Training for a 10k

One week till the Terry Fox Run!  A couple months ago, I *could* have run a 10k...slowly. Very slowly. And I don't want to run too slowly next Sunday. The sooner I finish the race, the sooner my boyfriend will be able to buy me waffles at our local greasy spoon.

So on account of my desire to eat waffles sooner rather than later, I've been taking this 10 km training pretty seriously. My first step was to choose a training program. To do this, I used the highly scientific method of googling "training for a 10km run" and choosing the program I liked best. To be honest, the training programs all look pretty much the same - some hill and sprint training, some slow jogs, some cross-training, and the occasional day off. I think the program I chose came from Runner's World, but don't quote me on that.

I realize that following an online training program without any personal interaction isn't for everyone, but for me it's worked like a charm. Years ago, when I had more money, I worked with a personal trainer - I loved the structure of it, and working with someone who knew how hard to push me. The online training program is the next best thing. I am highly motivated, and I respond well to structure, so obeying instructions on a printed-out training program isn't that difficult.

Because I only decided to do the Terry Fox Run in mid-August, and I was already in pretty good shape, I condensed a 6-week training program down to 4 weeks. My weekly schedule looks something like this:

-long slow run
- hill intervals
- yoga
- race pace run
- sprint intervals
- day off
- race pace run

I also do two weight training sessions a week - not because I'm a great person, but because my hip flexors tend to hurt if I don't incorporate quad and hamstring exercises into my routine.

I'm 3/4 of the way through my program, and I'm really happy with my progress. My weakness has always been speed, but I've noticed a remarkable increase in the speeds I'm able to reach during my sprint intervals. Hopefully this will translate into a faster race time, and faster waffle gratification.

As far as weight loss goes...well, that hasn't been my goal. I have an athletic build, and I know my legs are stronger and more toned than they were a month ago.  I'll never be a super-svelte, wispy reed of a woman, and I wasn't expecting this training to change that. However, I'm pretty sure that my legs are strong enough to snap Taylor Swift in half if I was ever given the chance. This is enough for me.

But of course, the goal of this race isn't to inflict suffering on Taylor Swift - it is to raise money for cancer research! As always, if you want to make a contribution to the Terry Fox Foundation, here is a link to my pledge page:

Krista's Terry Fox Run Page