Tips For Running 5K Three Times A Week – My First 10K

If you asked me 3 months ago if I ever imagined myself running once a week, let alone running 5K three times a week, I would have told you jog on. Pun absolutely intended. Nor would I have believed that the benefits of running three times a week can seriously impact your mental wellbeing too.

In just six weeks, I’ve progessed from an out of breath runner – hating absolutley every 1km I ran – to absolutley loving it. And because of that, I want to share a few tips that has helped me along the way…

It goes without saying, but I really wouldn’t have been able to run my first 5K without the help of the 10K app. You can read more about that here.

Running 5K three times a week

While it may sound a little overwhelming at first, believe me, it really isn’t. Not if you work your way up that is.

In fact, it wasn’t until this morning when I realised that for the past couple of weeks I’ve been running more than 5K three times a week. Crazy, huh? But when I think about how far I’ve come in those 6 weeks, I’m pretty damn chuffed with myself.

Here are a few key things that have helped me run 5K (and more) three times a week…

The right running shoes

Around week 8 (I think), my left calf started playing up after I switched my running shoes for fancier, brighter one’s that I found hiding at the back of the wardrobe. After a couple of painful runs – including the one that forced me to delay a week’s worth of running – I finally figured that my new shoes were the culprit of my calf pain. I mean, it’s pretty obvious looking back on it now, but I honestly believed my £50 more trainers would be much better for my feet! Oh how wrong I was.

So when I switched back to my old running trainers, it became pretty clear to me just how important the right running shoes are. Once lockdown is over, I’ll be heading to a running store near me so I can professionally get my feet looked at and a shoe suited to my feet.

Forget the numbers and stats

Believe me when I say this, the number on your watch or tracking device does not define how good of a runner you are. Repeat after me: it does not matter how far I run or how fast I run, as long as I run, I am a runner.

Don’t be fooled though, it took me a long time to realise the above. I think though, when I finally reached my 5K milestone a couple of weeks ago, my mindset on running completely changed. Sure, I still gaze over my pace and distance after every run, but only with curiosity – not with judgement on my running skills. And because of this, it means I can now run freely and happily without really batting an eyelid at my stats.

Although this approach doesn’t work for everyone, I honestly believe it can help shift people’s mindset on running when they’re getting too hung up on the numbers and when eventually, the numbers mean more to them than the running does.

Post-run recovery/stretching

I know it might feel like everyone bangs on about the importance of post-run recovery/stretching but after a few niggles with my calves these past few weeks, I’ve learnt that post-recovery is everything for running injury-free. Here’s my current routine…

Before I run I’ll simply do a few gluten activation exercises and a few hip openers. These include reverse lunges, crab walks & clamshells with a resistance band, air squats and glute bridges. I’ll then brisk walk for 5 minutes before my run starts and for the first kilometre, I’ll run at a steady and relatively slow pace to help my body warm up properly.

After my run, I’ll take to my mat and stretch out my muscles with the following movements…

Hamstring stretch (any will do, to be honest)
Hip flexor strecth
Pigeon strecth
Glute strecth
Torso/back stretch
Hip opener
Calf strecth

This usually takes me 7-10 minutes and although I was a little lazy at first, I really make sure I’m thorough with each stretch to help keep my muscles healthy and happy.

Fuel

I often discuss (quite openly too) my hormone imbalance journey with my online followers, and as I’ve slowly increased my running miles week by week, I’ve also come to realise just how much I’ve been under fuelling my body for the amount of energy it’s spending daily. You can read more about my hormone journey here.

To put it bluntly, the more you increase your activity levels and the more energy you burn, the more stress you’re putting on your body if you’re failing to fuel it correctly. By adding more stress to our bodies, this increases cortisol levels and if left untreated, can cause long-term health issues.

Key signs of under-fuelling include fatigue, moodiness, bloating, lack of energy during runs, poor recovery, eating disorders and more. To allow your body to run 5K three times a week and more, you need to ensure there is always fuel in the tank.

My advice? Working out your totally daily energy expenditure can be super helpful here. By working out your TDEE, you’ll also work out your maintenance calories – the amount of calories your body requires to maintain your current weight and body fat/muscle mass composition. By doing so, you’ll have a clearer picture of how much you should be fuelling your body with daily to keep it healthy.

