Ask The Fitness Expert

Q: I’m new to running and have signed up to run the 5K race at this year’s Long Island Marathon in May. Can you offer a beginner’s guide to training for this type of event?

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A. First off, let me commend you for challenging yourself with an exciting new goal. A common concern I hear from our Blink members is that they are worried about how to plan for a race, stay on track and keep up their motivation. With the 5k race just over six weeks out, it’s best to map out which days work best to schedule training sessions onto a calendar, beginning with three sessions a week and building up to five a week over time. 


Within each workout, you’ll want to focus on three critical areas for different amounts of time: interval training (alternating 60 seconds of high intensity running with 60 seconds of low intensity jogging/walking), straight running (at a constant pace) and stretching (dividing your time between warming up and cooling down). Depending on your fitness and comfort level, these workouts can be done in as little as 30 minutes or for as long as one hour. Just remember to enjoy the process. If you are new to running—relish in the endorphins and sense of accomplishment. It’s an automatic mood lifter!

Here’s how you’ll want to build out your running program over the next six weeks:

•First Two Weeks: This period of time should be focused on helping your body adapt to running regularly, as well as help protect your joints from any potential injuries. For this reason, I recommend dedicating half of your workout to interval training, which can be done on a treadmill, bike or on an outdoor jog. Interval training will help you build up your stamina since it’s less impactful on the body—something you’ll absolutely need when you run a long race like this! The other half of your workout should be split between, straight running and stretching. All of our gyms have a great stretch guide posted in our functional training area. If you can’t make it into a Blink, be sure to focus on your thighs, hamstrings, glutes, and lower back.

•Second Two Weeks: Throughout these couple of weeks, you’ll want to pick up the frequency of your training sessions (possibly going from three a week to four) and upping the ante on your straight running sessions. Try to spend about 40% of your workout on straight running, 40% on interval training, and 20% on stretching.

•Last Two Weeks: You’re almost at the finish line! Push yourself to train five times a week in preparation for the upcoming race. At this point, you’ll want to spend about 60% of your workout on straight running, splitting the rest of your time on interval training, and stretching.

Training for this race will be tough, but it will also be rewarding! To help you stay on track, tell some friends about your exciting new goal. This creates accountability, plus they may want to join you! And finally, Blink Fitness is all about making exercise fun—use these training sessions as a time to listen to a motivating playlist. Select songs with high beats per minute to keep your pace and energy up. This is your time, so make it enjoyable!

If you feel like you want an extra hand, Blink’s team of Certified Personal Trainers can also help you reach your race day goals.

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