5km Challenge- 8 weeks to be better.
Motivation, July 01, 2018
Are you sitting around looking at your running shoes and thinking about how good it was to be fit and to fly, but also realising that running a fast time over 10km or further is a lot of work. That leaves you still sitting and doing nothing. How about having a crack at 5km.
There are a lot of people that I know myself included that used to be more active or used to be faster. However, due to having less free time (and/or sleep) due to work or family commitments we know that a new personal best over the half or full marathon is just a dream, and an unrealistic one at that.
So should we give up, sit on the couch, eat chips, and drink beer? Or should do something?
My suggestion is to have a crack at a 5km.
Why 5km? Anyone can run 5km.
Exactly.
Everyone can run 5km and therefore with a plan everyone can run 5km well.
My idea is an eight week plan with everything in it to get us moving, strong, and without breaking us.
To make sure it is a good plan I am going to do it too.
For the last year or so I have been training with a head, but it has hardly ever been written down and to be honest often things would be no longer included.
If you train without a plan , but still train there is a good likelihood that you will finish your event, but there better chance of completing it better when you have a plan that will keep you accountable.
I have been running with a plan in my head, but most of the time I have not had it written down. I have still done a lot of the training, and I have done it running off how I feel. The aim of this 5km plan is that everything will get done because there is enough work to keep you honest without wrecking you.
The other thing that I like about printing off a plan is that you get to mark off the sessions that you have completed like counting down the days to Christmas or your birthday.
Before you start your training what things should you do?
Decide on your commitment based on your time available, running history, and training history over the last two years. If you used to run 6 times a week
Check your equipment. Do your running shoes still fit, do they fit your needs, and are they not older than 3 years? If in doubt get some new shoes. There is nothing more motivating than new shoes!
Check that this is ok with your partner rather than just taking off.
Find an event that is around 8 weeks away, so it is easier to work towards a definitive date. Enter it!
Get some friends in on the action it will be easier to stay motivated when you are not alone. You won't be alone anyway, as I will set up a facebook group that everyone can be a part of.
There are a few points that are important to understand once you get into the training.
Do not start too fast. Ease into the first weeks and it will be easier to get a rhythm. This could mean that you are 20-30 seconds per kilometer slower than the goal training pace, but that is OK. Do not run too fast.
The majority of the runs should be very aerobic and not at a point where you feel like you cannot freely talk.
This plan is very polarised. You run the majority of it very easy, and the fast stuff really fast. Your fastest pace in training should be faster than your goal race pace. You want your body to start getting used to moving quickly without stressing out or tensing up. Of we learn how to run faster we are able to get out of being stick in the same stride length, and speed.
There are no big runs . Regardless of whether you are just wanting to complete the 5km or smash it out in well under 18 minutes aerobically there should not be an issue running that long. Concentrate on running well, light, and tall. To run a 5km well it is about getting a pace and intensity that very uncomfortable is and making it more comfortable. You cannot do that when your legs are always heavy.
Consistency is what really important is any plan. If you can get the sessions done day in day out, week in and week out you are going to get better rather than doing twice as much as planned and smashing one week only to be tired, injured, or sick the next week.
Do not skip the strength training, Yoga exercises, or fascia training for the sake of another run. More running is not likely to address that you sit too often, that your muscles are tight, shortened, or that the fascia is not elastic. Work on the little things that will help you hold your running form.
The days are not set in stone. You can in theory start the week on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or of course Sunday.
You want to do the fast stuff fresh, and fuelled. So pick the best time of the day for you to run. I like to run in the morning, as I can plan things better. There are people that run better in the afternoon and if this is you then run in the afternoon. There is no solid data to prove that performances are better if the morning or afternoon.
Leave your ego at the day before doing any session. You don't need to make every session better or faster. Just get it done. There will be days where it is hard, slow, and not fun much, and there will be days when it feels easy and a lot less effort. Do not fight it just accept it.
Before starting the plan pick a date when you will run the 5km. It can be a solo time trial, but I find it easier to do it in race circumstances, as you are more likely to push on. I am going to use the MOPO Staffellauf for my run, as it is a 5km run in a relay format, so I am not going to drop the effort during the run, as I do not want to let down my teammates. We are running on a Wednesday, so I will just change the last week around, so the Monday is easy with stride outs and the is Tuesday is just for yoga and fascia training.
Now set yourself a goal. Pick two times. One is your A time. The time that you would be absolutely wrapped with. As a rule of thumb this should be within a minute of your personal best if you have still been a bit active in the last year. When it is been two years since you last raced maybe two minutes, and when you have been a bit inactive in your last 5 years set yourself a goal that is 3 minutes outside your personal best.
Add another 30-60 seconds for your B goal. If you have never run a 5km then your B goal is to RUN the 5km, and the 3km can be based off the 3km test that you will do in week 2.
Once the goal is set write it on the plan. The pace that you should run each session you will find on this table http://sdtrackmag.com/Calcs/TrainingPaces/TrainingPaces.htm
.
DO NOT get too excited and try to run faster than prescribed. It is not going to help or make you faster.
If you are starting again, or just getting into running make it a lot easier by building in walk breaks every 5 minutes. I know guys that have run under 2:26 for a Marathon and had walk breaks during the race. If it is good enough for them then you can walk too. It will allow your joints, tendons, and ligaments to get a little less from the impact stress generated when we run.
Of course to get moving well you need a plan. Below you will find a plan to suit you.
Here is your training plan to be speedy again. This is for those that have been active but running without a plan, goal, or with little tempo training. Get speedy now!
Here is your training plan to be get you running a good 5km again. This is for those that have been active in the last few years, but not training that consistantly. Run 5km well now!
Here is your training plan to be get you running a good 5km. This is for those that have not been active in the last few years, but not training that consistantly. Getting moving now!
Here is your training plan to be get you running a good 5km off two runs a week. This is for those that have not been active in the last few years, but not training that consistantly. Getting moving now at least twice a week!
To help with information sharing, and motivation I have created a facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/5kmChallenge/
Lastly do not focus too much on the time focus more on the process. By completing the plan you are going to make yourself better. As long as you are not putting yourself under too much stress.