Hal Higdon 10k Training Program: Novice (Progress Thread)

OldAssDude
OldAssDude Posts: 1,436 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
This program was recommended to me by @dewd2 and i decided to give it a try. I never have done any type of structured program before, so i'm kind of excited about this. My goal is to be able to run 10k, and also improve my time on 5k. It seems like this program will do both (if i can do it).

All runs will be low intensity, and on rest days i will just do a leisurely walk. I normally exercise at a much higher intensity, but many are telling me that lower intensity will improve my distance and eventually my pace will improve at the same intensity over time.

The program is 8 weeks ending in a 10k run after 2 rest days. Upon completion i will do a couple rest days (just walking) and then run a 5k to see if my pace has improved. I have a feeling it will.

I will be using RPE in conjunction with HR. I have dug through the last year of my garmin workouts and was able to get a pretty good determination of my max heart rate and my lactate threshold. I then set my zones on my garmin to use %LYHR. It automatically set the zone percentages, and they correspond pretty well to what i perceive in each zone. @AnvilHead posted a link that grouped the RPE numbers into the 5 heart rate zones, so i added them to each zone and they pretty much match up to what i feel in the zones that garmin set for me.

Here is the plan i will be following, and i added an "actual" row that i can put what i actually did on each day.

u8ncjshv5yia.png

And here are the zones and RPE i will be using for the program.

28gviqmd5od8.png

I will update this thread with my progress as i go along, and it just goes to show... even an OldAssDude can learn new stuff.

Thanks for the help guys, and wish me luck. :)
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Replies

  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Go get ‘em!
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,445 Member
    Good luck @OldAssDude. You will do well.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Didn’t you do C25k?
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    I know how difficult it is to embrace a training plan that is so different than what you’re used to, but I wholeheartedly agree with @dewd2 that this is the way for you to go to see the fastest performance improvements.

    Kudos to you for taking the plunge and giving something new and fundamentally different (from your norm) a try.
  • OldAssDude
    OldAssDude Posts: 1,436 Member
    lorrpb wrote: »
    Didn’t you do C25k?

    I did my own version of the C25k. I just kept running a little further until i could run 5k. For some reason running for time messed with my head, so i just did it by distance instead.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    Do you have an actual 10K race to run at the end? It does add to the motivation if you can find one around that time frame.

  • OldAssDude
    OldAssDude Posts: 1,436 Member
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    Do you have an actual 10K race to run at the end? It does add to the motivation if you can find one around that time frame.

    No. My main objective is to just be able to run 10k, and improve my 5k pace. My pace is so pathetic that walkers would beat me in a race. :)

    I guess the next step will be to run 10 miles and improve my 10k pace.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    edited November 2018
    Neato, I was thinking of doing this same running plan. The b210k just seems like too much.
  • FL_Hiker
    FL_Hiker Posts: 919 Member
    I'm doing the Hal Higdons marathon plan right now and really enjoying it. I'm glad I eventually switched to a training plan, I saw improvements right away. Good luck with yours :)
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    Do you have an actual 10K race to run at the end? It does add to the motivation if you can find one around that time frame.
    OldAssDude wrote: »
    No. My main objective is to just be able to run 10k, and improve my 5k pace. My pace is so pathetic that walkers would beat me in a race. :)

    I guess the next step will be to run 10 miles and improve my 10k pace.

    A race really does provide a ton of motivation, and they are fun. Don't fret about speed -- especially if a larger road race, there will be lots and lots of walkers and slower runners (trail races tend to be a totally different animal though)(they usually post cut-off times, or you can ask the organizer- which I've done before). On the training too, if this is a new distance you are working up to, then the aim is to be able to complete it (at any pace) - easy slow pace on all/nearly all the runs. At this point, you'll gain speed just getting the miles in whether you do speedwork or not.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    OldAssDude wrote: »
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    Do you have an actual 10K race to run at the end? It does add to the motivation if you can find one around that time frame.

    No. My main objective is to just be able to run 10k, and improve my 5k pace. My pace is so pathetic that walkers would beat me in a race. :)

    I guess the next step will be to run 10 miles and improve my 10k pace.

