As we move towards the two-thirds stage in our six-week plan for your 5K debut, it's time to mention one or two of runABC Coach Alan Newman's golden rules. One of Alan's favourite sayings is: "Dress for the second mile". Wear the right kit for when you have warmed up and are ready to run, rather than the first few minutes when it might feel chilly.

Another of Alan's phrases is: "Train the same, stay the same", which means that if all we ever do is run at a steady pace, guess what we become good at – steady-paced running! This is why Alan's sessions will include elements of speed, over-distance training, running techniques, and visualisation. Variety is the spice of life in running training.

So far we have discussed our breathing techniques, improving our arm action, and trying to style it out with better posture and balance. Now we will look at our cadence, or strike rate – how many times each foot lands on the ground in a minute.

There is no such thing as perfect cadence – it's different for everyone – but a good target for beginners is 160-180 steps per minute. Faster cadence can reduce injury risks by spending less time in contact with the ground and lessening the impact on the legs and the skeletal system. Count your cadence this week and see if you can speed it up during faster running.

This week we'll be adding some more intervals, go down the clock, and run another time trial...
 
Session One – Intervals

Return to your out and back route (5K). You will need your GPS watch or Strava to measure distance. Brisk walk/slow jog warm-up (5mins). Run for 800m/walk for 200m (x2) on the way out. Turn and repeat on the way back. Pace should be faster than your target 5K pace.

Session Two – Down the Clock

Brisk walk/slow jog warm-up (5mins). Run for 4, 3, 2, 1 minutes, with 60 seconds recovery.  Perfect opportunity to test your cadence. Start at your 5K pace and try to run each shorter interval at a slightly faster pace. Brisk walk/slow jog warm-down (5mins).

Session Three – Time Trial

Remember those targets we set for your non-stop 5K? Let's bench test them now with a 3K time trial run non-stop in 60% of your intended 5K time. And dress for the second mile!

Coach to 5K can be started any time and you can review our training plan by clicking on Week One here, Week Two here and Week Three here.

Look out for more essential advice and training sessions each Monday in September...

runABC Coach to 5K logo designed by Louise Sylvester