Change up Training plan?- 10K July 4th

Hi -- I am no expert -- so please take whatever I have to say with a grain of salt.  I am a new runner.

For me, I would like to know that I can do the full 10k as a training run before I do it in a race.  I did my first 10k race last year (a 4th of July race!).  I had done a few 10k training runs prior to the race.  I knew I could do it, which erased many of the pre-race nerves.  I think you should prove to yourself that you can do it before the race... once should be fine.

Looking at your logs, I think you are having trouble with your pacing.  You start at 8:00, and by mile 4, you are at over 10:00.  Try setting a slower pace and sticking with it.  Try running your 10k training run keeping a consistent 9:30 pace or even slower.  In the race, the temptation to exceed your pace will be overwhelming.  Resist it, at least for the first four miles.  Then, if you have energy to spare, you can turn up the intensity and run a negative split. 

For your first 10k, you should finish with a smile on your face... it's a big achievement.

totally agreed

Honestly, you're not going to gain much run fitness in the couple of weeks left until 4th of July.  I do agree though that you need to slow your pace down if you're dropping that much from the start to finish of your 4 mile training runs.  As Scout says, run lots, mostly easy, sometimes hard.  If you can't maintain your pace for your easy training runs you're going out too hard.  I'm slower than you most of the time but I'm also running longer distances a lot of the time. 

Last year I was in a similar situation in that I was barely sqeuaking out run mileage and I added enough so I'd done one 6 mile run before my first 10k.  Honestly, the 10k sucked.  I was in no way prepared for it.  This year I had done a couple of 6 mile runs and a 7 mile run before the same 10k and had a heck of a lot of other base miles on my legs compared to last year.  I took 8:49 seconds off my 10k time this year and felt so much better during the race.  You'll probably survive the 10k but it may not feel great. 

Stick with what you have been doing.  If you are training for a triathlon, then try to get back on the bike more as well.  Don't take 3 days of rest.  Try pacing some of your runs so that you finish faster, not slower.  Run 10k once in training if it makes you feel better.  But, at this point, it won't make any difference to your physical ability to cover the distance on race day and if you aren't worried about it, then don't start worrying now.

I am training for a triathlon, a few in fact, sprints... but I just have not had any time to ride lately.  My pace is an issue.  I have the pleasure of living in a valley, so I have to run up hill at the end of my rins, which accounts slightly for the increased time in splits.  I have a hard time going easy the whole time on the flat runs too.  It seems so easy the first mile or two, and then all of a sudden, I got nothing.

I thihk I ll give 6 miles a try tonight.  It is sick hot out, but Im hydrated.  I ll try it with a 10 ish or so minute mile pace on the flat course, and see what happens.  Then dial it back to 4 miles the rest of the week.

So family issues came into play.  Only ran 4 miles.  Tried to pace myself around 9:30 or 10:00.  Overall I felt OK when I finished, but it was slower than usual... of course it is 2 miles shorter than the race too... to make up for it,I did a 17mile  ride (family went shopping).