ie, my marathon time was significantly slower than my 5k vDot would have predicted. others are the opposite and run faster paces than predicted for longer distance races. running a 10k might be a chance for you to figure out where you sit on that spectrum. re: pacing, i'm a relative newbie to proper run racing execution and generally terrible at negative splitting, but i'd say to start out a touch slower than your vDot predicted 10k pace for 1-2 miles and then see if you can crank it up each mile until you're all out for the final mile.
@ Russ - thanks for the sympathy, but I don't HAVE a cold, I just AM cold. We dipped below 30s this week, and that's TM weather for me
@ Saatish - sorry if I'm sounding confusing ... so, let me try again ... our NOS wraps up w/ a run test of either a 10k or a Half Marathon. Someone posted a question in the macro thread yesterday asking if we could do a 5K instead since that's what we'd be doing throughout the OS. Coach P said sure, but he also said (I think) that some folks should or like to test w/ a 10K if they're about to drop into a HIM plan because they're starting to add volume, so I'm wondering if that applies to me? I have absolutely ZERO desire to run a 10K (totally agree with you on mental headspace and physical limits...), b/c being the inexperienced runner that I am, I'm sure I'd crash about 5.1K... (thanks for the pacing tips, somehow it always seems so much easier on paper...), but I also want to do what's best for me training-wise, so I will adhere to the guidance from da Haus! Make more sense??
@ Naomi - you saw a teenager pull his pants up? That's hilarious! On days like these, I think of poetry:
"Colder than a witch's tit,
Colder than a bucket of penguin shit,
Colder than a hair on a polar bear's ass
Colder than the frost on a champagne glass"
--Thomas Pynchon, from Gravity's Rainbow
Recent weeks I have been ramping up run volume while maintaining the intensity work and at the end of the OS I am focusing squarely on Boston. I will do speed, hills and volume as training sessions, not as a second goal in a test.
At work now and will be on the DM later tonight.... will post details of 5K potential after.
The end is in sight!
@ kate. OK gotcha. A 10K effort (or HM obviiously) will for most generally be a better estimate for HM or Marathon ability than a 5k. That being said in my experience, my 5k,10k, and HM all time and seasonal bests pretty much line up according to what mcmillan predicts. For me, I have never been able to achieve my 'predicted' marathon best according to this (and other calculators). Others may have the opposite experience, and it is because of specifics of body make up.
I would do a 5k TT to 'earn' a set of training paces and set a benchmark. If you are set on 10k or HM I would look for a race. You could always do a 10k or HM race later, depending on where you are in your plan. A 10k race wouldn't require much recovery time, a HM a bit more.
Just in case anyone missed this from the micro thread: Patrick's answer to my question re: vDot test distance
Regarding whether to test using a 5K vs 10K, in light of one's upcoming training plans.
First, what i'm doing: I'll be taking a ten day ski vacation ("transition"), then starting a 12 week HIM plan for St George. I intend to test by doing a 5K on a treadmill, where I've been doing my IP intervals the past month. I already did a half marathon 3 weeks ago. And I want to get a pure apples to apples comparison on any VDOT increase in the last 6 weeks, so onto the treadmill for 20 minutes it is for me.
Now, how to decide whether to do a 10 vs 5K or even a half marathon. Most of that decision, I feel, should have already been made weeks or even months ago. 10K and HMs are real races, and deserve a measured build-up and training approach to get decent results. A 5K, however, one can pop into with little fanfare, assuming you've got a few sessions of strides and IP intervals under your belt. So if you didn't jigger your training around doing an HM or 10K for the past 6-8 weeks, that would point to doing a 5K.
Here's the only circumstance in which I would say it might make sense to do a 10K or HM (if you haven't been specifically training for one in the past two months). If you have an A-ish IM or HIM coming up within 12 weeks, AND you feel you will not gain any appreciable VDOT boost with a 5K test, then go for a 10K (HIM) or HM (IM) to help you set your racing VDOT for that upcoming race. But keep your current 5k-based VDOT for training purposes in the build-up towards the HIM or IM, if it is higher than the "new" VDOT you get from the longer test/race.
There is a twist one can add, and it's what I'l be doing: During March or April, I will be doing a 10K (with my wife and daughter, for SAUs), to get a read on the VDOT I should base my HIM pace off of. So I'll be getting the best of both worlds. A nice fast VDOT for training in the lead-up to my early season A race, and a reasonable VDOT for that race, measured within 3-6 weeks of the race.
Take-home point: VDOTs which determine training and racing paces are often two different numbers. A common rule of thumb is: race VDOT is 1 (HIM) to 2+ (IM) points below the training VDOT. Why train with a slower VDOT (thus getting less benefit) if you can safely workout at the faster paces?
I re-read my post above, and I sound a little like a grinch, IMO.
Another reason to do a 10K or HM: Girls (and guys) just want to have fun! Maybe you don't have any big races coming up, and you've run yourself ragged on the trainer and track/treadmill for the past 3 months. You feel like stretching it out with other like-minded folk in a race setting, as a celebration. Sure - go for it! It's really a big part of why we do all this stuff, isn't it? When it comes time to train with intent for a big race, you can always re-test @ a 5K to get your training pace.
That's a great point, Al.
The benefit of testing on a minor race of any length is that you begin to get experience that is invaluable for racing and ongoing training..
How to create and execute a race plan that works for you
How to push hard but not too hard - e.g. greatest effort without blowing up
How your threshold (vdot) scales with distance
How to manage your anxiety level
How your fitness has developed as the result of OS
Kate - surprised you're not psyched about a 10k... perhaps it's because you've been pretty psyched about everything else (maybe that's the after workout adrenaline high?) but don't rule out the possibility that you'd really enjoy planning and executing a 10k, and that would contribute to your planning and execution for a longer event (don't recall what your A races are...)
(And I'm glad you're not suffering a cold - shows what happens when I read everyone's posts in a hurry
..)
In fact, I'd bet anyone who completes the almost every workout in the OS could run a competent 10k as long as they're willing to play the first half conservatively. Certainly we can all run a 5k. I'd put forth that now is a great time to see what happens if you run a 10k, because the information that comes from the longer distance will inform your training and racing better than a 5k at this point, and because it could be a blast on top of the new fitness platform we've worked so hard to build!
@ Al - you don't sound like a grinch at all. That was well laid out and logical to follow. Thank you, it helped me noodle things over in my head and come to a conclusion. I will do the 5K test because a) I get apples to apples comparison; b) I didnt' hack Os w/ extra runs so I don't feel ready to run a 10k or half marathon hard; c) my HIM isn't until May, so I should have enough time to build distance and find a 10k or half marathon to figure out my HIM pace.
I was just confused when I saw the reference to 10k/half marathon on the training plan. Since this is my first OS, I'm being diligent about doing exactly what it says. Yes, that means if P&R tell me to stand my head and run w/ my feet in the air at MP, I will do that too...
@Kate - when you do that please post the video..