With over month to go, it’s not too late to sign up for the Asda Foundation Leeds 10k, Leeds Rhinos Strength and Conditioning Coach Chris Black walks you through a four week training plan for beginners……
Here Chris explains the background of aerobic exercise and how the body works during a 10k….
Most people will be put off signing up for the 10k because they feel they aren’t fit enough or that they need to be part of an elite running club to take part.
What struck me most, when doing the run last year was the variety of people who were running and their varying abilities.
Rugby players, especially in rugby league, need to be aerobically fit, but it is still predominantly a sprint/power based sport which utilises an entirely different energy system.
So what’s the science behind it?
When exercise lasts over 2-3 minutes the body will need to derive energy from aerobic metabolism i.e. the oxygen it consumes.
This is normally referred to as ‘steady state’ exercise as you are not required to put in maximal effort and only running at about 50-60% of your top speed. There is a slower build-up of metabolites (lactic acid) than say if you were doing shorter shuttle efforts.
Energy is created by the breakdown in glucose in the mitochondria (power cells) and this, like most other parts of the body, can be trained to improve its function.
How can people improve their fitness in four weeks?
If you have signed up for the Leeds 10k (or still considering it) and are worried that you have left it too late, try this 4 week training plan:
Note: These sessions can be performed outside or in the gym session and don’t always have to be running based (although desirable). Ensure you perform an adequate warm up and include dynamic stretching of the lower body muscles.
Week 1
If you are a beginner to running, the aim of this week is to increase your aerobic capacity and running tolerance. Each week spread the exercise over the 7 days, it might seem okay at first but you need to let your body recover.
Session 1: 5 minute running intervals (2mins recovery) x 4
Session 2: 1000m running efforts (3 mins recovery) x 5
Session 3: Jog 1 minute, walk 30 seconds x 15
Week 2
The aim this week is to increase the intensity of your run (aim for better times or increased speed) and increase running volume (i.e. total running distance)
Session 1: 5 minute running intervals (90 seconds recovery) x 6
Session 2: 1000m efforts (3 minutes recovery) x 8
Session 3: Light jog 1 minute, hard jog 1 minute, walk 30 seconds x 10
Week 3
The aim this week is to increase the intensity of your run further (aim for better times or increased speed) and increase running total volume of running (i.e. total running distance)
Session 1: 5 minute running intervals (1 minute recovery) x 8
Session 2: 1000m running efforts (2 minutes recovery) x 10
Session 3: Light jog 1 minute, hard run 1 minute, light walk 30 seconds x 15
Week 4
The aim this week is to reduce the overall volume (i.e. distance and reps) but increase the intensity (i.e. higher running speed)
Session 1: 5 minute running intervals (1 minute recovery) x 4
Session 2: 1000m running efforts (2 minutes recovery) x 6
Session 3: Light jog 1 minute, hard jog 1 minute, light walk 30 seconds x 10
You’ll now be ready for the run, but what advice is there for race day? Chris gives some more insight……
Don’t worry if you still haven’t run 10k continuously, the sessions above should provide you with enough aerobic fitness so that if you need to stop during the race at any point, after a short recovery you can start running again.
Recovery is very important if you are to undertake this programme and you should stretch for 15 minutes after each session hitting all the major lower body muscles that are involved during running (calves, hamstrings, quadriceps and glutes).
In my experience, setting a goal or target is vital. It has to be specific to you, whether it is simply a time you want to complete the race or whether it’s running continuously for the entire race without stopping.
“Just run your own race.”
Chris talks about the goal setting approach he used last year’s race….
Someone told me last year that sub 40 minutes was considered a good time for a 10k, so that’s all I was focused on. During the race I broke the race up into ten 1 kilometre efforts and when I reached the 1K mark I told myself “9 more of these” at 2k “only 4 more of those” and before you know it you’re at 5K and telling yourself “only one more of those!!.”
Everyone is different however, during conditioning sessions at the Rhinos some players will always ask how many they reps they have left and some just get their head down and get on with it however many they have left.
Final thoughts….
The most important thing to do is run your own race and enjoy the occasion.
All the best and good luck on the day!
Chris Black
If you would like to take part in this year's event, register your interest with Jessica.Bowman@leedsrugby.com
If you would like to support the Leeds Rhinos Foundation and Jane's Appeal you can make a personal donation to the Run/Walk with the Rhinos fundraising page at the link below:
https://mydonate.bt.com/events/rwwtr15/218128.