Week 1 of 10: LR#2's Summer of 5K

This was week 1 of my 10 week 5K training program. Even though my race distance is now 3.1 miles, I still want to keep the distance fitness in my legs, so I am going to fit in a 8-10+ miler at least every two weeks. Justification: I don't want to have to slowly build up mileage again, a frustrating process I've witnessed LR#1 go through in coming back from injuries! And I always want to be ready to run a half marathon; you just never know!

I also need to work on my running form. I have a loopy right foot. It swings sideways a little bit, as captured here during the Carlsbad Half Marathon in January 2012:

That right toe is going to loop around in a little arc, instead of proceeding in a straight plane like it is supposed to! How do I know? Penny and I filmed each other running, so nerdy, right?! So I am throwing in some gait correction work into my training. This week I worked on the first of the proprioceptive cues for improving running form discussed in Brain Training for Runners by Matt Fitzgerald. Proprioception is the sense of the position of one's body. (The field sobriety test in the case of a DWI is test of proprioception.) 

This week's proprioceptive cue was falling forward: while I ran, I thought about leaning forward from the ankles, ever so slightly. Thinking about this cue helps to correct over-striding/heal-striking. I have been working on the falling forward cue for a few months actually, and I think it has helped me to land my feet more squarely under my body for fairly consistent mid-foot strike.

Weeks 1 and 2 of my 10 week training plan are introductory. I have a good aerobic fitness base from half marathon training, so I am using this time to strengthen my legs for running faster. So my key workouts are plyometrics, a speed workout, and my long run. 

I was SOOOO sore from my plyo workout on Tuesday--in my legs and core! Thursday was supposed to be my first speed workout, but I was still smoked from plyo! So instead I did a no-impact workout on the elliptical. I was even feeling the plyo workout a little bit on Saturday before I ran the Philip Rivers 5K, which I raced to benchmark my fitness at this distance.

Monday (6/11): 3.5 miles easy through Balboa Park plus 4 x 8-second hill sprints.

Tuesday (6/12): Plyometric workout.

Wednesday (6/13): 4 miles recovery run in Solana Beach.

Thursday (6/14): 30 minutes elliptical intervals, upper body strength workout; yoga.

Friday (6/14): Complete rest.

Saturday (6/15): Philip Rivers 5K race. Official time: 19:53. Average Pace 6:24. 38 place overall; 4th female overall; 3 of 248 in age group F30-34. Plus 1 mile warmup pre-race and 2.5 miles post-race easy.

Sunday (6/16): 8.5 miles, my default long run route--from Solana Beach to Swami's and back.

Routes on my RunKeeper page.

Trail in Liberty Station

LR#2
Kristen