• December 1st - 7th

I’m not a massive fan of the 5 x 1km session because it’s overused but it’s a good way of seeing where the 5k pace is at. Same for parkrun. This week is about setting down a marker and then looking to improve on that over the next 8 weeks, whilst we also build your aerobic base for the marathon. I’ve added one peleton session in their too. This week is relatively light compared to the levels you’ll hit in the middle of this plan. Any problems let me know.

125 Points Target

MONDAY

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James’s S&C

15 POINTS
Goblet Squat 2 x 15 (5kg)
Plank 2 x 45s
Split Squat 2 x 15 (5kg)*
Glute Bridge 2 x 10
Calf Raises 2 x 15 (5kg)*
Flutter Kicks 2 x 30s
Russian Twist 2 x 30s (5kg)
Shoulder Press 2 x 10 (6kg)
Bent Over Row 2 x 15 (8kg)
Bicep Curls 2 x 15 (8kg)
Tricep Dips Dumbbells 2 x 15 (8kg)
Dumbbell Swings 2 x 15 (10kg)
Farmers Walk 2 x 60s (12kg)
Wall Sits 2 x 45s

A decent workout covering all the fundamental movement patterns & key muscles groups. Let me know if anything feels too easy or too difficult.

15 Points
TR 90%
Felt good considering it’s been a while since doing any strength work. All weights & reps felt good with the exception of the shoulder press which felt a bit easy. All reps completed with the weight advised. Wall sits were a killer.
Well done James. Great start. I think with the first few weeks of these it’s good to keep the weights relatively comfortable so we don’t do ourselves any damage. Then once we are happy all is good we can ramp them up a bit. But this is a good session and to get all that done in 40 mins is great. Wall Sits can be a real git, but they are such a good exercise and work several muscles, especially the quads.

TUESDAY

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5 x 1km

26 POINTS

2km WU @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3)

1km @ 5k Pace (RPE: 8)
2 minutes recovery
x5

2km CD @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3)

Classic session. Super simple. The end result being you have a better understanding of your current time for a 5K. Work hard and ideally finish each rep a few seconds quicker than your current 5k pace.

26 Points
TR 70%
Legs felt a little sore after squats yesterday to start with but soon felt good during my warm up. Session felt tough at times but good. All intervals were slightly quicker than target pace & wasn’t completely spent at the end. First interval session with new watch & need to configure my screens slightly so i can see the Interval Average Pace which will help control the pace as all I could see was current pace. Felt good during cool down & stretch.
That’s a really good session and great to see such consistent splits throughout. It’s good to get that idea early on what level you are running at and Saturday will be another chance to do that. I think a few more weeks getting used to the S&C and the DOMS won’t be a factor but it does highlight we won’t need to increase any weights for a while. Great work James

WEDNESDAY

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45 Mins Spin

15 POINTS

45 Mins @ Varied Intensity (RPE: 3-9)

A great way to get the heart pumping to some banging tunes. Have fun 😁

15 Points
TR 70%
45 min Power Zone Endurance Class. Staying in power zone 2 & 3 for duration after the warm up. Legs still a little sore but felt good to spin them out & not work them too hard.
Nice. And I think this week highlights the benefit of having some cross training in the plan rather than extra miles. It just takes away that impact that running causes and hopefully will have you feeling more fresh for the next session. Plus it’s nice to mix it up, especially when you have the bike at home at your disposal. Great work James.

thursday

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40 Mins

12 POINTS

40 Mins @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3)

The biggest mistake we can make with these recovery runs is running too fast. This will mean when our harder sessions come round we are still fatigued and not able to put enough effort in to make the necessary gains.

12 Points
TR 80%
Nice easy run that felt good. Legs feel much better today & I kept to the easy pace well. Looking forward to my rest day tomorrow.
Excellent work James. So pleased the legs feel better. Good to keep that pace easy. Steve Magness is one of the top running coaches around and his latest You Tube video is simply titled “RUN SLOWER”. I must admit I’ve not watched it yet, I will, but it is an important part of the training.

FRIDAY

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Rest Day

0 POINTS

0 mins @ RPE 0-1

“Rest days are key. Our body adapts and gets stronger when we rest & recovery. Have a good one!”

SATURDAY

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parkrun

30 POINTS

10 Mins WU @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3)
8 x 100 metre Strides (RPE: 8)

parkrun @ 5km Pace (RPE: 8)

10 Mins CD @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3)

Running with others can reduce perceived effort so parkrun is a good option as an alternative speed session. 10 mins easy WU & CD please.

30 Points
TR 80%
Good warmup with strides legs felt good once warmed up. Tough parkrun this morning with a slow start (got penned in). Felt good when up to speed & worked hard. Zigzags (uphill part) tough but kept pace up well. Km 4 was the tough one into the wind but once out of it finished well with the final one being my fastest km. Overall happy with it & around the sort of time I expected.
Great work James. Looks like a good event from your group pic and a very good time given you had a few hurdles thrown your way. I like the fact you did tall the WU, Strides and CD, they might feel like a drag at the time but getting into good habits like that can make a big difference come the end of the month.

SUNDAY

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90 Mins

27 POINTS

90 Mins @ Easy Pace (RPE: 3)

Keep this nice and easy. Focus on good form & efficient running economy. RPE should be around the 3/10 which means you can run and chat.