Conquering a 10 km event is something you can really be proud of. It takes real dedication to condition your body to keep going for an hour or more. With the upcoming annual Standard Chartered Marathon on 4th Dec 2011, let us look at the 10 km programme for beginner runners.
We have developed a 4-times-per-week sample training program for beginners, and we have 6 weeks to the race day. It is recommended to include rest days in between the training session to maximise recovery and reduce the possibility of overtraining. The programme is to help you achieve the running time of between 60 to 75 minutes to complete 10km.
Remember to increase your training intensity by no more than 10 percent per week. Each week, in addition to running more often and over a slightly longer duration, you may plan one long run per week (your last session of each week). The long run will help your body to adapt to metabolizing body fat and improve your ability to run a longer distance comfortably without “hitting the wall” (running out of carbohydrates to fuel your muscles, resulting in sudden tiredness and fatigue).
Click here for a sample programme
Nutrition for Marathon:
Pre-run training snacks
It is important to consume some food or drink as soon as possible after running or training. A combination of carbohydrate and protein is best to restock your muscle glycogen and help your muscle repair any damage done by hard training. The increased breakdown of protein during training needs to be compensated for, and, in addition, if glycogen stores are low, certain amino acids- called branch chain amino acids- can be used for energy. Research has shown that branched-chain amino acid supplementation prior and post-training reduces muscle damage during the subsequent workout, thus promoting faster post-workout recovery.
Eating enough protein is essential to enable your body to make a quick and full recovery from hard training sessions, but it can sometimes be a struggle to fulfill your daily requirements. A simple fix to this problem is to add protein shakes to your diet. These are usually whey protein source and contain different vitamins and minerals as well as 120-200 kcal of energy. For post-training, whey isolates will be recommended.
Discuss with your trainer to find out what is suitable for your needs and goal, or arrange an appointment for your personal nutrition consultation today!
