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Okay, last time I wrote, I told you all about how I train James each fall for our annual 5k Turkey Trot, and I invited you to train along. If you missed that, check it out HERE.
And now… let’s get the show on the road! We’ve got 8 weeks to transform you into a lean mean Turkey Trotting machine…so here we go!
The Deets:
Since your Thanksgiving 5k event will be on a Thursday, you’ll begin your training 8 weeks ahead of that, which will give you a start date of Thursday, September 28th 2017. So, plan to do the very first workout of this Week 1 plan on that date. I’ll be putting up new weekly workout plans every weekend thereafter, to be started every Thursday following. Before you start, you first need to take care of a few things:
- Go see your doctor and make sure you are cleared for exercise. I am not a medical professional, and can’t advise you on this. Only you and your doctor can determine if a 5k training program is safe for you.
- Find a safe place to train. Towards our final training weeks, you may be doing 4 miles, so plan some smart routes. Ideally, your route will have the same surface (asphalt, gravel, etc) as your target 5k event, and have a similar hill profile.
- Get a good pair of supportive athletic shoes. If you bought your last pair of running shoes during the Reagan Administration – you need new ones.
- Get a watch with seconds. We’ll be doing intervals based on time. You’ll have a hard time doing my training program without a watch (or your phone’s timer app). You can go fancier and get a GPS-enabled device, but for this program, all you will really need is a watch.
- Go to our Facebook page and like it AND make sure you’re subscribed to our weekly newsletter (it’s the box to the right at the top of this post, or below the post on mobile devices). I’ll be posting updates and details as we go, and I don’t want you to miss anything!
The Fit RV’s 5k Training Plan – WEEK 1
This plan is designed for those of you who are either new to running, or haven’t done it in awhile, but are in otherwise generally good health. If you’re uncomfortable jogging, or you just can’t jog, that’s okay, this plan will still work for you. Just do what you can – simply walk faster wherever the plan requires jogging intervals, and pick up the pace as much as you safely can. And if you’re in pretty good shape and this seems easy, that’s good. But don’t do any more than what I’ve got prescribed here! Overtraining when you aren’t conditioned for an activity is a recipe for injury. I don’t want that, and you don’t either.
Workout | Duration | What are we doing? |
1 | 30 minutes | Do a 5 minute warm-up; like this one. Complete a moderate pace walk along your route. No running, no intervals today (patience, grasshopper). Check everything out and make any tweaks needed to your equipment and route. And have fun! |
2 | 30 minutes (4 minutes of jogging) | Do a 5 minute warm-up, then walk for 2 minutes. Next, alternate 30 seconds of light jogging with 2 minutes of walking for 20 minutes; which will be 8 times. Finish with a 3 minute cooldown walk. |
3 | 30 minutes (6 minutes of jogging) | Do a 5 minute warm-up, then walk for 2 minutes. Next, alternate 60 seconds of light jogging and 2 minutes of walking; 6 times, for 18 minutes. Finish with a 5 minute cooldown walk. |
4 | 30 minutes (7 minutes of jogging) | Do a 5 minute warm-up, then walk for 2 minutes. Alternate 60 seconds of light jogging and 2 minutes of walking; 7 times, for 21 minutes. Finish with a 2 minute cooldown walk. |
You’ll notice you have 4 workouts this first week, and therefore 3 days of no training. The NOT training is called recovery, and it’s just as important as the training for performance. If you’re new to running, or, like James, if you just don’t run much throughout the year, it may make you pretty sore at first, so you NEED those recovery days to allow your body the time it needs to heal and adapt. Recovery is when you actually get stronger, so our program won’t skimp on recovery!
Ideally, your workouts will look like this:
Workout #1: Thursday
Workout #2: Saturday
Workout #3: Monday
Workout #4: Wednesday
And then the following week, you’ll begin the first workout on Thursday, which gives you no rest day in between weeks, BUT! I’ve designed for that, and the Thursday workout will be more like active recovery…never too taxing. And I do understand life happens, so these days might not work. Adjust the schedule as you need so it meets your needs, it can be flexible within reason. Just try to get them all in whenever you can.
Note: If you’ll be doing your training on a treadmill, make sure to set the treadmill to a 2% incline to counteract the motorized assist you get. And do try to get outside as much as you can! Your 5k event won’t be on a treadmill, and you want to mimic your event in your training as much as possible.
Other things to remember:
Hydration – While it may seem like overkill for a 30 minute walk, it’s always a good idea to stay hydrated – especially if you and your RV are someplace where it’s hot. Do me a favor and drink a glass of water when you’re done with your workouts this week, whether or not it seems necessary.
Post-Workout Stretching – I’d like to see y’all get in the habit of doing a few stretches after each training session. I can’t stress enough how important stretching and things like foam-rolling and massage are after exercise. Try these stretches after each workout you do this week.
Listen to your body – if something hurts, pay attention. Starting to run or powerwalk is supposed to be uncomfortable. But if you find yourself dealing with more than post-workout soreness – stop!
Okay, now that we’ve covered the big stuff, time to lace up your athletic shoes and get going! I’d love updates on when you’ve completed your workouts and how it’s going… so stay in touch! Your comments are always appreciated.
“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great…”
You’ve got this!
xoxo, Trainer Stef
Thanks for the training plans. I’m more inclined to actually do exercise when it’s mapped out for me. I’m fairly fit, but like James, I don’t run regularly so this will be just what I need.
Yep, it’s pretty common for people to be more motivated with scheduled workouts. Glad you’re on board, you’ll have to keep me posted with your progress, Jon!
How fun! Just what me and my husband need. We’re full-timers since this past spring. Haven’t been good with keeping up our exercise at all, which is how I found your site thx for the exercise tips. Am going to make him do this jogging thing with me ha!
So glad you found our site, Anne! It can be very challenging establishing exercise habits on the road. Here’s to hoping this 5k training program will be just the thing to get you back on track! Keep me posted! xoxo