    I like timing it to a race is all. Give me the extra oomph to do it.

    Next year is going to be a marathon year for me (just 1). I want to get to the point the a half is doable any weekend and then push to a full for October. I'm at the point where 10K is doable on Sundays, which has dropped about 2 1/2 minutes off my 5K (27:33 best so far). I'm going to sign up for a couple of halfs spread out throughout the year.

    I'm training to finally get a spring half in, so I can consider doing my first marathon in the fall.

    (I abhor hampster wheels and my weekly mileage takes a nosedive ~January to roughly 1 5 mile group run + 1 ~5k run with hiking/snowshoeing taking over the long run slot. Registering for a May HM should keep me motivated through the long winter).

    I was hoping to PR my Turkey Trot on Thursday, but I have a much harder time breathing in the cold, so not looking likely (https://buffalonews.com/2018/11/18/cold-turkey-thanksgiving-forecast-to-bring-buffalos-coldest-day-since-feb-13/)
  • OldAssDude
    OldAssDude Posts: 1,436 Member
    Day 3...

    kduw2wms4kqx.png
  • OldAssDude
    OldAssDude Posts: 1,436 Member
    edited November 2018
    Update...

    kqpjazpd2iab.png


    I know today is supposed to be a rest day, but with all the longer very low intensity runs i feel like i needed to get a good cardio workout in. This is mainly a power walk with 4 run intervals on some of the downhill parts. The run intervals are: quarter mile, half mile, one mile, and less than a quarter mile. I did the run intervals at about lactate threshold. I like to power walk the hills because i can maintain a good intensity and keep my legs strong without running.

    Here is the GC activity...

    https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3180619913

    I will probably use tomorrow as a rest day and just do a 3 to 4 mile casual walk.

    Just an FYI... I have been power walking just about 7 days a week for going on 4 years now, and have been adding running into the mix for going on 1 year. My legs have built up quite well and they always feel fine. If they start feeling a little too beat up i just do casual walking to help them recover. I say this because of the 2 rest days per week. I am not used to taking any rest days (let alone 2 per week), and i don't want all the work that i put into developing my legs to start declining.

    I do however 100% agree with most of the runs needing to be longer and at a low intensity (can hold a conversation), and i have no doubt that i will be able to run 10k after this pretty easily. But i also feel like i should do at least some higher intensity stuff to at least maintain my anaerobic fitness that i have been working so hard on over the years.

    Any suggestions would be helpful.
  • OldAssDude
    OldAssDude Posts: 1,436 Member
    I was looking at the different plans on the site and think this one may be better suited for me...

    https://halhigdon.com/training-programs/15k-10-mile-training/novice-15k-10-mile/

    I can already run 5 miles, so taking 8 weeks to add only 1.2 miles does not seem as productive. Adding 5 miles in 10 weeks seems like more of a challenge, and i feel like i could do it.

    22a4w1cfzd45.png

    Thoughts?
  • OldAssDude
    OldAssDude Posts: 1,436 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    OldAssDude wrote: »
    I was looking at the different plans on the site and think this one may be better suited for me...

    https://halhigdon.com/training-programs/15k-10-mile-training/novice-15k-10-mile/

    I can already run 5 miles, so taking 8 weeks to add only 1.2 miles does not seem as productive. Adding 5 miles in 10 weeks seems like more of a challenge, and i feel like i could do it.

    22a4w1cfzd45.png

    Thoughts?

    What was the purpose of this whole thing again?

    Original purpose was to be able to run 10k and improve my 5k pace by doing lower intensity longer runs. Running at a pace that i can hold a conversation.

    I tend to over do it, and was advised to do longer runs at a much lower intensity.
  • Steph_135
    Steph_135 Posts: 3,280 Member
    Thanks for sharing! That's great!
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,743 Member
    If you want to do the longer distance, you can try it. It it's too much, you could always back off. Alternately, you might do the intermediate 10k program which has only one full rest day and one cross training day. It's up to you whether you want to be running 4 days a week or 5.
  • OldAssDude
    OldAssDude Posts: 1,436 Member
    spiriteagle99 wrote: »
    If you want to do the longer distance, you can try it. It it's too much, you could always back off. Alternately, you might do the intermediate 10k program which has only one full rest day and one cross training day. It's up to you whether you want to be running 4 days a week or 5.

