WGTC Road Race Walk-to-Run 5K Training

This program offers: 9-week Training Program; Optional In-Person Group Training Meetups; Private Facebook Community; Guidance, Support, Accountability

DESCRIPTION:

Ring in the New Year with a commitment to investing in your health and wellness by joining our Walk-to-Run 5K training program! This is a 5K training program for the 2025 West Georgia Track Club Road Race 5K led by West Georgia Track Club. It is a beginner program for those seeking to run their first 5K or get back into running.

West Georgia Track Club is pleased to offer this training to the community to help promote our mission to build community and promote, encourage, and foster a healthy lifestyle for runners. This training program is a free service but we do require the following to particpate: 
       1) You must be a current West Georgia Track Club member:    Become a Member* 
       2) You must register for the 2025 WGTC Road Race 5K: Register for the WGTC Road Race* 

*Please note that WGTC members receive a $10 discount on registration for the WGTC Road Race, among many other race discounts throughout the year.

Do you want to run but feel overwhelmed by the thought of it, or just don’t know where to start? Is running a 5K one of your New Year’s resolutions? This program is for you! This training program is for beginners who have never run, people who are new to running and would like to run their first 5K, and folks who want help getting back into running. We will use a 9-week Walk-to-Run 5K program and guide participants through the training program, offering optional in-person group run opportunities, a private Facebook community, and guidance from experienced runners. 

This program is perfect for the beginner runner, former runner who is trying to get back into running, or those who just want the motivation and accountability to get moving. We will ease you into running using a 9-week walk/run interval program that will gradually decrease the walk intervals and increase the run intervals. Training will culminate at the West Georgia Track Club Road Race 5K on March 8, 2025 when you will run your 5K! 

While participants do not have to be consistently exercising prior to the program, some level of walking fitness is strongly encouraged. All participants must be cleared by a medical professional ensuring that they are healthy enough to train. 

The training will begin on January 6, 2025 and will finish at the WGTC Road Race on March 8, 2025 where you will run your 5K! To participate, you must be a current WGTC member and registered for the WGTC Road Race 5K.

The Training: 

We will follow a 9-week walk/run interval plan that will gradually decrease your walk intervals and gradually increase your run intervals. There are three walk/jog workouts/ week. Training will culminate at the West Georgia Track Club Road Race 5K on March 8, 2025 when you will run your 5K! You will receive the plan for the week at the beginning of each week. You are free to complete all of the workouts on your own, or you can also attend one or all of our weekly group runs where we will do the workout together on a track. We currently have three weekly group runs. We will use these group runs to do in-person group training. These are optional and you are welcome to attend none or all of them:

Wednesdays 5am
Thursdays 6pm
Saturdays 8am

In addition to the optional in-person training, we will have a private Facebook community where we will post training plans, offer motivation and support, and answer any questions you may have. You will also be able to interact with, motivate, and cheer on other group members there.