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+ Training Guide for Shakawe Half Marathon

If you’re receiving this guide, you have expressed interest in starting a training chapter in your village. The Shakawe half marathon and 5k walk will take place in the village of Shakawe on Saturday March 30 th

2013. I know many of you have different target groups and so please feel free to adjust the plan to your needs. As the title suggest, this document is only a guide. As you start implementing the guide, I would really appreciate you’re feedback. Since the guide is a compilation of different sources, I would like to incorporate your suggestions since they can assist other training groups in the country. We should probably have a place to share our ideas and monitor each others progress, any suggestions welcome! Re batla botshelo!

Table of Contents

i. Introduction ii. Motivationiii. Goal Settingiv. Avoid Injuryv. Hydrationvi. Recoveryvii. Nutritionviii.Other training tipsix. Training Plan

Introduction

Training for a half marathon could be very daunting but with the right support and dedication all of you could cross that finish line. I have assembled a guide to help you reach that goal. Since many of you will be dealing with an array of people with different health conditions, monitor and adjust the guide to the needs of your group.

A marathon is not just about running. It’s about endurance; achieving goals; choosing a healthy lifestyle; self motivation; and so much more! Every one has a different reason for wanting to cross that finish line but as group it is important to motivate each other!

The guide includes sources from the Cool Running website and their Couch-to-5k training program. I’m also adding additional information from other websites. Since this is a guide for a half marathon I’ve also added several training programs from various sources and you guys could choose which one is the right one for your group.

Motivation

Once you have assembled a group, go around and ask them why they want to run a half marathon and ask them to write it down. You could choose whatever you like; a note card, a piece of paper, or just write it on a chalk board etc. If the circumstances allows, perhaps you could display their motivation so that there is a constant reminder as to why they’re choosing to run. If this doesn’t seem appealing to you, perhaps a cheer! Before and after you meet, you could all put your hands in and say your cheer aloud. The point is there are different ways the group can stay motivated. Running doesn’t have to be a strenuous thing, it can be fun! What about making up a group name? For example, the Francistown Mophane Worms!

Goal Setting

This session includes an important life skill-goal setting. As a group, determine what will be your goals. Perhaps you want to increase 5ks every month. Perhaps you guys want to be able to run 10ks by the end of November. Keep track of those achievements and make sure to let everyone know! Put a blurb on the Peace Corp newsletter and show it to the group.

It’s also important to celebrate minor victories. After each run, get the group back together for a stretch and debriefing session. Go around and have everyone say something about how they felt after the run. This goal setting also applies to getting the funds for registration. When can everyone have their

contribution? Perhaps you guys want to raise money beyond registration? Perhaps you want to raise money for t-shirts to represent your group in Shakawe?

Avoid Injury

Build up gradually! And stretch! Stretch! Stretch! Many of the sources talk about having the right shoes as well. I’m just going to add an excerpt from Josh Clark from the Cool runnings website:

…a good and consistent stretching program can save you a lot of trouble and keep you running when you might otherwise become injured. Along with training gently and choosing the right shoes, stretching is the most important thing you can do to protect your body from the rigors of the road. You’ll also find that the benefits of stretching include reduced muscle soreness after running and even better athletic performance.

He also goes on to say that one should be careful of the way they stretch:

If it’s not done properly, stretching can actually cause injury rather then preventing injury. Rule number one in stretching: do not bounce! It’s a common mistake, but bouncing risks pulling or tearing the muscles you’re trying to stretch and relax. Muscles must be stretched gradually. If a stretch is slowly, however, the contraction reflex is avoided, muscle tension falls, and you may stretch the muscle further. The lesion here: stretch slowly and hold the stretch for 30-40 seconds

Also, don’t stretch to the point where you feel tightness or pain. Have a stretching session before and after you start your run but haven’t said that—it’s best to do your pre-run stretching after a gentle warm-up run of five or ten minutes, since “warm” muscles stretch more easily.

