Ian Jones: 7 tips for building up to your first 10km run

Start small

The hardest thing about running is starting, but we all have to do it! So my advice is to start slow and build on it. On your first day, walk for five minutes and run for one, alternating walking and running for 15 minutes. A few days later, you could try walking for four minutes and running for two. Work your way up slowly. Make it sustainable. You can read more about interval training here.

Don’t go out and try running a marathon in your first week, or go so hard that you can’t do anything for two days. Make it as easy for yourself as you can. Don’t push yourself too hard and make sure you listen to your body.

Over the course of your training, your distance and speed will start to increase naturally, and it’s really motivating knowing you can go a bit longer each day. And remember: it’s OK to walk!

Establish a training schedule

Make up a training plan – write down how many days you’re committing to train each week, for how many kilometres and for how long – and keep it in a prominent place, like in your diary or on the fridge. It needs to be somewhere you’ll see it regularly; that’ll make it easier to stick to. I find having a schedule really motivating, because once you start ticking off the runs you’ve completed, you can see your progress right there in front of you.

Mix up your running routes

It’s good to vary your training routes. Run along a different street each day, or do a reverse loop around your local park. Keep mixing things up so your body’s not getting used to doing the same thing all the time. You want to keep things interesting and stimulating so you don’t get bored with the repetition of running.

Look up!

When you’re running, you’re really in the moment. So when you’re out running or walking, make sure you look up, look around and take in where you are. A lot of runners put their headphones in, look at the pavement and just grind it out, but that makes your run feel like a grind. If you’re actively taking in your surroundings, particularly if you’re out in nature, you’ll get so much more out of your session; not just physically, but mentally as well.

Invest in a good pair of shoes

You don’t need a whole lot of fancy gear to start running. But, you should buy yourself a good pair of shoes. They’re not going to make you run any faster, but they’ll make your runs easier and give you a bit of protection underfoot, along with providing additional support to your joints and ligaments. I’d also recommend wearing good, breathable clothes that will keep you cool. Overheating while running will make it harder to go the distance, and it can be easily avoided!  

Smart watches are fantastic too

They’re a great motivator, because you can see how far you’ve run each day, and they help you run at the right pace. When you’re doing a fun run like Round the Bays, it’s really easy to get swept up in the excitement of everybody else at the starting line and start out too fast. But then you get halfway through and it becomes really hard… so use your watch to make sure you’re running at your own pace.

AIA Vitality members can earn an Apple Watch by meeting weekly targets! Find out more

Don’t give quitting a voice

Running isn’t easy, but it’s important to take quitting out of the equation – don’t even have it in your mind. You need to replace any ideas of giving up with positive thoughts: I can do this, I will finish this run, I will make my family and myself really proud.