To everyone who regularly runs or have started running, they know that at some point, the joint pain will start to creep in.
This is most especially true for long distance runners. If you are planning to run a 10k then you need to start early in training yourself so that your body will not be shocked when you start running and covering longer distances.
The article below will help you do just that and hopefully end up running a happy and painless 10k event.
Materials that you will need
- Comfortable running shoes
- Portable music player (Optional)
- Timer
Starting at 8 weeks before the event
To get yourself ready for a run, start at the latest 2 months before the event. From this point on to about a week before your race, you should follow this regimen.
You need to build up on your strength and not just your stamina so work out your whole body with sit ups, weights and some push ups as well.
Take care not to build up too much heavy muscles in your body since this will slow you down. Stretching your muscles is also key and make sure that you are doing your routine properly and safely so that you do not injure yourself.
Leave some time for the week for stamina and endurance training by running at least 3km per session. Do this in a relaxed pace since you do not need to speed run; you just need to maintain your pace for a long period of time.
Cardio work can greatly enhance your performance, too, so some cycling will work wonders. Remember to hydrate yourself well during training and that you should have at least one rest day per week so that you do not exhaust yourself.
Weeks 4 onwards
At around a month before the event, you should increase your training sessions by concentrating on endurance training.
You should start stretching your leg and arm muscles more. Your 3-mile run should happen at least twice a week.
Mix this with some cardio work out that is around an hour long per day but when you are about a week before your run, start conserving your energy and lessen your cardio work out.
By this time, your heart and lungs should be in good condition from your regimen the past couple of weeks and you just need it to maintain its strength.
Just before the race
When you are just several hours from the race, just do an hour of cardio workout and do some stretching of your whole body so that when you do hit the race, your body is in tip top shape and you should be avoiding injuries as much as possible.
Keep your supplies ready when you race – have your own first aid kit with a small stock of your medications especially if you are prone to asthma or any similar ailment.
Make sure that your contact details are up to date if in case something happens to you and they need to contact your family. Good luck!