Semester 1 : January – March

10K & HALF MARATHON PROGRAMME

This programme is designed to help provide structure to your running training week. You may post questions to me at shem.leong@ironguides.net

The programme below should be done at your ability level:
Beginners: 10km @ 65++ mins
Intermediate: 10km @ 50 – 65 mins
Advanced: 10km below 50 mins
If in doubt always do the easier level as your 1st priorty is to training consistently.

It is also important to learn how to gauge your perceived effort level instead of relying on the pace on your watch because-
1) You will eventually develop an intituive ability to pace yourself accroding to the distance required.
2) You will automatically ‘buffer’ your intensity levels for varying levels of backgroud fatigue
3) You will be more confident in managing the dynamics of raceday conditions.

In this programme, will refer to 5 distinct effort levels:
* Easy – a comfortable, conversational pace, keeping your stride rate up without reverting to a sluggish step, a sustainable, “all day” pace.
* Moderate – a “light and snappy” pace that starts to harness some strength in your stride, but it doesn’t feel hard. The pace is sustainable for long efforts. Your breathing should be light enough that you easily recover for another effort within 10-20 seconds. You could comfortably run this for your long run of the week.
* Comfortably Uncomfortable – It means what it says! The effort does not feel like something you could sustain forever but while it’s not exactly pain free, you can sustain this pace for the foreseeable time. Your breathing is somewhat labored but still in ryhthm. Conversation is definitely reduced to a short sentence at the most. You need to focus on the effort and on your form to maximize your pace. You are not pushing a pace where you’re going to blow up (yet) but you don’t want to push it much faster either. It doesn’t quite hurt, but you can handle it because it’s going to end!
* Hard – This is definitely uncomfortable! Generally you never push this hard except for short, specific efforts. You are breathing a hard and deep rhythm – at the ‘reline’ before you start gasping for air and your breathing becomes ragged. In training, this pace really hurts, but there is a little bit left in the tank and it is not All Out. There is enough to complete all efforts in the session without “blowing up.”
* All Out – This is a 100% “give it all you got” effort. Maximal aerobic and muscular effort override the circuitry that is yelling at you to stop. At the end of an All Out effort you should have nothing left to give. Long recoveries are needed after an All Out effort and you can the fatigue levels to build rapidly after such efforts. These efforts are usually used only for very short bursts of strength and speed work.

A note on rest days:
Unless otherwise indicated, your rest days are to be taken when you really need them, or if circumstances demand it (such as a travel day, if you or a family member are ill, and other life events as they occur). On days you are unsure of how you feel (ie. you wake up or head out the door to train feeling unduly tired) — head out anyway and just go through the motions of training. Start with a long warm up of 20mins of VERY EASY running, then –
* If you feel better, do your best to complete the scheduled session.
* If you feel the same (still tired, but not worse), drop the intensity levels (don’t push as hard as you normally would) and the volume (number of repeats or overall time) as required.
* If you feel worse, pack in the session and head home

Tapering for non-piority races:
*Normal Training up to Thursday
*Friday day off
*Saturday easy 20 min run

Tapering for major races:
*Full Session until tuesday
*1/2 to 2/3 of volume Wednesday and Thursday, at 75 % of the regular intensity
*Friday day off
*Saturday easy 20 min run

First Workout

Second Workout

Notes

MON

Strength: CORE work

10 – 30 min easy to mod run w/u

No Equipment needed ~ 40 mins

3 x the set below

Each exercise is done 60 sec As Many Reps As Possible (AMRAP) / 30 sec rest

Front plank with alternate leg lift
Side plank with hip raise/ leg raise L
Side plank wih hip raise/ leg raise R
Bicycles
Pushup
Burpees
Rock Climbers – Front end is rock solid – keep bum low
Double Leg Raise
Back Extensions

Strength: CORE work

10 – 30 min easy to mod run w/u

No Equipment needed ~ 40 mins

3 x the set below

Each exercise is done 60 sec As Many Reps As Possible (AMRAP) / 30 sec rest

Front plank with alternate leg lift
Side plank with hip raise/ leg raise L
Side plank wih hip raise/ leg raise R
Bicycles
Pushup
Burpees
Rock Climbers – Front end is rock solid – keep bum low
Double Leg Raise
Back Extensions

TUE

ACTIVE RECOVERY: Your choice of:

40 mins easy spin on an exercise bike at cadence 75 and above
* Just work up a sweat and flush out the legs without inccuring further fatigue
* Optional 20 mins moderate – comfortably uncomfortable added into the middle to make up a full hour

