Week 2 of my 10K training is over and done, and it was a great week. Great, I tell you!
- Day 1: 2.5 mile steady run
- Day 2: 3.1 miles of run/jog/fast run intervals
- Day 3: Began strength cross-training (dumbbells, calisthenics, pull-up bar stuff)
- Day 4: 2.1 mile screw-around run
- Day 5: 4 mile steady run
And that’s not even counting what I do today and tomorrow! #beastmode
Until yesterday, I found the workouts really tough. Doable, but tough. Maybe it’s because I’ve been stuck inside on a treadmill, maybe it’s because these were the first two weeks of running 3-4 days instead of 1-3. I dunno.
Whatever it was, though, it stopped yesterday when I went outside for my four-miler. It was the first day when things finally clicked.
It was the first day since last October that I’ve felt like a runner and not just some dude who runs now and then.
As far as the 5K-to-10K training plan itself, I’m really enjoying it. The tempo/fast runs it introduces are fun, and the longer steady runs are challenging without being exhausting. I really see no reason why I won’t be able to stay on track.
In fact, the only thing I really don’t like about the program is how short each week is. At only 3 runs per week, I’ve taken to adding short, screw-around runs as a fourth day just to get in a couple more miles.
A Wild Race Appears!
And while it’s not a 10K, I did find out that the nursing department at my school sponsors an annual 5K called The Rowdy Run. It’s set for April 20th, which is right at the end of the 10K training.
I haven’t been able to find a 10K race on a date that works for me, but I will. So at least The Rowdy Run 5K is a goal to shoot for.
Plus, since it’s at my school around people I know, I have all kinds of motivation to perform the absolute best that I can. I mean, what’s better motivation than complete and total professional embarrassment?
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Are you able to modify the number of times you run based on a level? like beginner and intermediate. I used Hal Higdon’s Intermediate 10K training plan and it has 5 days of running, and 1 cross training and 2 strength days. Also, before that 4 miler, what had been your longest run ever? For me, long runs are challenging and make me feel like the week had been full of easy runs up until that point.
That is a weakness in this plan: there is just one level, and those runs are based on time, not distance. When I move into a half-marathon plan this summer, I’m going to look at one with a beginner/intermediate “toggle” kind of like you mentioned.
And I’ve done 10K in the past on my own (not in a race setting, but on trails). I was regularly running 5-6 miles a day last fall, but winter pushed me really far back. I wanted to avoid injury and move back to running the longer distance, too.
This was the first long run that was ever truly easy for me. I usually feel wiped out. So I made sure I stopped before I hurt myself, haha. 😉 We’ll see how I do this Friday for a long one.
I also am going to check in on the Higdon plan because I like the idea of strength/cross days. Right now, those are of my own choosing, so I’d like to see what an actual plan looks like in that regard.