5K here I come!

I am needing a push to get these last 8 pounds off. I have decided that I am going to run a 5K at the end of April in Race for the Cure. This is BIG for me. I hate running but I know that if I work hard at it I will begin to like it especially if I start losing a few more pounds. I think this is a great thing for me to do. It gives me a goal and I need a goal, to get me to my goal! Here is the training plan that I am going to use:

Week 1:
Day 1: Start off at a nice easy pace an run for 6 minutes at a pace you can handle. Take 2 minutes to walk or jog to lower the heart rate, and then repeat this cycle for 20 minutes.
Day 2: Run for 8 minutes at a pace you can handle and again take 2 minutes to walk or jog until your heart rate slows. Repeat this one time for a total of 20 minutes.
Day 3: Repeat day 1.

Week 2:
Day 1: Run for 8 minutes at a nice pace and walk/jog for 2 minutes. Repeat once for a total of 20 minutes.
Day 2: Run for 10 minutes and walk/jog for 2 minutes. Repeat once for a total of 24 minutes.
Day 3: Repeat day 1

Week 3:
Day 1: Run for 12 minutes and walk for 3 minutes. Repeat once for a total of 30 minutes.
Day 2: Run for 15 minutes straight and then stop and rest for 5 minutes. Repeat the 15 minute run for a total of 30 minutes of running.
Day 3: Repeat day 1.

Week 4:
Day 1: Run for 15 minutes, slow down to a jog for 5 minutes, and then run for 10 minutes.
Day 2: Run for 18 minutes, walk for 2 minutes, then repeat for a total of 40 minutes.
Day 3: Alternate between 100m sprints and 100m walks for a total of 15 minutes. Finish this off with an easy jog of 5 minutes to keep your heartrate up.

Week 5:
Day 1: Run for 20 minutes straight and then rest until your heartrate returns to normal. Repeat for a total of 40 minutes of running.
Day 2: Alternate between sprints of 100m and jogs of 100m. Repeat this for a total of 20 minutes. Finish this off with a light run of 10 minutes.
Day 3: Run for time: Run for 10 minutes as fast as you can while keeping a steady pace, and track your time. Repeat this once. When you are finished, measure the distance with your car. Use this to try an estimate your 1 mile pace.
Day 4: You’ll need this extra day for a recovery run. Jog for 25 minutes at a low pace and focus on breathing and form. Find what works best for you.

Week 6:
Day 1: Go for a moderately paced run for 30 minutes and keep an eye on your time. Measure the distance with your car to see how far you can cover in 30 minutes. This will help you find a managable pace for the race.
Day 2: Alternate between 1 minute sprints and 1 minute jogs. Focus on form and breathing trying to keep your heartrate up the entire time.
Day 3: Repeat day 3 from last week and see if your time is improving. You should be seeing major gains by this point.

Race Week!
Day 1 (Monday or Tuesday): Take a long jog for ab out 25-30 minutes and again relax and work on breathing and pace. Don’t push yourself too hard.
Day 2: Taper down to a 15-20 minute jog just to keep your legs ready for the race. This should be a confidence run because by now if you have followed the program you are running great!
Race Day: Go out there and give it your all and have fun! Don’t take off too fast, get into a nice rhythm, and then let your legs take you to the finish. You will know how hard to push yourself once your heart slows down from the adrenaline rush and your legs stop feeling like jelly.

I start the training tomorrow so I will let you all know how it goes!