Learning about Jogging your way to a 10K Race

Most joggers do not think of themselves as runners. They are jogging to get fit and this may be an age old habit. Others dream of one day running in 5K or 10K races. What you need to know if you are one of these is that you will be move into some sort of training if you decide to try a race.

When you first decide that you will run in 5K or 10K races one of the best things to do is either get a running coach or someone who has been successful at running one of these races before now. Also it is a good idea to set your sights to do 10K races maybe a year or two from now instead of trying to jump right from jogging into 10K races.

This will not work because you will have more of a chance to hurt yourself if you do it in that way. Instead it is a good idea to learn more about running. Although most people think they already know how to run because they are jogging, this is not true.

Running takes a new set of skills. This is why some people start with a 2K, 5K or 8K race before they start running in 10K races. The important thing is to start where you are and run at the pace you are running and then pick it up a bit. As an example, you are doing very well towards a 2K if you are running 2 miles a day at a steady pace.

What you will do is start out with your jogging pace, and then increase it over time. You will also increase your distance so you will have a longer run. This will test your stamina and this can also be built as you go further. Many experts say that you should jog 3 times a week (not consecutive days) and then cross train for two.

 Cross training means that you will do more than running on those other two - things like biking, elliptical, roller blades or biking are some of the examples you could do for these other two days.

Another area you will want to train for is speed. There are many speed programs on the Internet that will help you train for a 10K races, and here is an example:

• Warm up for 15 minutes jogging easily.
• Break into a run for 10 minutes at whatever your pace tempo is and then run for another 2 minutes in a slower jog.
• Eventually run between 30 seconds of intense intervals at whatever pace you do a mile in and then another 30 seconds of slower pace.
• Keep doing the pattern until you can't do it any more.
• Finish with a two mile run in a jog or easy run.