Training to Run Your First 5K Race
A Guide for Beginning Road Runners Wanting to Finish the Distance
You have started a running program for exercise and want to test yourself. Entering a 5K road race is a good place to start road races.
Running a 5K Race
Many runners who start running for exercise and fitness soon begin to look for bigger challenges. Road racing is one such challenge. Road races can be any distance. Many runners choose the 5K or 5 kilometer (3.1 miles) distance for their first race. This distance is long enough to provide a challenge but not so long that it is unattainable by beginning runners.
Training Schedules for the 5K Race
If you have recently started running and want to try a 5K race, you need to be properly trained to finish the distance. If you are not properly trained for the distance, you are likely to either not finish or finish too exhausted to enjoy it. With proper training you will finish the race easily and have fun.
For runners who like structure and schedules, there are many 5K training programs with detailed training schedules. Those who don't like schedules may want to try an unstructured training program.
Hal Higdon's 5K Training Program
Hal Higdon has been running, racing, and writing about both for about a half century. So he has accumulated quite a bit of wisdom on the topic.
His novice 5K training program starts with a runner who is able to run about a mile and a half. Runners who have not yet worked up to this distance can do so with his beginning walking-running program. Higdon also has more advanced 5K training programs for runners seeking to improve their times.
Higdon's novice 5K training program has an 8 week schedule. The schedule includes runs beginning at 1.5 miles and building up to 3 miles. It also includes walk-run days and long (up to an hour) walk days. For this program, Higdon advocates running at a pace that allows comfortable conversation.
Jeff Galloway's Training Program
Jeff Galloway is one of the current biggest advocates of taking regular scheduled walking breaks to allow runners to go longer distances. He also advocates running at a pace that allows comfortable conversation.
He has a detailed 15 week training program for the 5 K race. In the schedule, some runs are for a certain time others are for a certain distance. The schedule starts with runs of a mile or about 10 to 15 minutes. By the last week the runs are 30 minutes and 4 miles.
Joe Henderson's Training Program
Joe Henderson has also been running, racing, and writing about both for about a half century. His latest book, Run Right Now (Barnes & Noble 2004), has a 13 week training schedule for the 5K race. Henderson's schedule is less structured than the others. It includes long days, fast days, easy days, and rest days. It does not however specify which day of the week for each type of run. Hence individual runners have more flexibility to work around their personal schedules.
In Henderson's program the long runs start at 2 to 3 miles and work up to 4 to 5 miles. It is designed for runners who can already run the 5K distance, but want to improve their times.
If you want to run a 5K race, pick one of these training schedules or an unstructured training program and start training.