Here are some recommended stretches (the website www.coolrunnig.com has the images):

1. Wall Pushup #1

Stand about three feet from a wall, feet at shoulder width and flat on the ground. Put your hands on the wall with your arms straight for support. Lean your hips forward and bend your knees slightly to stretch your calves.

2. Wall Pushup #2

From the previous position, bend forward to lower your body to waist height. Bring one foot forward with your knee slightly bent. Lift the toes of the front foot to stretch the muscle under the calf. Stretch both legs.

3. Wall Pushup #3

http://www.coolrunnig.com/

Put your feet together, rocking back on your heels with your hands on the wall and your arms straight to form a jackknife with your body. This stretches your hips, shoulders, and lower back.

4. Back Scratch

Grab your elbow with the opposite hand and gently push the elbow up and across your body until your hand reaches down to "scratch" your back. Gently push on your elbow to guide your hand down your back as far as it will comfortably go, stretching your triceps and shoulders. Stretch both arms.

5. Hamstring Stretch

Lie down with one leg straight up in the air, the other bent with foot flat on the ground. Loop a towel over the arch of the lifted foot, and gently pull on the towel as you push against it with your foot. Push only to the point where your muscles contract. Stretch both legs.

6. Quadriceps Stretch

Kneel on your knees (without resting back on your heels). Lean back with your body erect and your arms to the side. Hold for 15 seconds.

7. Heel To Buttock

Stand on one foot, with one hand on a wall for balance. Hold the other foot with the opposite hand and raise the heel of the lifted foot to the buttocks (or as close as comfortably possible), stretching your quadriceps. Keep your body upright throughout. Change legs and repeat.

8. Hip & Lower Back Stretch

Sit on the ground with your legs crossed. Lift your right leg and cross it over the left, which should remain bent. Hug the right leg to your chest and twist the trunk of your body to look over your right shoulder. Change legs and repeat (i.e. looking over your left shoulder).

9. Iliotibial Band Stretch

Lie on your side with both legs bent in running position. Bring the bottom leg toward your chest and then bring the top one back toward your buttocks, so that the running position of your legs is exaggerated as possible. Hold for 30 seconds then flip sides and repeat.

10. Hamstring & Back Stretch

Lie on your back with your knees bent. Hug your shins to your chest to stretch your hamstrings and lower back.

11. Bridge

Lie on your back and, with your feet flat on the ground, lift your hips up until your body forms a flat plane. Repeat this one ten times for 30 seconds each to stretch your quads and lower back.

12. Groin Stretch

Seated, put the soles of your feet together. With your elbows on the inside of your knees, gradually lean forward and gently press your knees toward the ground.

Hydration

Pleeeeeese drink plenty of water. Since we’ll be training among the summer months, it’s imperative to keep hydrated. The marathon will take place during the early morning, it’s still to be determined but we’re aiming at starting the race at 6:30 a.m. and since it will only last 4 hours it should end around 10:30 a.m. The walk will start at 8 a.m. Every one is different in terms of the amount of water they need to stay hydrated. A great way to determine how much water you need is to weigh yourself (with little or no clothing) before and after on hour of hard exercise with no fluid intake. The change in body weight reflects sweat loss. A one-pound drop in weight equates to loss of 16 oz of sweat. A two-pound drop equates to 32 oz—that’s 1 quart! Drink accordingly during your workouts to prevent that loss. Keep those PC rehydration packets with you.

Nutrition

This is a tricky subject even though it really shouldn’t be. We’re really going to get creative. But I just want to suggest some food items that I know are available in Botswana that are very beneficial for all fitness enthusiasts.

Best Carbs for runners: (http://www.active.com/nutrition/Articles/How-to-Hydrate-Before-During-and-After-a-Workout.htm)

1. Sweet Potatoes

The bright orange color of these root vegetables is a visual cue that they are an abundant source of the high-powered antioxidant, vitamin A. They also are a great source of potassium to help soothe sore muscles and maintain the right amount of fluids in the body. One cup provides 27g of carbs, 4g of which are fiber.

http://www.active.com/nutrition/Articles/How-to-Hydrate-Before-During-and-After-a-Workout.htm

http://www.active.com/nutrition/Articles/How-to-Hydrate-Before-During-and-After-a-Workout.htm

2. Oats

This breakfast staple has been promoted as a “heart-healthy” food due to its high soluble fiber and low saturated fat content, both of which have been shown to reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol and total cholesterol levels.

