The fitness world, with each passing day, advances in an extraordinary way, bringing likewise a large number of people who join this healthy life. Running, in this same way, does not go unnoticed by fitness people who want to improve themselves in the sports field, so they train exhaustively to achieve their goals.
Such is the case of the 8km race, that although it is one of the shortest distances that we usually face in popular races on Sundays, it is not the one we usually do on foot. Therefore, it is important not to forget that it is still a challenge and that there are essential requirements to tackle it.
How to train for an 8k race?
First of all, we must be clear that if we have recently started running and we do not have a great physical background, we must be patient with our training. Moreover, if we are somewhat overweight, it is recommended that we take it easy and try to perform resistance exercises with less impact, such as the elliptical or swimming.
Many times we make the mistake of going out for a run on the first day setting a goal in distance and, sometimes, even in time, when the main objective should be to enjoy the landscape and start moving for the first time: the progression will come with it. weeks go by.
The best strategy to avoid getting bored and, above all, to avoid injuring ourselves, is to try at each outing that we do to gradually increase the distance or the training time. If on the first day we were able to jog for 30 minutes without stopping at a comfortable pace, we should try to increase those minutes progressively.
Another mistake that we must avoid is that of going out more frequently than our body initially supports. It is true that we must overcome our laziness, but we must not go from a totally sedentary state to running 7 days a week: going for a run for 3 days will be enough at first.
How to plan training for an 8K?
You can safely and comfortably complete an 8K by running 3 days a week, according to Tim Bradley, director of training for the Chicago Area Runners Association. If you have an ambitious time goal, you can consider 4 days of running per week or more.
A good weekly training strategy would be to start the week by running at medium intensity with changes of pace doing a shorter distance than the event. During the week, you could introduce high intensity interval training, to end the week with a workout in which we do not increase our intensity, but we do increase the distance, to gradually gain more resistance over long runs.
In this way we make sure that our body is capable of doing 2 or 3 km more, even if it is not at high speed, and the day we decide to join a popular race, we will have no problem doing that distance. Then, assuming that you have been going out for a few months and that you have already gained some resistance, the next step is to improve the planning, putting a little order and meaning in our minutes and kilometers of shooting.
Running always the same time and at the same pace does not help you improve. If we always train with the same intensity, what we will achieve is possibly overtraining and instead of improving our resistance and our marks, we will notice how every day we find ourselves with less strength, accompanied by a bad mood and a lot of mental and physical fatigue.
The objective is to combine different types of components to improve not only our resistance, but also our explosive strength, power or strength-resistance. Not only to last longer running, but also to run faster.
Essential tips for an 8k run
- Includes Strength and Endurance Workouts – This workout reduces your risk of injury and can also improve your running performance. You can hit the gym and lift weights 2-3 times a week, or incorporate shorter sessions of bodyweight and core exercises after your runs.
- Stretch after every workout. If you don’t have time, better run 5 minutes less. You should stretch especially calves, soleus, hip flexors, quadriceps, hamstrings, abductors, the iliotibial band and the much dreaded pyramidal muscle. You should stretch holding the position for about 10 seconds, reaching the point where you feel tension, but never pain.
- Take care of your recovery. If when you wake up you feel very tired, check your pulse. If it is 10% higher than usual, it is that your body has not assimilated the training of the previous day, that you are stressed or even that you are starting to catch a cold. Therefore, it is always better to be conservative and take a day off. The same with injuries: in the event of a small pain, it is better to stop for 2 days than to be stopped for a month later.
Preparation for the day of the 8K
Try to get enough rest the day before to avoid fatigue and exhaustion during the race. Eat light foods and nothing out of the ordinary in your diet; that is, try to vary as little as possible. It is not a day to improvise.
Before they fire the starting shot, and according to what you have trained, you have to know the pace at which you are going to go in each kilometer. A common mistake is to get behind another runner and try to follow him. What you should focus on is running your own race. To do this, start at a controlled pace and pick things up after the first few meters, saving enough energy to sprint across the finish line.
At the end of the race, stretch and drink water, that is the most urgent and important thing. In the first half hour after the race, have a piece of fruit and some protein (turkey, ham, yogurt, fresh cheese) to improve absorption. The next day, go for a 20 minute roll to eliminate accumulated toxins.
References
- Kuzma, C. Why You Should Train for an 8K Run – and How to Do It. For Livestrong. [Revised October, 2019].
