{
  "presentation": "complete-card",
  "format_version": 3,
  "overview": "A 10K is 10 kilometres (6.2 miles); a half marathon is about 21.1 kilometres (13.1 miles). Preparing for either means building running consistency and learning to manage a race. The half is more than twice the distance, so the same training block does not automatically fit both.",
  "overview_sources": "World Athletics / AIMS · 2023",
  "overview_source_ids": [
    "fit46-first-10k-half-distances"
  ],
  "sections": [
    {
      "role": "explanation",
      "title": "What preparing for your first race involves",
      "items": [
        {
          "label": "A beginner race plan can still assume regular running.",
          "text": "NHS Couch to 5K builds toward 30-minute runs over nine weeks, not a guaranteed 5K in that time. A longer-race plan has its own starting requirements; finishing a walk-run course does not automatically meet them.",
          "source": "NHS · undated",
          "source_ids": [
            "fit-guide-c25k-plan"
          ]
        },
        {
          "label": "One 10K example is eight weeks.",
          "text": "Hal Higdon’s Novice plan starts with a 2.5-mile run, uses three running days, two easy cross-training days and two rest days, and peaks at 5.5 miles. Cross-training means another activity, such as cycling or walking. Walking breaks are allowed.",
          "source": "Hal Higdon · Novice 10K",
          "source_ids": [
            "fit-rebuild-first-10k-half-higdon-10k"
          ]
        },
        {
          "label": "The half-marathon example starts from a stronger base.",
          "text": "Higdon’s separate 12-week Novice 1 assumes three-mile runs three to four times weekly. Its table starts the weekend run at four miles and peaks at ten, includes practice 5K/10K races, then tapers—reduces training before race day. These are plan examples, not universal readiness tests.",
          "source": "Hal Higdon · Novice 1 half marathon",
          "source_ids": [
            "fit-rebuild-first-10k-half-higdon-half"
          ]
        },
        {
          "label": "Easy runs and long runs have different jobs.",
          "text": "An easy run uses a manageable effort with conversation possible; a long run is the week’s longer outing. Recovery also belongs in the week. Every session need not feel like a race.",
          "source": "Bupa · 2026",
          "source_ids": [
            "fit46-first-10k-half-bupa-plans"
          ]
        },
        {
          "label": "Food and drink are part of preparation.",
          "text": "Sports-nutrition guidance considers time spent exercising, not just the race name. Gels are portable carbohydrate, not a requirement for every run. Practising intended food and fluids during training helps reveal stomach tolerance; individual needs differ.",
          "source": "AIS · undated",
          "source_ids": [
            "fit46-first-10k-half-ais-fuel"
          ]
        },
        {
          "label": "Race day includes more than running.",
          "text": "Event guides cover bibs, transport, starting groups, water and toilets. Boston Half groups runners by expected pace and times them from crossing the start. Those arrangements affect the day.",
          "source": "Boston Athletic Association · 2026",
          "source_ids": [
            "fit46-first-10k-half-race-logistics"
          ]
        },
        {
          "label": "Read week 1 before choosing the finish-line date.",
          "text": "Higdon's Novice 10K begins with runs of 2.5, 2 and 3 miles: 7.5 miles across the first week, plus cross-training. A person who has completed one 30-minute run has not thereby demonstrated that weekly routine. Compare the plan's starting week and available recovery days with actual recent training; the race distance alone does not describe the entry requirement.",
          "source": "Hal Higdon · Novice 10K schedule",
          "source_ids": [
            "fit-rebuild-first-10k-half-higdon-10k"
          ],
          "provenance": "source-explanation-20261020"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "role": "benefits",
      "title": "What working toward the race can offer",
      "items": [
        {
          "label": "Practice staying on your feet for longer.",
          "text": "Long runs develop endurance for sustained running. Shorter outings and recovery support the week; entering a longer race does not promise a faster finish.",
          "source": "Bupa · 2026",
          "source_ids": [
            "fit46-first-10k-half-bupa-plans"
          ]
        },
        {
          "label": "A finish can become a meaningful milestone.",
          "text": "A HealthUnlocked runner finished a first half eight months after Couch to 5K with no time goal. Covering the distance and the crowd support mattered more than someone else’s pace.",
          "source": "Community · HealthUnlocked",
          "source_ids": [
            "fit-rebuild-first-10k-half-healthunlocked-half"
          ]
