FitSugar

8-Week Beginner 10K Running Schedule

FitSugar — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 04:30:33 PDT

You've run a few 5Ks and are ready to tackle double the distance. Running a 10K is totally doable, especially if you take time to build up your mileage. Here's an eight-week beginner training schedule that will help you train through the Fall and prepare you for your first 10K race.

To see this basic eight-week training schedule,

CT: Cross train
EZ: Easy run at a comfortable pace

Week	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
1	Rest	3 miles	CT	2.5 miles (race pace)	Rest	3 miles	30 minutes EZ
2	Rest	3 miles	CT	3 miles (race pace)	Rest	3.5 miles	35-40 minutes EZ
3	Rest	3.5 miles	CT	3.5 miles (race pace)	Rest	4 miles	35-40 minutes EZ
4	Rest	4 miles	CT	3.5 miles (race pace)	Rest	4.5 miles	40-45 minutes EZ
5	Rest	3 miles	CT	4 miles (race pace)	Rest	5 miles	40-45 minutes EZ
6	Rest	3.5 miles	CT	3.5 miles (race pace)	Rest	6 miles	40-45 minutes EZ
7	Rest	4 miles	CT	4 miles (race pace)	Rest	7 miles	40-45 minutes EZ
8	Rest	3 miles	CT or Rest	3 miles	Rest	Rest	Race Day

Have fun training and good luck!

Nike+ Human Race: One Day, One Race, One Million Runners

FitSugar — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:00:00 PDT

So you run and aren't quite ready to tackle a marathon, but are looking for a race to run. Have I got an event for you. You can participate in the largest, most unique worldwide 10K race - the Nike+ Human Race. It takes place on August 31, 2008, and there are two ways you can run. Either sign up to run in one of the 25 designated race cities including New York City, Los Angeles, Paris, Madrid, or London. Or you can opt to run wherever you are - on a treadmill, on the road, or in the woods. Just track your "race" using either the Nike+ iPod Sports Kit (if you like to run while listening to your iPod nano), or with the Nike+ SportBand (if you don't have a nano). After the race, connect either your nano or the SportBand to your computer to upload your race data to the NikePlus.com website.

To hear more about the race

All you have to do is register here. If you're running in one of the 25 race cities, the registration fee is $35 ($5 goes towards one of three charities you choose: The Lance Armstrong Foundation, The UN Refugee Agency, or World Wildlife Fund). If signing up for a race has been on your mind, all I have to say is, "Just do it." Imagine running in a global race with a million people – talk about a powerful experience.

How a Determined Desiree Davila Won a Spot on the US Olympic Marathon Team

espnW — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 04:25:02 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from espnW here on FitSugar! This week's is an inspiring story about marathoner Desiree Davila, who will be representing the US in the Olympics for her first time. The following is an excerpt; read the entire story here.

By Bonnie D. Ford

At last January's Olympic trials in Houston, Texas, four top women had distanced themselves from the field: Desiree Davila, fellow favorites Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher, and Amy Hastings. Davila increased her tempo. Hastings dropped back. Davila forged on with Flanagan and Goucher, her five-foot-two, 98-pound frame dwarfed by her taller rivals. Then, with two miles to go, Flanagan kicked into a higher gear, and Davila was faced with another decision: should she try to match the surge and bid for the win, taking the chance that her cramping calves would betray her, or maintain her pace and protect her spot on the team?

Davila weighed the situation and decided not to risk it. Flanagan soloed to the line, and Davila secured her Olympic spot by finishing second, 17 seconds back, in 2:25:55. It was a tough, savvy race, and the latest evidence that Davila's gradual climb to the top is peaking at an ideal juncture.

After a largely anonymous high school and college career in the arid heat of Southern California and Arizona, she migrated to Michigan to join the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project in 2005. The elite training environment in a harsher climate helped her transform herself into "a contender, not just someone who's on the line and might have a good day," as she put it.

The Lesson Learned From Second Place

Davila debuted at the marathon distance in Boston in 2007 and ran 2:44.56 in a raging northeaster. A year later on the same course, Davila thought she had progressed enough to make the Olympic team. At mile 21, running fourth, it looked as if she'd been right. But Davila, who hadn't hydrated and eaten enough before the race, ran out of gas and faded to 13th.

She was devastated. Fellow marathoner and friend Amy Hastings was there to comfort her, and so was sister Natalie Davila. "If I'm investing my money in someone right now, it's you," the older sister said. "You're going in the right direction - you're going up."

Read on for more of Desiree Davila's road to the Olympics after the break.

