From 5K to marathon: how to kickstart your running journey

Base mileage. This is how many miles you run, spread across 3 to 5 runs each week. Ideally, you should be building up to a base mileage of 50 miles over the course of your training, at which point you should be ready for a marathon. However, you should never increase your base mileage by more than 10% per week.

Regular long runs. Completing one long run every 7 to 10 days – increasing by a mile or two each time – is a good way to gradually increase your endurance.

Speed exercises. These are exercises like practice intervals and tempo runs – optional elements which can help to increase your cardio capacity.

Rest and recovery. Every marathon training programme should include built-in periods for your body to rest and recover, ensuring that you don’t push yourself too hard and risk injury.

Stretches. Stretching before and after your runs is so important, yet so easy to forget. Warming up and down helps to improve your flexibility so that you are less likely to injure yourself. You can find some recommended exercises here.

Strength training. Your muscles act as shock absorbers when you run, protecting your joints and bones from the physical strain of running and helping you to maintain stability. Strength training exercises like these will help prepare your body for the impact sustained during a marathon.

Recovery. This was mentioned briefly above, but is worth restating. Rest and recovery are an integral part of your training, giving your muscles and joints time to heal before you go into your next training session.

Protein. Runners need approximately 60 grams more protein per day than the average non-runner – an amount that equates to eating around 200 grams of chicken, for example. Vegetarians and vegans have plenty of protein-rich food options too, such as soy beans, lentils or tempeh.

Hydration. Your body needs water all the time, although it will need more while you’re training than while you’re resting and recovering. You should keep water with you while you’re training so you can drink whenever you’re thirsty, but avoid drinking more than 600ml of water per hour.

Pre-run snack. Having a small, easily digestible snack about 30-60 minutes before running will give you some energy for the activity you’re about to do. It should be something high in carbs and protein, but low in fat and fibre.

Mid-run snack. As you take on longer and longer runs, you will need to get used to the idea of re-fuelling on the go. Ultimately, you should be aiming to eat every half an hour or so during training, with an intake goal of approximately 30g of carbs per hour. Try bananas or carrots – both easy to carry and eat on the move.

Post-run snack. You should be having yet another carb/protein-rich snack in the 30-60 minutes after a run. Your body needs nutrients with which to refuel and heal your muscles.

Look out for hot spots. If you start to feel a particularly sore area on your feet that is altering your gait, you are very likely developing a blister. You can address this immediately with a Compeed blister plaster (the official blister plaster of parkrun), which not only cushions blister pain so that you can continue training, but creates a healing environment that quickly banishes your blister.

Recognise abnormal pain. Listen to your body, and be on the lookout for pain that goes beyond the usual post-training aches. If you experience a sharp pain that is causing difficulty moving in the normal way, you may be experiencing something more serious that needs to be checked by a medical professional.

Don’t push through pain. Any pain that is causing you to limp or adjust your running form means you need to stop running – not just because you could be making your injury worse, but because running with an altered gait could lead to further injury.

Recovery takes as long as it takes. Taking a week out of your training is not going to derail your progress, and won’t have any significant negative impact on your aerobic fitness. The most important thing is allowing your body to recover so you can resume training safely.