The Final Week Of Our 10km Training Plan
We are at our last week of our training plan, and that usually means race week. Before we go through the final week of our training plan, we will go through what we covered over the past 5 weeks with the Jack Daniels Running Formula.
The past 6 weeks have flows and we have gone through a lot of content:
- We started in week 1 with a broard overview of the Daniels Running Formula and discussed the basic physiological system for runners, the types of training we use to train each of these systems
- Week 2 started with a discussion on Daniels' 8 Principals of Training
- We took a different path for Week 3 as we had a discussion on breathing and running
- Week 4 was a discussion on Stride Rate For Runners
- Our previous week, for week 5 we went through Daniels' Basic Laws of Running and how to make them part of your everyday life
Phases of A Training Season
In our very first post we touched on the different phases of training outlined in the Jack Daniels Running Formula but thought it would be a good idea to look a little closer at each phase to see how we can encorporate them into our own training.
From the start of our training season, it is necessary to determine what each runner needs to achieve, as it is always worth asking what types of workouts a runner has been doing as part of their training to make sure they are starting off with the correct phase and running workouts specific to their level of fitness and experience. For example in the 6 week program that has been put together as part of these posts, it was assumed that each runner was running regularly, meaning we could limit phase 1 and phase 2 training.
If a runner was starting from scratch or from a long break, it would be more worthwhile to ensure there is more time dedicated to phase 1 and phase 2 to make sure they are strong enough and have enough endurance base to take on their desired race distance. If they are an experienced runner, or like we have done with our six week plan, phase 1 is sometimes not even necessary.
Phase 1
Foundation and Injury Prevention - Steady easy runs while gradually increasing distance and increasing mileage. If there is more than three weeks available, it is worth adding in some strides at the end of each run consisting of 10 to 15 seconds of light, quick running with full recovery. This is also a good time to add in some supplimental training such as light resistance training after these runs.
Phase 2
Early Quality - Start to introduce faster workouts and prepare the runner for the next phases. If the runner has experienced three to four weeks of hard training, and not had any set backs, it may even be worth skipping phase 2. This is where you can introduce repeat workouts and interval training sessions, which will add faster running and more stress on the aerobic system.
Phase 3
Transition Quality - The most stressful phase of the training season and designed to optimize the components specific to the race being trained for. With our six week plan, this was the longest phase that we had lasting for three weeks and got us ready for running the distance at a specific speed with our long runs and also included repeat work that improved our strength and speed to hopefully make these longer runs easier. This phase needs to work around the specific distance you are training for and the specific time you are aiming for.
Phase 4
Final Quality - Final preparation for the main event. This phase is meant to still be difficult but not as stressful as the previous phase. This is to make sure the runner is feeling fresh and ready to race. Our training plan concentrated on threshold runs to make sure the runner was confortable running at the specified pace they were aiming for in their race.
So with that in mind, its time to go through our finial training week of our 10km training plan.
Week 6 Is Race Week
Yep, its our final week and we are onto race week. As we discussed last week, this takes us into phase 4 where we are putting an emphasis on threshold runs to make sure we are ready to run at our desired pace. Being in our last week of our training plan we want to also be fresh for our race. This means, dropping our long run a little, and also making sure we are not adding in any easy runs besides our quality training sessions.
Our race day also counts as a quality session, so that is our last quality session for the week.
Beginner 10km Plan - Week6
Quality Session Day 1
5km run at approx 7 minutes 20 seconds per kilometer(11 minutes 40 seconds per mile).
Quality Session Day 2
(6km Total)
1km warm up at an easy pace
4 x 1km Threshold runs at 6 minute and 32 seconds per kilometer, then rest for 1 minute
1km cool down at an easy pace
Quality Session Day 3
Race Day - 10km
Intermediate 10km Plan - Week 6
Quality Session Day 1
8km run at approx 6 minutes 40 seconds per kilometre(10 minutes 45 seconds per mile).
Quality Session Day 2
(7km Total)
1km warm up at an easy pace
5 x 1km Threshold runs at 5 minute and 33 seconds per kilometer, then rest for 1 minute
1km cool down at an easy pace
Quality Session Day 3
Race Day - 10km
Note:
Make sure you are running the full distance for your long run. You should be strong enough to get through it now.
As race day is approaching there is no real need to do any extra training as you want to feel fresh for race day.
Paces taken from the Jack Daniels Running Caluclator at:
https://runsmartproject.com/calculator/
Beginner Plan
This is for someone aiming to finish between 1 hour and an 1 hour and 10 minutes. This person should still have some running behind them and hopefully able to complete a 5km run without stopping.
Intermediate Training Plan
This is for someone who has been constantly running for more about 6 months and aiming to finish a 10km run in between 50 minutes and 1 hour. They should hopefully have run one or two 10km races and should be able to run 10km without stopping.
I have loved providing the past 6 posts, especially implementing Jack Daniels Running Formula into a real life training plan. If there is any questions or any information you feel you would like me to elaborate on, please let me know.
Now over two years ago, a pic of me running Ironman New Zealand
About the Author
Hey I'm Vince, an Aussie living in New Zealand, trying my best to make the most of the time I have. I work as a Software Engineer but love to run and all aspects of it, including geeking out on the latest science to help get the most out of my body.