In general, a person who wants to start in the world of sports racing does not know how to start a competition or training that allows him to carry out this practice with satisfaction and success.
It is necessary to consider that, like any sporting discipline, in running it is necessary to create a set of habits such as perseverance, perseverance and continuous training to ensure that this practice generates benefits for your physical and emotional health.
In addition, it is important that you know if you should start with a short-distance race like the typical 5K or a 10K. Find out which is the best option for you based on the time you’ve been running and the availability you have during the week to train.
What race should a beginner do first, 5K or 10K?
It is a great question and it will depend on two things, first what is your physical condition before starting training for a race, and second, how many weeks do you want to dedicate to training ?
There are many new runners who start a running routine that consists of approximately 3 miles a day and three times a week. That’s good news if you want to run a 5K race. However, to do a true 5K run you will have to do a long weekly run and a series of aerobic exercises during the week with the idea of strengthening yourself for this practice.
If, on the other hand, you want to see how fast you can run a 5 km race, you have to be honest about the fact that even though you will feel good during the first km of the race, you will soon become uncomfortable in the 4 km race. remaining. Therefore, you will have to suffer a little the last km to execute the race time that you are capable of doing. That’s the difference between running for fun, a social experience, or to test your physical limits.
Now, for a 10K race, the runner must complete a little more than four km a day and for three days a week. Generally, you will not have the same confidence of being able to achieve the 10 km distance. For this reason, training for a 10K beginner has to be a couple more weeks of preparation compared to more expert runners.
The suggestion is that you start with a 5K race for a period of approximately one year because it will allow you to gain the minimum physical conditions necessary to become an excellent runner in less time. After this period you can ascend to the level of 10K where it is estimated that you will be able to perform optimally.
Final Recommendations
- Remember that before training or for your competition you should warm up, and that after your race you should do stretching, in this way you will minimize the chances of injury.
- Drink enough water before, during and after your workouts or competitions, this way you will be guaranteeing good hydration.
- Make sure you maintain an adequate diet , where you consume all the food groups necessary for your well-being and health.
- Do not forget to be persistent to obtain the expected results, remember that all sports discipline requires dedication and patience.
- It is important that as a beginner runner you get enough rest before the race, it is best to do it two days before the race. If you are competing in a 10k race, it would be good to leave at least a week without sprinting until the next race so that you can ensure that you will recover properly.
- Leave everything ready one day before the race, the clothes with which you are going to run and the accessories to wear. Decide that you are going to have breakfast that day in order to save time and avoid forgetting important details. Keep in mind that you should have a light breakfast, with a lot of fiber and nutritious.
References
- Johnson, J. 5K or 10K: Which Distance Should Beginners Run First ?. For Active [Revised November 2015].
