Prepare for your first 8 kilometre event

Prepare for your first 8 km event

We will now provide a training program which will take you towards your first 8 kilometre event. This training will also equip you to complete a 10K. However, we advise that you first participate in a 5 miler or 8K event. This is a precaution and should be listened to.

The 10K distance is considered the most strenuous event for beginners, as it tends to push the persons ‘core’ body temperature higher than most other events. 5 to 8K is a manageable distance, however the effort most persons put in to run a quicker 10K leads to higher heat levels.

So, be patient you will get there. And once you have followed the instructions of this schedule you can move safely towards your 10K challenge.

You have made it to this level. You have progressed through the beginners program | thebeginning + week 3 and on | and you have prepared for your first 5K . Now lets move towards the 8K, and later onto the 10K.

OK.. You have achieved the 5K. Now lets work on improving your pace over 5K, so that you are eventually able to run your first 10K at more or less the same pace as your first 5K. Yes, this is achievable. That is what training is about, it gives you improvement. If you are diligent in what you do, there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t have improvement along the way. Don’t become obsessed with running quicker, let it come naturally.

Knowledge of your 5K routes is now stored and these courses will become a valid tool in your development towards your first 8k and further.

Recovery between your more difficult sessions are imperative [most important]. Gathering further knowledge about your body should be taking place. You should now be understanding your weaknesses, more or less. You should know, whether any incline affects you negatively or whether you feel you are able to work quite comfortably over those bumps which before have looked like mountains. These little improvements are necessary in your confidence building.

Remember, there is still no rush and because you have come this far, it STILL does not mean you have got it made. You must continue to do your warm up routine as well as monitor your legs. Be wise before and not in retrospect.

The ‘TALK TEST‘. | see below | should now be understandable and soon you should notice that your pace is quicker even though you are talking. This is the kind of improvement you are looking for.

The routine will be very similar to the 5K however you will be developing effort more now than before. Your schedule will now move forward to a 2 week cycle and in week 1 you will be exercising 3 days in a row, to give you a 5 day training week. The 2nd week of the cycle will be a 4 day week and this will be seen as a recovery week. Towards the end of this 2nd week you should begin focusing on the start of the cycle again. After 2 cycles, a total of 4 weeks, you should be ready for your 1st 8k event. You should also be recovering from one week to the next. We shall now present the 2 week training cycle, which will be repeated [4 weeks in total] towards your first 8k.

The Training Schedule

First 2 week cycle : Before starting the training, read thoroughly through the sessions

Week 1 will consist of the following : [ in our plans we like to have Sunday as Day 1 ]

• day 1 = 40min light jog/run TALK TEST during 2nd cycle this will increase to 1Hr
• day 2 = Rest which consists of stretching
• day 3 = jog/run for the full 30 minutes
• day 4 = warm up then run your 5K route at a pace 1 min slower than previously
• day 5 = jog/run for the full 30 minutes
• day 6 = Rest – NA NA nothing – enjoy
• day 7 = 40min light jog/run TALK TEST select a route with 2 to 3 light hills

Week 2 your recovery week and adaptation to training week.

• day 1 = Rest which consists of stretching + strength exercises x 10 repeats.
• day 2 = 30-40min light jog/run TALK TEST
• day 3 = Rest which consists of stretching + strength exercises x 10 repeats.
• day 4 = 30-40min light jog/run TALK TEST
• day 5 = Rest which consists of stretching + strength exercises x 10 repeats.
• day 6 = warm up then run your 5K route at a pace 1 min slower with 15minutes warm down jog
• day 7 = Rest which consists of stretching + strength exercises x 10 repeats.

Second 2 week cycle : The 5K pace discussed is the time you ran your 1st 5K in ..

Week 1 will consist of the following : [ in our plans we like to have Sunday be Day 1 ]

• day 1 = 1Hr light jog/run TALK TEST
• day 2 = Rest which consists of stretching
• day 3 = jog/run for the full 30 minutes + strength exercises x 10 repeats
• day 4 = 40min light jog/run TALK TEST select a route with 2 to 3 light hills
• day 5 = jog/run for the full 30 minutes + strength exercises x 10 repeats
• day 6 = Rest – NA NA nothing – enjoy
• day 7 = warm up then run your 5K route at a pace 30sec slower with 15 minutes warm down jog

Week 2 your recovery week and adaptation to training week.

• day 1 = Rest which consists of stretching + strength exercises x 10 repeats.
• day 2 = 30-40min light jog/run TALK TEST
• day 3 = Rest which consists of stretching + strength exercises x 10 repeats.
• day 4 = 20-30min light jog/run TALK TEST
• day 5 = Rest which consists of stretching + strength exercises x 10 repeats.
• day 6 = run your 8K route or event
• day 7 = Rest which consists of stretching + strength exercises x 10 repeats.

For Printable Program : Click here

The TALK TEST
The TALK TEST is the best way to monitor yourself while jogging/running. If you are not able to talk to someone while running then you are exercising too quickly. Slow down to a talk.

After your first 8K you will repeat the 2 week cycle for a period of 4 weeks, however during this next cycle you will work on your 5K pace, which is very important for your preparation towards your first 10k event. [ this will be covered under training towards 10K in the future – program to follow]

If you have started from ‘scratch’ with the Time-to-Run programs, you will know that you are now in a position to train towards 10K.

Author: Gavin Doyle