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16 WEEK SPEED TRAINING PROGRAM

This is a program consisting of a progressive track workout that is adaptable to what are your current 5K & 10K times. The end result is a guaranteed 2 minute decrease of your 10K time!  The intent of this program is to perform this progressive workout once a week for 16 weeks.

Week	Workout
1	2 x (4 x 800 @ 10K pace) 90 seconds rest 5 minutes between sets 10K time 37:12, 800’s @ 3:00 min 40:30, 800’s @ 3:15 43:24, 800’s @ 3:30 46:30, 800’s @ 3:45 49:36, 800’s @ 4:00 52:42, 800’s @ 4:15 55:48, 800’s @ 4:30 58:54, 800’s @ 4:45 62:00, 800’s @ 5:00
2	1 mile, 2 mile, 1 mile@ 10K pace 37:12 10K time=1 mile@ 6min; 2 mile@12:00 40:30=1@6:30; 2@13:00 43:24=1@7:00; 2@14:00 46:30=1@7:30; 2@15:00 49:36=1@8:00; 2@16:00 52:42=1@8:30; 2@17:00 55:48=1@9:00; 2@18:00 58:54=1@9:30; 2@19:00 62:00=1@10:00; 2@20:00
3	3 x (800m, 600m, 400m, 200m) 5K pace 1 minute recovery 4 minutes between sets 18:36 5K time=800m@3:00min; 600m@2:25; 400@1:30;200@0:45 20:15 5K=3:15; 2:27; 1:38; 0:49 21:42=3:30; 2:38; 1:45; 0:52 23:15=3:45; 2:48; 1:52; 0:56 24:48=4:00; 3:00; 2:00; 1:00 26:21=4:15; 3:12; 2:08; 1:04 27:54=4:30; 3:22: 2:15; 1:07 29:27=4:45; 3:33; 2:22; 1:11 31:00=5:00; 3:45 2:30; 1:15
4	5 x 1000 meters @10K pace 2 minutes recovery 37:12 10K time =3:44/1000m 40:30=4:04 43:24=4:21 46:30=4:40 49:36=4:58 52:42=5:17 55:48=5:36 58:54=5:54 62:00=6:13
5	3 x 2000 @ 10K pace 3 minutes recovery 37:12 10K time=7:27 40:30=8:05 43:24=8:42 46:30=9:20 49:36=9:57 52:42=10:35 55:48=11:12 58:54=11:50 62:00=12:27
6	3 x (800m-600m-600m) @ 5K pace 90 seconds recovery 5 minutes between sets 18:36 5K time=800@3:00; 600@2:25; 600@2:25 20:15=3:15; 2:31; 2:31 21:42=3:30; 2:37; 2:37 23:15=3:44; 2:48; 2:48 24:48=3:59; 2:59; 2:59 26:21=4:13; 3:08; 3:08 27:54=4:28; 3:17; 3:17 29:27=4:43; 3:26; 3:26 31:00=4:58; 3:35; 3:35
7	2 x (4 x 800 @ 10K pace) 90 seconds rest 5 minutes between sets 10K time 37:12, 800’s @ 3:00 min 40:30, 800’s @ 3:15 43:24, 800’s @ 3:30 46:30, 800’s @ 3:45 49:36, 800’s @ 4:00 52:42, 800’s @ 4:15 55:48, 800’s @ 4:30 58:54, 800’s @ 4:45 62:00, 800’s @ 5:00
8	3 x 1600 @ 10K pace 3 minutes recovery 37:12 10K time=5:58 40:30=6:28 43:24=6:58 46:30=7:28 49:36=7:58 52:42=8:28 55:48=8:58 58:54=9:28 62:00=9:58
9	3 x (800m-600m-400m-200m) 5K pace 1 minute recovery 4 minutes between sets 18:36 5K time=800m@3:00min; 600m@2:25; 400@1:30; 200@0:45 20:15 5K=3:15; 2:27; 1:38; 0:49 21:42=3:30; 2:38; 1:45; 0:52 23:15=3:45; 2:48; 1:52; 0:56 24:48=4:00; 3:00; 2:00; 1:00 26:21=4:15; 3:12; 2:08; 1:04 27:54=4:30; 3:22: 2:15; 1:07 29:27=4:45; 3:33; 2:22; 1:11 31:00=5:00; 3:45 2:30; 1:15
10	6 x 1000 meters @10K pace 2 minutes recovery 37:12 10K time =3:44/1000m 40:30=4:04 43:24=4:21 46:30=4:40 49:36=4:58 52:42=5:17 55:48=5:36 58:54=5:54 62:00=6:13
11	1 mile-2 mile-1 mile@ 10K pace 5 minutes recovery 37:12 10K time=1 mile@ 6min; 2 mile@12:00 40:30=1@6:30; 2@13:00 43:24=1@7:00; 2@14:00 46:30=1@7:30; 2@15:00 49:36=1@8:00; 2@16:00 52:42=1@8:30; 2@17:00 55:48=1@9:00; 2@18:00 58:54=1@9:30; 2@19:00 62:00=1@10:00; 2@20:00
12	4 x 1600 @ 10K pace 3 minutes recovery 37:12 10K time=5:58 40:30=6:28 43:24=6:58 46:30=7:28 49:36=7:58 52:42=8:28 55:48=8:58 58:54=9:28 62:00=9:58
13	3 x (4 x 800 @ 10K pace) 90 seconds rest 5 minutes between sets 10K time 37:12, 800’s @ 3:00 min 40:30, 800’s @ 3:15 43:24, 800’s @ 3:30 46:30, 800’s @ 3:45 49:36, 800’s @ 4:00 52:42, 800’s @ 4:15 55:48, 800’s @ 4:30 58:54, 800’s @ 4:45 62:00, 800’s @ 5:00
14	3 x 2000 @ 10K pace 3 minutes recovery 37:12 10K time=7:27 40:30=8:05 43:24=8:42 46:30=9:20 49:36=9:57 52:42=10:35 55:48=11:12 58:54=11:50 62:00=12:27
15	3 x (800m-600m-600m) @ 5K pace 90 seconds recovery 4 minutes between sets 18:36 5K time=800@3:00; 600@2:25; 600@2:25 20:15=3:15; 2:31; 2:31 21:42=3:30; 2:37; 2:37 23:15=3:44; 2:48; 2:48 24:48=3:59; 2:59; 2:59 26:21=4:13; 3:08; 3:08 27:54=4:28; 3:17; 3:17 29:27=4:43; 3:26; 3:26 31:00=4:58; 3:35; 3:35
16	1 x 5000 meters @ Marathon pace 3:00 Hour Marathon=21:18 3:10=22:29 3:20=23:40 3:30=24:51 3:40=26:02 3:50=27:23 4:00=28:24 4:10=29:35 4:20=30:46 4:30 + =31:57

