5 Tips to Run Your Best 5 K!

1. Failing to Prepare is Preparing to Fail

We’ve heard the old adage “inch by inch, anything’s a cinch”, right? So give yourself 45-60 days to train for your event. Going on small runs twice a week (Tuesday & Thursday) and one longer run on the weekends is commonly used by both amateurs and experts. Spacing out the runs throughout the week will allow for proper recovery between runs. As your body adapts, you can increase your runs by adding another run day or by increasing your run time.
2.    It’s about Time and NOT Distance
Running is very personal form of exercise, especially to those who enjoy running. When avid runners are asked why, many of them say that they enjoy the “time” spent running and rarely focus on the distance. Focusing on the time (10 mins, 15 mins, 20 mins and so on) in your training regimen, makes the task easier to tackle than thinking about completing a specific distance. Running with a partner or a group also makes this a more enjoyable and memorable endeavor. Military organizations around the world have been employing this strategy to ready their troops for millennia.
3. Rest & Recover
Physical training requires some form of rest and recovery in order to continue training. In fact, the harder you train, the more rest that’s required. When I speak of rest & recover, I mean sleeping! Sleep is the one factor that has remained unchanged in the evolution of every living organism on the planet, yet it is commonly ignored by most humans. Aside from nutrition, it’s one of the easiest ways to enhance performance and avoid injuries. Keep this in mind as you increase your running days and time.
4.    Nutrition
Like the aforementioned tip above, nutrition is the another major component that will either help you in your quest to run your best 5K or will literally stop you in your tracks if left unchecked. Nutrition, according to the experts, is the single most important factor to human performance. Quality food intake = quality energy output resulting in a great 5K run. Not only will you run better, but you will FEEL better!
5.    Music Makes You Move
Listening to music is an easy way to enjoy running. It can even help you reach your goals faster by redirecting your thoughts to the meaningful lyrics of a song or a favorable moment in time that increases your adrenaline levels. The 5K is a great race to put this to the test because the race is relatively short and you’ll be surprised by how fast the race will go with good music pumping through your ears. Another tip, audible books! Take some time to listen to your favorite author or story lines during your training. It will take your mind off the discomfort of training.          

Good luck!

Coach Cirilo