Prepare for your first 10 kilometer event

Prepare for your first 10k

In preparing for your first 8K we mentioned the necessity of preparing correctly for your first 10K. This preparation
towards a 10K needs to equip you to run at a pace for a distance which will be 1Hr or longer.
6 minutes per kilometer will give you 1Hr for 10k. This should be the aim of all runners. To get as close to 1Hr or
to run under 1Hr. Now in mentioning this, some of you may never achieve this, however this is what makes you
different to the jogger out there, who year in and year out goes plodding around their routes with no direction or
ambition.
If you are going to spend the time training, there is no reason why you cannot develop the attitude and
understanding of a runner. There are many benefits to this attitude. If you are a person who has suffered with
weight problems, training to achieve a certain pace will have you needing to train at a tempo. Studies have
proven that it is this faster pace/tempo which creates the biggest amount of weight loss.
Now, if you have got to this stage of the Time-to-Run programs and have not seen a significant change in your
mass. This should begin to change as you begin to work on pace more diligently and more specifically. If you
are a beginner who does not have weight problems, then you will now be moving towards a zone that is more
runner orientated, you are no longer going to be in the Beginner Zone after this program.
You have got this far, now is the time to take pride in yourself as you develop towards becoming a runner. What
is a runner.. A runner is a person who combines an attitude and dedication towards achieving a goal related to
pace. This is what makes you call yourself a runner. The dedication to go to bed early so that your body is able to
better recover from the training it has been endured to. You can all be runners, the attitude of goal setting, no
matter your speed, the sacrifice needed to achieve goals, will make you better understand those geniuses who
can run 10K in under 26:30.
You are no different to them, you have just not been blessed with the natural ability or physique to fly in the
same manner as they do. Dont get wrapped up in the negativity of what people say, regarding that you will never
be as fast as them, that is not the point. Your aim should be to seek improvement in yourself from a year to year
basis.
This is direction, and it makes it all worthwhile, whereas you are starting now with the toughest distance of the lot;
10Ks, all other distances are achievable. Progression with Time-to-Run will be fulfilling, it will make all your
dedication worthwhile. AND your goals achievable.
In this program you will be doing pace as well as the inclusion of long runs. This program will also see you move
towards Training for 10K, which is no longer in the Beginner Zone ..
There is a difference. When training towards 8k you were able to run a 10K, in this program you will prepare for
your 1st 10K and then thereafter training for 10K is aimed at achieving a 10K time which can place you in a
category.

So, be patient you will get there. Once you have followed the instructions of this schedule, you can move safely
towards your 10K challenge.
You have made it to this level. You have progressed through the beginners program | thebeginning + week 3and
on + preparing for your first 5K and preparing for your first 8K, and now onto the 10K.
It is important to stay practical and relaxed about what you are trying to achieve, if things go wrong [as they often
do], dont panic, as you now have a base of running knowledge no one can take from you.
After this program, you will no longer be in the Beginner category, you will now have more knowledge than when
you first started, and the exciting thing is that there is still so much to learn.
You will now prepare towards your first 10K
The routine will be very similar to the 8K, however you will now be aiming to keep things together for those extra
2Ks. The idea will be able to get you up to 75 minutes on your feet, as well as running 10 minutes with more
effort towards the end of sessions. The 10 minutes faster will help in your development of keeping things together
from 8 to 10K, always a tough call.
You will note that you are training 3 days in a row, every week of training is progress towards developing the
effort more now than before. The schedule will change to a 2 week cycle and in week 1 you will be exercise 3
days in a row, to give you a 5 day training week. The 2nd week of the cycle will be a 4 day week and this will be
seen as a recovery week. Towards the end of this 2nd week, you should begin focusing on the start of the cycle
again. After 2 cycles, a total of 4 weeks, you should be ready for your 1st 10k event. You should also be
recovering from one week to the next. We shall now present the 2 week training cycle, which will be repeated [4
weeks in total] towards your first 10k.
The Training Schedule
First 2 week cycle : Before starting the training, read
thoroughly through the sessions
Week 1 will consist of the following : [ in these plans we like to have Sunday as Day 1 ]

day 1 = 50min light jog/run TALK TEST during 2nd cycle this will increase to 1Hr
day 2 = Rest which consists of stretching
day 3 = jog/run for the full 30 minutes
day 4 = warm up then run your 5K route at a pace 30 second slower than previously
day 5 = jog/run for the full 30 minutes
day 6 = Rest NA NA nothing enjoy
day 7 = 60min light jog/run TALK TEST select a route with 2 to 3 light hills

Week 2 your recovery week and adaptation to training week.

day 1 = Rest which consists of stretching + strength exercises x 10 repeats.

day 7 = Rest which consists of stretching + strength exercises x 10 repeats.

day 2 = 30-40min light jog/run TALK TEST

day 3 = 40 min with last 10min slightly faster
day 4 = 30-40min light jog/run TALK TEST
day 5 = Rest which consists of stretching + strength exercises x 10 repeats.
day 6 = warm up then run your 5K route at a pace you hope to run 10K at, no faster.

Second 2 week cycle : The 5K pace discussed is the time you ran your 1st 5K in ..
Week 1 will consist of the following : [ in our plans we like to have Sunday be Day 1 ]

day 1 = 75min light jog/run TALK TEST

day 4 = 40min light jog/run TALK TEST select a route with 2 to 3 light hills

day 2 = Rest which consists of stretching

day 3 = jog/run for the full 30 minutes + strength exercises x 10 repeats
day 5 = jog/run for the full 30 minutes + strength exercises x 10 repeats

day 6 = Rest NA NA nothing enjoy

day 7 = warm up then run your 5K route at a pace you hope to run 10K at, no faster

Week 2 your recovery week and adaptation to training week.

day 1 = Rest which consists of stretching + strength exercises x 10 repeats.

day 3 = 30min with last 10min at the pace you hope to run 10K at, no faster.

day 2 = 30-40min light jog/run TALK TEST

day 4 = 20-30min light jog/run TALK TEST
day 5 = Rest which consists of stretching + strength exercises x 10 repeats.
day 6 = run your 10K route or event
day 7 = Rest which consists of stretching + strength exercises x 10 repeats.

The TALK TEST

The TALK TEST is the best way to monitor yourself while jogging/running. If you are not able to talk to someone
while running then you are exercising too quickly. Slow down to a talk.
For Printable Program : Click here
If you have started from scratch with the Time-to-Run programs, you will know that you are now in a position to
move out of the Beginner Category.
Moving towards our 10k Training Programs .. the step up is quite different as PACE becomes the main call