REAL INSURANCE SYDNEY HARBOUR 10K BEGINNERS TRAINING PROGRAM CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR COMMITMENT TO THE REAL INSURANCE SYDNEY HARBOUR 10K. This race is one of the flattest, fastest and most scenic 10k road races in Australia, right in the heart of the Sydney CBD. The race is ideally positioned in the middle of the year to provide optimum running conditions and serve as the perfect goal race to keep you fit during the winter months. Whether you re looking for a serious personal best or a glorious morning run with lots of good company, our beginners training program will ensure you re perfectly prepared to get the most out of yourself and the race.
BEGINNERS PROGRAM OVERVIEW This 10-week training program is suitable for those who have never completed a 10k race before. Target finish time is 60+ minutes. It has been designed by one of Australia s best marathon runners, Vlad Shatrov. Vlad has an intimate knowledge of the Real Insurance Sydney Harbour 10k and is also the founder of Runlab a running group that has helped thousands of runners of all abilities achieve their impossible. This program will help participants: Improve cardiovascular fitness and stamina Get into a good running routine Train for a maximum of 3 days a week for 10 weeks BEFORE YOU START Have a health check If you have any health concerns, check with your GP or physiotherapist that you re able to begin this training program. Listen to your body and if you re unwell or have any niggles, give yourself a day off. It s better to be cautious than to get an injury. Personalise and persist Each program is provided as a guide only. The recommended pace and heart rate, for instance, is based on an average and you may need to adjust both to suit your body and fitness. If you have to miss any sessions due to family or work commitments don t worry, simply adjust the training days slightly so you can complete the workout at another time that suits you. Stay connected Make sure you link up to the official Sydney Harbour 10k Facebook page where Runlab s Vlad Shatrov will provide helpful tips and videos to help keep you motivated and inspired. Rest and recover On rest days, don t feel you need to spend the day on the sofa. Active recovery days are fine go for a walk or do some low impact exercise such as swimming or cycling if you feel up to it. Seek support If you need more encouragement or support and think you would benefit from training in a group environment, consider joining a group such as Runlab. All Runlab sessions are led by expert coaches and cater to runners of all abilities. Sessions are held weekly in conjunction with the school term in three main locations: Sydney South (Menai, Cronulla and Sutherland), Sydney (CBD, Alexandria, Rozelle) and Newcastle (Merewether, Maitland, Lake Macquarie, Newcastle CBD). All Sydney Harbour 10k entrants will receive their first Runlab training session free. To register, contact info@runlab.com.au. Existing members of Runlab will receive a special entry price for the Sydney Harbour 10k (directly from Runlab, subject to availability) and Runlab members will be provided with special arrangements on race morning care of Runlab. Trust the training The training program builds gradually over a 10-week period. Towards the middle and later stages, speed and tempo sessions are increased to build your confidence and running ability. Don t worry if you find yourself at the start of the Sydney Harbour 10k never having actually raced that distance before. Trust the experience of the training program you ll be ready! 02
TYPES OF TRAINING Below is an explanation of the different types of training you ll be doing during the next 10 weeks. Warm up Before any intensive training session, it s important to do a good warm up. This should include a jog of around 1k plus some ballistic actions such as forward and backward arm swings, side-to-side trunk rotations, walking lunges, forward and backward and side-to-side leg swings, jogging in place with high knees and butt kicks. If you re doing any sort of speed work, it s useful to do a specific warm-up drill with three or four sets of 20-second strides at the pace you re targeting in the training session. Long steady run The aim of a long, steady run is to improve endurance. It should be completed at a pace that allows you to carry out a conversation. If you know your potential race pace, then aim at running about 10 to 20 per cent slower. One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is to think they always need to run as fast as possible. All this does is leave you fatigued and injured. If you feel the recommended pace is much too slow for you then check you ve chosen the right level of