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Date: 05 Jul 2006 03:06:05
From: Grant
Subject: Constructing a 5k training program
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Hi,
Thank you to those of your who recommended Daniels', Glover's and
Noake's books. I purchased all three as well as Brian Clarke's
book. I also found an article by Joe Rubio very useful.
I'm 35 and started running in January this year. I could barely run
2km in 9 minutes! From 19 Jan to 19 March I only averaged 3.2 km a day
and ran a total of 96km. I was trying to run faster every day. The
furthest distance on a single run was 5km and the average pace 4:30
min/km. I now know I was wasting my time - I should have gone further
and slower...
Based on feedback from the group that the mileage was low and there was
little variation in the pace I increased my daily average km's to 6.7
for the next three months with an average pace of 5 min/km.
During the last month and a bit I have started using the principles in
the books mentioned above. I now average 8.2km a day with an average
pace of 4:53.
That's the background. Based on what I have read I have devised the
program below which I have used for the past 4 weeks. The plan is then
to stick to this program but to increase the mileage, increase the
number of intervals or increase the pace every 4 weeks. I've tried to
train all the major systems according to Daniels' i.e. Long easy run
/ recovery run, long run at marathon pace, repetitions, short and long
threshold runs and intervals. The emphasis will need to shift as I go
through the 4 week phases (foundation to final quality).
I'm aiming to race my first road 5km in Mid ober. My best 5km time
is 21 minutes which I ran a month and a half ago in training, alone on
a fairly hilly course. I've never raced on the road before- so I'm
not quiet sure how fast I can go.
Here is the program (all done of the road with uphills and downhills):
Monday: Usually Rest
Tuesday: 6.8 km recovery run @ 5min/km
Wednessday: 2km warm up @ 5 min/km straight into 4*400m 92 secs with
400m jog recovery i.e 2min then jog 2km @5min/km (or REST if I have
work commitments)
Thursday: 10km sub 50 min pace (46 - 48 min)
Friday: Tempo run: 2km warm up @5min/km straight into 25min tempo run
@4:28 min/km then jog 2km @5 min/km.
Saturday: Intervals. 2km warm up @t 5min km, straight into 3*1000m
intervals at 3:45 - 3:50 min/km pace with 500m jog recovery (2:30
rest), then jog 2km @5 min/km.
Sunday: 12km easy @ 5min/km or just under.
Weekly total: about 45km
I'd like some comments on how suitable this program is for achieving
my goal to break 20 min for the 5km and then later 40 min for the 10km.
Am I on the right track? Have I missed something?
Regards,
Grant
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Date: 05 Jul 2006 05:10:57
From: Charlie Pendejo
Subject: Re: Constructing a 5k training program
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Grant wrote:
> Monday: rest
> Tuesday:recovery run
> Wednessday: 4*400m
> Thursday: 10km sub 50 min pace (46 - 48 min)
> Friday: Tempo run
> Saturday: Intervals
> Sunday: 12km easy @ 5min/km or just under.
> Weekly total: about 45km
>
> I'd like some comments on how suitable this program is for achieving
> my goal to break 20 min for the 5km and then later 40 min for the 10km.
> Am I on the right track? Have I missed something?
Grant,
I started running in April 2003 at age 35; just logged my 5000th mile
yesterday. My first year and a half is best characterized as a
frustrating stop - for yet another injury - and start. And that was
with way less fast stuff than in your above plan.
Everyone's a bit different, we don't know what else you've been doing
the last twenty years, et cetera.
But were I a betting man, and if we had a dozen Grant clones to enlist
in an experiment, my money would be on one of the Grants who planned to
build up his weekly mileage more and run fewer fast sessions during his
first year.
Some opinions - do with them what you will.
[a] Just plain consistent running alone will bring a lot of progress in
the early stages.
[b] Mileage buildup alone will bring a LOT of progress, at least well
beyond 45 km/week.
