Training and advices to realize your first popular 10 km event
This training is a real story: Mary, my wife (40 years old), began to run on July 17, 2003 with intention to strengthen the legs after a diet of slimming. Little by little she was more encouraged for the advances that she was obtaining. On September 6 she finished her first 10 km event, her mark, though modest, demonstrate that with perseverance, interest and a suitable preparation, anyone can come to the goal of his first popular race.
The modification of her habits in the last year turned Mary into a new woman: she left the tobacco, slimmed more than 20 kilograms (44 pounds), changed her food habits, began to do again sport... All with big sacrifices, efforts, tenacity and... especially, an incredible will power. in all this modification of her way of life there were hard moments and of weakness, but she never yielded, fortifying precisely in the overcoming of her small daily achievements.
Though I proposed the training schedule and I helped her at all time, the merit is of Mary. Every day that she was going out to run, she was straining in expiring with the proposed training, often enclosed improving the mileage to advance more rapid. I had to stop her, to prevent she exceeded the stablishment tempo or a possible injury. Her only doubts were in the capacity of her posibilities, in that one:" I don´t know if will be able to to do it", but finally she overcame it.
My satisfaction and my pride running with her, during the training, during the race and finally when she to cross the goal, have been going to increase directly the box of the fantastic recollections that I have shared with this wonderfull woman, who vill never stop surprising me. Serve this page as a small recognition of your big achievements. Congratulations, Mary.
Below I transcribe the Mary´s training schedule. Though it is necessary to explain that not all the runners are equal, we don´t work always equally to the same training schedule. With this I want to say that the proposed plan is a orientation, there will be persons who could improve it and others who need more to complete 10 kilometers.
No training is recorded in stone, nor is inmutable, the normal thing is that, sometimes, it is necessary to modify it for every runner and situation.
| DAY | TRAINING | TIME | DIST. |
| 17.07.03 Thursday | 500W + 500R + 1100W + 500R + 1000W + 300R + 300W | -- | 1300 |
| 19.07.03 Saturday | 500W + 1000R + 1000W + 500R + 700W + 300R(fast) + 300W | -- | 1800 |
| 21.07.03 Monday | 500W + 1650R + 350W + 500R + 700W + 300R(fast) + 100W | -- | 2450 |
| 22.07.03 Tuesday | 45' walking, with 350 fast (en 2:02) - recovery day |
-- | 350 |
| 23.07.03 Wednesday | 500W + 2000R + 200W + 300R + 700W + 300R(fast) + 100W | -- | 2600 |
| 26.07.03 Saturday | 2600 on 6:47 | 0:17:38 | 2600 |
| 28.07.03 Monday | 4000 on 7:20 | 0:29:20 | 4000 |
| 29.07.03 Tuesday | 1000W + 1000 on 5:55 + 500W + 1000 on 5:48 + 500W | -- | 2000 |
| 31.07.03 Thursday | 2600 on 6:24 | 0:16:38 | 2600 |
| 04.08.03 Monday | 2600 on 6:18 | 0:16:24 | 2600 |
| 06.08.03 Wednesday | 2600 on 6:07 | 0:15:53 | 2600 |
| 11.08.03 Monday | 4000 on 6:50 | 0:27:21 | 4000 |
| 13.08.03 Wednesday | 4000 on 6:24 | 0:28:36 | 4000 |
| 18.08.03 Monday | 5000 on 6:48 | 0:33:58 | 5000 |
| 20.08.03 Wednesday | 2600 on 6:05 | 0:15:50 | 2600 |
| 22.08.03 Friday | 1000 on 5:21 + recovery + 100 fast (en 24'') |
0:08:08 | 1100 |
| 24.08.03 Sunday | 6000 on 6:40 + 500W | 0:40:00 | 6000 |
| 25.08.03 Monday | 300 slow pace + 1000 fast on 5:22 + recovery - día de recovery | -- | 1000 |
| 27.08.03 Monday | 300 jog light + 3000 on 5:55 + recovery | -- | 3300 |
| 30.08.03 Saturday | 8000 a 6:40 + recovery | 0:53:20 | 8000 |
| 01.09.03 Monday | 2600 on 6:40 | 0:17:18 | 2600 |
| 03.09.03 Wednesday | Fartlek (light-fast) | -- | -- |
| 06.09.03 Saturday | 10000 on 6:46 | 1:07:43 | 10000 |
It is possible to to see that the training has several phases:
The first phase to do legs and long distance, includes exercises combining to walk and to run (from July 17 to July 23).
The second phase (from July 26 to August 6) they are increasing the distances and the speed, changed the walking sections for jogging light.
We go on to the third phase (from August 11 to September 6) where there increase the distances inserted with days of the littles distance but high paces, to obtain speed.
Inside every phase it´s necessary rests and some softest day, of recovery. We never forget the warmings and stretchings. They are indispensable.