 

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Top 5 Hydration Mistakes

Randy Bernard

Coach of TRImyCoach.com

 Number 5: Not drinking enough or drinking too much - Most people need between 20-33 ounces of water per hour during exercise. Less than that amount can lead to dehydration, but also more than that amount can lead to dilutional hyponatremia (overly diluted blood sodium levels) or water-intoxication. The amount of water per hour does vary on the individual and weather conditions. A good way to determine your own sweat rate is to weigh yourself before and after workouts. Your goal is to keep weight loss to no more than 1%.

 Number 4: Drinking water only and little or no electrolytes - A water only hydration strategy will only dilute your blood sodium levels as mentioned above. Having the proper balance in your blood of water and electrolytes will help you avoid all sorts of problems such as gastric stress, edema, or muscle spasm and cramping. If you want to see your effort come to a complete halt, forget to take in electrolytes or take in too many electrolytes from an unbalanced formula and watch it happen!

 Number 3: Using a simple sugar fuel - Simple sugars are used in most popular sports drinks for taste, however, simple sugar fuels must be mixed in weak 6-8% solutions or they will sit undigested in the stomach and not pass the gastric lining, possibly creating sour stomach or cramps. If the fuel is in your stomach, then you are not getting the important water as well.

 Number 2: Lack of a hydration plan - Some athletes will approach training workouts and racing without a real plan for hydration and just use the "wait until I'm thirsty" approach. By that time you are generally too late to effectively battle your sweat losses. A better approach is to determine your individual sweat rate based on certain weather conditions and use this information to consume the proper amount of fluids per hour. It is better to sip small amounts of fluid over the entire hour versus one or two big gulps.

 Number 1: Not practicing proper hydration during training or doing something completely different on race day - The best way to fine tune your hydration plan is practice, practice, practice. I can't tell you the number of times I have heard athletes changing how often (and what) they ate/drank on race day. Knowing how your body reacts to the proper fuels, fluids and electrolytes will be the key to your best performance on race day or in a given workout.

 

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Cold Weather Running Tips

Stuart Willick, M.D., Race Medical Director

Pam Hansen M.D. Assistant Medical Director
University of Utah

Training in a cold environment can place unique stresses on the body. Although frostbite and hypothermia are the classic cold weather sports injuries, fatigue, dehydration, and bronchospasm can also occur frequently in cold weather.

