The first month of the lockdown, after it was announced on March 24, 2020, was probably the toughest for everyone. We were doing things and living in a way that we were not used to. However, after a month, things became less difficult. It's the same with running. The first month of training for your maiden 10km run is difficult because your body is getting used to something new.
Different people take different amounts of time to get used to the demands running makes on their body. However, most are likely to be used to it all by the time the first four weeks are done, which means the training won’t feel as tough as it used to in the beginning.
Read again: Fitness planner: Beginners' guide to running 10K in eight weeks - Part 1
When Murli Pillai, 38, a public relations manager from Pune, started running in 2013, he could barely cover 20 metres. “My body wasn’t used to the high heart rate, I found breathing very difficult and suffered side stitches every day,” says Pillai. “But I stuck to it and before I knew it, I was completing the 2km loop of the race course at Pune. After a month of running, the soreness that I used to feel in the evenings on the days I ran stopped. It had become a part of my normal life.”
“The good thing with running is that the effort you put in is completely under your control and the result also is pretty much under your control,” adds Pillai.
The ideal training period needed to go from couch to 10km is 12 weeks. So, if you found last week difficult, repeat the Week 4 workout for another week and then continue with the programming for the fifth week.
Find the Week 4 and 5 planner here: Fitness planner: Beginners' guide to running 10K in eight weeks - Part 2
If you are following the beginners’ Moneycontrol Couch to 10k plan, this is when you ought to prepare yourself mentally to run for the whole hour. “Congratulations, you are a runner,” says Bengaluru-based running coach Dharmendra Kumar. “Now, it's time to take things to the next level. This fortnight you will, for the first time, spend a full hour on your feet doing a walk-run routine.”
The good news is that your body and mind are unlikely to revolt at the idea of running longer distances now. The body adapts and quickly gets used to the new activity.
It took Pillai two months to run 6km non-stop but then he didn’t have a structured plan like this one. He says the run did wonders for his confidence, and he believed 10km and even a half marathon was doable. As he increased his distance and time shuffling his feet, new problems appeared. He had an aching back because he didn’t know the importance of strength-training in a running routine. He suffered shin splints after the long runs.
Shin splints can be fixed by simply icing the affected area and stretching your calves. And back ache won’t be an issue if you stretch properly after every run, suggests Gagan Arora, lifestyle and running coach and founder of Kosmic Fitness in Delhi.
Do not cut down on strength training and core work, says Arora. “When the distances become longer, stretching becomes even more important. Do not be lazy about it or make excuses like (you) did not have the time. It will come back to bite you. Nutrition and rest are as important as training. A properly fuelled and well-rested body responds better to training than a tired one,” Arora adds.
Couch to 10K: Weeks 5 and 6
Intermediate Runners
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