Now it’s time to choose a 10K training schedule for beginners that will gradually build your mileage and endurance over the course of 12 weeks. Instead, try something like: “I will start training on April 1 for the July 4th 10K Run in my town and I want to complete the race in under an hour and 10 minutes.” Does this goal sound better? Instead, pick a specific race (usually 10-12 weeks out from when you want to start training) and pick a specific goal. It’s so easy to be noncommittal and say something generic like “I’d like to run a 10K someday…”Įver done that? How did that turn out? Did you ever run that race? (If so, awesome, but most people probably answered “no”). I learned this at work during a goal-setting exercise years ago and have applied it to my fitness for years. stands for Specific, Measurable, Agreed-Upon, Realistic, and Time-Based.
Not sure how to choose a goal? Get S.M.A.R.T.!
Pick a goal from the start so you know what you’re working towards, and can train accordingly. What’s your reason for running a 10K? And what’s your goal? There are so many reasons to run a 10K – run for charity, for the fun of the theme, run to reach a new distance or run for your next PR. Have you run a 5K before and loved it? Maybe even a 5 miler?Ī 10K is 6.2 miles (or about 10,500 steps if your pace is around 10:30 minutes per mile) and is a great next step for runners with experience running 5K’s. Read on for an awesome 10K training schedule for beginners and info on how to prepare for your first 10K too. And the right plan will help you do just that. You want to achieve your goal of running a 10K. You want training to be fun, approachable, do-able, right? So SIGN UP TODAY! And start training with us on April 25.Finding the right 10K training schedule for beginners to run your first 10K is important. At the end of the six weeks, you’ll feel ready to take on your first 5K! And remember, we’ll be here to walk (run!) you through all of it, with weekly newsletters giving you tips and tricks to power you through your workouts (and reap the benefits of your rest days). We’ll give you suggestions on how to spend each rest day in the program too.Īll of these components-run days, cross-training routines, strength-training workouts, and rest days-will repeat in different iterations as the #SELFto5K Challenge progresses. The key, though, is to make sure you’re keeping the intensity really low. Rest days can include anything from lounging on the couch and watching Netflix to leisurely walks or gentle stretching sessions. Setting aside time to rest your muscles is important because it gives your muscles the time they need to repair those tears, which allows them to come back stronger. This is simply the result of tiny tears in your muscles that occur during exercise. This is called delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS, and it’s completely normal. When you begin a form of exercise (or increase its intensity), it’s common to feel soreness in your muscles afterward. Rest days are vital to any workout program, and are especially important for people just getting started. Finally, each week in the program has two days set aside for rest.