My First 7K Run

[Marty_Funkhauser]

I graduated Couch to 5K just over two weeks ago and since finishing I have just carried on doing the 3 x 30 minute runs a week although I carrying on running to complete the 5K which normally takes me around 30 mins. I was made aware by a friend of a local 7K in a few weeks so I thought it would be a nice one for my first organised run as the slightly longer distance would be good to aim for. I foolishly didn't look at the route until today and the final 2k looks like it is up a fairly steep gradient. The race is about three weeks away so don't have much time so was wondering if I would be better concentrating on reaching the 7K distance (the route I run is fairly flat) or look to find some steep hills and do some shorter runs up them. Thanks.

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7k sounds like a nice interim distance, exciting! I think just keep running as you are, you could always do a combination of walking and running to manage the hilly part of the run on the day. Also the excitement of running in a crowd will probably carry you along. For me, the first weeks after finishing c25k were all about consolidation. If you can be very confident about your ability to run 5/6k then that final hilly bit will be your only challenge on the day. Go for it

[misswobble Graduate10]

You could do a bit of both. If the hill is steep folks walk much if it anyway, so don't worry

Hills are hard work so go steady. You can break them down a bit at a time. Small steps 🙂 Keep working on your incremental runs towards 7k, carefully of course

Have fun 😃

[JoolieB1 Graduate10]

That is amazing, well done! I was running three times a week - 2 x 5k and a "long run" day. I started with a 5.5, then a 6, 7, 8 and then a 10k. I found keeping two 5k runs allowed me to recover. What are you planning now??

[Tanethra Graduate10]

You should be able to manage the 7k with 3 weeks to prepare despite the hill finish. Might be worthwhile to do some short hill intervals once a week to prepare you. The key to running hills is to shorten your stride but up the cadence (leg turnover), and keep those arms pumping! It will be hard work but try and keep within your current ability / fitness.

[Marty_Funkhauser]

Cheers for the advice guys, much appreciated.