Running is a great way to get exercise, get fresh air and get into shape. With all of the 5K and 10K races that are sponsored all around the country to raise money for various charities, it is easy to find an event that is close to your home and fits your schedule.
If you aren’t currently a runner, or if you were a runner but have fallen out of the running habit, one of the most popular programs available to get you ready for a 10K race is called Couch to 10K.
Couch to 10K Training
The Couch to 10K training program is a great way to get yourself from out of shape to ready to go in a scheduled, easy to understand, manageable way that incorporates growing strength, endurance and belief in yourself with proper running form. Most runners decide to begin a running program to get back into shape and head off without a plan in mind, or they bite off more than they can chew, going out and running far too long a distance and ending up hurt, sore and discouraged.
Schedule
The Couch to 10K training program is a sensible, measured, ten week program that provides a step-
Whatever your motivation for participating in this type of event, whether it’s because you need a goal to help you get yourself back into shape or if you’re running because you want to support a particularly charity, working up to the 10K miles equivalent of over six miles is not something that you should just jump into.
The program keeps you on a very controlled plan that builds up your endurance and strength methodically so that you never take on more than your body can handle. It suggests that you use the track of a nearby high school or college because that will provide you with exactly measured distances so that you can be sure of how far you are going and watch yourself progress.
Whatever week you are in, the program will have you alternating between walking and jogging, slowly building up the amount of time that you walk and run, then slowly adjusting the timing so that you are running more than you are walking. Finally, after ten weeks you are able to run the 10K distance.
Couch to 10K in 10 Weeks
The schedule for the Couch to 10K training program is set up so that you can plan out your participating in a 10K by beginning the program ten weeks before your race. The first week’s program has you alternating walking and running half a lap each four times, so that you have completed one full mile.
Over the next ten weeks you will increase slowly, until you are finally nearly up to the 10K miles total of 6.4, running around the track for five miles. Once you’ve accomplished this, you’ll have the confidence to go the extra mile and have completed your goal without any pain or stress.