program for your ability. General aerobic General aerobic runs require an easy to moderate effort, at a similar pace to your long run but obviously shorter. The aim is to build up your cardiovascular endurance. Don t be concerned if some days you run a little quicker or a little slower than the suggested pace. Tempo run The tempo run, also known as lactate-threshold, is a faster paced session. You should be running comfortably hard with a perceived rate of effort (RPE) of around 7 or 8 out of 10 or at 85 to 90% of your maximum heart rate. Certainly you should be too out of breath to hold long conversations! Speed sessions Speed sessions are short repetitions of between 600m and 1600m run at an RPE of around 8 or 9. You run hard and then get a set period to jog and get your breath back. They ll not only help you to run faster but also to cope with discomfort and not to panic when you get out of breath. It s important to warm up and cool down properly. You ll need a timer for speed sessions as it s important to keep each repetition at roughly the same pace. Gym/core/cross-training Depending on your fitness levels, we recommend a minimum weekly cross-training session, starting with a routine of about 20 minutes. The recommendation is for functional strength training, with particular focus on the core, rather than heavy weights. This allows runners to develop the necessary strength for distance running, especially when under fatigue, and to reduce the chance of injury. Challenge activity There is a Challenge Week in the program. This includes an additional challenge session and it s up to you what you decide to do. This provides added ownership of your program as well as extra training stimulus to make you fitter, faster and stronger. 03
ABBREVIATIONS Heart Rate (HR) Being aware of your heart rate will provide the best indicator of how your body is responding to training. Each of the running sessions in your program will ask you to aim for a percentage of your maximum heart rate. The simplest way to calculate this is to simply subtract your age from 220. So if you re 40, your maximum heart rate is 180. The easiest way to measure your heart rate is to use a heart rate monitor or fitness bracelet, install an app on your smartphone or simply do it the old-fashioned way by placing your two forefingers on your neck. Rated Perceived Exertion (RPE) In conjunction with your maximum heart rate, the RPE scale will also help you get the most from your training sessions by helping you measure the intensity of your exercise. The RPE scale runs from 0 10, depending on the level of difficulty and exertion. For example, 0 (nothing at all) would be how you feel when sitting in a chair; 10 (very, very heavy) is how you feel at the end of an exercise stress test or fast race. RPE SCALE RUNNING ACTIVITY TALK TEST % OF MAX HR 0 Nothing at all Comfortable. Very easy run/ jog and walking. Very easy, you can easily carry a conversation. 40-45% 0.5 Just noticeable 1 Very light 2 Light 46-50% 3 Moderate General aerobic/recovery run Very easy, you can converse with almost no effort. 51-55% 4 Somewhat Heavy Moderately easy, you can converse with a little more effort. 56-60% 5 Heavy Long/medium-long run Starting to get challenging, conversation requires effort. 61-67% 6 Difficult, conversation requires a lot of effort. 68-75% 7 Very Heavy Tempo run/lactate threshold 76-80% 8 Very difficult, conversation requires maximum effort. 81-85% 9 V02 Max/race pace Full out effort, no conversation possible. 86-92% 10 Very, Very Heavy Race pace/race pace to win 93-100% 04
2ND MAY: 10 WEEKS TO GOAL 1 Tuesday 3k approx. in total Comfortable 40-50% HRM Thursday 3k approx. in total Comfortable/Moderate 51-60% HRM Saturday 3k approx. in total Comfortable 40-50% HRM Run 10 min/walk 1-2 min/run 10 min. Do another training session that is not running-related. Aim for 20 minutes core strengthening weekly. Warm up then run 2k at a steady pace and aim not to stop. Make a note of your time and cool down. RPE scale 3-4 Run 10 mins/walk 1-2 mins/run 10 mins. You can choose to do your weekend session (see above) either on Saturday or. 05
8TH MAY: 9 WEEKS TO GOAL 2 Tuesday 3k approx. in total Comfortable 40-50% HRM Thursday 3k approx. in total Comfortable/Moderate 51-60% HRM Saturday 3k approx. in total Comfortable 40-50% HRM Run 12 mins/walk 1-2 mins/run 10 mins. Look to do another session that is not running-related. Aim for 20 mins of core exercises weekly. Steady 2 k run. Aim not to stop. Make a note of your time. Warm up and cool down. RPE scale 3-4 Run 12 mins/walk 1-2 mins/run 10 mins. 06
