The redspottedhanky.com Sunderland City 10k is fast approaching and will take place on Sunday, June 26. The run is going to offer an iconic route – passing major landmarks including the Stadium of Light, National Glass Centre, Mowbray Park, Sunderland Marina and the sea front. The course is gently undulating and with no steep climbs it is perfect for people of all levels of fitness and for the keen runners, it will offer them the chance to clock a fast time.

Week One

The first thing to say is that for many people, the Sunderland City 10k is first and foremost about having fun and a fair few of you may walk or jog their way around on the day, without necessarily going for an all out run. That’s absolutely fine and can still give you some genuine health benefits, while being part of a great new sporting event. However, I’m going to use this blog to offer training tips for those of you who are aiming to run the route, but are not hugely experienced regular runners.

With five weeks left to go until the run (and places still available at the moment – details below), there are still plenty of things you can do to prepare that will enhance your fitness and get you ready to put in a good performance. If you want to put a plan together for your training, it’s always better to work back from the day of the race rather than project forward when thinking about what you want to do. That way you can plan a little easier when you want to do your training sessions and also make sure you’re not doing too much and tiring your body out just before the race itself.

Whatever your level of fitness, some of the key training principals are to build up gradually according to your previous experience and remember that it’s not necessary to run the full distance of the race prior to the event.

If you can do somewhere in the region of three quarters of the distance beforehand at a good pace, i.e. 7.5km or 4.5miles in this case, you should feel confident of going that bit further when you need to (if you can manage a little more, then great!).

This week then, if you have the time, try getting out for three sessions with a friend if you can.

On Tuesday and Thursday, go out for a steady jog at a pace where you can just about hold a conversation with your running partner.

On Tuesday don’t worry about your distance so much, but have in mind say 4km or 2.5 miles as a good level. In the last couple of kilometres, try picking up the pace to a point where you’d like to feel comfortable at during the 10k in five weeks’ time. For Thursday’s session, go out again for a jog of around two miles, maintaining a steady conversational pace.

Then on Saturday, try to put in a longer run for the week. Having blown away the cobwebs on Tuesday and Thursday, now is the time to add in a bit more distance. This time try going out for 3.5 miles and when you’re happy that you’re in a comfortable rhythm halfway through your run, pick up the pace to a point where conversation with your partner would be difficult and you’re starting to push yourself a little bit. After a week and three runs, especially with that little bit of extra effort at the weekend, you should feel refreshed and exhilarated and ready to push on for more next week.

And the most important thing that you need to remember: always warm up before, and cool down after, every run. Beforehand, walk, jog and then stretch so that your muscles are loose and warm and won’t be prone to injury. Afterwards, jog and walk, slowing down while stretching, making sure to not stop too suddenly. This will help you recover quicker from your session and prevent stiffness.

There is still time to enter the redspottedhanky.com Sunderland City 10k run. Visit www.sunderlandcity10k.com to find out more and book your place.