Get Running

Get Running advanced training plan: Week Three

Building on the speed work but slowly increasing our pace

Don’t forget to spread your runs throughout the week. Photograph: Eric Luke / The Irish Times
Don’t forget to spread your runs throughout the week. Photograph: Eric Luke / The Irish Times
Mary Jennings's picture
Mary Jennings
Mon May 01 2023 - 15:49

So I’m back again for Week Three of the programme. Have you filled out your training log/diary? I hope the 40-minute run went well too.

I wonder how you found the fast minutes at the end of your runs? Three minutes is a long time to run fast - so you have to remember it’s not a sprint, just a slight increase in pace. Keep that in mind this week.

Chirunning Technique: So many of us are slouched over when we are running, it’s important to remember to keep yourself tall to take pressure off your legs, but to also help your lung capacity, making your breathing easier. So when you are running think of yourself being taller, but don’t tense up your shoulders and upper body. It does take practice, and that’s what I want you to do in your midweek runs, think of being tall, but also thing of relaxing the shoulders arms and legs when you are running. Run Tall.

Introducing some Chirunning techniques and strengthening our core

Stronger Core: In the video this week, I show you an exercise I’d like you do after each of your run or even every day if you can. It will only take 30 seconds, but it will help train these core muscles to take the pressure off the legs and help support your body better when running.

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Bonus Stretching Video: I have put together a video of stretches which you can play from your smart phone at the end of your run to help remind you of what to do. There are some new stretches in this video which will help loosen out everywhere from hips, to lower back, to the usual tight areas in legs.

Homework: Remember to spread the runs out across the week to allow the body to recover.

Week Three Training Plan

Homework 1
  1. Warmup: Take a five-minute brisk walk
  2. Run/walk session: 30 minutes run (25 minutes comfortable, last 5 minutes faster) and Plank Exercise
  3. Cooldown and stretch: Five minute walk and three stretches
Homework 2 (a day or two after Homework 1)
  1. Warmup: A five-minute brisk walk
  2. Run/walk session: 30 minutes run (25 minutes comfortable, last 5 minutes faster) and Plank Exercise
  3. Cooldown and stretch: Five-minute walk and three stretches
Homework 3 (a day or two after Homework 2)
  1. Warmup: A five-minute brisk walk
  2. Run/walk session: 45 minutes easy pace - track your distance. Finish with Plank Exercise
  3. Cooldown and stretch: A five-minute walk and three stretches

Best of luck.

Next week I’ll be back with something else new for you to try.

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