How to Get Started with Running for a 5K
Newbie to running, but want to set a nice, reasonable target to give you a goal to work towards? Planning a 5K run is a great place to start. It’s challenging enough to make you run more often and train for something, but it’s not a stretch to the 10K mark. It can still feel overwhelming and unsure though if you’ve never run before or you’re doing this solo.
So, how do you get started training for a 5K?
My name is Katie McDonald. I’ve racked up over 200 miles on the Runkeeper app and have completed 2 half marathons, as a runner in the UK. I’ve found that when training for a 5k or an even a longer run, the power of pilates and kettlebells has helped me become a better runner, too. But for now, I’m delighted to share some of my own top tips in the hope that it might inspire and help you, my fellow fitness enthusiasts!
So, let’s jump in.
Start running!
Anyone can start somewhere. Everyone has to start somewhere. That’s one thing you have to accept to get going. And another is that you’re going to feel tired and a little sore when you first start training. But training and planning for a 5K doesn’t have to be scary.
Give yourself enough time. If there’s a 5K race in 2 weeks and you’ve never run before, maybe reconsider! But if you have a good couple of months, you have enough time to get up to speed. Very Well Fit has some helpful resources if you’d like a fully written-out 6-week plan for a 5k run. You might also like to consider the NHS Couch to 5k.
In my experience, you want to start slow and steady and build on what you can do. Don’t sprint from day 1 because you’ll end up disappointed and deflated. Instead, jog for a couple minutes, and then walk or rest, and then go ahead.
Everyone has to start somewhere, and these small steps to planning your 5k are absolutely essential to ovoid the overwhelm and ensure you don’t over do it.
Don’t forget to stretch
I’ve made the mistake of starting a run without stretching or warming up. I’ve also missed out the stretch and cooldown after a run. And I can honestly confirm that the experts are right. Stretching really does wake up your muscles ready to go, so it’s less of a shock when you get running. That means you’re less likely to sustain an injury.
And then, once you’ve done your run distance for any one session, either do a very slow jog to cool down. Or come down to a walking pace. Give your body chance to understand the pace is slowing down, and it can adapt. Otherwise, if you go from sprinting to suddenly stopping, with no stretches, you will feel it the next day.
As Bryn West from TV Show Gavin and Stacey says, you end up being “as stiff as a brick the next day”.
Run somewhere green
Running outside is one of the best ways to spend time, in my humble opinion. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll occasionally use the gym’s treadmill as a training method. But I love it when I can get outside and benefit from the greenery on my run.
Sound familiar? There’s a reason. It’s scientifically proven that nature helps us think better and feel better too. Nature Connection Guide talks about a study. Richard Taylor, physicist and artist, found that people who looked at nature and saw all the different shapes, felt calmer. He looked at their brainwaves and that was the impact it had.
Professor Jules Pretty says even a 5-minute dose of nature brings immediate wellbeing. But of course, don’t restrict your training to five minutes!
So, when people talk about how being in nature makes them feel differently, and those that like to step outside to take a break, that’s why. Nature isn’t all ‘woohoo’. It’s proven fact.
So, when planning for a 5k remember to use nature to get outside and train up for that 5K distance – and don’t forget to stretch!
Written by Katie McDonald, runner and owner of lifeofamissfit.com