WEEK 2 'ON TO THE NEW YEAR' 2017 5K PLAN

NOW THAT YOU STARTED EASING BACK INTO TRAINING the relaxed nature of this plan should be apparent.  The days between Thanksgiving and the December holidays are busy and may leave runners feeling uncharacteristically fatigued. That’s the reasoning behind the strategy of training on a “keep open” level of intensity; to have you work just hard enough to stay in shape for a 3.1 mile run.
 
In medical terms, life-saving fluids or medications might be delivered to a patient through an intravenous tube or ‘line’ at a rate that is “wide open” such that the valve regulating fluid flow rate does not obstruct the tube lumen at all.  This high flow rate is used in emergencies. Once there is no need to deliver meds or fluids intravenously the needle/tubing apparatus can be removed. However, because it’s not always easy to establish this kind of rapid ‘access’ line, one practice is to leave it in for a bit longer, until all possible emergencies have passed. The fluid flow at this time is set at a “keep open” rate, just enough to allow the line to stay open and usable.
 
Thus, this is not an ambitious training plan. There’s just enough running to allow you to comfortably cover 5k on New Year’s Eve or Day and stretching, stength, and mobility work to do it without injury. It’s not designed to help you establish a PR, but to be able to show up and cross the finish line.
 
If you cannot locate a CONVENIENT NEARBY RACE, remember you can use 2016 or request new 2017 Earned Runs Bibs for this occasion.

RUN HAPPY!