Some runners like the distance races. Other runners prefer the shorter races. Me? I enjoy the challenges of all the different distances I’ve tried.
The 5k
In some ways it seems runners either love or hate the 5k. Short — but still challenging. You can’t go out too fast or you’ll most likely be dying (and maybe slowing down) in that last mile. If you care about your finish time, you also can’t go out too slow — or you might never be able to make up the time.
Where the 5k is most challenging, I think, is that if you’re racing it, you actually do have to start out fast — but not too fast! — and maintain, or even increase the pace.
Although I carry water for races (and runs) of every distance, most of the time you can get away without it. There’s usually an aid station or two (three if you’re lucky!). It’s also not necessary to fuel during a 5k, so you don’t have to carry as much with you as you do in some of the longer races.
The 10k
The 10k can seem very intimidating to the novice runner/racer. At least for me it was! That’s part of the allure, though, you’re going longer. You really don’t want to start a 10k too fast — it will definitely come back to haunt you.
I definitely want to carry my own water for a 10k — for me, it’s a race that’s over an hour. Most runners will not need to carry fuel, though, and that, again, lightens the load.
It can be more difficult to pace yourself. It’s not just running two 5ks. You need to pace yourself in the first 5k so that you have gas left for that second 5k.
The 15k
Everyone’s racing needs are different. I need to carry both water and fuel for a 15k. Not much fuel, but I know that I’ll have a better race if I have a little something something during the race.
The 15k is the entry into the longer distances. I didn’t run a 15k until I had run many halfs, but it would make a nice training race for someone training for a half.
What I like about the 15k is that it’s long enough to be challenging, but not so long that you can’t recover from the effort fairly quickly. That could be said of almost every race distance up to the marathon distance, though!
The Half Marathon
The half marathon gives you some bragging rights, but it doesn’t wipe you out like a marathon (or so I assume, anyway, having never actually run a marathon). For many runners this is where you enter the multi-hour race. For BOTPers, you can be out there 3 hours or more.
I distinctly remember thinking during my first 10k that I was going to run twice that long in my first half marathon?! It seemed nuts!
You need to take your hydration and your fueling for a half marathon seriously. I know some runners who will run a half marathon with no fuel at all, but it’s not recommended for most people. You need to practice your fueling strategy well in advance of your race — although I often see posts from people wondering how they should fuel during their upcoming half (and just shake my head).
Once you’re an experienced runner, though, you can usually bounce back from a half marathon fairly quickly — which is one of the nice differences between the half and the full marathon distance. The same might be said of the marathon, once you’re an experienced marathoner — but it’s still a very long way to go and you should really take your recovery seriously.
The other distances
Races come in all shapes and sizes, it seems. I’ve run 3.5 milers, 4 milers, 5 milers, and an 18 mile race in addition to many 5ks, some 10ks, and a few 15ks. There are 1 milers (haven’t run one) and 10 milers too (haven’t run one of those, either).
I like the different challenges of pretty much all the races I’ve tried so far.
Final Thoughts
As you race and train for certain distances, your body will adapt to that distance. It will never feel as hard as the first one, except for those rogue bad races. You’ll be able to recover much quicker than you did from your first. As you age, though, recovery can take longer. It should take longer!
There are runners who only want to race 5ks. They don’t ever want to go longer. There are runners who never race at all! You don’t have to be a racer to be a runner.
The actual question posed this week was whether or not we prefer short or long runs. Like racing distances, I think both have their pluses and minuses. I can tell you that right now, I’m happy with my shorter runs — although as Winter recedes and Spring comes in, I will be looking to slowly increase my long-er runs to hopefully an actual long run. All depends on what’s going on in my life!
What about you — short or long or both?
Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner
This week I am also joining up with the new Runners’ Roundup linkup.
Chocolaterunsjudy 
Definitely both.
I do them for different reasons. 3 short ones to fit it in or work on speed.
Long runs because I think they are important for endurance. I can connect with friends. And there’s brunch after lol.