As I’m currently working hard to rebalance my hormones and reduce my cortisol levels, I’m making sure I fuel my body before and after each workout.

It’s recommended that if you’re body is already in a state of stress (or imbalance) – amenorrhea & REDs for example – then you should avoid training fasted and eat within 30 minutes of waking and after exercise to keep your cortisol levels happy.

Have a plan

I mentioned it very briefly above, but I wouldn’t have been able to reach my 8K mark without the help of the Couch to 10K app. A weekly plan not only keeps you moving in the right direction, but it encourages you to keep yourself accountable too.

If you have absolutely no idea where to begin, then I highly recommend a running app like Couch to 5K/10K – beginner or not. Or, if an app doesn’t sound like your kind of thing, then start with a plan of how many minutes (for example) you’d like to run each week…

• Week 1 – 20 minutes split into walk/run intervals.
• Week 2 – 24 minutes split into walk/run intervals.
• Week 3 – 26 minutes split into walk/run intervals.
• Week 4 – 20 minutes with no intervals.

I believe running plans are all personal and tailored to each individual so my advice would be to start small and be realistic. Set yourself a goal and work from the bottom to reach it. Don’t view your goal as ‘I must run 5K three times a week’ but instead, view it in a simplified way. E.g, ‘How can I work towards my first 5K?’ and then, ‘how can I work towards running 5K twice a week?’.

And remember, a goal doesn’t always have to be a set distance or time – it can be a pace goal too.

Get fitter before you get faster

I spoke about this on my Instagram a couple of weeks ago, and I’m so happy how many other people resonated with me about this particular mindset.

A few weeks into my running, I began to realise that if I wanted to get faster at running, I first had to get fitter. To do so, I started focusing on my heart rate during every run – aka, heart rate training.

Right now, I’m currently training in zone 2 (80% of my max heart rate). The idea behind heart rate-based training is that you train your aerobic system without overstressing your skeletal and muscular systems. It also prevents you from running too hard and reduces the risk of fatigue and overtraining.

For someone like me who is currently working towards rebalancing my hormones, training at more than 80% of my heart rate can do more damage than good. Although many people don’t often view running as high-intesisty exercise, if you’re constantly running at more than 80% of your max heart rate, then your body will view it as high-intensity.

So the way I see it, if I were to run more than 80% for the duration of my run, then it would be the same as smashing a HIIT workout in the gym. But probably worse as a good, decent HIIT session should only be 15-20 minutes max!

I’ve personally found that since I’ve slowed down and focused on my pace, my recovery has become a lot easier too – meaning my legs are a lot fresher for my next run. Sure, I’m not running a huge distance right now, but for a beginner like me, it’s pretty key that I recover efficiently.

Benefits of running three times a week

I’m not here to convince you to start running every single day, but I am here to encourage you to start thinking about the benefits of running 5K three times a week a little bit differently.

Sure, it can massively benefit our weight-loss and physique goals – if that’s your jam – but it can also benefit our mental wellbeing in wonderful ways too…

Runners high

I’ve often heard of runners high, but until I started running more consistently, and more than once a week, I started to really understand the meaning of ‘runners high’.

Studies out there suggest that after we run, our brain pumps out two feel-good chemicals – endorphins and endocannabinoid. Yup, cannabinoid as in the THC found in weed.

Cardiovascular benefits of the brain

When it comes to cardiovascular benefits, we often don’t think about the brain. Yet, regular cardiovascular exercise can help spark the growth of new blood vessels to nourish the brain.

By running three times a week, you may even produce new brain cells in certain locations through a process called neurogenesis, which may lead to an overall improvement in brain performance and prevent cognitive decline.

A sense of empowerment

One of the things I love most about running is the sense of achievement and empowerment it gives me after each run. There’s just something about waking up early and smashing my goals before everyone else wakes up. Right?

By committing to a goal, sticking with it and eventually achieving it, you’ll naturally experience feelings of empowerment and satisfaction and this in turn, will keep you motivated moving forward. Which is why it’s super important to have a plan/goals in structure!

PS, if you’re new here then you can catch up on my couch to 10K journey over on Instagram (@hannahandfitness) where I’ve saved the entire journey on my story highlights. If you do pop over, make sure you say hello!

To see where I’m at now, check out the start of my half marathon training here.