Welcome to Getting Fit at Fifty

My name is Art Davis and I started running in 2007 to lose weight. Check out my before and after photos at the bottom of the page. I ran my first 5K and 10K in 2007 I went on to run my first half Marathon and full Marathon in 2008.























Thursday, February 10, 2011

Your First 10K

After I ran the Koman 5K in 2007 a friend of mine challenged me to train for and run a full 26.2 mile marathon. Our goal became to prepare for and run the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon in 2008. Our plan was to run a 10K,  a 1/2 marathon and then the Flying Pig. I chose to run the Cincinnati Turkey Trot in 2007 because it was in the same city as the Flying Pig. I had no idea how hilly Cincinnati is, this was the first time that during a race I saw people cramp up when going uphill and have to drop out. When I made it through this race without having to stop and walk I felt like I had really accomplished something. Active.com has 10 tips for for your first 10K
  1. Have a plan: You cannot do it without a good training plan and also you need to know what kind of a course are you running? is it hilly or flat?
  2. Be consistant: A solid 10K is made up of a series fo good, bad and ugly workouts. The training is a little tougher and a little longer than for a 5K, so it tests your mental toughness.
  3. Go easy: In order to run farther, you have got to run a little slower during your workouts, pace yourself.
  4. Go faster: You will need to do some interval training to get your speed up for the 10K, once a week for three or four weeks.
  5. Go longer: You will need to add a little distance to your long run each week until you can run 6 miles.
  6. Include a few dress rehearsals along the way: I like to do my long runs outdoors with all the gear on I will have for the race and the same clothes on that I plan to wear on race day.
  7. Train your mind: The number 1 mistake runner's make is to start to fast and then burn out way to early. At the start of a race the adrenaline is kicking in and the mind and body are wanting to do a jack rabbit start, you have to remember to slow and steady wins the race.
  8. Make it social: Studies have shown that people who train in groups, do better than those who train alone.
  9. Warm up: Always stretch and warm up about 10-15 minutes before the race.
  10. Run efficiently: Most training plans call this the taper off period. Your workouts race week should be short 30 to 40 minutes.
That's it, now you are ready to run your first 10K!
Any suggestions on training for a 10K?

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2 comments:

  1. James L.February 11, 2011 at 8:55 AM

    I don't have any advice, but just wanted to thank you for these tips - I'm running my first 10K two weeks from tomorrow (the Race Against Hunger in Lexington, SC).

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  2. robison52February 11, 2011 at 9:32 AM

    Just wanted to say "Howdy!" Discovered your site from the about.com running blog. I once weighed 249 pounds and now weigh 178 pounds, most of my weight loss was due to running and eventually training for a marathon. I'll be visiting your site regularly (although I won't post everytime) as too keep myself motivated. Keep up the great work!!

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