Experienced runners, casual joggers and walkers are all invited to the 41st annual Dean Griffin Pi Mile 5K Road Race, which will start at 8 a.m. April 13 on the Georgia Tech campus.
The event features chip timing, a T-shirt and a post-race party. Want to run but need to get up to speed? Here are beginner and intermediate training plans put together by Evan Cahill, a second-year biomedical engineering major, competitive runner and president of the Runnin’ Wreck club.
For beginners, no running experience is expected and the goal is to simply complete the 5K with little to no walking. “Jog” is a comfortable running pace with walking as needed. “Run” is a comfortable running pace with ideally no walking. “Walk/Jog” is to jog if comfortable, and walking is OK for the entire workout. (Click to enlarge above chart)
For intermediate runners, some running experience is expected, and the goal is to complete the 5K in a specified time. Track work includes 400 meter runs and 800 meter runs, which should be run at a pace of 1 minute/mile faster than the 5K goal pace and 30 seconds/mile faster than the 5K goal pace, respectively. For the tempo of each run, the first quarter to a third of the run should be at a comfortable pace, the next third to a half should slowly build to near race pace, and about two thirds or three quarters into the run, the pace should stay near the race pace for two to five minutes. The run should be finished at the initial comfortable pace. (Click to enlarge above chart)
For all skill levels, remember to hydrate by starting to drink more water at least two days before the event. Get plenty of sleep both nights before the race. Eat a well-rounded dinner that includes some carbohydrates the night before, and eat enough breakfast that will give you the energy you need to run—but not enough to irritate your stomach. Warm up and stretch before the race, and don’t forget to cool down after. Most importantly, have fun!
Want to run the Pi Mile? For more information or to register, visit gtalumni.org/pimile or email Nicole Ikeda, events coordinator, at [email protected]. More information on the Runnin’ Wreck club, including a schedule of group training runs on campus, is available at runninwreck.gtorg.gatech.edu.
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