Before having my daughter, I used to run pretty regularly. The summer before I got pregnant, I was consistently running at least 20 miles a week. However, since giving birth I’ve mainly just been doing at-home workouts since I didn’t feel comfortable leaving her yet. Now that she is a bit older I’ve decided to sign up and start training for my first 5k race!
As someone who isn’t necessarily going from couch to 5k, but rather somewhere in between, here is how I’m training.
Finding My Baseline
I figured that before I started training, it was best to know where exactly my starting point was. So, I headed out and ran 5k. Without pushing myself too hard, I ran at whatever pace felt good and comfortable for me. I was able to finish the 3.1 miles in about 39 minutes, making my average pace around 13 minutes per miles. It is super helpful to know what pace is good comfortable so you can get idea of how far you are able to push yourself during training.
Structuring My Training
When looking at training for a race, I find it helpful to break it down into weeks. The particular race I want to participate in is about 10 weeks away. So every week will have basically the same structure, but with the pacing getting a little more challenging each week. Personally, I love a long run that I can run at a slower pace – I always feel so accomplished after. I usually do at least one of those a week. You really shouldn’t do more than that so that your body has time to recover in between! I also do one interval run within the week, and then the rest of my week is either easy runs or rest/active recovery days.
Utilizing Apps and Programs
Keeping track of all of the pacing and types of runs for each week can be a lot. So ,I like to use a few different tools. I love the Runna app, but I don’t love the price tag. Fortunately, even with the free version you can at least get a breakdown for your first week of training to get a feel for what kind of pacing you should be targeting. It also gives you an overview for the rest of the weeks that you could use.
My personal favorite tool to use to help figure out the specifics of my training is ChatGPT. You can give it the overview you get from Runna to fill in the gaps if you don’t want the full version. Or, simply start a chat and ask it to create a training program for you. Tell it when your race is, what your pace is, how often you want to train, what training you want, or whatever else you may want to include. It will spit a fully formed, personalized training program right back at you!
My Training Schedule
Overall, this is roughly what my training schedule will look like until my race:
Week 1
- Easy Run – Comfortable Pace
- Practice 5k to find starting point
- Rest Day
- 1-2 More Easy Runs
Week 2
- Easy Run – Comfortable Pace
- Long Run (3.6 Miles) – Slow Pace
- Rest Day
- Easy Run
- Interval Run – Alternate slower/faster pace every .25 miles
- Rest/Active Recovery Day
Week 3
- Long Run (4.4 Miles) – Slow Pace
- Rest Day
- Easy Run
- Interval Run (2 Miles) – Alternate slower/faster pace every .3 miles
- Easy Run
- Rest/Active Recovery Day
Week 4
- Long Run (4.8 Miles) – Slow Pace
- Rest Day
- Interval Run (2 Miles) – Alternate slower/faster pace every .4 miles
- Easy Run
- Easy Run
- Rest/Active Recovery Day
Week 5
- Long Run (5.2 Miles) – Slow Pace
- Rest Day
- Easy Run
- Interval Run (2 Miles) – Alternate slower/fasster pace every .5 miles
- Easy Run
- Rest/Active Recovery Day
Week 6
- Long Run (5.6 Miles) – Slow Pace
- Rest Day
- Interval Run (2 Miles) – Alternate slower/faster pace every .6 miles
- Rest Day
- Easy Run
- Easy Run
Week 7
- Long Run (6.2 Miles) – Slow Pace
- Rest Day
- Easy Run
- Easy Run
- Interval Run – (2.5 Miles) – Alternate slower/faster pace every .75 miles
- Rest/Active Recovery Day
Week 8
- Long Run (6.7 Miles) – Slow Pace
- Rest Day
- Easy Run
- Interval Run (2.5 miles) – Alternate slower/faster pace every .8 Miles
- Easy Run
- Rest/Active Recovery Day
Week 9
- Long Run (6.9 Miles) – Slow Pace
- Rest Day
- Easy Run
- Easy Run
- Interval Run (3 miles) – Alternate slower/faster pace every mile
Week 10
- 1-2 Easy Runs
- Rest Day
- Race Day!
Final Thoughts
If you are on the road to training for your first 5k or are just getting started with running, there are two pieces of advice that I think are super important. First off, however slow you think you are running, it isn’t slow enough. If you really want to work on improving your speed and endurance long term, most of your runs you should be taking very low and slow.
Secondly, nobody but you cares about how fast or slow you are running. Everyone is caught up with themselves, and while you have every reason to feel proud of yourself for putting in this work, don’t stress if you aren’t where you want to be yet. Comparison is the thief of joy – what’s important is how you feel on your own journey!