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "role": "cautions",
      "title": "Good to know before committing",
      "items": [
        {
          "label": "The entry also commits time and money.",
          "text": "Check cutoffs and cancellation rules. The 2026 Boston Half lists $110, non-refundable entry and a three-hour official-finisher limit from the last starter. Other events differ.",
          "source": "Boston Athletic Association · 2026",
          "source_ids": [
            "fit46-first-10k-half-race-logistics"
          ]
        },
        {
          "label": "Pain is not a training target.",
          "text": "Supportive running shoes need not be expensive. NHS guidance advises stopping painful running and seeking assessment for severe or persistent pain. A looming race date is not a reason to push through.",
          "source": "NHS · 2022",
          "source_ids": [
            "fit46-first-10k-half-injury"
          ]
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "role": "community",
      "title": "From community discussion",
      "items": [
        {
          "label": "A race date motivates, but leaves little room for setbacks.",
          "text": "Runners describe mostly easy weeks built around one growing long run, with anxiety about mileage jumps and bone stress. In Higdon’s reviews, Sierra reported run-walk sessions and a 1:08 first 10K, but wished for an extra buffer week. Neither story establishes a safe crash-course timeline.",
          "source": "Community",
          "provenance": "preserved-community-record"
        },
        {
          "label": "After Couch to 5K, goals differ.",
          "text": "One r/C25K graduate moved to Higdon’s novice 10K; another reply suggested continuing three 30-minute runs while deciding. Moving up in distance is one option, alongside keeping the habit or working on pace.",
          "source": "Community · Reddit r/C25K · 2026",
          "source_ids": [
            "fit-rebuild-first-10k-half-reddit-next"
          ]
        },
        {
          "label": "Repeating weeks can help the calendar fit.",
          "text": "A Nike Run Club runner repeated 10K-plan weeks to align with the race and enjoyed guided runs. They had covered 10K three times by race day; a reply expected their first full distance at the event.",
          "source": "Community · Reddit r/nikerunclub",
          "source_ids": [
            "fit46-first-10k-half-nike-story"
          ]
        },
        {
          "label": "The crowd can pull your pace away from your plan.",
          "text": "First-10K commenters reported starting faster than intended despite planning otherwise. Replies favored familiar socks and food; fuel advice ranged from none to gels, with one reply distinguishing an hour-long effort from two hours. That disagreement is not a personal fueling rule.",
          "source": "Community · Reddit r/BeginnersRunning",
          "source_ids": [
            "fit46-first-10k-half-start-nerves"
          ]
        },
        {
          "label": "Longest-run confidence is personal.",
          "text": "One first-half thread debated ten-mile peaks versus 11–13.5 miles for reassurance. The original poster later reported a roughly 2:27 finish with a hard final 5K. Completing the distance in training reassured some runners; one longest run did not settle everyone’s concern.",
          "source": "Community · Reddit r/beginnerrunning",
          "source_ids": [
            "fit46-first-10k-half-longest-run"
          ]
        },
        {
          "label": "Family schedules shape the training.",
          "text": "A full-time working parent with four children could fit only one weekly long run. A dad replying reported a roughly 1:48 half on three to four runs weekly, but felt undertrained during recovery. Finishing well and recovering easily were different experiences.",
          "source": "Community · Reddit r/beginnerrunning",
          "source_ids": [
            "fit46-first-10k-half-family-time"
          ]
        },
        {
          "label": "Crowds are a benefit for some runners.",
          "text": "The HealthUnlocked finisher loved strangers cheering their name and offering snacks and water. Another participant disliked events. Enjoying running does not require enjoying races.",
          "source": "Community · HealthUnlocked",
          "source_ids": [
            "fit-rebuild-first-10k-half-healthunlocked-half"
          ]
        },
        {
          "label": "Another race can motivate—or burn you out.",
          "text": "In a post-race discussion, one runner missed the structure after a first half; another canceled a subsequent half after burnout. Replies described shorter races or running for enjoyment instead of automatically moving to a marathon.",
          "source": "Community · Reddit r/runninglifestyle",
          "source_ids": [
            "fit46-first-10k-half-after-race"
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "couch-to-5k",
    "long-run",
    "easy-miles",
    "polarized-training"
  ]
}