For some, running is a daily routine. For others it’s an absolute no-go.
If you’re a total beginner and want to start smashing a 5k, but you just don’t know where to start, we asked personal trainer and health practitioner, Emmanuelle Bonham, for her advice – and it’s well worth paying attention to.
1. Don’t think you initially have to run a full 5k without stopping. Breaking the distance into bite size chunks with both walking and running can help complete the distance without feeling like it’s a massive feat. Once you’ve reached your distance, you can start to run more and walk less gradually.
2. In line with the above, start with smaller distances – 2, 3, 4k – and build up. Give your body the chance to get used to these distances. Running is conditioning so you have to give it time to build up to longer distances.
3. Practice running somewhere outside and not just on the treadmill if possible. The different scenery will help keep you from getting bored and continuously looking at how many kilometres you’ve done so when you come to do a 5k, you’re actually enjoying it and the time will go quicker.
4. Warm up properly, you will prevent injury and getting a stitch. The warm up is always the worst part so just bear this in mind and remember as you get into the flow it becomes a little easier. The first 1k or so can feel hard but bear in mind it gets a little better as you get warmer and more into the run.
5. Have a specific playlist. Picking tunes that flow with the intensity of your workouts help mentally keep you on track. For example your warm up music might be chill but later on when you get to those last few kilometres you might want to pick music that has a high BPM. If you pick slower beats, you’ll want to run slower. Higher beats per minute that match your speed will energise you to push on. (Spotify has different playlists based on BPM)
Ready to run 5k? Click here to join in Adidas’ virtual 5km run on Sunday 13 September