Week 3

Week 3 runners and time to up the anti. 

Day One - Walk 3 and a half minutes then jog for one and a half minutes. Repeat 9 times. This should take you 45 minutes. Make sure you do a full stretch after completing the repetitions.

Day Two - Warm up for 5 minutes. Do a fast 200m run, rest 60 seconds. Do a fast 400m run, rest for 2 minutes. Run 1k and then rest 4 minutes. Do a fast 400m run, rest for 2 minutes. Run 200m for a total distance of 2.2k

Day Three - Warm up firstly and then do a 3k run. You need to pace yourself to make sure you do not stop. You need to be mentally strong as you should be able to finish the 3k without stopping.

I use www.runkeeper.com to track my runs. This is a free app for smartphones and works well with my iphone. The inbuilt GPS tracks my course as I am running keeping a time, pace, distance and altitude record. It also gives me 5 minute updates as I run - can be a bit of a coach for those who need it.

It is important now to make sure you hydrate the day before you run as well as on the day. You will loose a lot on the longer runs so drink plenty. Remember for every 22k of body weight try and drink 1 liter of water per day. It seems a lot but better to stay hydrated than to dehydrate.

Also now is when the stretching will be critical after running BEFORE you cool down. My routine is when I return from a run, big drink and then straight into stretching while I am still warm/hot.  

Starting to get some interest in the Bridge to Brisbane in September and looks like we will have at least 2 teams of 5 runners, 1 for the 5k and 1 for the 10k. If you join Runkeeper befriend me and lets track each others progress. Also https://www.facebook.com/resultspt is our FB page. Please like us there and feel free to post comments both on FB and here on the blog. 

Happy running !! :)

Week Two

This week try and and focus on your pacing and run the entire period of each work out. Remember to keep hydrated and stretch after each session.


Day One - Walk for 4 minutes then jog for 60 seconds. Repeat this for a total of eight times. This will take you 40 minutes. Same time as last week Day One but double the running time.


Day Two - Straight into running today so make sure you warm up as you did last week. Art least 5 minutes which should have you break into a light sweat.


You need to mark out a 400m course. Use last weeks 200 and double it or the outside of a football oval will do. Run this at a good pace and then rest for 2 minutes. Repeat 5 times for a distance of 2k.


Day Three - Go for a 2k slow jog. Run at a comfortable pace so you don't have to stop. If you start to feel uncomfortable slow you pace until your are back in control and go again. 


Each run this week should be at a different pace. You need to try and adjust you pace so you can complete each session without hitting a wall AND getting a good workout. This is where you can discover you "natural" pace and experiment with it.


Don't forget to make sure you warm up as it is starting to get a little cooler now and stretch after each session 


Happy running.

Week One

Week one will seem to be simple and a waste of time for some but this is designed for someone who is not a jogger/runner. I plan to do this on Monday, Wednesday and Friday as this will suit my current commitments. So here goes....

Day One - Walk for 4 and a half minutes and then jog for 30 seconds. Repeat this 8 times. This will take you 40 minutes to complete.

The speed of the jog is unimportant, what you should be concentration on is to make sure you jog for the whole 30 seconds. Make sure you have a flat route, a park or football oval would be a great choice.

Day Two - As we are going to start running straight away you need to warm up first. Take 5 minutes to warm up before you begin. Try walking, squats or whatever you feel comfortable with without too much exertion.

You need to mark out a 200m course. Run this 200m in a good pace, rest for 2 minutes and repeat. Do this 6 times. So today you will have run 1.2 k.

Day Three - You need to mark out a 1k course, mark out 500m for your home. Today we will try and run 1k. If you need to stop then walk for a short distance and run again. Keep a steady pace and make sure you course is as flat as possible. 

Stretching - It is extremely important that after each session you stretch for at least 5 minutes and preferable 10. You need to stretch you thighs, hamstrings, calves, achilles and don't forget your back and hips/pelvis. 

OK so this is the first week. Seems simple enough so lets get into it. I plan to do cross training on the off days with PT sessions, karate and swimming but that is what I want to do. I will continue with the paleo eating which we adopted during the first challenge and you need to have quality vitamins, minerals and supplements. 

Happy running.

Motivation

5 years ago I used to run regularly. I was running 7.5k regularly and enjoyed it. I also train in karate and am a member of the my clubs National Team, regularly competing in our and mixed MA tournaments. This is intense training and very dynamic with the sessions usually lasting 2 hours and more, twice per week. 


I ended up getting a bursitis on my right heal (karate training = right foot back fighting stance) and it became a deliberating condition for me. Wikipedia will tell you that bursitis symptoms vary from local joint pain and stiffness, to burning pain that surrounds the joint around the inflamed bursa. In this condition, the pain usually is worse during and after activity, and then the bursa and the surrounding joint become stiff the next day in the morning. Further investigation tells you that "bursitis is a typical affliction of older people doing excess exercise" - that's me. 


As a result for the last 4 years I have not been able to do too much "leg work" at all. After a karate session I would be a cripple the next day and have to walk down stairs sideways as my right heal would not bend and would be extremely painful. Hence not enough exercise for the intake and resulted in 10k over weight. Hence the first challenge.


Now part of the challenge introduced me to quality vitamins and minerals which included a high potency krill oil which has reduced my bursitis swelling by 50% and almost zero pain associated with it. I have shoes I can now wear and I can now run again. YAHOO.


I have set myself a goal of doing the bridge to Brisbane 10k run in September and as a lead up to that I am going to do a 10k in 10 weeks training program. This program will take you from an absolute beginner to being able to finish a 10k in a time hopefully under 1.5 hours. I would like to do it in 60 minutes or better but that is not critical.


I know I can complete 8.5k now in 1.5 hours as a walk/jog session so I am not a complete novice but for the benefit of those starting from scratch I will start at the very beginning with you and will also blog my complete exercise regime for the week along with my nutrition. At the start of the week I will post the weeks training and report on the previous weeks progress as well as my general fitness and well being. 


I would also like as many as possible to join me, subscribe to the blog and post their progress as well. We have access to qualified personal trainers and nutritionists to name a couple. 


Cheers


Phil