Photo by Frerk Meyer

MyFitnessPal posted an article which caught my notice yesterday. It was titled “9 Keys to Rock Your 5k” and was intended to “offer some insight into the process of preparing for your first 5K”. After coaching and helping several runners prepare and complete their first 5km over the last few years, I found myself disagreeing with a lot of what was written. It’s not that they were necessarily bad tips but I believe they are more suited to someone who had run a couple of races and wanted to improve and get quicker. They just don’t seem suitable for someone aiming to complete their first one.

So, for your reading pleasure, here are my alternative tips:
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Jantastic continues to prove that it’s a great motivator but I’m starting to feel the pressure a little. After my first update at the end of January, February’s training went well and it was great to finish off with a new Half Marathon PB. The challenge progressed by not only suggesting an increase in the number of weekly sessions but also in specifying a target distance for a single run each week. (The fact that it was for a single run is key – I read a tweet by someone saying that last year, they thought it was total mileage for the week and, desperately wanting to make sure that they completed the challenge for the week, found themselves unwittingly running an ultra in training to hit that target.)

So continuing on from that first post, here, slightly belatedly, are my stats for February:

Total number of runs: 16
Longest single run: 10.26 miles
Total distance run: 105.2 miles
Total time spent running: 14h55m

I’m pleased with this although I also notice in looking at my training calendar that I skipped 8 of my planned sessions – not that I’m going to regret that in anyway. I managed to get some solid miles in and finished the Jantastic month with a Half Marathon PB.

So where’s the pressure?
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