Running News Daily

5K or 10K: Which Distance Should Beginners Run First?

If you're a new runner, should you start by running a 5K or a 10K, or both?

It's a great question and one that will depend on two things: first, your fitness level before you start training seriously for a race, and second, how many weeks you want to devote to serious training. Let's first start with the issue of fitness level.

5K vs. 10K: How Does Training for Each Differ?

Many beginning runners are in a routine where they run roughly three miles three days a week. That's good news if you want to run a 5K, as it's 3.1 miles. You know you're going to be able to run the 5K distance, and that should put your mind at ease.

But it's one thing to finish a 5K, and it's another thing to race a 5K. To really race a 5K, you're going to have to do a weekly long run and another aerobic workout during the week, such as a fartlek run, threshold run or some aerobic repeats on the track.

And if you really want to see how fast you can run a 5K, you have to be honest about the fact that even though you'll feel well during the first half mile of the race, you'll soon be uncomfortable for the middle two miles of the race, then you'll have to suffer a bit the last half mile to run the race time you're capable of. That's the difference between running races for the fun, social experience, and running races to test your physical limits.

For 10K training, the runner who runs three miles, three days a week can't have the same confidence about being able to run the race distance of 6.2 miles since he or she never runs that far during their runs. For this reason the training for a 10K beginner needs to be a few weeks longer to prepare for the race.

Why Beginners Should Start With a 5K

So which one should you train for first: a 5K or a 10K? My suggestion is a 5K, and there are several reasons.

When you learn how to challenge yourself during a 5K, you'll have the basic skills of running with discomfort that will help you complete longer distances. A well-run 5K is a grind from start to finish, and the sooner you learn how to run with the discomfort associated the 5K, the sooner you'll set PRs at the longer distances. Again, this isn't to say that you shouldn't run some 5Ks for fun—running with friends or running with a stroller or a dog. But the flip side is that if you've been running for a while and you're ready to see how fast you can run, then you need to learn how to push yourself.

Training for the 5K is pretty straight forward: a weekly long run and a weekly workout, and this simplicity suits beginning runners. Do those two things, then get in another day or two of running, and you can run a PR.

Build your long run up to 5 or 6 miles. Your main workout of the week should be a threshold or fartlek run to develop the aerobic metabolism, which is important because the 5K is 95 percent aerobic.

Another reason beginning runners should start with the 5K is you can still do other cross-training activities while training for a 5K. You won't be running that much, so the yoga, biking, swimming, etc. will still fit well within your training.

When to Move Up in Distance to the 10K

Once you've raced a couple of solid 5Ks, then you're ready to move to the 10K—even if you're still a beginner. The main reason for a beginner to run a 10K is the sense of accomplishment you get from racing 6.2 miles. It's a different sensation than running a 5K, and if you run it the smart way—even splits through 5 miles and then a negative split for the last 1.2 miles—you can feel great about yourself when you have your post-race snack.

ou will need to bump up the volume of the long-run day and the workout day for 10K training. Your long run should be at least 8 miles, and if you can get in 9 or 10, that's ideal. The workout should be a bit longer than 5K workouts as well, with the total mileage in the 6-mile range.

But the easy days can still stay easy, and don't have to be longer than the easy runs you did in your 5K training. If you can run a bit farther on your easy days, great, but that's not the key to racing a good 10K. Get a 10K-appropriate long run in, get a 10K-appropriate workout in, and you'll be ready to go.

It's important to note that some 10K training plans would have you working out three times a week. For the beginner, there is no need to add a third workout each week. But, when you start to morph into an intermediate runner, it may make sense to transition to two workouts a week and a weekly long run (so a total of three hard days a week).