OR

30 – 40 mins swim done as:
* Easy – mod 50m or 100m repeats
* Front Crawl preferred
* Breast Stroke Optional
* 10 – 15 sec rest after each one
* Pullbuoy Optional

ACTIVE RECOVERY: Your choice of:

40 mins easy spin on an exercise bike at cadence 75 and above
* Just work up a sweat and flush out the legs without inccuring further fatigue
* Optional 20 mins moderate – comfortably uncomfortable added into the middle to make up a full hour

OR

30 – 40 mins swim done as:
* Easy – mod 50m or 100m repeats
* Front Crawl preferred
* Breast Stroke Optional
* 10 – 15 sec rest after each one
* Pullbuoy Optional

The purpose of a recovery day is to keep your neuromuscular and cardiovascualr systems ‘ticking over’ while not incurring any further muscular fatigue from the ipact of running. Basically, the idea is to keep your body moving at a non- stressful (low) heart rate to flush out metablic wastes from the mucslces while delivering oxygen and other nutrients for the resotration of your muscles.

For the bike – the actual exercise bike used is not important – as long as you are seated at the right height ( ie – leg is almost, but not quite, fully extended with the pedal at 6 o’clock position). Focus is on spinning smooth circles.

For the swim – pool length is not importatnt. If you are using a odd shaped pool just use your best estimate of numbe rof laps for 50m. If you are a beginner swimmer, give yourself upto 20 sec after each 50m repeat, as needed. And if you can’t swim Front Crawl – just do breast stroke.

WED

TRACK ATTACK SESSION
7.30 – 9.00pm at 21 Evans Road

This is a KEY session of the week, where we will be working on
a) Core and Functional Strength
b) Speed/ Tolerance/ Intensive Endurance intervals depending on the phase of preparation

Importantly, this is also where I will have eyes on you to see how you are running.

TRACK ATTACK SESSION
7.30 – 9.00pm at 21 Evans Road

This is a KEY session of the week, where we will be working on
a) Core and Functional Strength
b) Speed/ Tolerance/ Intensive Endurance intervals depending on the phase of preparation

Importantly, this is also where I will have eyes on you to see how you are running.

* Please bring exercises mats, water bottles and stopwatches

THU

Run:

40 mins done as

5 mins easy w/u

6 x 3 mins mod/ 2 mins easy

5 mins easy c/d

* BEGINNERS – walk for 2 mins insetad of easy run

Run:

60 mins done as

10 mins easy w/u

8 x 3 mins mod / 2 mins easy

10 mins easy c/d

* BEGINNERS – walk for 2 mins instead of easy run. & 6 repeats instead of 8.

* ADVANCED – can take it up to 10 repeats.

A straight forward run to keep the legs loose after a tough speed work session at Track. Go by perceived effort and keep the whole run conservative. Just logging some easy miles here.

FRI

Run:

45 mins done as

15 mins easy
15 mins mod
15 mins comf uncomf

* ADVANCED can do 60 mins instead.

Run:

60 mins done as

20 mins easy
20 mins mod
20 mins hard

Keep the ‘easy’ section very conservative and the ‘moderate’ is only a little harder than this. The aim of this run is to teach you about pacing and how to ‘build into a run’ so that you can finish strong. Be patient at the start and you will be rewarded at the end.

Do a few random stride rate counts during this run – you want to aim for a 90+ / min stride rate.

SAT

ACTIVE REST DAY

Day off

OR

20 mins easy run and 30 – 40 mins worth of strength work from above

OR

Active recovery as above (Swim/ Bike)

ACTIVE REST DAY

Day off

OR

20 mins easy run and 30 – 40 mins worth of strength work from above

OR

Active recovery as above (Swim/ Bike)

SUN

This run is done on eaither day of the weekend – Sat / Sun

BEGINNER:
60 mins as
30 mins easy
10 x 1 min hard/ 1 min walk
10 min easy

INTERMEDIATE:
75 mins as
45 mins easy
10 x 1 min hard/ 1 min easy
10 min easy c/d

ADVANCED:
75 mins as
30 mins easy
20 mins mod
15 mins hard
10 mins easy c/d

This run is done on eaither day of the weekend – Sat / Sun

BEGINNER:
90 mins all easy

INTERMEDIATE:
90 mins as
50 mins easy
15 x 1 min hard/ 1 min easy
10 mins easy c/d

ADVANCED:
90 mins as
30 mins easy
10 x 3 mins mod/ 1 min easy

ACTIVE REST DAY

Day off

OR

20 mins easy run and 30 – 40 mins worth of strength work from above

OR

Active recovery as above (Swim/ Bike)

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