Hopefully you were able to complete Week 1 of the Couch to 10K training plan, and without any adverse effects.
The plan for Week 2 involves three training sessions again, spread throughout the week with at least one non-running day in-between each of them.
The amount of running begins to increase and, from now on, one session will generally be longer than the others.
Ideally this longer session should be done on a day where you have more time and can relax afterwards, e.g. at the weekend or another day you’re not working.
Week 2 Recommended Training Sessions
- Session 1
Warm Up:
5 Minutes Brisk Walking
Main Session:
Run 1 min, walk 1 min: twice
Run 2 mins, walk 2 mins: five times
Total running time = 12 mins
Cool Down:
5 minutes walking, gradually reducing pace
- Session 2
Warm Up:
5 minutes brisk walking
Main Session:
Run 1 min, walk 1 min: twice
Run 2 mins, walk 2 mins: four times
Total running time = 10 mins
Cool Down:
5 minutes walking, gradually reducing pace
- Session 3
Warm Up:
10 minutes brisk walking
Main Session:
Run 1 min, walk 1 min
Run 2 mins, walk 2 mins: five times
Run 3 mins
Total running time = 14 mins
Cool Down:
10 minutes walking, gradually reducing pace
Remember these sessions are for beginners who are new to running or have not done any running for a number of years. If you have the fitness to run for longer or take shorter walking breaks, it’s okay to do so but we don’t recommend exceeding the total workout time.
On the other hand, if you are struggling to complete all of the sessions or find that you have a lot of stiffness afterwards, don’t panic. At this stage, it’s okay to reduce the amount of running in favour of more walking. Alternatively, you could replace one of the sessions with another form of aerobic exercise, such as cycling or swimming. The most important thing at this stage is to regularly be doing at least 30 mins of some form of aerobic exercise.
At the end of each running section you should be breathing fairly hard but not gasping for breath and unable to talk. If you are gasping or need longer to recover before the next running section, set off at a slower speed and try to pace yourself in the next effort.
As we mentioned last week, there are no prizes for speed at this stage of base training. The objective is to strengthen your bones, develop the right muscle fibres and improve the efficiency of your heart at working your aerobic system. Going too fast can actually slow this process down, as well as increasing the chances of an injury, such as muscle tear, which could put you on the side-lines for weeks.
Preventing injury is really important for obvious reasons and race headline sponsors Central Health are on hand to offer that expert advice to keep you fit and healthy ready for race day Read more
