You have visions of running like a world class athlete. The reality is you have as much grace as Bambi on ice. Not to mention after a few faithful sprints you’re gasping for breath and realising that the trek ahead is going to take some training.
Well, we’ve signed up with Glenisk who are supporting the Marie Keating Foundation team at this year’s Flora Women’s Mini Marathon. Glenisk have gathered a team of experts including Aveen Bannon of the Dublin Nutrition Centre and the fitness trainers over at Bodybyrne to provide us with nutrition and training tips for the lead up to the marathon. From stretches, nutrition and posture to mapping your route – we’ve got you covered.
Week 2 – Increasing Your Intensity
Don’t worry, we know you’re suddenly very aware of your body and every muscle is in a not-so- silent protest. On some level though we bet you’re feeling pretty proud. This week, we’re going to work on increasing the intensity of your training while keeping up the momentum. Remember, this is programme is a stepping stones approach to the 10k – so don’t worry you’re not sprinting down the road just yet. Now, pull on those runners and do your five minute warm-ups ahead of this week’s sessions.
Beginners
Session 1 – Similar to week 1 of training, start your session with intervals. As with last week, approach this session as 1 minute walking followed by 1 minute of running. This week though, we want to increase this from 2ominutes to 30 minutes, slowly building the length of time you’re comfortable running at a set pace.
Session 2 – Your second session will challenge you to do your long run. We’ll be reversing the tables this week and instead of focussing on speed, this session should work on increasing the distance you can continuously run. After your warm-up, start running and see how far you make it, tracking the distance as a target for next week. This can be measured by using an app like Endomondo, Runtastic or Runkeeper. Write this down – and use this as your target mark for next week.
Intermediate
For intermediate runners who are working with us to develop a running plan ahead of the mini marathon, we’re going to increase your training to three sessions this week. This will see us introduce a short 5k recovery run mid-week along with building on our interval and long run sessions either end of the week.
Session 1 – The first session this week will be interval based covering a distance of approximately 6-8km. This will be 1 minute steady jogging (about 60% of your max speed), followed by 30 seconds of a 75% pace. Again, we are looking for this session to last about 40 minutes including your warm up and cool down.
Session 2 – With your 5k recovery run, the aim is to run this at 60% of your regular running speed, keeping your heart rate stable. Follow this session with some stretching to reap the benefits ahead of your third session this week.
Session 3 – For your third training session this week, aim to make this your long run. This will be 10k which for many intermediate/ advanced runners is no problem. This training programme will work towards achieving a personal best, and hopefully setting some own records! Rather than race to beat last week’s time, use your long run to develop consistency and technique – this will stand to you come race day.
Nutritional Tips This Week: Keeping Your Body Refuelled
With every great running plan, there is a real need to eat a healthy, balanced diet to increase energy levels and keep your body in top shape for training. If you have a tendency to snack, try replacing high sugar treats with fruit, yogurt, nuts and seeds, and work at improving the contents of your fridge and cupboard to give you an extra spring in your step.
So, what are the top foods to add to your diet?
- Oatcakes
- Nuts & Seeds
- Avocado & Coconut Oil
- Sweet Potato
- Yogurt
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Lean meat, fish and eggs
Need some inspiration in the kitchen? This week, check out Glenisk’s recipe for salmon cakes!