Neither changes based on weather or racing. But both add challenges.
Obviously since I run 3o or races a year I do all distances. It depends what distances are scheduled.
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Everyone has their own likes & dislikes when it comes distance & running. For some people it changes over time too. No right or wrong answers.
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Exactly.
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Right now I’m training for an ultra, so it’s all about the long runs for me right now. While I enjoyed the long runs in the beginning, it’s starting to get tedious now. I’m looking forward to tapering time!
I was just telling Kim that I’m planning to focus more on shorter races next year. 5Ks – 21Ks have a great appeal. Although they can be stressful races, they’re efficient to train for!
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I can’t even imagine training for an ultra! And obviously yours is not an “easy” ultra. You never know how you’ll really feel until your done, recovered, & had some time to digest what you truly accomplished.
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For races, my favourites are the 15K and 21K. 15 because its challenging but after the race I can very quickly get on with my life! 21K — definitely the bragging rights!! When I’m done with this ultra-trail, I’m so happy to be returning to shorter distances which I find are so much more manageable for me. Manageable as in they fit in so much easier with the rest of the activities in my life!
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I prefer both, I’m not much for speed so I lean towards some distance.
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You know I’ve always been slower than you! I enjoy the challenge of shorter races. Or I did.
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For sure. I totally understand. I used to focus on speed and getting faster, now I’m
Just thankful for the miles.
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I prefer the 10k and longer. I find the 5k and shorter extremely difficult to pace for.
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5ks are definitely hard to pace correctly!
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I am loving shorter races now (5k and 10K) but I do fair well with longer distances. Mentally 5k are SO hard for me because I do race them. Like you said, you start fast and only get faster but luckily the amount of time in the “suck” is short. My marathon was kind of boring at points but I feel like that’s only something runners understand, lol!
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Shorter races are definitely difficult, but if it was easy, everyone would do it, right?
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I am not a fan of 5K races bc I am not a sprinter and it usually takes me a few miles to warm up and get into my groove. I would say the 10K or 15K is my happy distance. My definition of short or long runs changes depending on what I am training for
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I can run “fast” for short amounts of time.
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I think my favorite race distance is the 10 miler – but they’re getting harder and harder to find. Why is that? In recent years I’ve come to enjoy 10Ks – when I first started running they were my least favorite because I couldn’t figure out how to pace myself.
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I’ve never done a 10 mile race! I’ve always wonder how that distance would be.
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When I was a marathoner I would jokingly say that running a 5K wasn’t worth a shower afterward (whatever that meant – LOL), but now that I can’t run longer distances, I love racing 5K’s. I feel completely spent afterward and like I had such a good workout. My least favorite distance is the 10K, probably because I still haven’t quite nailed down a racing strategy for that distance.
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I still remember my first 10k! I was increasing my distance to run that first half & remember being aghast that I would run twice as long!
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i like all distances for different reasons. Ive never really trained for shorter distance races, so those are a different kind of challenge. I like that the recovery isnt long for those. Ive never done a 15k but it sounds like a fun distance!
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A 15k is almost the perfect distance. More challenging than a 10k but not as tiring as a half.
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I like 10Ks and 10 milers. Not too short and not too long. I’ve done races from 5Ks to 50Ks but never a one miler. That sounds like a fun one!
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I keep thinking I should do a one mile race. There are some here yet I haven’t tried it!
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I used to HATE 5Ks! It’s still not my favorite distance to race, but I do them- mostly because it’s the most common race distance so it’s usually easy to find one. But I’ll always be “team long.” I just love that feeling of adventure when setting out for a long run!
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I like the challenge of longer distances but they seem to eat up the whole day!
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That’s the thing i love about running – there’s truly something for everyone since there are SO many race distances. Right now I am loving my shorter runs, but one thing I still love about long runs is that they give you the opportunity to push yourself.
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I look back on the races & the 18 mile race — it just seems so far away now!
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