Besides keeping your ticker kicking, the magnesium found in oats helps to maintain nerve and muscle function and is involved in over 300 metabolic reactions in the body. One 1/2 cup of dry oats provides 27g of carbs.

3. Banana

This finger-shaped fruit is widely recognized as a source of potassium. While this is true, bananas are also a source of vitamin C and support your immune system. They also contain prebiotics and help maintain healthy bacteria in your gut. Prebiotics help improve the absorption of other nutrients (i.e. calcium) for added bone health benefits.

4. Chickpeas

The legume that is used to make hummus is often forgotten as a quality source of carbohydrates. Chickpeas not only provide a generous 22g of carbs in one ½ cup, but also a whopping 6g of fiber and 7g of protein. Fiber helps to keep you feeling full, maintains steady blood sugar levels, and may reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Recovery

This section should really complement the “avoid injury” section because they go hand in hand. What I want to convey from this section is that you guys should take it easy sometimes. Don’t overwork your body! As training leaders, you should really listen to what the group is saying. If you notice lack of motivation, perhaps you should take a day off just to have fun and have a dance party (it still keeps that heart rate up!). OR you can always substitute a work out session with a life skills chat.

Other training tips

“10 Golden Rules of Marathon Success”

by Jennifer Van Allen, Bart Yasso, and Amby Burfoot

1. Warm up and cool down: It’s tempting to jump right into your run, but don’t. A five- to 10-min warm-up raises your heart and breathing rates and gets blood flowing to muscles. Insert a few strides to wake up your nervous system and get fast-twitch muscle fibers firing. In general, the

faster or farther you intend to go, the more you should warm up. Cool down after a hard run so your heart rate gradually falls. Stop abruptly and blood can pool in your legs, making you feel faint.

2. Start slow, build gradually: Couches say the best way to avoid injury is to follow the 10-percent rule: Increase your weekly mileage and the length of your long run by no more than 10 percent each week. Your muscles and joints need time to adapt to the workload.

3. Go easy most of the time: Complete about 80 percent of your runs at a pace that’s about 60 to 90 seconds slower than your goal race pace. If should feel comfortable-if you’re huffing and puffing, you’re going too fast. Your heart and lungs adapt more quickly than muscles, tendons, and bones when you increase mileage. Frequent running at an easy pace gives your musculoskeletal system a chance to get stronger and catch up with the cardiovascular gains.

4. Hit the hills: Once a week during the first half of your training, run the hilliest routes you can find. Hill work builds led strength, aerobic capacity, and running economy (how efficiently your body uses oxygen), which gives you the strength and stamina to run faster later in the program.

5. Alternate hard and easy: if you don’t push yourself, you’ll never develop the ability to run farther or faster. But if you don’t rest enough, you’ll burn out or get injured. Follow speed sessions or long runs with an easy run or rest day, and every few weeks cut back your mileage by 20 percent. These recovery periods allow your body to repair and rebuild damaged muscle tissue, thereby helping you get stronger and more resistant to fatigue at faster paces and longer distances.

6. Remember to cross-train: When you run, your muscles, joints, and connective tissues absorb a lot of shock. Cross-training gives your body a break from the pounding while maintaining your cardiovascular fitness. Yoga, pilates, and strength training promote recovery, build muscle, and develop a strong upper body. (they suggest swimming, cycling, elliptical training but well, we’re in Botswana!)

7. Measure your effort: Go too hard on easy days and you won’t have the energy to speed sessions and long runs. Go too slow during hard workouts and you won’t push your fitness to the next level. Use pace, heart rate, or the talk test to ensure you’re working out at the right intensity and reaping the intended benefit of every run.

