Training for a 10k Race

Quinn Slayton is the Volunteer Program Manager at Community Action. Over the next few weeks, she will be recording her progress as she trains for the Have a Heart Run 10k Race.

My Valentine’s Day present to myself was deciding to run in Community Action's Have a Heart Run 10k race. What a better way to show my love for my community, my organization, and for my health! I’ve been an active member of the HAHR steering committee all year, but I had never considered participating because….I’m not a runner! Whenever I see a runner plodding along the pavement on a dreary damp day, I think, “Gee whiz, he looks miserable!” Though I was on the track team in high school, my only attempts at “running” consisted of the 7 steps it took to propel my body over the high jump bar.

My resolution this year was to take better care of myself: getting more rest, eating right, and exercising. After a week into my own made-up exercise routine, however, I discovered that I was losing interest. Who cares if I don’t get up this morning for a jog? My dog certainly doesn’t care to be forced into the dark damp morning, and neither do I.

I didn’t care because I didn’t have a specific goal in mind. After a HAHR committee meeting, the light bulb came on, “Whoa, I could run this race!” Not only did it give me a specific reason to work out, it also gave me a great excuse to buy a new pair of shoes (which is always a great motivator for me).

Now that I had a goal in mind and a sweet new pair of shoes on my feet, it was time to figure out the best way to get started. I found this simple 8 week training plan by Googling “10k training plan.” I ran it (haha) by one of my hard core marathon-runner friends, and she gave it the thumbs up. I printed it off, put it on my refrigerator, and now I’m ready to begin!

Stay tuned for next week where I'll share the painful but rewarding experience of my first week of training!