    I looked at the intermediate plan and it looks like that one includes speed work on Wednesdays. I was advised not to start doing speed work until i can run about 10 miles non stop (which the 10 mile novice plan would do for me).

    So for now I want to make all the runs at a slow (conversational) pace to build my base aerobic endurance. I will probably use one of the cross days each week to do a combination power walk with some short run (higher intensity) intervals on hilly terrain just to get at least one good cardio in per week and maintain my anaerobic fitness.
  • OldAssDude
    OldAssDude Posts: 1,436 Member
    edited November 2018
    aokoye wrote: »
    OldAssDude wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    OldAssDude wrote: »
    I was looking at the different plans on the site and think this one may be better suited for me...

    https://halhigdon.com/training-programs/15k-10-mile-training/novice-15k-10-mile/

    I can already run 5 miles, so taking 8 weeks to add only 1.2 miles does not seem as productive. Adding 5 miles in 10 weeks seems like more of a challenge, and i feel like i could do it.

    22a4w1cfzd45.png

    Thoughts?

    What was the purpose of this whole thing again?

    Original purpose was to be able to run 10k and improve my 5k pace by doing lower intensity longer runs. Running at a pace that i can hold a conversation.

    I tend to over do it, and was advised to do longer runs at a much lower intensity.

    Honestly, taking into account a number of your posts in general, I think it would be good for you to stay the course and be patient. That, in and of itself, seems like it would be a challenge for you. You seem to have an all or nothing sort of mentality and I think that staying with the plan that is slower would be a good exercise in realizing that rushing into things is not always/is often not a good thing. If you were training for a 15k then ok, but that's not what you're doing. You said it yourself:
    Original purpose was to be able to run 10k and improve my 5k pace by doing lower intensity longer runs. Running at a pace that i can hold a conversation.

    I tend to over do it, and was advised to do longer runs at a much lower intensity.

    I understand what you're saying, but 8 weeks to add only 1.2 miles to what i can already do (i can currently run 5 miles now)?

    Yes. I do tend to over do things, but i am also willing to make a commitment to keep the run days to a very low intensity (conversational) pace. And also commit to sticking to the plan, but it also has to be a challenge.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    edited November 2018
    OldAssDude wrote: »
    aokoye wrote: »
    OldAssDude wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    OldAssDude wrote: »
    I was looking at the different plans on the site and think this one may be better suited for me...

    https://halhigdon.com/training-programs/15k-10-mile-training/novice-15k-10-mile/

    I can already run 5 miles, so taking 8 weeks to add only 1.2 miles does not seem as productive. Adding 5 miles in 10 weeks seems like more of a challenge, and i feel like i could do it.

    22a4w1cfzd45.png

    Thoughts?

    What was the purpose of this whole thing again?

    Original purpose was to be able to run 10k and improve my 5k pace by doing lower intensity longer runs. Running at a pace that i can hold a conversation.

    I tend to over do it, and was advised to do longer runs at a much lower intensity.

    Honestly, taking into account a number of your posts in general, I think it would be good for you to stay the course and be patient. That, in and of itself, seems like it would be a challenge for you. You seem to have an all or nothing sort of mentality and I think that staying with the plan that is slower would be a good exercise in realizing that rushing into things is not always/is often not a good thing. If you were training for a 15k then ok, but that's not what you're doing. You said it yourself:
    Original purpose was to be able to run 10k and improve my 5k pace by doing lower intensity longer runs. Running at a pace that i can hold a conversation.

    I tend to over do it, and was advised to do longer runs at a much lower intensity.

    I understand what you're saying, but 8 weeks to add only 1.2 miles to what i can already do (i can currently run 5 miles now)?

    Yes. I do tend to over do things, but i am also willing to make a commitment to keep the run days to a very low intensity (conversational) pace. And also commit to sticking to the plan, but it also has to be a challenge.

