Walk Half Marathon Training Plan Week 14
Week at-a-Glance
| Week | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 14 Aug 19 |
Aug 19 Walk 40 mins |
Aug 20 Rest |
Aug 21 Walk 30 mins |
Aug 22 Rest |
Aug 23 Walk 30 mins |
Aug 24 Rest |
Aug 25 Race Day! 13.1 miles |
Daily Breakdown
Monday - Walk40 mins @ 65-70% heart rate max
Warm up walking 5 minutes an easy pace. Walk 40 minutes at a comfortable, conversational pace. One where you can talk while you walk. Finish with walking 5 minutes to cool down.
Avoid making drastic changes this week. This includes your diet, lifestyle, training, and even apparel . Keep foods familiar and don't go overboard with hydrating. This is not a good time to try that new spicy cuisine or begin adding more veggies in your diet.
Tuesday - Rest
Rest from activity today and enjoy the day!
Training is 90% physical and 10% mental.� Race day is the exact opposite.� Your body is trained, rested and ready to go.� Your mind is in charge on race day.� Keep your mind actively engaged in the race and think your way through the course.� Review the course map and break it up into smaller, more digestible pieces.� It's easier to stay focused and engaged for shorter periods of time than for several hours.�
Understand Marathoning is like life and you're going to go through peaks and valleys.� Bring power words and positive mantra to carry you through the valleys.� Words like "strong and steady" are useful in keeping your mind focused and out of the bite me zone (pit of negativity).�
Wednesday - Walk
30 mins @ 70-75% heart rate max
Warm up walking 5 minutes an easy pace. Walk 30 minutes at a moderate, but comfortable pace. Finish with walking 5 minutes to cool down.
Make your way through the packet pick up or Expo efficiently and within an hour. Standing on your feet for hours will fatigue them for race day!
Thursday - Rest
Rest from activity today and enjoy the day!
Race morning follow everything you've practiced all training season. From your pre-race meal to coffee, to all your rituals. Keep it the same and go with what you know. If you ate before your long runs and walks then do so on race morning. If not, then don't try it now! Get up plenty early and give yourself 2 hours to digest your practiced pre-race meal.
Friday - Walk
30 mins @ 70-75% heart rate max
Warm up walking 5 minutes an easy pace. Walk 30 minutes at a moderate, but comfortable pace. Finish with walking 5 minutes to cool down.
Enjoy the journey on race day. Go with what the day brings. It could be a hot or cool day, rainy or windy, or it could be perfect weather (like last year). Don't let the things you can't control affect your day. If you come to challenging parts of the race, think your way through. Just as life rolls through hard and easy days so will the race. At the tough times, set a shorter goal to run or walk to a light poll or something closer to you than the finish. Set a series of shorter finish lines. Keep your head in the game as it controls your body and will get you to the finish line! Using positive Power Words (mantra's) will help keep your mind focused on up. Words like strong, powerful, smooth will help set the tone for an optimal performance and train your brain to think through tough spots in the race. Words like calm, relax and focus will ease anxiety to allow you perform better.
Saturday - Rest
Rest from activity today and enjoy the day! Speed the rate of recovery by doing the following post race. Continue walking for 5-10 minutes after you cross the finish line. Eat a high carbohydrate + protein meal or recovery drink within 30 minutes of finishing. Soak in an bath for 5 minutes to decrease the inflammation.
Sunday - Race Day!
13.1 miles @ 75-85% heart rate max
Warm up in the first few miles of the race. Hold back the pace until about half way and then turn up the pace for a strong finish! Good luck! Congratulations! Relish in your accomplishment and where your medal all week long! You earned it! Over the next few weeks it is important to allow your body to fully recover from the race. Take it easy in the next two weeks. A common rule of thumb is to allow one day for each mile in the race, that is, don't run or walk hard or long. Listen to your body, if it yells, take a few more days! Gradually add running and walking back into your regimen. Follow a reverse taper to rebuild your base. Cross-train at an easy pace to circulate blood and allow a speedier recovery.
Disclaimer
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