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Run Your First 5k After 40: The Complete Beginner's Guide To Fitness, Confidence & Lifelong Running
Paperback
ISBN13: 9781739547189
Publisher: Greative Books Publishing, Ltd.
Published: Jun 27 2026
Pages: 166
Weight: 0.39
Height: 0.35 Width: 5.25 Depth: 8.00
Language: English
You've decided to start running. After 40. And you're wondering if it's too late.
It isn't. But most beginner running books weren't written with you in mind. They assume a younger body, faster recovery, and a life with fewer demands. This one doesn't.
Run Your First 5K After 40 is a complete six-week beginner running programme written specifically for the over-40 runner, whether you have never run a step in your life or you tried before and never made it stick. Written by John McDonnell, a UK Athletics Coach in Running Fitness who began running at 42 and has since completed over 40 marathons and five ultra-marathons, this is a guide built around the reality of starting later.
Inside you'll find:
- A proven six-week run-walk program that has taken hundreds of first-time runners from the couch to their first 5K finish line
- An eight-week alternative plan for those who can only commit two days per week
- Week-by-week coaching points covering posture, breathing technique and running form
- A complete post-run stretching routine targeting the muscles and joints most vulnerable after 40
- Pre and post-run nutrition guidance with specific meal suggestions built around recovery
- Practical advice on hydration, sleep and building the daily habits that make the training stick
- Honest guidance on managing soreness, avoiding injury and knowing when to rest
This starts you off where you are. It's not about being a fast 5K runner, it is about finishing your first 5k feeling strong and proud.
The 5K finish line feels impossible right now. That's exactly how it's supposed to feel before you start. John has coached runners from age 8 to 80 and has watched complete beginners cross that line with tears in their eyes, wondering why they waited so long.
You don't need a running background. You don't need to be fit. You need a coach that respects where you are right now and gets you to where you want to be.
Your first 5K is six weeks away. Let's go.
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