WEEK 3 TURKEY TROT 2017

WEEK 3 TURKEY TROT WITH TRACK DAY 5K Beginner Training Plan starts Monday. If you weren’t able to locate a track, struggled with the track workout the first two weeks, or did not have the chance to find specific strength training exercises, it’s not too late to get organized.  The stresses of harder training will take a toll later in training, so there’s still time to get into good habits beforehand.
 
The track day schedule advances from walking: running half laps to full laps! It was amazing to me how far that quarter mile (one lap) felt the first few trips around.  Believe it or not, the distance will seem to ‘shorten’ as you become accustomed to the track environment. It’s hard to imagine, but you might need to devise a way to count laps as the number completed increases, and your mind starts to wander onto topics other than discomfort and exhaustion. “When can I walk again?” becomes, “Oops I missed the walk mark!”
 
One thing to keep in mind is that all the effort expended and miles run in following THIS training plan becomes part of the base you’ll establish for FUTURE runs of the same or longer distances.  Many runners train at a lowered level almost ALL YEAR long, not just in advance of a specific race, so that the agony of starting from months off is avoided.  For example, the long run distance might be maintained at 3-4 miles most weeks, unless a specific plan was started in advance of competition.
 
Consider mentally adjusting your goals early on in this plan to thinking you’ll maintain a minimum weekly mileage AFTER your 2017 Turkey Trot 5K, to be ready for the NEXT RACE.
 
RUN HAPPY!
 
Remember, go to the RESOURCES page for all 2017 Turkey Trot related downloads:
TURKEY TROT WITH TRACK DAYS 5K Beginner Training Plan Calendar
TRACK DAYS Schedule
MINUTES TO MILES Calculations

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