15TH MAY: 8 WEEKS TO GOAL 3 Tuesday 4k approx. in total Comfortable 40-50% HRM Thursday 4k approx. in total Moderate 51-60% HRM Saturday 5k approx. in total Comfortable 40-50% HRM Run 12 mins/walk 1-2 mins/run 14 mins Look to do another session that is not running-related. If possible, incorporate 20 mins of core exercises weekly. Steady run, use pace as a guide only. 7-8 min/k is OK. The key is that this shouldn t feel hard. Run 14 mins/walk 1-2 mins/run 18 mins. 07
22ND MAY: 7 WEEKS TO GOAL 4 Tuesday 4.5k approx. in total Challenging 61-80% HRM Thursday 5k approx. in total Moderate 51-60% HRM Saturday 6k approx. in total Comfortable 40-50% HRM This is slightly slower than your 10k race target pace. Warm up, then run for 1 min at 7 min/k pace, then jog or walk for 1 min. Continue for 30 mins total, then cool down RPE scale 5-6 Pick another exercise session, Go for a swim, cycle or book into a challenging gym class like Runstrong. Steady run, use pace as a guide only. 7-8 min/k is OK. The key is that this should not feel hard. Run 18 mins/walk 1-2 mins/run 20 mins. 08
29TH MAY: 6 WEEKS TO GOAL 5 Tuesday 5k approx. in total Challenging 40-50% HRM Thursday 4k approx. in total Moderate 51-60% HRM Saturday 6k approx. in total Comfortable 40-50% HRM This is slightly slower than your 10k race target. Warm up then run for 1 min at 7 min/k pace then jog for min. Continue for 24 mins, then cool down. RPE scale 5-6 Look to do another session that is not running-related. If possible, incorporate 20 mins of core exercises weekly. Steady run use pace as a guide only. 7-8 min/k is OK. The key is that this shouldn t feel hard. Run 18 mins/walk 1-2 mins/run 20 mins. 09
5TH JUNE: 5 WEEKS TO GOAL 6 Tuesday 5k approx. in total Challenging 61-80% HRM Thursday 4k approx. in total Moderate 61-80% HRM Saturday 6k approx. in total Comfortable 40-50% HRM This is slightly slower than your 10k race target. Warm up then run 1 min at 7min/k pace, then jog for 1 min. Continue for 28 mins then cool down. RPE scale 5-6 Look to do another session that is not running-related. If possible, incorporate 20 mins of core exercises weekly. Steady run, use pace as a guide only. 7-8 min/k is OK. The key is that this should not feel hard. Run 18 mins/walk 1-2 mins/run 20 mins. 10
12TH JUNE: 4 WEEKS TO GOAL 7 Tuesday 5k approx. in total Challenging 40-50% HRM Thursday 4k approx. in total Moderate 51-60% HRM Saturday 6k approx. in total Comfortable 40-50% HRM This is slightly slower than your 10k race target. Warm up then run 1 min at 7 min/k then 1 min jog to recover. Continue for 30 mins, then cool down. RPE scale 5-6 Look to do another session that is not running-related. If possible, incorporate 20 mins of core exercises weekly. Steady run, use pace as a guide only. 7-8 min/k is OK. The key is that this should not feel hard. Run 18 mins/walk 1-2 mins/run 20 mins. 11
19TH JUNE: 3 WEEKS TO GOAL 8 Tuesday 5k approx. in total Challenging 61-80% HRM Thursday 5k approx. in total Moderate 51-60% HRM Pick another exercise to do, go for a swim, cycle or book into a challenging gym class like Runstrong. This is slightly slower than your 10k race target. Warm up then run 1 min at 7 min/k, 1 min jog. Continue for 30 minutes, then cool down. RPE scale 5-6 Pick another exercise to do, go for a swim, ride or book into a challenging gym class like Runstrong. Steady run, use pace as a guide only. 7-8 min/k is OK. The key is that this should not feel hard. Saturday 6k approx. in total Comfortable 40-50% HRM Run 18 mins/walk 1-2 mins/run 20 mins. 12
26TH JUNE: 2 WEEKS TO GOAL 9 Tuesday 7k approx. in total Challenging 61-80% HRM Thursday 6k approx. in total Moderate 51-60% HRM Saturday 6k approx. in total Comfortable 40-50% HRM This is slightly slower than your 10k race target. Warm up then 1 min on, 1 min off at 7 min/k for 28 minutes, then cool down. RPE scale 5-6 Look to do another session that is not running-related. If possible, incorporate 20 mins of core exercises weekly. Steady run, use pace as a guide only. 7-8 min/k is OK. The key is that this should not feel hard. Run 18 mins/walk 1-2 mins/run 20 mins. 13
3RD JULY: 1 WEEK TO GOAL 10 Tuesday 5k approx. in total Challenging 61-80% HRM Thursday 4k approx. in total Moderate 61-80% HRM Saturday RACE DAY 10k Target race pace 167-171 HRM This is slightly slower than your 10k race target. Warm up then 1 min on, 1 min off at 7 min/k for 28 minutes, then cool down. RPE scale 5-6 Look to do another session that is not running-related. If possible, incorporate 20 mins of core exercises weekly. Steady run, use pace as a guide only. 7-8 min/k is OK. The key is that this should not feel hard. Rest day Have a great run. Stick to your plan and feel confident in your ability having completed the training. Make sure you do a warm-up jog and some run-throughs before the start. RPE scale 8-9 14