Walk, jog or run your first 10K: weeks 11-20 of 20 week program
By
David Holt
of
David Holt
Walk, jog, run would be a good book title. This web page shows former walkers and new joggers how to train for running their first 10K.
walk, jog, run to your first 5K race...weeks 1-10 of 10K training for beginners
The second 10 weeks of 20 for 10K race preparation for new runners. Two simple goals. Increase mileage
to race double
the 5K you did a few days ago. Some people might think a doubling in mileage is
needed? However, most Olympic 10K runners train for the same mileage which 5K runners do.
You will increase mileage by about 25 percent, but a greater proportion of your miles
will be running.
Week 11 Run or walk
22 miles
this week. A 4, 5, 5 and 8 would be nice. Continue to alternate 200 meters of running with 100 of brisk
walking for one run; run the half mile to one mile at a time for one run a week; run
5 miles of the 8 as a continuous run. Week 12 Make the long
run a
nine. Make sure you include hilly terrain for some runs, and grass or dirt trails too.
Weeks 13 and 14 To
hit 25 per week,
make one change. Do 10 miles for the long run. Make the middle eight a continuous run at
easy pace. On one of your 5
mile runs, do up hill repeats of 200 to 300 meters, or 60-80 seconds. Run four repeats the first
time, then run six efforts in week 14. Get your heartrate up to 95 percent of your maximum for
these hill repeats. Run easy or alternate running and walking for the remainder of the
run.
Weeks 15 to 17 The
10 mile run stays.
Increase the hill reps to 8. Add a third quality session. Note that all three sessions
are based on weeks of preparation. None of the three runs are hard to complete. It is
the combined training effect from all three sessions, working all the systems of your body, which
will give you the raw materials (strong muscles, bones, lungs and circulatory system) with which
to run a decent 10K. It is time to run
faster for those half to one mile efforts. Take your heartrate up to 85 % of your maximum for 4-10 minutes
at a time. Run 4-6 repeats with a ONE minute rest. Although you've had 5
weeks training since your 5K race, these reps should be slower than 5K pace for most
of you. Heartrate is the key. This session will stimulate your anaerobic threshold to rise.
Week 18 and 19
Your 10 mile run
should be so easy by now that you are tempted to run it faster. Don. t. Continue to do
your long run economically and run at 70 percent of your max heartrate. Combine your other
two quality sessions into 2-3 times 5-8 minutes with a one minute rest, plus 3-4
hill reps at your usual pace. This is slightly less than you have been running; it will save your
legs for true interval training.
Week 18: Go
to a high school or college quarter mile track and run 6 times a quarter mile with a half lap
rest. Pace is 5K race pace from 8 weeks ago. Many of you will be much fitter than 8 weeks
ago. Run the quarters at a pace you think you could maintain for a 5K race if you ran one
today. Run no faster than 5K pace.
Week 19: Run
4 times half a mile, or 800 meters at last weeks pace. Jog a lap recovery. Those of you
who were over optimistic about their fitness level last week will experience a Zen moment as
you realize that you cannot maintain 5K pace for even two laps of the track. Obviously you
ran faster than 5K race pace last week. You. ll read this paragraph before running
Week 18s Intervals, so back off to a realistic 5K pace for those quarters, say ten seconds per mile faster
than Week 10s race.
Week 20
(This week) is restive. Seven days
prerace: Run 7 instead of 10 miles. Five days
to the race: Run 5-8 minutes once, then 60-80 seconds twice, but on the flat instead of up hill. Three days
pre-race: Run 4 times a quarter mile at 5K pace to remind your muscles how to run fairly
fast, but in total control. Day 3
and 5 pre-race should only total about 3-4 miles each. Run walk one mile the day before your
race and you. ll have decreased mileage to 15, which is a 40 % decrease. 10K
race day This
should be the first of many ten kilometer races. Start the race well hydrated. Enjoy yourself
by using a gentle warmup and stretching, followed by a sensibly paced first mile. Run
at the speed of your SLOWEST long reps during weeks 15-17. This should be 15K race
pace, so after the mile marker, speed up gradually to 10K pace. Those
of you who entered week one morbidly out of shape should use walk breaks as needed.
Others will run the whole distance. All of you should try to complete the 10K at planned
race pace. Don't run the first quarter, let alone the first mile at 5K pace: you will
be destined for pain.
Last weeks rest, plus the excitement (adrenaline surge) of race day will make the first
quarter mile seem easy.
Three last pieces of advice:
Hold back,
Slow down, then
ease the pace still more.
| | |
