From a fast 5K to a long 10K: we show you how

It’s time to ramp it up a bit. You got to 5K from nowhere and now it’s time to see what else you’ve got lurking under the bonnet!

TRAINING EXPLAINED

• Easy = an enjoyable pace, about 50-60% effort

• Fast = this is not sprinting but around 80% effort

• 5K pace = your 5K pace from a recent race

• Recovery = the rest period between each period of effort. Keep moving but at an easy jog or walk.

• Cross training = anything aerobic that gets your heartrate up, such as cycling. Choose your favourite.

Having a target to focus your training on is a good way to keep motivated and keep running consistently. Once you’ve made it to the 5K distance, you have several options open to you. You could keep, of course, aiming to run 5K consistently each week. But many runners decide they want to train to run further or faster.

As you’ll have found as you worked up to your first 5K, having a plan to tick your training runs off each week is a great way to keep accountable and gives you a real sense of achievement. And having a big goal on the horizon can really keep you motivated and focussed.

Only you can decide which option is right for you: run further or run faster. It will depend on many things including which goal most excites you and what works best with your lifestyle and time available to train. The important thing is to make sure it’s your decision and that you don’t get swept along in what people think you should do next.