5km this is the distance between you and the excellent runner

For many running enthusiasts, running might be the quickest, most enjoyable, and most interesting way to achieve and maintain health. Therefore, when they have to stop training due to pain, injuries, or even sports injuries, they feel doubly frustrated, or they might give up running due to training difficulties.

In fact, simply adding a few more 5-kilometer runs to your daily training would suffice. Especially for marathon enthusiasts, it can help you significantly improve your performance, boost your confidence in races, and allow you to make slight adjustments in terms of surface, stride, etc., to achieve a more relaxed run.

Change your running style

If you have only been running on roads, you should regularly try some trail running to gradually adapt to this new training method. Uneven surfaces will change the pressure on your body and feet, giving you more challenges and helping you recover faster between runs.

Engage in cross-training

For those who love running and only use running as a form of exercise, a harsh reality is: running more is not always better. The only sure way to reduce your risk of sports injuries is to reduce your running volume, as excessive running volume is the factor most closely related to the frequency of running injuries.

Run smoothly

When you forcefully land your feet, the impact travels through your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and connective tissues, from your feet to your hips, making you feel uncomfortable or even in pain. Over time, this running style will take its toll and may even lead to the collapse of the entire kinetic chain.

Actively reduce your stride length

The purpose of reducing stride length while running is to actively lower the muscle exertion intensity with each step, thereby extending your running time as much as possible. Larger strides increase the force on your ankles, leading to fatigue and reducing your interest in running, which may eventually cause you to give up long-distance running.

Slow down your running speed

Different running speeds have different effects on the cardiovascular system, with slower runs being gentler on the heart. Generally, using your morning pulse rate (the pulse rate when you are awake and at rest in the morning) multiplied by 1.4 to 1.8 to get the target heart rate per minute is suitable for controlling the intensity of initial long runs.

The running distance should be long enough

Since it's called long-distance running, the distance shouldn't be too short; 3-5 kilometers is most suitable, but you should do it within your capacity. Jogging for a longer distance can help burn the excess calories stored in your body, which is the best auxiliary method for lowering blood lipids, blood sugar, and relieving blood pressure.

Running varies from person to person

This is an important principle for engaging in 'healthy running.' Generally, everyone's physical condition, surrounding environment, and personal health status are different, so you must combine your actual situation when running, such as reasonably arranging your running speed and distance. Ideally, you should do this under the guidance of a professional.

Compared to a half marathon, 5 kilometers is much shorter and requires less recovery time, which means you can train more frequently and push your speed to the maximum. You don't need to deliberately reduce your training frequency to increase recovery time. In your weekly training plan, you can include several 5-kilometer runs to train your pre-race strategy, race day diet, and speed strategy. Repeated practice will significantly improve your running performance.

We must face the fact that any running project you participate in, if it exceeds the level at which your body feels comfortable, will severely affect your mood and, in severe cases, even hit your confidence. When you start a new training course, it can more accurately test your current running level, allowing you to arrange a more suitable training plan based on the test results. With such practice, running enthusiasts will find it hard to resist running.