Look over my 5k training plan (plus some running food Q's)

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swinginchandra
swinginchandra Posts: 418 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm planning on running a 5k in october, and like many others, I'd like to decrease my time from my current 9 minute miles down to 8 minute miles.

Right now, I run almost every day, with a variety of types of runs - be it interval, long runs (up to 7 miles), tempo runs, relaxed runs... etc. But with almost no rhyme or reason. I'd like to get on a more structured plan, and I'm curious if the one I have worked out will help me increase my time? Looking for suggestions to modify this schedule!

Also, please note that I'm doing this on top of P90X classic.


Monday:
Am: P90X Upper Body
Pm: Tempo Run (ie. approx 3 miles at ~max exertion.Right now that's 3 9 minute miles)

Tuesday:
Am: P90X Plyometrics
PM: 30-45 minute swim (I work on breathing less often when I swim - 2-3 strokes /breath)

Wednesday:
Am: P90 Upper Body
Pm: HIIT Run (3 miles, 2 minute slow jog, 1 minute SPRINT)

Thursday:
AM: P90X Yoga
PM: 30-45 minute swim (P90X yoga is pretty lower body intensive)

Friday:
Am: P90X Legs
PM: Long Run (5 + miles... longest so far was 7... pretty slow relaxed pace)

Saturday:
Am: P90X Kenpo
PM: ?? depends on day - tennis, 30DS, tempo run, long walk... depends on how I feel

Sunday:
1 mile tempo run + long stretch session

How does that look?
A note on diet: I eat about 40%40%20%, and I try to replace about half my strength training calories with a protein shake.
I'm slightly conflicted on what to eat after my run, because I run late in the evening - pretty much right before bed. I know your supposed to eat protein +carbs after a run, but I don't like the carbs right before bed. Right now I'm doing like 1/2 scoop protein powder, and a 1/4 - 1/2 banana... My protein powder is a fast absorbing whey Isolate for now, but I'd like to get a more all purpose protein powder to make little pre-bed post run snacks out of.

Anyhew, OPINIONATE!!!! Thanks for your help!

Replies

  • ChiaMom
    ChiaMom Posts: 4
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    Hi Swinging Chandra,

    I admire your discipline. I'm a working mom and lucky if I get 3 good brisk walks in a week. I find I can't live without the exercise though, so I do it and am never sorry.

    I saw your post and just wanted to let you know about "Running Food" products. It's Chia seed--you can find a wealth of information about Chia as an effective nutrient supplement esp for runners. It helps retain water in a good way--and gives you Omega 3's, protein, fiber and magnesium among other benefits. As with anything new, start off slowly. I sprinkle it on my yogurt and cereal. No taste!!

    Good luck,

    ChiaMom
  • swinginchandra
    swinginchandra Posts: 418 Member
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    thanks for the tip, I'll look into them!

    It's not so much discipline, as boredom.... I'm stuck out in the middle of nowhere with not much to do sept workout... :p
  • swinginchandra
    swinginchandra Posts: 418 Member
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    hate to bump my own thread, but anyone have any opinions on this!!! Help! :P
  • mynameisnutz
    mynameisnutz Posts: 123
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    Your tempo run should be something like a 10 minute warm up, 20 minutes @ tempo pace (start with 30s slower than race pace), 10 minute cool down.

    Also, using the 10% rule, get your long run up to 13-15 miles.

    Replace your HIIT day with a more structured interval track workout- a simple one to start with is 3x400 (run 400m @ race pace, followed by 400m jog, x3). Every week, up this by an additional interval until you can do 8. If you don't have access to a track, you can do the same workout on a 1/4 mile hill.

    Remember to add in recovery days. You could replace that 1 mi. tempo with a recovery run- 3-5 miles easy. Easy means EASY. 60-70% of your max HR.

    Last but not least, every 4th week drop back the mileage for a week to give your body a chance to heal up.
  • mynameisnutz
    mynameisnutz Posts: 123
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    I should add... the first thing you really should do is build up your base. You seem to be running around 15 miles a week. Obviously everybody is different, but IMO that's not enough to sustain 3 quality workouts. (Tempo, Interval, Long).

    I would replace the interval workout with another easy recovery run until you build your base up to mid-20 miles per week.
  • swinginchandra
    swinginchandra Posts: 418 Member
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    Right now I think I run closer to 20, 25 miles a week. I keep promising I'm going to swim twice a week, but I never actually do. I pretty much run every day now, with half the runs being 5 miles, half of them 3.