At the beginning of a run, clothing insulation and exercise metabolism are sufficient to maintain the athletes body temperature in the cold. As fatigue sets in and muscle activity slows, body heat production decreases. As the core body temperature cools, the individual becomes even more fatigued and less capable of generating heat. Wind chill and moist clothing can accelerate cooling through convection and evaporation.

When exercising in the cold, do not overdress. This causes the body to become hot and initiate sweating. As the sweat soaks through the clothing, evaporation rapidly removes heat from the body into the environment. Clothing that transmits moisture away from the body may be protective if an outer wind-resistant layer decreases heat loss. However, this wind-resistant layer must retain the same transmission capabilities, otherwise clothing will still become moist.

Tight-fitting clothing may produce constriction, which hinders blood circulation and lessens the benefit of heat-retaining air insulation. Clothes that decrease the amount of surface area exposed may decrease frostbite risk. Mittens are more protective than gloves, since gloves have greater surface area and prevent air from circulating between fingers. Up to 80% of total body heat loss occurs through exposed head and neck areas.

Dehydration in the cold occurs owing to unperceived loss of fluid with inadequate intake. In cold, dry weather, large quantities of fluid are lost through exhalation. Cold weather also dulls the thirst response to dehydration. Additionally, the volume of perspiration loss may not be appreciated because of the voluminous clothing.

In cold weather, inspired air must be warmed and humidified by the body. In cold conditions, the air cannot fully be warmed and humidified. Reactive bronchospasm causing difficulty breathing and coughing may be quite problematic, especially for those with exercise-induced asthma, in addition to increased mucus production for 12-24 hours after the exposure occurs. Prophylactically inhaled bronchodilators such as albuterol can be helpful for these problems.

Dress right, stay hydrated, see your doctor is you are having breathing problems, and enjoy your cold weather training!

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Eight last-minute nutrition tips for endurance athletes

By Nancy Clark, MS, RD
 

If you have looming in the near future an endurance event — century bike ride, marathon, or any other competition that will tax your endurance — you may be concerned about the best nutritional preparations.

The good news is, even if your training is over, you can still significantly enhance your performance with winning food strategies.

Without a doubt, what you eat and drink during the last few days and hours before exhaustive exercise makes a difference. By eating wisely and well, you can enjoy lasting energy without hitting the wall!

Here are eight last-minute nutrition tips for enhancing endurance.

1. Carbo-load, don't fat-load.
Carbohydrate-rich foods include cereals, fruits, juices, breads, rice, plain baked potatoes and pasta with tomato sauce. Lower carbohydrate choices include donuts, cookies, buttery potatoes, ice cream, cheesy lasagna and pepperoni pizza. These fat-laden foods may taste great and fill your stomach, but fat does not get stored as muscle fuel.

2. No last-minute hard training.
By resting your muscles and doing very little exercise this pre-event week, your muscles will have the time they need to store the carbohydrates and become fully saturated with glycogen (carbohydrate). You can only fully carbo-load if you stop exercising hard! You can tell if your muscles are well-carbo-loaded if you have gained 2 to 4 pounds pre-event. Your muscles store 3 ounces of water along with each ounce of carbohydrate. (This water will be released during the event and be put to good use.)

3. No last-minute dieting.
You can't fully carbo-load your muscles if you are dieting and restricting your calories. You will have greater stamina and endurance if you are well-fueled, as compared to the dieter who may be a few pounds lighter but has muscles that are sub-optimally carbo-loaded. Remember: You are supposed to gain (water) weight pre-event!

4. Drink extra fluids.
You can tell if you are drinking enough fluids by monitoring your urine. You should be urinating frequently (every two to four hours); the urine should be clear-colored and significant in volume. Juices are a good fluid choice because they provide not only water and carbohydrates but also nutritional value. Save the sports drinks for during the event.

5. Eat tried-and-true foods.
If you drastically change your food choices (such as carbo-load by eating several extra bananas), you may end up with intestinal distress. Simply eat a comfortable portion of the tried-and-true carbohydrates you've enjoyed during training. You need not stuff yourself! If you will be traveling to a far-away event, plan ahead so you can maintain a familiar eating schedule despite a crazy travel schedule.

6. Eat a moderate amount of fiber.
If you stuff yourself with lots of white bread, bagels, crackers, pasta and other foods made with refined white flour, you may end up constipated. Include enough fiber to promote regular bowel movements — but not too much fiber or you'll have the opposite problem! Moderate amounts of whole-wheat bread, bran cereal, fruits and vegetables are generally good choices. (If you are concerned about diarrhea, limit your intake of high-fiber foods and instead consume more of the refined breads and pastas.)

