It depends on your fitness level and goals. If you’re new to running, a 5K may be a better option. If you’re more experienced and looking for a challenging distance, a 10K could be a great one.
The time it takes to run a 5k or a 10K depends on your running pace.
If your easy pace is 10 minutes per mile or less, it will take you over an hour to complete 10.2 miles, and half an hour to complete 5miles .
Training Tip:
There’s a simple rule some trainers follow when deciding how to prepare for an upcoming race: never train unless you don’t know what you’re doing. All you have to know is the thinking behind four workouts: distance runs, race-pace reps, hill reps, and (oddly enough) technical drills. If you know why you’re exercising, you’ll do well and get better. If you don’t, you risk injury, excessive fatigue, and a significant chance of not getting better at best and getting worse at worst.
Steps to walk 5km to marathon:
- Train for 5km
- Train for 10km
- Train for half marathon
- Train for a marathon
When you consider the differences between all the long distances and different runs you can do, you may have some assumptions. However, now is not the time to make informed guesses. Now is the time to do some research and experiment with your resistance to be prepared. Many casual runners just think about doubling, tripling, etc. the effort required to cover each distance based on the shortest distance they were able to cover. If you talk to people who have run a marathon, many will tell you it’s another beast.
How do I know how much free time is enough to run?
Ultimately, the ideal amount of free time is something that varies from person to person.
Based on research on physical fatigue and intuition on mental fatigue, five to seven days of complete rest might be a good guide.
Pace in a 10K race
The first mile: Your first mile should feel like a pace effort: comfortably hard and controlled.
The second and third miles: Don’t think about the finish line at this point, focus on the miles you’ve covered. At this point you should be running with a steady but controlled effort. If the pace is beyond your capabilities, slow down a bit.
