I was so physically exhausted from the Half Marathon, I went to bed last night at 9:30 and slept for 9 glorious hours. Before I went to sleep, I did about 10 minutes of yoga. It was perfection!
I woke up craving oatmeal — it’s been 3 days!
I made a basic oatmeal with:
- 1/2 cup oatmeal
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 large sliced banana
- Toppings: 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar, 6 chopped almonds, and a sprinkle of Grape Nuts.
It’s just so nice to eat something familiar for breakfast again! And YAY for real coffee. 🙂
A 56-minute 10K
Now that I’ve successfully completed my Half Marathon, it’s time to reach for my NEXT running goal. My long-term fitness goals include running another Half Marathon and running a Marathon. As much as I’d love to continue running longer distances, I need to take a three month break because:
(1) Our wedding is in approximately 90 days and I’m too busy to dedicate the required time to training.
(2) I would like to work on my speed in anticipation of my next scheduled Half Marathon, which is on March 1. I’d like to run this race is 2 hours or less; therefore, I need to shave 5 minutes off my current Half Marathon time.
(3) I need to work on my strength and flexibility. The injuries I’ve suffered recently have made me realize how important these elements are to my training.
I have two shorter races scheduled before the wedding: a 10K in November and a 10K in December. My goal for the 10K in November is to race in 56 minutes or better (pacing approximately 9-minute miles).
To reach this goal, I’ve created a 5-week training program to increase my speed. This plan is based on Hal Higdon’s Advanced 10K Training Program.
|
Week |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
S |
| 1 | 30 min. c/s | 50 min. tempo | 8 x 400 mile pace | Rest | 5 m | 8 x 400 mile pace/s | Rest |
| 2 | 40 min. c/s | 50 min. tempo | 9 x 400 mile pace | Rest | 5 m Yoga |
6 x 400 mile pace/s | 8 m |
| 3 | 40 min. c/s | 60 min. tempo | 10 x 400 mile pace | Rest | 4 m | 6 x 400 mile pace/s | 9 m |
| 4 | 40 min. c/s | 60 min. tempo | 11 x 400 mile pace | Rest | 4 m Yoga |
6 x 400 mile pace/s | 10 m |
| 5 | 30 min. c/ s | 30 min. tempo | 6 x 400 mile pace | 3 m | 3 m | Rest | RACE |
Notes:
c = cardio cross-training (i.e. elliptical)
m = miles (i.e. 4 m = 4 miles)
s = strength training
tempo = A tempo run is a continuous run with a buildup in the middle to near 10K race pace (9-minute mile pace). The pace buildup should be gradual, not sudden, with peak speed coming about two-thirds into the workout.
Speed work (Wednesdays and Saturdays) = 8 x 400 mile/pace indicates 8 sessions of 400 meter sprints (0.25 mile) at 8-minute mile pace). I’ll jog or walk in between.
Yoga = Power yoga class.
Therefore, tonight I’m going to do a 30 minutes worth of cardio cross-training and strength training. Tuesday, I’ll do 50 minutes worth of tempo runs. On Wednesday, I’ll do 8 sessions of 400-meter sprints. On Thursday, I’ll rest.
Then, on Friday I’ll do a 5-mile run. On Saturday I’ll do the same speedwork I did on Wednesday, but I’ll probably do it at the gym on the treadmill because I’ll also do strength training. And last, but not least, I will rest again on Sunday. Typically, Sundays will be my long-run day, but I’m out of town this weekend. I’ll be stretching every day and taking yoga classes on alternating Fridays.
I think this schedule will help me increase my speed! It’s printed and taped to my kitchen fridge right now. 🙂
Have you ever used a training program? What did you think of it?
Looks like a great plan!
I”ve always been kind of confused about what everything means, so thanks for explaining!