Along with working as an Associate Director at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Julie Carretero runs regularly. Over the years, Ms. Carretero has competed in several races, including the Yankee Homecoming 5K, the WCRC 5K Cross Country Turkey Trot, and the Apple Harvest Run 5-Miler.

1. Training for Your First 5K
BY JULIE CARRETERO

2. Training for Your First 5K
Along with working as an Associate Director at
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Julie
Carretero runs regularly. Over the years, Ms.
Carretero has competed in several races, including
the Yankee Homecoming 5K, the WCRC 5K Cross
Country Turkey Trot, and the Apple Harvest Run 5-
Miler.

3. Training for Your First 5K
Training for your first 5K can be simultaneously very
challenging and highly fulfilling. These three tips
should help make the process simple and enjoyable.

4. Training for Your First 5K
Develop a plan. Begin by registering for a 5K that is
scheduled a few months later. Take your running
experience and physical condition into
consideration, and develop an exercise plan. There
are numerous resources, from books to mobile apps,
which can help you during this process. In general,
plan on running three days a week beginning with
20-minute jogs. If you cannot jog 20 minutes at a
time quite yet, do not worry. Instead, alternate short
spurts of jogging with a minute or two of walking.

5. Training for Your First 5K
Stay motivated. Friends offer a great source of
accountability when training for a 5K. Consider
signing up and training with other people. You will
also be motivated to stay on track if you get plenty of
rest. However, make sure that you do not over-train,
and try running only three days a week.

6. Training for Your First 5K
Track your progress. Measure out distances and time
yourself as your weeks of training progress. You may
want to train for speed or for distance, but either
way, you should see significant improvements over
the course of your training program.