From 0 to 10k in 4 weeks
5k, 10k, race
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Anything is possible with enough effort and discipline... Here's a workout plan to get you ready for your first 10K in 4 weeks. Obviously, depending on the starting fitness level, this can be either very easy or very hard. I won't lie: if the starting fitness level is couch potato, then the person is going to be an 'ouch potato' during this process. But it's definitely do-able.
The goal here is to finish the race. That's it - just finish, baby. No injuries, please - and we also want to get and stay excited about fitness in general. So once again, just finish the race and everything else is gravy (for example, if you complete the race without walking, or even better get a personal best time).
An important part of a successful experience is diet and rest. I won't go into that - I'll just say to eat right (plenty of other help on this site for that), get plenty of sleep, and stay well-hydrated. MINIMUM 64 oz of good 'ol H2O every day...
Week 1
Shake out the cobwebs - from 'couch' to 'ouch'.
Day 1: Get out and walk/jog at least 1 mile.
Day 2: Light stretching and 30 min bodyweight circuit (work through soreness, if any).
Day 3: Get out and walk/jog at least 1 mile.
Day 4: Light stretching and 30 min bodyweight circuit.
Day 5: Get out and walk/jog at least 1.5 miles.
Day 6: Light stretching and 30 min bodyweight circuit.
Day 7: Rest! Maybe ride bikes around the neighborhood, walk the dogs, etc. Stay active, but not 'exercise'. Stay motivated even though you may be having a very tough time right now... It gets better!
Week 2
We're stepping it up a bit, need to think about 5k - approx 3 miles. If running the 10k, the numbers here should be at least 3 miles by the end of the week.
Day 1: Get out and walk/jog at least 1.5 miles.
Day 2: Light stretching and 30 min bodyweight circuit.
Day 3: Get out and walk/jog at least 2 miles.
Day 4: Light stretching and weight training circuit (add light dumbells to the bodyweight circuit).
Day 5: Get out and walk/jog at least 2 miles.
Day 6: Light stretching and 30 min bodyweight circuit.
Day 7: Rest! Maybe play with the kids at the park, walk around the mall, etc. Stay active, but not 'exercise'.
Week 3
Now we're rolling - if we've been disciplined, we are starting to really feel better, stronger, less sore. Again if going for 10k, we should shoot for 4 or 5 miles by the end of the week.
Day 1: Get out and walk/jog at least 2.5 miles.
Day 2: Light stretching and weight training circuit.
Day 3: Get out and walk/jog at least 2.5 miles.
Day 4: Light stretching and 45 min bodyweight circuit.
Day 5: Get out and walk/jog at least 3 miles.
Day 6: Light stretching and weight training circuit.
Day 7: Rest! But stay active.
Week 4
Race Week, YEAH! Don't make any major changes this week, just keep the momentum going and get a little bit extra rest than normal.
Day 1: Get out and walk/jog your race distance. Maybe try a little faster than normal.
Day 2: Light stretching and weight training circuit.
Day 3: Get out and walk/jog your race distance. Nice a relaxed pace, maybe a little slower than normal.
Day 4: Light stretching and 45 min bodyweight circuit.
Day 5: Light stretching only, but stay active.
Day 6: Light stretching only, lay on the couch all day if you want. The most important thing today is eat right and drink a lot of water. Of course, try to get a good nights sleeep.
Day 7: Race!!! Have fun, walk/jog - just finish, baby!!! :)
You may need to modify the plan according to the actual number of days left until race day. The key is to start small, but stick with it and ramp up evenly until the week of the race, where you basically hold steady and let your body gear up for the event. Remember: eat right, get plenty of rest, and stay hydrated. Most importantly, have a blast!!!
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on 5/1/2008
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