10 tips to a successful 10K

Set your goals
If this is your first attempt at a 10km I strongly suggest that you forget about goal times and make your goal enjoying the experience of completing the distance. I always feel that the best possible result of a first try at a new challenge is completing it feeling good, and feeling that you'd like to try it again sometime.

Choose your distance
It might seem odd that this comes second, but taking #1 into consideration you should think about whether you are really ready to take on the challenge of enjoying running 10k. Peace Marathon day also offers a 5km run which can be a stepping stone to the longer distance. This isn't a cop out, it's good sense.

Spend a few yen on proper shoes
A golden rule of running is that when it comes to shorts, tops etc that you should run in whatever you are comfortable in. An old school sweatshirt is just as good as the latest organic cotton Nike gear if that's what you feel comfortable in. But when it comes to shoes, don¡¯t just buy whatever is on sale at Sports Authority, take some time to get the right shoes with the right fit for you, even if it costs you a bit of extra money. The Sasakis at Yanbo Sports just off Hon-dori in Hiroshima city should be able to sort you out. You also get extra karma points for supporting the only specialist running shop in the city.

Walk before you can run
Forcing yourself to run further than you are ready to will only lead to burn out, and/or injury. Intersperse sections of running with walks at a brisk pace. Over time gradually increase the running sections and decrease the walks. Depending on how fit you are and how you progress, this can be a useful strategy for completing the event on "race day".

Rope in a friend
If you are aiming for your first 10km race you should most likely be aiming to build up your aerobic fitness, and interval training and geared towards building speed isn't necessary. In fact, the biggest danger in your preparation is training too hard. There are all kinds of heart rate monitors which you can use to make sure to train in the correct zone, but by far the best and cheapest training equipment you can use is a friend to run with. Having a training partner can not only help motivate you get out from in front of the sumo on a Sunday afternoon, it is the best way to stop you running too hard. Basically, neither of you should get out of breathe enough so that you can't chat comfortably while running - if you do get out of breath, you need to back off the pace.

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How much?
Initially, focus on time spent on your feet rather than distance covered. Increase the length of time you run gradually. Try and make one run a week slightly longer than your other runs, and lengthen this run each week ¨C again gradually (by no more than about 10% a week).

Mix it up
As you are focusing on developing aerobic fitness, doing other aerobic exercise such as cycling or swimming once or twice a week will contribute to fitness and reduce the risk of running related injuries. Again, employing the chat monitoring system is recommended to prevent you from getting carried away.

Put your feet up
Rest is a key component of any training schedule and you should take at least one full rest day a week, and absolute beginners should consider only running every other day at first. Doing yoga or getting a message on rest days can really help promote recovery.

Be cool... and hydrate
Autumn is apparently here, but if you're training in the middle of the day it can still be very hot. Wear a hat and sunscreen, and carry water on your runs. It'll be cooler by November 3, but the sun can be strong and it can be very warm for one half of the race if you have a tail wind. There is some water available on the course, but you may want to consider carrying your own supply.

The "Race"
The biggest threat to completing your goal of enjoying your first 10K is going too¡¡fast. It's important that you don't get carried along with all the other people going off too fast. Focus on your breathing and remember that if you are feeling out of breath early in the race, you will pay for it later in the run. Aim to run the second half of the race slightly faster than the first (known as a negative split) ¨C there's no better way to end a race than by passing all the hares that are paying the price of getting carried away earlier in the race.

Get your negative split, maybe win something in the post-race lottery, take a bath and have a beer, and pretty soon you'll be thinking working on that time in your next 10K.

More information

• There are many sample training plans to help you attain your goal of running a 10K. www.time-to-run.com is a good place to start.
• Warming up and post-workout stretching is very imporatant. You can find a sample steching routine here.
• Click here for more details about the Peace Marathon.

Paul Walsh has absolutely no coaching qualifications whatsoever. The above advice is based on 25 years of running experience, reading books and magazines, and, most of all, the advice of the coaches who have guided him during those years. He has a personal best of 2hrs 36min for the marathon and has completed 4 Ironman Triathlons, including the Hawaii Ironman World Championships.