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RUNNING FOR BEGINNERS

Ready to take on your first 5k? Or maybe you are looking to get back into running after a long break. From wherever you are starting your journey, here are my tips - from everything to determining if you are ready, how to get started, and what you need.

How Many Miles Is That?

Whether you are just starting, or thinking about your next challenge, it is helpful to breakdown kilometers into miles. Since most of the rest of the world is on the metric system, most race distances are measured in kilometers because it creates a nice even number for race distances.  Here are your common race distances converted to miles.

Am I Ready?

"If we wait until we're ready, we'll be waiting for the rest of our lives." - Lemony Snicket

Yes, you are ready!  You may not believe it yet, but you can do this! All you need is a plan, some good running shoes, and commitment! When I ran my first 5k, I did not have a plan (You can read a little more about it in my article "Starting to Run". But thank goodness a coworker had more faith in me than I did!  She had used the Couch to 5k program and her next stop was a half marathon.  I was in awe! She told me all about Couch to 5k and in 2010 I completed that program. After I took another break from running, it was easy to break out the Couch to 5k program again and rebuilt. 

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Wondering what gear you need?  Check out my gear recommendations.

What is the Couch to 5k Program?

The Couch to 5k program is a training program that gradually builds your endurance over a 10 week period. It uses the run/walk method over a period of weeks and gradually gets you running. I love this training program so much for these reasons:

  • It gradually builds mileage which reduces the risk of injury.

  • You can easily repeat a week if you don't quite feel ready to take on longer run periods.

  • The time commitment is doable. 3 days a week and the longest workout you do is 45 minutes.

  • It built my confidence as a runner. Yes I can! 

  • It taught me that it is okay to take walk breaks and gave me a few tools in my tool belt that helped me accomplish my first 50k!  

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There are several apps that you can download that will run in the background over your music, indicating when it is time to walk and when it is time to run. The one that I have used in the past is by Fitness22, which is an 8-week plan. Fitness 22 also has apps for 10k, half and full.  I have used their 10k runner app in the past as well. I have made some modifications to the Couch to 5k program for a 10 week program that more gradually builds your run time to avoid injury.

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Table explained:

  • Every run day starts with a 5 minute warm-up walk and ends with a 5 minute cool-down walk.  These walks are non-negotiable and are critical for staying injury free.

  • R = Run

  • W = Walk

  • Min = Minutes - If "Min" isn't listed the number next to the R or W is always the number of minutes

  • Parenthesis indicates the number of times to repeat the run/walk

  • Want to shift the days? No problem. Just be sure to give your self rest days in between runs (also critical for staying injury free).

  • Feeling like you need to repeat a week? Go ahead! It is better to build gradually as you are ready and build confidence, than to build too fast and injure yourself.

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