8. Turn it up: Even marathoners looking simply to finish do speedwork. Running fast builds cardiovascular strength by forcing your heart to work harder to deliver oxygen to your leg muscles, which, in turn, get stronger and more efficient at extracting oxygen from your blood. Speed sessions raise your metabolism, increasing calorie burn even after your workout. Turning your legs over at a quicker rate also sheds sloppiness in your stride—you’ll run more efficiently and it will take less effort to run fast.

9. Run at race pace: Spend time practicing your goal speed during training and it will feel like your body’s natural rhythm come race day. Mentally, logging dozens of miles at race pace will help you feel more confident when the starting gun goes off.

10. Trust the taper: ( I don’t’ know how relevant this is but…) In the final three weeks before race day, drop your weekly mileage by 25-50 percent, but maintain the intensity of race-pace runs and speed-work. Many runners fret that they’ll loose fitness. But a 2010 study by researchers at Ball State University found that runners who maintained speedwork but dropped their weekly

mileage by 25 percent three weeks before race day lost no cardiovascular fitness, gained muscle strength, and improved their race times.

7 minute warm-up:

Reverse lunge 1:30 stand with your legs shoulder-width apart. Take a step backward with your left foot and lower yourself down into a lunge position—your left knee should almost touch the ground and your right thigh should be parallel to the ground. Keep your back straight and make sure your right knee doesn’t extend past your toes. Return to the standing position, then step backward with the other leg. Do 12-15 lunges on each side. To make this more challenging, you can hold dumbbells (water bottles filled with sand ;).

Single-leg hops 3:30 Stand on one foot in a small imaginary square. Hop a foot or two forward to the top left corner of the square, then a food or two to the right, then to the back right corner, then to the left. Go six times around and then switch legs. If that’s too

Training Plan

Couch to 5k:

Each session should take about 20 or 30 minutes, three times a week. That just happens to be the same amount of moderate exercise recommended by numerous studies for optimum fitness. This program will get you fit. (Runners who do more than this amount are doing it for more than fitness, and before long you might find yourself doing the same as well).

Be sure to space out these three days throughout the week to give yourself a chance to rest and recover between efforts. And don't worry about how fast you're going. Running faster can wait until your bones are stronger and your body is fitter. For now focus on gradually increasing the time or distance you run.

Run for time, or run for distance

There are two ways to follow this program, to measure your runs by time or by distance. Either one works just as well, choose the option that seems easiest for you to keep track of. If you go with the distance option, and you are not using a track to measure the distances, just estimate. It's not important to have the distances absolutely exact.

Before setting out, make sure to precede each session with a five-minute warm-up walk or jog. Be sure to stretch both before and after.

The schedule

Week Workout 1 Workout 2 Workout 31 Brisk five-minute warm-up

walk. Then alternate 60 Brisk five-minute warm-up walk. Then alternate 60

Brisk five-minute warm-up walk. Then alternate 60

seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes

seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

2 Brisk five-minute warm-up walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Brisk five-minute warm-up walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes

Brisk five-minute warm-up walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

3 Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then do two repetitions of the

following:

Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds)

Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds)

Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes)

Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)

Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then do two repetitions

of the following:





Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then do two repetitions

of the following:





4 Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then:

Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)

Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)


Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes)




Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then:


















Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)



Walk 1/2 mile (or 5

Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then jog two miles (or 20 minutes) with no walking.




minutes)









Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes)


Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes)

Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then jog 2-1/4 miles (or 22 minutes) with no walking.

7 Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).

Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).


8 Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).



9 Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).

Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).

The final workout! Congratulations! Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).

Half Marathon: Hal Higdon

Once the group has mastered the 5k run, you can then move on to some of these suggested training schedules.

The terms used in the training schedule are somewhat obvious, but let me explain what I mean anyway.

Pace: Don’t worry about how fast you run your regular workouts. Run at a comfortable pace. If you’re training with a friend, you two should be able to hold a conversation. If you can’t do that, you’re running too fast.

Distance: The training schedule dictates workouts at distances, from 3 to 10 miles. Don’t worry about running precisely those distances, but you should come close. Pick a course through the neighborhood, o in some scenic area where you think you might enjoy running. Then measure the course either by car or bicycle.

