by Annie Vischer
This weekend I’m running a 10k. The Nike We Own The Night 10k in London to be more specific. I have never really been a runner. I had a phase back when I was at school, when it seemed to be the done thing, and I did get into it, but those days were far away for me to forget how enjoyable it got. I’m a gym bunny and Bodyism fanatic of course, but whenever I headed out on a run I seemed to tense up, my breathing got shallow and I looked like the most unfit person you can imagine.
Then I was invited to run the Nike We Own The Night 10k. It seemed like rather a lot of fun. It starts off in the evening at Victoria Park, and you run in the dark. It didn’t take much for me to sign up. And when I began to train, I made a revelation of a discovery. Running with someone makes everything so much easier! You talk, you chat, your breathing remains even and both time and distance fly. All of a sudden I’m a running girl and I love it.
The Nike We Own The Night 10k is this Saturday 10th May, and you can sign up right up until midnight on 8th May here. If you’re still being a little indecisive, the Alex Monroe necklace you receive at the end, and the enviable race kit you receive beforehand might sway you!
There are plenty of other 10k races around the country that you can sign up to this summer. It’s an amazing way for beginners to really get a confidence boost, and for experienced runners to change up their routine. Bodyism‘s Performance Specialist Rebecca Gentry has talked us through the perfect 10k training schedule for beginners to stick to and make the most out of their race with…
Preparation is key…
1 – Give yourself 6 weeks. Choose your training method: outdoors with a tracker/timer device or the treadmill.
2 – Check your trainers. An old pair won’t help, you need support and comfort. Get into a specific retailer like NikeTown or your local sports store like Runners Need to get your gait analysed and invest in the right style of trainer for your style of running.
3 – Get the blood moving to your major muscle groups and fluid pumping into your joints before your run by doing lying knee kicks, knee hugs and use the Bodyism Mini Band (£12.00) drills to ensure your glutes and hamstrings and quads are firing up. Then hold a plank for 30 to 60 seconds depending on your experience. Do all of these things before heading out on your run every time. Find Bodyism exercise routines in the Clean & Lean Book (£12.99).
Your Training Schedule
Week 1 – Start slow and break the distance down. Aim for 2.5k per session 4 times in the first week (every other day). Focus your mind on completing the whole distance without stopping but if you do stop, pause the time on your watch/run buddy device so you can keep monitoring your progress properly. Time the last 2.5k you run that week and times it by 4 to give you your minimum time for the total 10k.
Week 2-3 – Aim to increase your distance to 5k. Make sure you do not run on two consecutive days as your body needs to recover, however now you can start to incorporate a strength training session too. This week, work on balance and leg strengthening moves such as single leg Romanian dead lifts and lunge patterns. Keep at this for 2 weeks.
Week 4-5 – It’s time to run 7.5k. Get some good music with a high bpm but also something you like to listen to. Continue to do another strength training session during the week and focus on your breathing and mental focus in these series too. As a third type of session these weeks, try interval training, to help that vo2 max increase. Try warming up for 100m then increase the speed running fast at a level you cannot talk at for 100m after which decrease the speed for 200m. Repeat this 8 times. Cool down after. Do this twice this week.
Week 6 – Time to run 10k!