At the beginning of every week we send a themed Program newsletter that goes into detail on (1) what you should be focused at a high-level (philosophies, wisdom, etc.), (2) each workout and long run prescribed for the week, (3) how to round out you training across sports psychology, strength, mobility, recovery, and nutrition. Below are all our notes on Week 1. If you missed Program orientation, you can watch the Zoom recording. To download the training plan, sign-up for The Program (Virtual).
ALRIGHT, LET'S GET STARTED
As training begins the first thing we ask you to do is to be realistic about where your specific starting line should be. Whether you are coming off a 60 mile week or you haven’t run a step in a year (or three) make the first commitment to kick off this training cycle slowly and with intention. As with any new thing there are going to be a lot of new variables, so here is a checklist to work through for week one:
1. SELECT YOUR PLAN
The Program plans are built for the busy athlete, each plan shows 5-7 days of training (we highly encourage an off day or two a week), with two days of very intentional pace focused work (intervals & long runs) but with slight differences in weekly mileage and goal times. As you decide, first identify your goal time and the mileage range that best fits your current fitness (more on this below).
2. FORM YOUR WORKOUT PROCESS
Now that you’ve selected a training plan it’s time to build your routine. Creating a routine is essential, carving out the dedicated time each week to execute runs and workouts properly. That being said, routines aren’t about running a specific workout each day every week. A great routine is about not surprising the body, I.e. consistent choices in food, a consistent warm up process, working out at a similar time each day, going to bed and waking up at similar times each day.
3. DECIDE ON YOUR DAILY SCHEDULE
The Program plans assign interval work on Tuesday or Wednesday and long runs on Saturday or Sunday, note that these are just suggestions and you should aim to adjust your days to your needs. No matter when you decide to schedule workouts, remember to leave at least 48 hours between hard workouts. For your other days, build a mix of timed runs or rest days that fit your mileage needs, these runs do not have assigned paces or efforts, aim to accomplish time on feet, active recovery between workouts and build consistency in your weekly mileage.
4. INDIVIDUALIZE YOUR MILEAGE
A good rule of thumb is to never increase your mileage more than 10% in any given week. If you have been running more than 20 miles per week you should aim to stay steady where you are and not increasing mileage at all the first 2-3 weeks, let your body absorb the new workouts and weekly schedule. If you have been running less than 20 miles a week you should aim to get to 15-20 miles for week one and 20-25 miles for week 2-3 before adding more.
5. MEASURE YOUR EFFORTS
How are you logging your training? As you start your training you should also invest in a documenting system for multiple reasons, to track weekly mileage, understand your progress or to capture your journey to mention a few. This could be as simple as a journal or notes app. Or many athletes use GPS watches for both pace, time and track training. If you’re in the market both COROS or GARMIN have great products that also connect effortlessly with training apps like Strava.
Everything you need to know to complete your first week productively.
MONDAY ACCELERATIONS
You may be thinking what use is a 100m acceleration when training for a 26.2 mile race? In running, weekly accelerations are the definition of little things done well will compound massively over time. Like the weekly workouts, accelerations ask your body to run faster, accelerations done correctly are not an all out sprint but done at mile pace. And each week you’ll be adding an extra 1000m of running at your mile pace, which will deliver a consistent request for your body to greatly improve your running economy (efficiency of effort while running) which over the course of 26.2 miles will yield a massive impact. Note: 100m is roughly a 20-25 sec run, look to do these on softer surfaces and avoid sprinting.
THE INTERVAL WORKOUT
4-6 800m, 2x400m
- 800m repeats at HM Pace (or time-based)
- 400m repeats at Interval #1 Pace (or time-based)
Week one we are rocking some 800m (or 3 min) repeats, followed by a few shorter 400m (or 90 sec) repeats with 90 seconds rest between all. Like everything this week, aim to start these slowly with HM pace in mind but also without expectation. Look to make the workout progressive, start slow & finish faster and take the full amount of rest time. Week one is about resetting your body and allowing it to get comfortable with the new strain and discomfort. If this is your first workout in a while you should fully expect this to be tough, awkward and not feel great, the first 2-3 weeks will be a big adjustment but I promise if you take it slow, controlled and do not rush the process you’ll turn a corner by week 4, trust the process!
STEADY LONG RUN
Key word: steady. We'll go out for a nice casual long run together at an easy pace that feels conversational for each group. It's week one and we're easing into distance training, not to be confused with hitting your goal marathon time right out of the gate. Let's get one steady long run in the bank before we start infusing some tempo work into the distance next week.
Notes from Program Coaches across Mobility, Sports Psychology, and Nutrition.
MOBILITY WITH MICHAEL CROES
Add this pre-run exercise to your routine this week to take the first step towards exploring body awareness and to help synchronize your body so that you get the most out of your runs. Try the exercise Cat Cow on a flat surface pre-run to mobilize your shoulders, hips, upper and lower back. Start on all fours with your hands and knees on the ground forming 90 degree angles, from there slowly arch your back and lift your head up for 5-7 seconds before reversing to raise your back and dip your head for 5-7 seconds, try 6-8 times in each direction.
SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY WITH MARI DOTTSCHADIS
Over the next 16 weeks, your motivation, energy and determination will be challenged.When you struggle, it is important to know, why you started this journey in the first place. An exercise that might give you clarity and support you through those rough patches is to write a letter to your future self. In it you might reflect on the following:
- What motivates you?
- What do you gain by achieving your goal?
- Who motivates you to keep going?
- What advice do you want to give your future self?
Put your letter somewhere you can easily find it and read it as often as you want–especially when you start to doubt yourself and your process.
NUTRITION
Consistently fueling post-run will help maximize recovery, so you can train consistently day after day. Post-run fuel should have about a 3:1 ratio of carbs to protein, such as 20g of protein and 60g of carbs, and should be eaten within an hour of finishing your workout. If you struggle with appetite after a workout, try starting with liquid calories to help reduce your core temperature and bring back your hunger. Examples include a smoothie made with frozen fruit, Greek or soy yogurt, and juice, chocolate milk with 1⁄2 scoop of protein powder, or a recovery drink mix that either has carbs in it (like Skratch or Tailwind recovery) or is paired with carbs such as a granola bar or banana.
