The Big Run: 5K Program

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The Big Run: 5K Program presented by Brooks is geared towards anyone looking to tackle the 5K distance! Whether it's your first time running or you're looking to get some speed in your training, we will help you cross the finish line of the 5K race in just 7 weeks! Along the way we’ll provide you with motivation to keep you moving, guidance and advice, weekly group training runs or walks, and educational clinics on topics such as proper nutrition, choosing the right gear, and avoiding injury. Plus, you’ll have the camaraderie of others just like you!

REGISTER HERE

Important Information:

• Information Session: join us at our Durham Southpoint Store on April 11th from 6 to 7 pm - meet your coaches, mentors, and learn more about the program!
• Season Starts: Tuesday, April 23rd at 6:30 pm in Carrboro and Wednesday, April 24th at 6:30 pm in Durham
• Season Logistics:
  • Tuesday nights at 6:30pm in the Carrboro/Chapel Hill vacinity - location varies depending on the workout
  • Wednesday nights at 6:30pm in the Durham vacinity - location varies depending on the workout
  • Saturday mornings at 7:30am - alternates between the three Fleet Feet Stores
• Goal Race: The Big Run 5K on June 5th, 2024 (Wednesday evening) - your program registration includes registration into The Big Run 5K race! You'll receive all the swag and perks of doing this fabulous in-person run to celebrate Global Running Day!
• Cost: $135, includes race entry!

More Program Information:

We find lots of great places to run and walk in our community - on bike paths, areas with sidewalks, McDougle Elementary, the American Tobacco Trail, etc. Occasionally, we’ll hold a workout at a local track (such as the Duke, McDougle or a High School tracks) to mix up our workouts. All location information will be shared with you each week in our Program Newsletters, on our private Slack group, and can also be found on our Fleet Feet Calendar. The workouts will last about an hour to an hour and a half as we increase mileage throughout the season.  In addition to the workouts there are educational clinics, motivational speakers, on-site physical therapists through our community partners, nutrition tips from local nutritionists and expert coaching/mentoring to help inspire and motivate you on this training journey.

What to expect at our Workouts:

Each week will have a slightly different focus - breathing, form, nutrition, etc. Below is an example workout and how our weekly topics are discussed during the training:

• Welcome/Announcements
• Weekly Topic (Mini-Form Clinic, Nutrition Sampling, Product Demonstration, etc.)
• Find your pace groups
• Group Dynamic Warmup
• Prescribed route for the day - you'll have turn by turn directions if necessary and mentors leading your group
• Optional Cool down stretching with your group
• Sometimes we'll hold a clinic following the workout, if we don't do it before.

Example Groups:

We'll have a variety of groups to help make sure there is a spot for everyone! Here is a general overview of our groups:

• <9 min/mile pace
• 9-10 min/mile
• 10-11 min/mile (includes Interval runners - 2 run/walk 1)
• 11-12 min/mile (Interval runners - 2 run/walk 1)
• 12-13 min/mile (Interval runners - 1 run/walk 1)
• 13+ (Interval runners - 1 run/walk 1)

Run/Walk Interval Running:

There are many benefits to using a run/walk method in your training. We encourage beginning runners to start using a Run/Walk interval in our Beginner 5K training programs - it's a great way to get started. But using a Run/Walk interval is not just for beginners - it’s an excellent tool to help you build endurance and help you cross the finish line of your next race. Some of the benefits include:

• Decreased chance of injury. The run-walk method causes less wear and tear on the body, decreasing the chance of injuries. Continuous use of muscle will result in fatigue much quicker. This method will allow a runner to go farther and/or longer before fatigue sets in.
• Quicker recovery. With less wear and tear on the body also come quicker recover after a run.
• Breaks up distances into manageable units. Running is as much mental as it is physical – especially when you get into the distance races. Using the run-walk intervals will help with those long distances. Running 3 miles just seems impossible. But breaking it down by running for a set number of minutes, it’s much more manageable.
• Motivating for new runners. This method allows just about anyone to run any race they want. It doesn’t matter your age, weight, gender, or physical ability. You can be a runner. As you start off slow, you can work your way up to running for a longer amount of time and having fewer walk breaks.