Walk Marathon Training Plan Week 5
Week at-a-Glance
| Week | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 5 Jun 17 |
Jun 17 Walk 45 mins |
Jun 18 Cross-Training 40 mins |
Jun 19 Walk 45 mins |
Jun 20 Rest |
Jun 21 Cross-Training 40 mins |
Jun 22 Walk-Endurance 8 miles |
Jun 23 Rest |
Daily Breakdown
Monday - Walk45 mins @ 65-70% heart rate max
Warm up walking 5 minutes an easy pace. Walk 45 minutes at a comfortable, conversational pace. One where you can talk while you walk. Finish with walking 5 minutes to cool down.
Monitor your resting heart rate throughout the season for signs of training adaptations. Take it at the most calm time of the day for one minute. Or use a heart rate monitor. Establish a baseline by keeping track for 7-10 days.
People who are more fit, have lower heart rates. It's also a sign of illness, fatigue or lack of recovery when it begins to creep up.
Tuesday - Cross-Training
40 mins @ 60-70% heart rate max
Cycling, swimming, yoga/yoga, strength training, elliptical trainer, Stairmaster, spinning are great cross training modes for your training.
Cross-train at the intensity at an easy to moderate level for 30-40 minutes.
Wednesday - Walk
45 mins @ 65-70% heart rate max
Warm up walking 5 minutes an easy pace. Walk 45 minutes at a comfortable, conversational pace. One where you can talk while you walk. Finish with walking 5 minutes to cool down.
Treadmill training can be an effective way to get in your miles this season, especially in the winter months. However, I recommend trying to get outdoors at least once per week to prepare physically and mentally for running/walking on pavement and in the elements to simulate race day. It is slightly more challenging due to terrain changes (hills) and the elements (wind...).
Treadmill running is a little more forgiving on the muscles, joints and tendons. Running outdoors on the roads will give your body a chance to prepare for the race course.
Thursday - Rest
Rest from activity today and enjoy the day!
You are what you eat. Your training runs are fueled by the food you eat every day. Keep a log of what you consume daily and it will give you a better perspective of what goes into your system.
If you are having trouble dropping the weight you wanted or just not feeling strong while training, it could have something to do with how you fuel your body day to day. Eat smaller, more frequent meals well balanced with fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean protein and even a little fat too.
Current research suggest consuming 60-65% carbohydrates, 25% fat and 10-15% protein for an athletes diet.
Skipping meals is the quickest way to gain weight and decrease the performance of your next run or walk. Think of your car and how it runs. If you run out of fuel, the car simply doesn't move. If you put dirty fuel into the tank, the car doesn't run efficiently. Food is fuel. Fuel well and you'll perform and recover well.
Friday - Cross-Training
40 mins @ 60-70% heart rate max
Cycling, swimming, yoga/yoga, strength training, elliptical trainer, Stairmaster, spinning are great cross training modes for your training.
Cross-train at the intensity at an easy to moderate level for 30-40 minutes.
Saturday - Walk-Endurance
8 miles @ 70-75% heart rate max
Warm up walking 5 minutes at a brisk pace. Walk for 8 miles at a comfortable, conversational pace. Finish with walking 5 minutes to cool down.
They don't call it long, slow distance (LSD) for nothing. Every weekend, the main training objective is to run and walk S-L-O-W-L-Y and comfortably. So slowly in fact, that you are able to comfortably hold a conversation.
The purpose of the endurance workout is to build an aerobic base, teach your body how to utilize fat as a fuel source and increase the amount of time on your feet. To do this effectively you need to train in the right zone. Like gears on a car, if you use the wrong gear at the wrong time it will cause wear and tear on the car. It is no different in training. If you train at too hard on the long workouts, you are simulating racing every week and your performance may drop due to fatigue.
Train wisely and it will pay off. It takes discipline to run or walk at a slow pace on the long workouts. Taking it too fast is an easy way to burnout and injury. Your wisdom and patience will pay off on race day.
Sunday - Rest
Rest from activity today and enjoy the day!
Disclaimer
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