Training for October 31 to November 6

The calendar turns from October to November and the Turkey Trotters are getting more and more fit!

Walk-to-Run Group (The Cranberries):

Day 1: 30-minute walk with 6 two-block-long running segments scattered within it.
Day 2: Rest, other exercise, or short walk.
Day 3: 30:00 with 4 running segments of 2-and-a-half -minutes each.
Day 4: Rest, other exercise, or short walk.
Day 5: Rest, other exercise, or short walk.
Day 6: 30:00 with 8 running segments of one block each.
Day 7: Rest.


Run/Walk Group (The Mashed Potatoes):

Day 1: 30-minute session with 6 running segments of 3:30-minutes each within it.
Day 2: Rest, other exercise, or walk.
Day 3: 30-minute walk with 2 running segments of 7:00 each.
Day 4: Rest, other exercise, or walk.
Day 5: Rest, other exercise, or walk.
Day 6: 40-minute walk with 25-minutes of running broken up any way you want.
Day 7: Rest.


Run Group (The Pumpkin Pies):

Day 1: 30-minute run with 6 up-hill "surges" of 30-45 seconds in length.
Day 2: 25:00 run at easy pace, cross training, or rest.
Day 3: 30:00 run with final 10:00 at “pushed” pace.
Day 4: 20:00 run at easy pace, cross training, or rest.
Day 5: 30:00 run at easy pace, cross training, or rest.
Day 6: Long Run ... 45:00 run at easy pace.
Day 7: Rest.

Good Read: Elite Race-Day Warm-Up Advice

I thought the Trotters might enjoy reading about how some top American distance runners warm-up for races, as described in THIS Running Times article.

Obviously, these are elite athletes in top condition, so their warm-ups might look like your workouts. Still, I thought it was helpful to take a look at how they approach getting ready for a race.

Training for October 24th thru 30th

Below is Week #2 of training for our three training groups. As you will see, I've just inched up some of the amounts and/or thrown in some different types of training, depending on the group you're in.

My aim is to have you make little gains in fitness on a consistent basis, rather than to over-tax you and leave you fatigued, injured, or burned out.

As always, feel free to ask questions or voice concerns about what we're doing.


Walk-to-Run Group (The Cranberries):

Day 1: 30-minute walk with 8 one-block-long running segments scattered within it.
Day 2: Rest, other exercise, or short walk.
Day 3: 30:00 with 4 running segments of 2-minutes each.
Day 4: Rest, other exercise, or short walk.
Day 5: Rest, other exercise, or short walk.
Day 6: 30:00 with 6 running segments of 2-blocks each.
Day 7: Rest.


Run/Walk Group (The Mashed Potatoes):

Day 1: 30-minute walk with 6 running segments of 3-minutes each within it.
Day 2: Rest, other exercise, or walk.
Day 3: 30-minute walk with 3 running segments of 5:00 each.
Day 4: Rest, other exercise, or walk.
Day 5: Rest, other exercise, or walk.
Day 6: 40-minute walk with 5 running segments of 4:30 each.
Day 7: Rest.


Run Group (The Pumpkin Pies):

Day 1: 30-minute run with 6 one-block "surges" at faster pace.
Day 2: 20:00 run at easy pace, cross training, or rest.
Day 3: 30:00 run with final 10:00 at “pushed” pace.
Day 4: 20:00 run at easy pace, cross training, or rest.
Day 5: 25:00 run at easy pace, cross training, or rest.
Day 6: Long Run ... 45:00 run at easy pace.
Day 7: Rest.

Good Read: The Pros/Cons of Having a Coach

It's like the New York Times knows what we're up to!

I thought, as we embark on this training-to-run thing, that yesterday's story about the "whys" and "why nots"of having a coach would be interesting.

Find the story HERE.

Training for October 17th thru 22nd

Below is the first week of training for our little flock. You'll see that I've broken things up into three training groups -- a group that will begin the transition from walking to running, another that is already well into the walk/run mode, and a final group that by-and-large just runs.

I'd ask you to place yourselves in the group that seems to fit you best. I'll be looking for feedback from you all next week (and beyond) to make sure I've got the training fitted properly for the members of each group.

If you have questions or concerns, please ask them ... either in the comments section below or by e-mail to me.


Walk-to-Run Group (The Cranberries):

Day 1: 30-minute walk with 6 one-block-long running segments scattered within it.
Day 2: Rest, other exercise, or short walk.
Day 3: 30:00 walk with 8 one-block-long running segments within.
Day 4: Rest, other exercise, or short walk.
Day 5: Rest, other exercise, or short walk.
Day 6: 30:00 with 4 running segments of of 2-minutes each.
Day 7: Rest.

Note: This group will train to walk/run a 5K by late-November or early-December.


Run/Walk Group (The Mashed Potatoes):

Day 1: 30-minute walk with 4 running segments of 4-minutes each within it.
Day 2: Rest, other exercise, or walk.
Day 3: 30-minute walk with 3 running segments of 5:00 each.
Day 4: Rest, other exercise, or walk.
Day 5: Rest, other exercise, or walk.
Day 6: 40-minute walk with 5 running segments of 4:00 each.
Day 7: Rest.

Note: This group will train to run a 5K by late-November or early-December.


Run Group (The Pumpkin Pies):

Day 1: 30-minute run with 4 one-block "surges" at faster pace.
Day 2: 20:00 run at easy pace, cross training, or rest.
Day 3: 30:00 run over hilly terrain.
Day 4: 20:00 run at easy pace, cross training, or rest.
Day 5: 20:00 run at easy pace, cross training, or rest.
Day 6: Long Run ... 40:00 run at easy pace.
Day 7: Rest.

Note: This group will train to run a personal best 5K by late-November or early-December.

Good Read: "How to Become a Runner"

When I see an interesting article about running, I'll post a link to it on our web-site.

HERE is one that seems timely for many of you ... "How to Become a Runner," by Matt Fitzgerald of Competitor.com.