I recently had an awesome friend ask me for some pointers on getting back in shape for running. This is the guy who helped me and trained with me as I was getting into running. So, how could I say no?
Disclaimer
This is my experience; you are responsible for your own actions, I am not. Speaking of what I am not, I’m not a physician, so follow this at your own risk. While I’ve been training like this for over a year and keep improving, or at least maintaining in the races I run, this may not be for you.
What this guide IS and what it is NOT
This IS how I got into and stay in shape to be able to run 5K and 10K races comfortably while putting in a reasonable time for my age group. I qualify a reasonable time as being in the top 10-50% of my age group. This IS how I avoid injury and have fun.
This is NOT week by week plan to get ready for a race. This is NOT a chronic cardio training plan. This is NOT a typical unbalanced train harder to run faster plan. While we all may feel that others are watching our performance, let’s be honest, typically other people are looking specifically at you about as much as you are looking at them.
Me First: This is the best training and life tip I have. By always taking the best care of myself first, I am able to be the best I can when training, running, helping others, making decisions, and all of life!
Nutrition: Avoid grains, industrial seed oils, processed foods, and too much sugar/simple carbohydrate. Eat whole foods, high fat, high protein, and low carbohydrate. See my post “Food: What I Choose to Eat” for more information.
Hydration: I stay hydrated throughout the day and make sure that I get enough electrolytes. Usually I will put some Real Salt in my water and I also supplement with Magnesium and Potassium. While I’m a Primal Health Coach and advocate whole foods and minimal supplementation, I have noticed that I do need supplementation to keep up my high activity level. I avoid “too much” water as it doesn’t help me and is just a nuisance having to run to the bathroom all the time.
Running: I train daily at Maximum Aerobic Function (MAF) heart rate, which is 180 minus age. I’m 50, so that is 130 beats per minute max for me (180-50=130). It’s best to start this using a heart rate monitor. I’ve done this long enough that I can tell I’m in the zone when I’m doing easy breathing through my nose. My daily session goes for 5-30 minutes at my MAF heart rate, not going in excess of 1.5 hours per week of total running. Only demerits are given for going above and beyond, this isn’t a race, this is the training that gets my body ready for the race.
Sprinting: I sprint 1 time every 10-14 days. This is done when I’m feeling a little extra awesome! Sprints are a set of 2-6 full out 15-30 second sprints with enough time in between to fully recover. I know my sprint session is over when a sprint takes more effort than the previous sprint to maintain the same speed. Only demerits are given for going above and beyond, this isn’t a race, this is the training that gets my body ready for the race.
Working out: 1-3 times per week, I will do a Primal Equivalency Movement (PEM) workout that consists of 25-50 pushups, 25-50 squats, 10-14 pullups, and 1-2.5 minutes of planking. This workout never takes more than 10 minutes. I take at least one day of rest in between PEM workouts. Only demerits are given for going above and beyond, this isn’t a race, this is the training that gets my body ready for the race.
Daily Movement: I keep my joints lubed, muscles functional, and brain at peak performance by having made it a habit to get up and walk around for 5-10 minutes every 1-2 hours and make sure that I get 10,000 to 20,000 total steps in every day. I use a fitness tracker watch for the reminder and step counts.
Suggestion: If you want to know what your body feels like during a race, you may want to run a “race” 5K once every 30 days or so when you are NOT doing any other races. I don’t recommend running a 5K or greater race any more than once every 2 weeks. Only demerits are given for going above and beyond. Excessive stress will wreck the body you have to use every day for things other than running.
Here’s what a week could look like to give you an idea of how easy it is to do because you can break it up into small time chunks:
Week 1 (2 hours and 5 minutes total time)
- Monday: 10 minute MAF run, 10 minute PEM workout
- Tuesday: 15 minute MAF run
- Wednesday: 30 minute MAF run
- Thursday: 10 minute MAF run, 10 minute PEM workout
- Friday: 5 minute MAF run, Sprinting
- Saturday: 5 minute MAF run
- Sunday: 30 minute MAF run
Week 2 (2 hours and 10 minutes total time)
- Monday: 10 minute MAF run, 10 minute PEM workout
- Tuesday: 15 minute MAF run
- Wednesday: 30 minute MAF run, 10 minute PEM workout
- Thursday: 10 minute MAF run
- Friday: 5 minute MAF run, 10 minute PEM workout
- Saturday: 30 minute MAF run
- Sunday: 10 minute MAF run
I hope this helps you out. Please feel free to let me know any questions you have and I’ll do my best to answer them.
That’s it for now. Thank you for reading. Make it a magnificent week. If you have an idea for an article or want to engage my consulting or research services, please contact me.
Wishing you happiness, health, and success!
-Gregg
