5K Training for Beginners

I am writing this post for D. who is new to running…and also for all the newbies who have recently joined us on Traxee. Welcome! BTW, just so you know, “Newbie” is not a pejorative term; experienced runners LOVE to share what they know (just get one of us talking to find out the truth of this statement ;-)

OK, so D. asked about how far she should run as someone who is new to running and was wondering about training programs for new runners.

First, as a new runner I recommend striking the concern about distance from your mind – at least temporarily. For newbies, getting started is all about getting your body used to the kinds of stresses running puts on different parts of your body. Getting started is also all about learning how your body responds to running – learning to listen to your body and stay motivated through the tough times (and trust me, there will be a few).

Now that being said, I know that being able to run an increasing distance can be extremely motivating, so combining the two in a reasonable program makes sense. Also, D. mentioned that she was working towards her first 5K in August, and so of course it is necessary to think about distance if you are training into your first race.

Going from “couch to 5K” really involves going from walking to running gradually. Many women feel compelled to move too quickly through the training and advance more quickly, but it isn’t a good idea. Again, this is about getting your body used to running and you are much more liable to be injured or quit altogether if you push yourself too hard.

All this being said, I like the beginners training program from Cool Running. It’s a 3-day a week workout with progressive difficulty that gets you ready for a 5K in about 9 weeks.

Here is the summarized version; you can download the full training plan (which includes distance covered) from Cool Running here.  To do this workout, you are probably going to need a running watch – or you can map your distances along your route to make sure you are covering enough distance ( again follow the links above to see the distances).

Week 1 / Days 1, 2 & 3

5 minute brisk warm up walk

Alternate 60 seconds of jogging with 90 seconds of walking for 20 minutes total

Week 2 / Days 1, 2 & 3

5 minute brisk warm up walk

Alternate 90 seconds of jogging with 2 minutes of walking for 20 minutes total

Week 3 / Days 1, 2 & 3

5 minutes brisk warm up walk, then do two repetitions of the following:
Jog for 90 seconds
Walk 90 seconds
Jog for 3 minutes
Walk for 3 minutes

Week 4 / Days 1,2 &3

Brisk 5 minute warm up walk

Jog for 3 minutes

Walk for 90 seconds

Jog for 5 minutes

Walk for 2.5 minutes

Jog for 3 minutes

Walk for 90 seconds

Jog for 5 minutes

Week 5/ Day 1

Brisk 5 minute warm up walk

Jog for 5 minutes

Walk for 3 minutes

Jog for 5 minutes

Walk for 3 minutes

Jog for 5 minutes

Day 2
Brisk 5 minute warm up walk

Jog 8 minutes

Walk 5 minutes

Jog 8 minutes

Day 3
Brisk 5 minute warm up walk

Jog 20 minutes (no walking)

Week 6/ Day 1

Brisk 5 minute warm up walk

Jog 5 minutes

Walk 3 minutes

Jog 8 minutes

Walk 3 minutes

Jog 5 minutes

Day 2

Brisk 5 minute warm up walk

Jog 10 minutes

Walk 3 minutes

Jog 10 minutes

Day 3

Brisk 5 minute warm up walk

Jog 25 minutes (no walking)

Week 7/Days 1, 2 & 3

Brisk 5 minute warm up walk

Jog 25 minutes

Week 8/ Days 1, 2 & 3

Brisk 5 minute warm up walk

Jog for 28 minutes

Week 9/ Days 1, 2 & 3

Brisk 5 minute warm up walk

Jog for 30 minutes

Be sure to do gentle stretches both before and after your workouts, and space these workouts out throughout your week to allow for rest and recovery in between. Try not to worry much about your speed at this point – just focus on the time or distance you are running.

Believe it or not, if you follow this plan, you will be completely ready to run your first 5K – you’ll develop a solid base of fitness, and be ready to build more distance gradually without injury.

Good luck D!

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