    I put the swimming days in the schedule, because I saw someplace you should only really do 3-4 run workouts a week. Is that not true? Should I add more running days, or just longer runs?

    editted to add: I don't have access to a track, but I use mapmyrun on my phone, and I should be able to set it to notify my at distances instead of times. My run is pretty flat, and I'm generally well aware of where the 1/2 mile marks are.

    Yikes, 13-15 miles. I'll def have to work on that! for long runs like that, what pace do you strive for?
  • mynameisnutz
    mynameisnutz Posts: 123
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    Nope, as long as you can handle it, you can run 5, 6, or 7 times a week if you want. Just listen to your body for signs of over training, it knows best.

    For the long run, you are doing them right already. Nice and easy. You can pretty much think of any run that isn't a speed workout as an easy pace run.
  • swinginchandra
    swinginchandra Posts: 418 Member
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    So do you think it would be better to just kill the swims all together, as far as my training goes? I was thinking of swimming on days that my P90X workouts are cardio-ish...
  • sdaltonking
    sdaltonking Posts: 15
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    Hello! Congrats on your your 5k goal.
    I have a few tips, take or leave what you'd like, but I think they might be helpful for you; you say that you want to shave a whole minute off of your 5k pace; is that for just race day or are you speaking of tempo runs as well?
    If you're just thinking that it's race pace, then I think you're definitely on the right track. Personally, I think you're doing a bit too much; your body will reflect that in its pace. I would incorporate 2 full rest days into your schedule. Rest days are equally as important as non-rest days, if not more. I don't think you need to cut out the swimming, but if you keep it in, still remember to have two full rest days. That being said, maybe you'd run only 4 days a week, which personally I think is all anyone needs.
    Maybe your schedule of runs could go something like this:

    Day 1. Tempo Run

    Day 2: Easy Run (9 min miles)

    Day 3: Intervals (I would include 3 Yassos to start, building up to 5-6 about 1 month prior to race day).

    Day 4: Long run; this run should be about 10 min miles or 9:30 pace.

    There should be at least one day rest in between your Interval Day and your Long run day.

    I hope this helps and feel free to send me a message if you have questions/comments :)
  • mynameisnutz
    mynameisnutz Posts: 123
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    I don't think you need to be killing the swim days. Ideally, if you could do 5 days a week with a long run, intervals, tempo, and 2 recovery runs, then you could swim on the other two days.
  • swinginchandra
    swinginchandra Posts: 418 Member
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    Hello! Congrats on your your 5k goal.
    I have a few tips, take or leave what you'd like, but I think they might be helpful for you; you say that you want to shave a whole minute off of your 5k pace; is that for just race day or are you speaking of tempo runs as well?
    If you're just thinking that it's race pace, then I think you're definitely on the right track. Personally, I think you're doing a bit too much; your body will reflect that in its pace. I would incorporate 2 full rest days into your schedule. Rest days are equally as important as non-rest days, if not more. I don't think you need to cut out the swimming, but if you keep it in, still remember to have two full rest days. That being said, maybe you'd run only 4 days a week, which personally I think is all anyone needs.
    Maybe your schedule of runs could go something like this:

    Day 1. Tempo Run

    Day 2: Easy Run (9 min miles)

    Day 3: Intervals (I would include 3 Yassos to start, building up to 5-6 about 1 month prior to race day).

    Day 4: Long run; this run should be about 10 min miles or 9:30 pace.

    There should be at least one day rest in between your Interval Day and your Long run day.

    I hope this helps and feel free to send me a message if you have questions/comments :)

    I was thinking tempo pace... So I think I may have misunderstood what a tempo run is - should I be running longer than 3 miles? So three miles at 'tempo', plus extra length for the warm up and cool down? Or are the warm up and cool down included in the ~ 3 miles?

    Also, one thing to note, is my legs are pretty darn strong. They never feel sore or tired from running, or while running. I think my main roadblock is cardiovascular. IE right now, when I run 3 miles at my max pace of 26-27 minutes, my legs feel great the whole time. My heart, however, feels like it's going to jump out my throat! LOL. I'm probably at 150 ~ 160 bpm the whole time.
    Same thing with longer runs, never really feel it in legs, which is why I hadn't worried about break days too much. Dunno if this is faulty logic or not? Plus, I guess I should be pushing my runs longer until my legs do hurt... at 7 miles (probably 10 minute miles), my legs are totally fine, I don't feel any different than when I started out, I usually mainly stop out of boredom... lol. Didn't know it was important to do that significantly longer of a run!

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