[c] If you ran 21' in training, you might've been ready to go under 20
in a race - on that day and course. Most of us are magically able to
run faster in competition than by ourselves, sometimes by a quite
surprising degree. Today, on a flatter course: even better. Aiming
for 20 in ober, if that's what you suggest, might be downright
unambitious. If there are other 5 km races available before then, I'd
suggest racing at the earliest opportunity, for fun and as a check of
where you *really* are.
[d] Even in great shape after a few years of training, if you're doing
three fast days - reps, intervals, and a tempo run - in a week, you'll
need to treat your body pretty gently on those other days and consider
them recovery runs, and worry a lot more about keeping the pace/effort
*below* what would otherwise seem reasonable, not above some minimum.
Philosophies differ a little, regarding pace on easy/aerobic days; but
certainly running faster on slow days means you'll be running slower on
fast days. Unless you're doing so little mileage, you're always very
near 100% recovered. And in that case you're running too little
mileage!
[e] It works a lot better to build a base of aerobic running and *then*
add hard workouts. Pushing ones mileage up while doing three hard days
a week is a terrific recipe for injury. And the faster training will
be tons more effective supported by a consistent base of decent aerobic
mileage.
[f] That doesn't *necessarily* mean you gotta or should spend the vast
majority of your time plodding along slowly, and only speed up a few
weeks out of the year. Once you've been at it a while, then even after
sharpening and peaking for races and taking some recovery weeks, you're
starting the next cycle with a decent balance, not from zero. But the
first time around you must build up longer because you have started
from nil. Also, base-building need not and should not exclude some
amount of quicker running. Some strides, certainly - many consider it
important to stay in touch with "basic speed" at all times. And
eventually maybe some moderate tempo runs. But no intervals! Unless
you're dead set against any notion of periodization, of "base". Maybe
someone like Rubio does intervals year round, and maybe with the right
balance and volumes and paces, he makes it work. But generally
intervals, which build up a lot of lactic acid, are antithetical to the
building of an aerobic base.
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Date: 06 Jul 2006 06:27:02
From: Charlie Pendejo
Subject: Re: Constructing a 5k training program
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> Back then it was ALL short and fast - I guess I'm struggling to
> accept that longer and slower will make me faster!
Well it *does* depend on faster *at what distances*. Training for
distances up to 400 or maybe 800m looks an awful lot different from
training for the largely aerobic distances of a mile and up.
Rest assured, running slower really will make you faster at these
distances. Though it's of course better to mix in some faster work
with the endurance training, some people substantially improve their
race performances while never training even close to race pace.
Over time you'll sort out what types of work, in what ratios, with what
timimg, work best for you, and what you enjoy most which is important
too - everyone's a little different. But you'd have to be A LOT
diffferent to handle, and benefit from, three hard days on only 45 km a
week! I'm thinking more typical might be one hard day (probably a
tempo run) per week at that volume, a second weekly workout at say 75
km. Those are anything but hard and fast rules, but just to give you
an idea. I think you'll find at least broadly similar rules of thumb
in the Glover book and Noakes, though it may require a lengthy
expedition to find it in the latter.
And by the way, you're running your 400m reps in about the same time I
do. I just ran a 19 minute 5k and would hope to do a little better on
a flatter course or in cooler weather. So just add some endurance -
via consistency and volume of slow to moderate training - to the speed
you've already got, and your target is in sight.
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Date: 05 Jul 2006 23:58:05
From: Grant
Subject: Re: Constructing a 5k training program
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Hi Charlie,
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. Sounds like more longer and
slower runs are needed. I haven't run for 10 years at at all and before
that I did some sprinting at school and varsity. Back then it was ALL
short and fast - I guess I'm struggling to accept that longer and
slower will make me faster! 6*400m back then would have been
considered endurance training now I have to think of it as speed work!
Last night I did my 6*400 with 400 jog recovery in 85 sec each, 5 sec
faster than last week . I'll need to rethink my program then...don't
want to mess up the past 6 months by getting injured.
Thanks again
Grant
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