How to run your first 10K

 

 Try this training program for intermediate runners created by a Canadian running champion 

Jeremy Deere, past Canadian champion in the 5,000 metres and 10K distances, and owner of Strides Running Store in Calgary, created this 10K training program for intermediate runners who can run 5 to 10K. (Talk to your doctor before taking up running.) Plan to train four to five days per week.


There are two types of runs in this plan:

Tempo A steady-paced run that’s shorter than the goal race distance, but slightly faster than race pace. At the end of a tempo, you should feel you could run farther at the same pace.

Intervals Faster-paced runs of shorter time, with a rest in between. Each should be run at the same pace, or faster as the workout progresses to improve speed, strength and endurance.

Month 1

Day 1 Warm up 10 minutes. Start tempo run at 10 minutes and increase by 1 minute each week. Cool down 10 minutes.
Day 2 Easy 25- to 30-minute run.
Day 3 Rest or cross-train.
Day 4 Warm up 10 minutes. Do 3 x 3-minute intervals (with 2-minute walk/easy jog rests between). Cool down 10 minutes.
Day 5 Rest.
Day 6 Build from a 40- to a 50-minute run by Week 4 of this month.

Month 2

Day 1 Warm up 10 minutes. Build tempo run from 12 to 15 minutes by Week 4. Cool down 10 minutes.
Day 2 Easy 30- to 35-minute run.
Day 3 Rest or cross-train.
Day 4 Warm up 10 minutes.Do 3 x 4-minute intervals (with 2-minute walk/easy jog rests between). Cool down
10 minutes.
Day 5 Rest.
Day 6 Build from a 45- to a 55-minute run.

Month 3

Day 1 Warm up 10 minutes. Build tempo run from 14 to
18 minutes by Week 4. Cool down 10 minutes.
Day 2 Easy 35- to 40-minute run.
Day 3 Rest or cross-train.
Day 4 Warm up 10 minutes. Do 3 x 5-minute intervals (with 2-minute walk/easy jog rests between). Cool down 10 minutes.
Day 5 Rest.
Day 6 Build from a 50- to a 65-minute run.

Month 4

Day 1 Warm up 10 minutes. Build tempo run from 16 to
20 minutes by Week 4. Cool down 10 minutes.
Day 2 Easy 40-to 50-minute run.
Day 3 Rest or cross-train.
Day 4 Warm up 10 minutes. Do 5 or 6 x 3-minute intervals (with 2-minute walk/easy jog rests between). Cool down 10 minutes.
Day 5 Rest.
Day 6 Build from a 55- to a 75-minute run.

Race week

• Winter running 101
• 12 bad excuses to skip running
• 5K running plan

You will want to “taper” by reducing your run times and adding easy workouts to optimally prepare your body. Three or four days before the race, do a workout with 4 x 2-minute intervals (with 2-minute walk/easy jog rests between). Once or twice do faster-paced sprints (80 to 90 percent of your peak speed) for 80 to 100 metres after your run. These will keep your legs fresh and prepared for the race. Finally, don’t forget the value of stretching, eating properly and getting enough sleep while you train.

Good luck!

Source: Besthealthmag

 

Run Faster on Any Terrain

by Cindy Kuzma

Ramp up your running routine. Speedy intervals improve your performance whether you do them uphill or on level ground, finds a new study in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research.
To pit the two approaches head to head, researchers recruited 32 participants—who ran regularly but didn’t do speed work—and divided them into three groups. One group continued its regular training routine, while the other two did two steady runs plus two interval workouts per week.
Those running hills turned their treadmill incline up to 10 percent and did 10 to 14 30-second sprints. The others followed an approach used in previous studies and training plans, running intervals on a treadmill set to a 1-percent incline at a speed and distance determined by a test of their fitness. That way, the intensity level of their intervals matched those running on the incline.
After six weeks, researchers found that people who ran hill and level-ground intervals improved by several measures, including top speed and the amount of time they could sustain it. Meanwhile, runners who stuck to their regular schedule (sans intervals) saw no gains, despite spending more than twice as much time exercising.
Interestingly, those running flat intervals improved slightly more than those huffing and puffing at an incline—but that difference may not mean much, says study author Derek Ferley, Ph.D., C.S.C.S. Why? The way his formulas worked out, flat runners ended up running fast about twice as long each week as those running hills.
The bottom line: While any speed work will help your performance, hill training gives you a great workout in a relatively short period of time, Ferley says. The incline instantly turns up the intensity, and you don’t have to run as fast to net similar gains. Even more: Hills likely strengthen muscles and improve running economy—your ability to use oxygen more efficiently while running, says Ferley.
If you’ve reached a plateau, consider swapping an easy run for a hill routine. Warm up with a jog, then find a grassy hill or crank up the treadmill to an incline between 5 and 10 percent. Sprint at the fastest speed you can sustain for 30 seconds (but not longer), then rest until your heart slows down again. Start with six repetitions and build up to 12.

Source: Menshealth.com