7. Eat the morning of the endurance event.
You'll need this fuel to maintain a normal blood sugar level. Although your muscles are well-stocked from the foods you've eaten the past few days, your brain gets fuel only from the limited amount of sugar in your blood. When you nervously toss and turn the night before the event, you can deplete your blood sugar and, unless you eat carbs, you will start the event with low blood sugar. Your performance will go downhill from there.

Plan to replace the energy lost during the (sleepless) night with a light to moderate breakfast as tolerated. This will help you avoid hitting the wall. Stick with tried-and-true pre-exercise foods: cereal, bagels, toast, fruit, energy bars and/or juice. These carb-based foods invest in fueling the brain, as well as staving off hunger. If a pre-event breakfast will likely upset your system, eat extra food the night before. That is, eat your breakfast at 10 p.m.

8. Consume carbs during the event.
During endurance exercise, you'll have greater stamina if you consume not only water, but also some carbohydrates, such as sports drinks, gels, bananas or dried fruit. You should target about 100 to 250 calories/hour after the first hour to avoid hitting the wall. (For example, that's 16 to 32 ounces of sports drink/hour.)

The slower you run, the more you need to fuel yourself during the event. Some athletes boost their energy intake by drinking diluted juices or defizzed cola; others suck on hard candies or eat chunks of energy bar, animal crackers and other easily chewed and digested foods along the way. Your muscles welcome this food; it gets digested and used for fuel during the event. And hopefully, you will have experimented during training to learn what settles best.

Copyright: Nancy Clark, MS, RD 3/03

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HYDRATION AND TRAINING TIPS

Guy Perry, Salt Lake Running Company

Salt Lake City, UT

With the new year upon us and many well-meant resolutions waning into obscurity, a regular training regimen can help individuals achieve their personal goals. Others just want to get into better shape. Either way, Salt Lake Running Company’s Guy Perry has been preparing a regular training regimen offered to runners.

"The winter makes it hard for us to train," Perry says, "and we don’t do as much as we should." With this in mind, he is offering some winter-specific training tips for runners preparing for the upcoming race. One of the first steps is a proper warm up. Walking is one of the most basic and beneficial means of preparing the body and mind. Walk briskly for 5-10 minutes before every exercise session to get the blood flowing.

One of more important things during these cold winter months is dressing properly for the weather. The most important concept runners need to understand is layering. Perry recommends the "SVIP" method. The "S" stands for support meaning underlayer, which should always be non-cotton. The next layer is the "V" or ventilation layer, worn body tight and wicking moisture away from the skin quickly. The "I" stands for insulation and is the fabric that provides warmth. And finally, the "P" is for protection, the outermost layer that provides protection from the elements when needed.

Proper hydration needs change with amount of exercise. For normal usage, the American Medical Association recommends 8-10 glasses of water a day but for someone who is exercising heavily needs an additional 4-6 glasses of water, totaling of 10-16 glasses per day. The quality of body tissues, their performance and resistance to injury is absolutely dependent on the quality and quantity of the water people drink.

The 10% Rule: By increasing time or distance by no more than 10% in a given week, runners can safely move on to more distance and time. While allowing for training consistency, this also lowers risk of injury and over-training. Motivation is key, as well. Perry advises runners to find a good workout partner, group or running club and advises, "choose a situation where the companionship is more rewarding than the workout itself. The social aspect of running is tremendous and the benefits are very therapeutic."

Long runs are a necessary aspect of marathon training. The focus is always on duration not intensity. Any long run over 70 minutes should be done two to three weeks apart. Runners should run them 70 percent of their max heart rate or "conversation" pace. Next, refueling is required. A good rule of thumb for drinking is every two miles and for eating is every 20-30 minutes after the first hour. A wise choice is to carry a water bottle with a favorite sports drink and some quick energy foods like Powergel, Gu or Clifshot.

Cross training can alleviate the pounding of running while still exercising the heart and muscles. Two of the most effective ways of doing this are swimming and biking. Alternating these workouts in one to three times a week is a definite boost to the mental psyche, physical recovery and whole body fitness. The trick is learning to listen to the body. If the thought of running is "more than one is able to bear" it’s most likely time to hit the pool or dust off that bike hanging in the garage. As the old saying goes "sometimes a change is as good as a rest."

The most common mistake made in running is the lack of adequate rest. The demands placed on the body take time to overcome. Runners should train no more than three weeks in succession without a week of decreased activity. Secondly, they should take a week of recovery following every long run.

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