Week 3: Find your stride
You’re officially halfway through your training plan. Keep going strong in week three!
Running workouts
No surprise here: You have a 35- to 45-minuteeasy run and stridesto kick off a new week. After the run, do 6–8 x 20-second strides to get the wheels spinning in advance of a hard day tomorrow.
Modification:Stick with 4 strides maximum if you’re feeling flat-legged or worn down. If you’re feeling good, do a maximum of 12 strides.
Today’s workout is called aladder, and you’ll soon see why. After your standard 1-mile warmup, do hard efforts of 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, 4 minutes, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute, with equal jogging/walking recovery (1 minute after 1-minute efforts, etc.). Cool down 1 mile.
Modification:This is a long one, so if you need to, you’re able to cut out the middle 5-minute effort. To make it extra-hard, add another 5-minute effort to the middle of the workout.
It’s important that you take todaysuper easy, especially if yesterday took a toll on your body. Go out for 30–40 minutes and keep the effort level below a 5 out of 10.
Modification:To double down on the recovery, replace today’s run with a cross-training session of your choice. For a little more, run for up to an hour.
It’stempoday again, this time going a mile farther than the first round. After your warmup mile, try to maintain your goal 10K pace or faster for 4 consecutive miles. If you aren’t sure how to pace yourself, start out cautiously so you can bring it home strong. Cool down 1 mile.
Modification:Incorporate a 30-second breather after 2 miles if you need to. If you feel great at 3 miles, attempt to make that last mile progressively faster.
For this week’slong run, run as smoothly as possible for 55–85 minutes. Prioritize a hearty breakfast 2–3 hours before you start, and don’t forget your in-run fluids or gels if you’re at the upper end of the time range.
Modification:Alternate 10 minutes of running with 1 minute of walking if you’re still adapting to a consistent training plan. If you’ve been running 90 minutes, bump up to 95 today.
Strength workouts
Bookmarkthis visual reference guidefor all the strength training exercises and stretches below.
Option 1: Movement drills and supersets
Movement drills: Perform 3 rounds of the below exercises for the specified number of reps.
Supersets: Perform each superset for the specified number of sets.
Superset 1
Superset 2
Superset 3
Option 2: Movement drills and supersets
Option 3: Movement drills and strength circuit
Strength circuit: Perform 5 rounds of each move for the specified number of reps.
Nutrition advice
As your weekly mileage increases, so should your carbohydrate needs.Prior to your run, attempt to consume abreakfastthat contains both carbohydrates and protein while minimizing fat, fiber, and artificial sweeteners/sugar alcohols.
Some examples:
Sports drinks andelectrolyte-containing productsare an excellent way to replace electrolyte losses from sweat while training. If you’re a heavy sweater or training for more than an hour, you should down some electrolytes between workouts. How much will depend on your sweat rate, which varies from person to person but typically ranges from 0.5 to 1 liter per hour.
Potassium is an electrolyte that’s essential for hydration, muscle contraction, and controlling blood pressure. For runners, not replacing the potassium lost in sweat can lead to muscle cramping, fatigue, or spasms.
Meet your dailypotassiumneeds by adding a few of these to your grocery list this week:
