Are you at that point in your life as a running enthusiast wherein you’re not exactly a newbie and have been yearning to reach a new level in the sport but don’t really know where to go from here?  After getting bitten by the running bug, do you feel that it has gotten under your skin and is now a part of the very core and fiber of your being? From running as a vehicle for fitness or weight loss, do you now find that the sport is woven into the fabric of your life, not just as a MEANS but also as an END?  If you’ve answered yes to all these questions, and you feel that you can no longer imagine your life without running, that’s when you know a runner is born.  And that runner is you.

“So what’s next?” you might ask.  For all the intermediate runners out there, here’s a training plan that will help you graduate from your regular 5K runs to your first 10K race. But before that, here are some terms you might want to add to your running vocabulary. I will add more terms as the training plan progresses:

The Long Run

Pick a day that works best for you, and gradually increase your running time each week until you’ve built up to an hour.  (Typically, runners do this workout on weekends since that is when they have the most time.)  Don’t bump up the length of this run too quickly. Increase your long run by no more than 5 minutes each week.

INTERMEDIATE TRAINING SCHEDULE

Now that you’re familiar with the long run, here’s Weeks 1 to 4 of a 16-week training plan you can try for your first 10K.  Visit my blog in the next couple of weeks for Weeks 5 to 8 of the program. Training plan for first-time 21K runners to follow.  Happy running to all especially the newborn runners!

Week 1

Monday: Off
Tuesday: 30 min easy run
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: 30 min easy run
Friday: Off
Saturday: 30 min easy run
Sunday: 35 min long run

Week 2

Monday: Off
Tuesday: 30 min easy run
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: 30 min easy run
Friday: Off
Saturday: 30 min easy run
Sunday: 40 min long run

Week 3

Monday: Off
Tuesday: 30 min easy run
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: 35 min easy run
Friday: Off
Saturday: 30 min easy run
Sunday: 45 min long run

Week 4

Monday: Off
Tuesday: 30 min easy run
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: 35 min easy run
Friday: Off
Saturday: 30 min easy run
Sunday: 50 min long run