My Two Week 10K Training Program

I saw this post from a friend on Facebook this morning...

...and it reminded me of a post I wrote one year ago on October 1 called My Two Week Half Marathon Training Program. This post remains one of the top five most read posts on my blog. The funny thing is that it's not really a training program at all. I was making it up as I went along. I had signed up for the Denver Rock 'n' Roll half marathon two weeks prior to the race and was winging it. Two weeks later I ran my second fastest half in 146:43 (8:08/mile)!

One week ago today I ran the fastest race of my life following a similar training schedule, setting a new PR at the 10K distance (47:04) and the fastest per mile pace (7:35) of any race I have run. So now I present to you, my two week 10K training program:

click image to enlarge

Basically all I did was vary my mileage and intensity with longer runs on the weekends (5 mi.) and shorter runs during the week, mixing in one high intensity track workout the Tuesday (10/2) before the race. I did jog about a mile while marking the course on the day before the race but didn't capture it on my Garmin Forerunner. But I made sure to save up plenty of energy to give it my all on race day. And that's what I did!

The bottom line is I never really follow any training regimen. Never have. Maybe that's why I'm a mediocre athlete. But then again I don't make a living as an athlete. I travel a lot for work and really can't follow a rigid training schedule. Business travel with a bike really isn't practical. And have you ever tried swimming laps in Holiday Inn Express pool? So I do what I can when I can. When I'm on the road, I run. When I'm home, I ride. In the winter I swim at the rec center and run on the treadmill. In the summer I ride my bike to work.

Today I think I'll go for a mountain bike ride on the Ridgeline Open Space. I'm not training for anything at this point. Just having fun and staying in motion. Maintaining a base level of fitness is the key to my two week training programs. I'm not starting on the couch. But if you are, it's never too late to start moving!

Ride on...

Daren