The 5k is the most popular of all running distances. You may be wondering why. It’s just a common yardstick that many runners like. The 5k is a little over three miles. If you can run three miles, then you can assert yourself as a runner. Not a mile or two, but three miles now you’re talking. You will be a full-fledged runner with this “5k Training Plan”.
It will require some effort. It is almost easy if you follow this simple plan. I have written this same article dozens of times because it is the most popular. I would not continue writing this same article if it were not like this. Of course I change it a bit.
Here we go. How to start from not being a runner to being a full-fledged 5K runner in four full months. You will be able to run 5k without stopping in four months. You start with the first day at your front door and put one foot in front of the other, a nice and easy jogging pace. What we were going to do is manage houses. Yes, we were going to count houses. Don’t run too far on the first day. Just start with the distance of two houses. By then, you will most likely get tired. I did. That was twenty years ago. Once you slow down to a walking pace, keep walking completely around your entire block. The most common city blocks are half a mile. So if yours is different, you will have to take yours into account.
After a few days, you won’t tire that easily, so add a couple more houses. By day five, if you can do the five house distance, well done! At the end of the second week, you may be able to jog the length of your block. By the end of your third week, you may be able to run completely around your entire block without stopping.
You practically continue with this same program for six weeks. Adding a little more distance each day. Sometimes I forget how far I’ve come, so this is what I did. I started to leave a stone in this last place that I ran to yesterday. Sometimes when you are looking for your rock, other times it is not there. But that’s okay. Please try again next time. Just keep your mind on the “5k Workout Plan”.
By the end of the second month, you should be able to run around your entire block twice without stopping. That’s one mile. This is good for someone who has led a sedentary lifestyle, but it is okay. That’s where I started. And I had been a smoker for twenty-two years!
OK, we are on target. It took two months to get to a mile. At the end of the third month, you will add another mile. In other words, you will be able to run two miles without stopping after three months. What you do is divide the second mile like this. Run your first mile non-stop and add three houses. Then you walk two houses, then you run three houses. Keep doing this until you go around the block. Then the next day, add another house.
Says so. Run your base one mile, then five houses, then walk one house. Then you run five houses and then you walk one house. Keep doing this every day until the end of your third month. By then, you will be able to run two base miles without stopping. That could be four times around your block. It continues until the fourth month. Run your base two miles without stopping. Then add five houses and then walk one house. Then run five houses, then walk one. Continue in this way for the fourth month. By the end of your fourth month, you should be able to run three miles without stopping. Congratulations! You have successfully completed the “5k Training Plan”!
At this point, you can start taking days off to run. Run about four days a week. You are now in good running shape. Find some local races to run in your age group. The goal was to be able to run a 5km race in four months without stopping. Working on speed comes later, in other articles!