10 Week 10K Injury-Proof Training Plan!

Good morning everyone!! I can't believe it is already Friday. This week flew by for me. But I'm not complaining, because it's almost the weekend! I'm hoping to get some good rest and relaxation in, and of course, get some wedding stuff done! As many of you know, I signed up for a 10K that is on February 15, 2015! I'm so excited for this race. I've done numerous 10Ks and half marathons, but since injuring my knee/hip a year ago, I've been dialing back my running BIG TIME. And, it's been hard. I'm one of those crazy running-lovers that would run every day if my body could take it. And that's exactly how I hurt myself. Before my injuries, would run 6-8 miles daily, no stretching, and no strength training. I would run all day every day (practically). Over-training hurt my joints, and my injuries were directly related to my lack of stretching, lack of strength, and running too long and too frequently, with NO REST. SO, this time, I am determined to not hurt myself while enjoying running again. I miss running and training for an event, so I am incredibly excited about my 10K! There are about 10 weeks left until February 15, so I have developed a 10 week 10 K training plan that is injury proof! I am using my past experiences to fill in the missing pieces of my training plans in the past. I will start my plan this coming Monday, so I decided to post it now so if anyone wants to join, you will have it available!  But, as a disclaimer, I am NOT a personal trainer, nor do I have any fitness certification. All of this is just from my past experiences running races. I hope you all can join me and we can learn together!!

I have a few rules in order to keep myself in check, as well as a split between fast, moderate, and endurance-based runs! I'm so excited to share this plan with you all and I hope it will be of some help to someone out there!

First of all, I've set some training rules for myself that I am going to aim for. I don't want to be running every day as I used to do in the past. I want to put a cap on my distances, and how many times a week I plan to run my longest distance. I definitely want to get into the habit of stretching after each run, and ideally every day. I am a horrible stretcher and need some motivation in this area!

The speed work I plan on doing won't be anything too crazy.

I want to do more plyometrics/jumping exercises. These exercises help your heart develop more strength and endurance. Some of these exercises include squat jumps, burpees, and jump/plyo lunges. I am not too experienced with plyometrics yet, but I am hoping some research and You Tube will give me some more ideas! I will aim to do these plyometric workouts on my moderate run days.

These will be the 3 types of runs I focus on. On my fast runs (F), I will go my shortest distance and try to go all out. These will be when I also practice my sprinting intervals (going really fast for 30-60 seconds at a time). Sprinting speeds are different for each person depending on your running background and endurance levels. I will go based on what tires me out, and keep challenging myself from there! Below, in my running schedule, the runs with an "F" are my short and fast runs of the week!

My moderate runs (M) will be 3-4 miles long and will just be at a comfortable speed. I will not push myself too far, but just at a normal speed with a few intervals thrown in there. Below, the runs with an "M" are my moderate runs for each week.

Lastly, the long, endurance runs will be 5-6 miles long (almost the distance of a 10K) and will be run at an even more comfortable speed than the moderate runs. I will not necessarily be running for time (maybe more towards the end of my training!) but will just develop endurance with these runs. Per my rules, these runs will only be run once a week! Below, the runs with an "L" are my long, endurance runs of the week!

I am pretty excited to start my plan! On my weekly food/fitness posts, I'll also write about which plyometric and interval workouts I do, or plan to do. This is the first time I am following a strict plan. In the past, when I would train, I would just run as far and as fast as I could every time I ran, and obviously, it wore me out! If anyone wants to join me, leave me a comment and let me know! You don't necessarily have to be training for an event to follow a plan. This plan would be perfect for beginner-moderate runners and will help develop running skills in a safe and progressive manner.

Happy Friday, all!

- TV :)