Get Moving and Say I Do: Ways to Incorporate Fitness Into Your Wedding

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:45:11 PDT

Fitness fanatics have a tough time separating workouts from life, so why should their wedding be any different? Here are some ways to bring an active lifestyle into your big day.

Send out fitness-themed save-the-date cards with you and your partner doing something active, like standing on surfboards with a sign that says, "Water you waiting for? Put this date on your calendar!" Or use a play on words like, "Jenny's finally running away with Mike." You can also design your invitations with exercise in mind. Have them look like a poster advertising a race or use illustrations that depict your favorite sport, such as golf balls and clubs.
If your wedding is going to be over a long weekend, plan activities that'll get folks moving. Hire a yoga instructor to teach a class; plan a scenic bike ride, morning run, or woodsy walk; or play a friendly game of beach volleyball (just make sure the bride's face stays far away from the ball).

Keep reading for more fitness ideas for your wedding.

How to Pick the Right Race For You

Leta Shy — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 02:38:10 PDT

Vowed to sign up for a race this year? Before you do, make sure you're picking the right one. Here are four things to do before committing to a race.

Poll your friends: Talk to your race-loving friends to see which courses they recommend, especially if you've never raced before. Your friends are a good place to start since they know what you like, can offer you their personal feedback based on their own experiences, and will be able to offer suggestions of races that gel with your personality and skill level.

Do your research: Every course is different, so it helps to get as much info on the what those miles actually look and feel like before you commit. Check out race review sites like My Favorite Marathon, Yelp entries, or the Runner's World Race Finder for reviews and runner feedback on anything from the pre- and postrace logistics to the sights you'll see while you run.

Give yourself time: You may have the enthusiasm, but if you're not used to long runs, you shouldn't pick a race that's too close on the calendar - you won't have enough time to properly train. A four-month training schedule is a good place start if you want to do a full marathon, so keep this time line in mind before you sign up.

Be prepared: Once you've picked a race and successfully registered, don't delay! It's time to start strong and stick to a training schedule. Your success on race day depends on how seriously you take your training, so don't procrastinate. For a one-stop resource on how and when to train, check out our race-training guide here.

How to Travel to a Destination Race With Success

Michele Foley — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 01:37:33 PDT

Competing in a race is already a challenge in itself; add to that a bit of travel, and you've got a new set of factors to consider. To find out how to achieve race-day success when traveling across the country - or world - we went straight to the expert, Thom Gilligan, founder of Marathon Tours, a specialized travel agency for runners that provides travel packages to destination marathons. Here are Thom's tips to ensure traveling won't prevent you from having a successful race day, whether you're doing a 10K or a marathon.

Pack race-day gear in your carry-on: Airlines lose luggage - it just happens. "Take precaution by packing all race gear in your carry-on," Thom says. The last thing you need is to be without your running shoes or outfit on the day of the race. Sure, you can buy new gear, but as any expert will tell you, running in new sneakers or clothing on the day of a race is bad all around. You don't want unexpected factors like chafing, pulling, or rubbing to prevent you from having a good day or causing bad form.
Arrive before the day of the race: Jet leg and tight muscles from a cramped airline seat are not a good look when it comes to race day. To feel alert on the day of the race, try to get there as far in advance as possible. Thom says the rule of thumb is to "arrive one day earlier for every hour you may be gaining or losing." But even he knows how impractical this sounds. Ideally give yourself two to three days to acclimate to your new surroundings, he says. The most important thing, Thom says, is adapting your sleep patterns to the current time zone. Fight urges to nap during the day or stay up late at night. Instead, go to sleep at the general bedtime hour of wherever you might be; this will help reset your circadian rhythm to the local sleep-wake cycle. Here are more tips on preventing jet lag.

See more tips for destination races after the break!

From Training Schedules to Meal Plans: Everything You Need For Your First Race

Michele Foley — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 08:10:41 PDT

With the Boston Marathon a few weeks away, race season is just around the corner. And whether you consider yourself new to the running scene or a seasoned vet, it's never too early to start training for one of Summer or Fall's big races. From a 5K and beyond, here are all the tips and training plans you need to make yourself race ready.

The Beginning: 5K
Running 3.1 miles might seem like a daunting feat, but with a plan in hand, the process becomes so much easier. A 5K is considered a gateway race, and once you complete it, you will want to take on longer distances. Here are three posts to help you finish the race:

Get started with our beginner 5K 11-week training schedule. It'll have you running three days a week and cross-training on the side.
Before hitting the starting line, read these tips for running your first 5K.
Once you finish, set goals for a new personal record using these tips on how to run a faster 5K.

Doubling Up: The 10K
Once you have a 5K under your belt, it's time to tackle a 10K. The 6.2-mile race means adding to your weekly mileage to help build up endurance.

