Beginner's 5km fun run: The basics

Start Getting F.I.T.

In this training programme there are three key elements that are designed to get you FIT:

F - Frequency (how often),
I - Intensity (how hard)
T - Time (how long).

The fitness great Ken Cooper gave the simple suggestion that to improve as a runner the basic FIT formula was to:

run 3-5 times a week (frequency),
at a comfortable pace (intensity)
for 2-3 miles (time of roughly 20-30 minutes).

This formula fits very well with the basic advice health advice of 20-30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise at least three times per week. Being based on this simple principle, the programme aims to help you to gain optimum health benefits without being too daunting.

Frequency and Timing

Little and often is better than "crash and burn"

To achieve the maximum benefit to your health and fitness, you should exercise in a regular and sustained way. Speed is secondary.

The key is to aim to achieve 30 minutes of continuous movement three times per week. This means using a combination of walking and running - over the weeks you will slowly build up the running part and reduce the walking part. At first you will find that walking and running will enable you to cover roughly two miles in 30 minutes, while by the end of Week 8 you will be running three miles in the same time.

Give your body time to adjust to running

In the early stages of the programme you will see that only 18-20 minutes of exercise has been programmed in. But this has been scheduled so that you can spend time warming up before the exercise, and spend time warming down afterwards. It is vital to resist the urge to just start running and, at the end of the session, to just stop. Take the time to help your body get used to the exercise - it will thank you for it.

Warm up

To warm up, spend at least 3-5 minutes at the beginning of each session walking briskly. At the end of this brisk walk you can then slowly ease into your first run component.

Warm down

To warm down, at the end of you last set of repeats wind your pace down to a moderate walk, and then an easy walk, over a period of 3-5 minutes.

By adding in both a warm up and a warm down to your schedule you will find your exercise sessions hitting that crucial 20-30 minutes of fitness-giving continuous exercise.

Stretching and warm up and warm down

As running is a specialised activity it places stresses and strains on new areas of the body. It is essential that you look after the muscles and systems you are using to avoid unwanted aches, pains and strains. A few quick stretches before setting off on your run do not constitute a good warm up and stretching a cold muscle may do more harm than good.

The best warm up for this level of training is simply a brisk walk. This slowly raises your heart rate and body temperature, while boosting your circulation and directing blood and oxygen to the muscles you are about to call upon.

If you are free of injury and not performing any high intensity or explosive actions, you are then fine to simply ease up the pace from a brisk walk and move straight into your routine. However, if you are a little stiff or feel you would benefit from them, it is fine to do some light stretches and mobility exercises after your brisk walk, before taking up the effort. But if you are going to stretch, do ensure that your muscles are warm and stretch slowly without bouncing. Also, before you start running, don't forget to steadily build your heart rate and breathing up again with another brisk walk.

The essential stretching is done at the end of the exercise session. To prevent stiffness you must stretch off the muscles that running can tighten up. Stretching after your exercise also enables you to improve your flexibility because it takes advantage of your muscles being thoroughly warm and more responsive to being lengthened.

Static stretching on the floor (or using walls as support) is a good way to start and then slowly work up through the body, stretching each muscle at least once. Stretches should be held for at least 10 seconds but, ideally, you should take about 30 seconds over each relaxing and trying to reach gently and progressively to extend your range of movement. Consult an instructor or seek further advice for the specifics of stretching. If you take the time to stretch properly at the end of each session you find that it will really pay off in terms of making your running easier and more efficient. It will also leave you feeling much more comfortable the next day.

Intensity or pace

Of all the aspects of the F.I.T. principle, intensity is the hardest to prescribe. This is because your intensity (or pace) when running is a very subjective thing and, as your fitness improves, what was once nearly impossible will seem no longer challenging.

Go with your feelings

Some people use heart rate monitors to measure their effort while running, but these tend to be used by more experienced runners. For simplicity be guided by your own feelings. How hard do you think you are working? Create your own scale of perceived effort - with 1 being sitting still and 10 being a flat out sprint. Over time, as your fitness improves, you will find that you can run faster without increasing your perceived effort.

Intensity of brisk walking

The prescribed brisk walking should be just that - brisk. Stride out, swinging your arms and feeling your heart rate and breathing become elevated. It is faster than a normal walk (as you'd use in your warm up and warm down) but not so fast that you are stumbling to keep going. On a scale of effort you should feel it to be fairly light exercise: at a perceived effort level of 5 out of 10.

Intensity of running

In the running sections of your exercise you should initially only move up into a gentle trot, only a little faster than a double march. Effort-wise this should feel only one stage higher - 6 out of 10.

A good gauge to your effort is your breathing. It should be elevated but you should still be able to talk comfortably while running. When running you will need to exercise self-control and resist the temptation to run too fast. This is especially important when you're only running for 1-2 minutes at a time at the beginning of the programme.

Remember running is an aerobic exercise that is designed to train your heart, lungs and circulation to deliver oxygen to the working muscles to burn fat and carbohydrate. If you push yourself too hard, you will be running a series of sprints instead and this is anaerobic exercise. The result is that you will not be using oxygen during your exercise and so you won't be burning off fat.

A good way to know that you are running too hard and exercising anaerobically is when you find yourself gasping for breath and feel your muscles aching and getting heavy. This is due to lactic acid building up in the muscles (a product of anaerobic exercise) which will cause you to fatigue and feel sore afterwards. Just back down the intensity of your running so you can continue with the next set on the programme without having to stop to get your breath back.

It is more important to complete the full number of repeats and maintain continuous movement than to push yourself for a fast pace. Walk is not a four letter word (okay, it is, but you get the idea). Feel free to drop your pace back to a brisk walk for a set if you are struggling, but keep it fairly brisk. Above all, keep moving.

Training really is a marathon, not a sprint

When training to run, it is best to be the tortoise and not the hare. Make your gains slowly and steadily and you will reap the benefits. Forget "no pain, no gain", this is meant to be fun not torture.