    I am more than willing to bet that you will get faster following your original plan. On top of that you'll get to the 10k and, like a lot of us keep saying, you need to learn how to not go full gas all the time. Eight weeks out of your life to help get yourself to a point of not pushing so hard all the time is really not a large chunk out of your life and will probably help you in the long run.

    Another way to think of this that might be more palatable is that you're doing something like base training. Your getting in the miles so that you can sustainably run faster and longer throughout the season. Note - this is the novice base training plan on Hal Higdon's website. If you look up the intermediate version, it would not be suitable for you, but the novice one would be.
  • OldAssDude
    OldAssDude Posts: 1,436 Member
    aokoye wrote: »
    OldAssDude wrote: »
    aokoye wrote: »
    OldAssDude wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    OldAssDude wrote: »
    I was looking at the different plans on the site and think this one may be better suited for me...

    https://halhigdon.com/training-programs/15k-10-mile-training/novice-15k-10-mile/

    I can already run 5 miles, so taking 8 weeks to add only 1.2 miles does not seem as productive. Adding 5 miles in 10 weeks seems like more of a challenge, and i feel like i could do it.

    22a4w1cfzd45.png

    Thoughts?

    What was the purpose of this whole thing again?

    Original purpose was to be able to run 10k and improve my 5k pace by doing lower intensity longer runs. Running at a pace that i can hold a conversation.

    I tend to over do it, and was advised to do longer runs at a much lower intensity.

    Honestly, taking into account a number of your posts in general, I think it would be good for you to stay the course and be patient. That, in and of itself, seems like it would be a challenge for you. You seem to have an all or nothing sort of mentality and I think that staying with the plan that is slower would be a good exercise in realizing that rushing into things is not always/is often not a good thing. If you were training for a 15k then ok, but that's not what you're doing. You said it yourself:
    Original purpose was to be able to run 10k and improve my 5k pace by doing lower intensity longer runs. Running at a pace that i can hold a conversation.

    I tend to over do it, and was advised to do longer runs at a much lower intensity.

    I understand what you're saying, but 8 weeks to add only 1.2 miles to what i can already do (i can currently run 5 miles now)?

    Yes. I do tend to over do things, but i am also willing to make a commitment to keep the run days to a very low intensity (conversational) pace. And also commit to sticking to the plan, but it also has to be a challenge.

    I am more than willing to bet that you will get faster following your original plan. On top of that you'll get to the 10k and, like a lot of us keep saying, you need to learn how to not go full gas all the time. Eight weeks out of your life to help get yourself to a point of not pushing so hard all the time is really not a large chunk out of your life and will probably help you in the long run.

    Another way to think of this that might be more palatable is that you're doing something like base training. Your getting in the miles so that you can sustainably run faster and longer throughout the season. Note - this is the novice base training plan on Hal Higdon's website. If you look up the intermediate version, it would not be suitable for you, but the novice one would be.

    I understand that the novice plan is better suited for me. I should not think about doing speed work until i can run 10 miles first. That link is exactly where i got the plan from. I just pasted it into a spreadsheet from the website.

    Here is the 10 mile plan from the website that i put on a spreadsheet...

    fsgubikyv6dq.png

    The only change i made was switching Saturday and Sunday because Saturdays would not be good for the long runs due to time constraints.

    If you look at the long run for week 6, it is a 6 mile run (so basically 10k). So only 2 weeks shorter than the 10k novice plan. So basically the 10 mile plan is like a shorter 10k plan that continues to 10 miles.

    Even if i have to stretch it out over more than 10 weeks is fine with me. Either way, i am still getting the longer slower miles in, and getting more of a challenge. To be honest, i could probably push myself to do 10k right now, but my intent is to do it right. But i still need a challenge at the same time.

    I added "RPE" columns and "actual" rows, so i can log my workouts as i go.

    I do understand that i have to tone it down, and i appreciate hour input.

    thanks,
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    As Mark Rippetoe would say, YNDTFP (You're Not Doing The <insert word of choice starting with 'f' here> Program).

    That's his response anytime somebody "does" his program, but chooses to take it upon themselves to modify it. Programs are written the way they are (by people who know what they're doing) for specific reasons. Frequency, Intensity and Volume for progression, Rest for adequate recovery.

    This. So many times this.

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