Get started with this 12-week 10K training plan.
Longer, harder runs will definitely help you take on those extra 6.2 miles, but you'll also want to follow these specific fitness and diet tips for building endurance.

Learn how to prepare for a half marathon, marathon, and triathlon after the break!

Race a Faster 10K: Add Mile Repeats to Your Week

Susi May — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 03:06:24 PDT

The 5K distance is often considered the "gateway" race. Crossing the finish line after running 3.1 miles can set a racing habit into motion with the quest to conquer longer distances and shave seconds off finishing times. In the stepping stones of races leading up to the bucket-list marathon distance is the 10K. Doubling the mileage from 3.1 to 6.2 can be daunting, but it's important to keep your workouts varied. And by varied, I mean adding speed work, which means pushing your pace, and mile repeats are perfect for this. My Equinox trainer Lauren, an avid runner herself, recommends doing a workout featuring mile repeats once a week during your training program, and doing them on terrain similar to what you will be racing on - you can stick to streets if you're prepping for a road race, or find a hilly course if your race is full of climbs.

When training for a 10K, a typical mile repeats workout means running a mile at race pace four to six times with a three to five minute recovery break between miles. This recovery break means you slow to jog, and the time of your "break" (in quotes because you're still moving) should decrease as your fitness level improves. Lauren says, "You want to try to hit your repeat pace at race pace or just under. At the beginning of your training program, you can add as much as 30 seconds on to your repeat time/race pace and take the full five minute rest. If you are in better shape and nearing your race date, drop a few seconds off your mile pace and take a shorter rest." Mile repeats improves both your speed and endurance, and helps you familiarize yourself with how your race pace will feel.

To see an outline of the workout keep reading.

So Many Races, So Many Training Plans

Susi May — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 03:07:30 PST

We may be in the thick of holiday madness, but the New Year is right around the corner and I, for one, am already planning out my race schedule for 2012. Take a little this holiday weekend, and give yourself the gift of fitness by heading into resolution season with a plan. Here are training schedules for many race lengths to help you cross the finish line!

The Beginning: 5K
Running and racing 3.1 miles might seem like a daunting feat, but with a plan in hand, the training process becomes so much easier. A word of caution: the 5K is considered a gateway race, and once you complete it, you will want to take on longer distances. Here are three posts to help you finish the race:

Here's a beginner 5K training schedule to get you started - just put one foot in front of the other.
Don't forget to read these tips for running your first 5K to help you cross the finish line with a smile on your face.
Once you finish one race, try another and go for a personal record using the How to Run a Faster 5K plan, created by coach Andrew Kastor.

Doubling Up: The 10K
Once you have a 5K under your belt, it's time to tackle a 10K. The 6.2-mile race means adding to your weekly mileage to build up your endurance.

Get started with this 10K training plan - it's at 12-week schedule.

Going Halfsies: Half Marathon
When you're ready for the challenge of running 13.1 miles, the half marathon begins to call you name. Upping your mileage to cover this much ground requires planning!

This half-marathon training schedule starts with weekly mileage just under 10, and builds up to 25 miles in seven days, before tapering before the race.
Not sure if you're ready to meet the challenge of a half, get inspired by this tale of a first timer's race.

Trying It All: Sprint Triathlon
If pounding the pavement day in and day out isn't your thing, mix it up a little and train for a sprint triathlon. The blend of swimming, biking, and running build cross training into your schedule.

Take two and a half months to train for a sprint distance triathlon: swim a half mile, bike 13 miles, and run a 5K. Be sure to practice those transitions!

Turn That Runner's High Into Workout Motivation

Leta Shy — Mon, 16 May 2011 16:19:34 PDT

Over the weekend I participated in my first race, the Bay to Breakers 12K. Since the celebrations surrounding the 100-year-old race make it one of my favorite days in San Francisco, I was beyond excited to make the race my first competitive running experience.

I was a little nervous about whether or not I'd get winded on the race's infamous hill (an 11.15 percent grade incline that runs for five blocks and brings runners 215 feet above sea level), but between the energy of the crowd walking and running the race as well as the spectators on the street (both turned the course into a sea of costumes, cheers, and dancing), the atmosphere kept me motivated and my attention off the incline or thinking about how much longer I had to go. Add to that the ease of the course - after the hill, it's mostly flat or slightly downhill - and the beautiful Golden Gate Park scenery, and by the time I finished I was more exhilarated than tired.

That characteristic post-race high also left me ready to do it all again soon. Are you also a fan of racing? Check out my suggestions for turning that racer's high into a motivational tool for your workouts after the break.