Her Trails 50km

WEEK 1

OBJECTIVE

Your objective this week is exploring 'awareness as your superpower'! You are in week 1 of 4 of your prime-to-build program, also known as the base-building-phase of your ultramarathon program. A carefully designed ultramarathon program will build your aerobic stamina, mental toughness and ability to problem solve on the fly. The best ultra runners have grit, guts and awareness. All of these qualities are not merely present on race day but are cultivated and fostered throughout training. This week we are honing our ability to be acutely AWARE during our sessions. By practicing awareness we can gain an understanding on how our body and mind serves us. In each of your sessions we have set an intention for you to be aware of - e.g. the ease at which you are running or whether the muscles in your neck and face are relaxed. All you need to do is place your conscious focus on that one thing. Initially it may feel taxing to keep the muscles in your faces relaxed and require all of your attention in order to do so. However, the more you do something, the more efficient your brain becomes at the task. Till a point where that task becomes automatic or requires a simple cue to enact it. We will do this in future weeks as well.

TRAINING LEVEL CHART

Reference this training level chart to help you understand your efforts for each training session.

LEVEL 1- 3

EASY RUNS/RECOVERY

LEVEL 4-5

MODERATE

LEVEL 6

GOAL RACE EFFORT
[aka HALF MARATHON PACE]

LEVEL 7-8

THRESHOLD
[aka 5KM/10KM PACE]

LEVEL 9-10

STRONG SPEED
[AKA 1 MILE – 400M PACE]

DAY ONE | DAY TWO | DAY THREE | DAY FOUR | DAY FIVE | DAY SIX | DAY SEVEN

DAY ONE

Base Mile Run

30 min @ Level 1-3

INTENTION – Make sure this run is done with ease. Specifically it should be done ONE step above a walking pace. You should easily be able to hold down a conversation and you should be able to recovery quickly from this sessions. If you cannot do both of these things – you are running too quickly. This is the same with all Base Mile Runs.

NOTE: We encourage you to sign up to STRAVA. It is a social network for athletes where you can record your moves, create routes and join clubs. This platform has excellent GPS tracking and is simple to use. The free membership will give you access to most of the features, with notable exception to the safety beacon (which can be accessed via the premium membership). You can track your runs via the app on your phone or it can be synced via a gps watch. It will also allow us as coaches to help you. Her Trails has a public club you can join!

DAY TWO

Introduction to Strength

This practice is all about learning your body language. Coach Bec will take you through exercises that make you work all three planes of motion, challenging your stability and teach you how to activate your muscles. Have patients with yourself during this practice 🙂

 

 

DAY THREE

Base Mile Run

30 min @ Level 1-3

INTENTION – Bring awareness to how you breathe throughout this run. Consider – (a) do you breathe IN through your mouth or nose, (b) do you breathe OUT through your nose or mouth, (c) does your breath get drawn from your chest or deeper down from your diaphragm, (d) do you find yourself short of breath.

Note – it can feel uncomfortable and unnatural when you start to practice breathe awareness. Our goal in doing so is to enhance running efficiency and also provide you with a potential tool that assists you in regulating your nervous system and focusing your attention.

 

DAY FOUR

Yoga

Jo takes you on a practical deep dive of your breath during this yoga class!

 

DAY FIVE

REST DAY

DAY SIX

Base Mile Run

45 min @ Level 1-3

INTENTION: It might sound simple but during your run try relaxing your face and neck. Research shows that tension in your face and neck not only expends additional energy but also inhibits your ability to take in oxygen. This can impact our performance and enjoyment of a run. The tension of your fascial muscles will influence the degree of tension in your entire body. Simple cues to consider to avoid tightening up – (a) relax your jaw by opening and closing your mouth or yawning, (b) if it’s sunny wear a hat or sunglasses to avoid squinting eyes, (c) SMILE – hold as wide as you can for the count of 5 then relax. 

 

 

 

DAY SEVEN

REST DAY