Rest: Rest is as important a part of your training as the runs. You will be able to run the long runs on the weekend better—and limit your risk of injury—if you rest before and rest after.

Long runs: The key to getting ready to finish a Half Marathon is the long run, progressively increasing the distance each weekend. Over a period of 12 weeks, your longest run will increase from 3 to 10 miles. Don’t worry about making the final jump from 10 miles in practice to 13.1 miles in the race. Inspiration will carry you to the finish line. Particularly if you taper the final week. The schedule below suggests doing your long runs on Saturdays, but you can do them Sundays, or any other convenient day, as long as you are consistent.

Cross-train: labeled as cross on the schedule. What form of cross training works best? Botswana doesn’t offer us many options but this is the time to get creative. You could do uphill hiking if you’re near a hill. Any activity that is a cross of cardio and strength gaining is good. The original manual supports jogging instead of strength gaining if there’s no other option. Cross-training days should be considered easy days that allow you to recover from the running you do the rest of the week. It should still get that heart beating, so think “big cardio workout without putting a lot of wear and tear on the body” I recommend aerobics!

Walking: Walking is an excellent exercise that a lot of runners overlook in their training. I don’t specify walking breaks, but feel free to walk during your running workouts any time you feel tired or need to shift gears. When you go to the starting line, nobody will care whether you run the full half marathon; they’re more concerned that you finish!

Stretch and strength: Mondays are the day son which I advise you to spend extra time stretching—and do some strength training too. This is actually a day of “rest” following your long run on the weekends, so don’t overdo it. It’s important to stretch everyday but spend more time stretching on Mondays. Strength training could consist of push-ups, pull-ups, or the use of free weights (sand in bottles are good too). Runners generally benefit if they combine light weights with a high number of repetitions, rather than pumping very heavy iron. I also suggest that you strength train following your Thursday workouts, however you can schedule strength training on any two convenient days. If you have not strength trained before beginning this program, you may want to postpone starting that activity until after your race.

Take time: Does the 12-week progression from 5k to 21k seem too tough? Do you have more than a dozen weeks before your selected half Marathon (which you do)? Lengthen the schedule; take 18 or even 24 weeks to prepare. Repeat the week just completed before moving up to the next level. Don’t be afraid to insert “step back” weeks, where you actually cut your distance every second or third week to gather forces for the next push upward.

Racing: It’s not compulsory, but you might want to run a 5-k or 10-k to see how you’re doing—and also to experience a road race, if you have not run one before. You will be able to use your time to predict your finishing time in the half marathon, and what pace to run that race. I have suggested a 5-k race at the end of week 6 and a 10-k race at the end of week 9. If you can’t find races at those distances on the weeks suggested, fee free to modify the schedule.

Juggling: Don’t be afraid to juggle the workouts from day to day and week to week. If you have an important business meeting on Thursday, do that workout another day. If you have friends visiting or you yourself are going on holiday, adjust the schedule accordingly. Be consistent with your training, and the overall details won’t matter.

3 m approx 5 k3.5 m approx 5.6 k2 m approx 3 k4 m approx 6.4 k4.5 m approx 7.2 k5 m approx 8 k6 m approx 9.7 k7 m approx 11.3 k8 m approx 12.9 k9 m approx 14.5 k10 m approx 16.1 k13 m approx 21 k

Week Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun1 Stretch &

strengthen3 m run 2 m run or

cross3 m run + strength

rest 30 min cross

4 m run

2 Stretch & strengthen

3 m run 2 m run or cross

3 m run + strength

rest 30 min cross

4 m run


3.5 m run 2 m run or cross

3.5 m run + strength

rest 40 min cross

5 m run




rest 40 min cross

5 m run



4 m run + strength

rest 40 min cross

6 m run




rest or easy run

rest 5-K Race




rest 50 min cross

7 m run



4.5 m run rest 50 min cross

8 m run



5 m run + strength

rest or easy run

rest 10-k Race



5 m run + strength

rest 60 min cross

9 m run



5 m run + strength

rest 60 min cross

10 m run



2 m run rest rest Half Marathon

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