The Big Run 5K Training Program

Celebrate what makes running fun — high-fives, endorphins, good friends. Come hang with Fleet Feet on Global Running Day, run a breezy 3.1 miles and make The Big Run an epic party.

Need support to get started? We’ve got you! Our two training programs will get you ready for your best 5K ever. The Big Run 5K: Finish Program is our beginner-friendly training program that will help you build the fitness and confidence you need to cross the finish line like a champ. The Big Run 5K: Fast Program will help you gain speed and endurance while supporting you towards a new PR at the 5K distance. With a coach and training buddies to keep you on track, you’ll be psyched to celebrate The Big Run this June. 

• The Big Run 5K: FINISH Registration

• The Big Run 5K: FAST Registration 

Training Logistics:

• Program Start Date: April 22nd in Carrboro, April 23rd in Durham
• Group Workouts:
  • Tuesdays in Carrboro at 6:30 pm
  • Wednesdays in Durham at 6:30 pm
  • Saturdays in alternating locations at 8 am
• We recommend committing to two of the three workouts each week to be successful in this program!
• Your 7 week training plan will be delivered via the Final Surge Training platform and app.
• Each week we'll offer extra advice and tips around hydration, nutrition, injury prevention, form, gear and so much more!

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.