It’s that time again!
Don’t look now, but the Tely 10 is just around the corner; here’s your training schedule to help you prepare for the 91st race
Welcome to the training program for the 91st running of The Telegram 10-Mile Road Race — the Tely 10.
First and foremost, I do want to remind people that this is a 10 mile run. I have heard from a few people who haven’t done it before, and were considering signing up this year … only to be surprised that it’s 10 miles, not 10 kilometers.
So best of luck, and here we go.
I recommend you consult your physician before taking on this program. This program starts light and builds each week, but it’s just a good idea to have things checked out to ensure you don’t have any underlying issues that you weren’t aware of. This is for your own piece of mind for when the training volume increases, the demands are easily met.
It’s also a great idea to get properly fitted for footwear as it is the most important piece of equipment you will need during training. Also, make sure to wear sports apparel. Today’s garments have wicking properties that will help keep you cool and dry when the temperatures are high.
The layout of the plan is very straight forward. Each day has a training plan. This is a progressive schedule, meaning the volume and intensity gradually increases over time. For example, at the beginning of the program, the walk/run progression starts with a run for eight minutes, walk for two, for 30 minutes. By week 11, you are running 45 minutes with no walk break.
That may seem like a lot to run 45 minutes now, and maybe it is. But over the 10 weeks leading up to it, we add a little more volume to each session to build up your strength and confidence.
The walk breaks are brisk walking to help keep your heart rate up and momentum moving forward.
Speaking of heart rate, you will notice that I use the Maximum Heart Rate (Max HR) formula for every run. This method has been used for many years to help people stay within their limits.
The formula to calculate your heart rate zones is: Max HR = 220-(Age). If we were to calculate this for a 30-year-old runner, it’s: 220 (30) = 190 beats per minute (bpm).
Multiply that by the percentage to get your upper and lower limits. To continue with the 30-year-old runner, 190 x (0.65) = 123 beats per minute (bpm) is where your heart rate should be at 65 per cent of your Maximum Heart Rate.
A lot of people today run with GPS watches, Fitbits or other devices that track heart rate. This makes it easy to stay within your zones. If you don’t run with such a devices, the easy way to know if you are training at 65-70 per cent heart rate zone is talk. If you can talk in full sentences, then you are probably at the desired easy pace. If you can barely get two or three words out before taking a breath of air, then you are running near 80-85 per cent of your maximum heart rate.
Let’s hope that we have some really nice days this summer (fingers crossed) to make for some nice cross training days. Cross training is any other form of cardio or resistance training that isn’t running based.
Try to make activities that are not close similar to running. Hiking and brisk walking, as examples, still use the exact muscles as running, so use these sparingly. Better options are swimming, cycling, using an elliptical (because of the low impact). They will help strengthen other muscles in your body that running alone doesn’t work on.
If you live in Newfoundland, it’s hard to run and not have to climb a hill or three. The Tely 10 route is not lacking hills. So we have “Hill Workouts” in the program. They help build your running strength and work on your form.
So always try to have hills in your normal runs. But for the purpose of the hill workouts, find a hill that isn’t too steep. Start at the bottom and increase your pace to faster than normal running pace, about 85 per cent of Max HR. Focus in your form and maintaining pace. When you’ve reached the two-minute interval, jog back to the bottom.
It’s important to jog back down as you will also have to run down hill during the race.
After the strength and form foundation from hill training, you will move into speed work. The pace of interval training is supposed to be done at slightly faster than goal race pace. For most of us, the training pace would be what you would run for a 10K race. So the speed sessions are to be done at 10K race pace as listed which is between 70-80 per cent of your MAXHR. You train a little harder so the race seems easier.
So look for a loop around your neighbourhood or close by, maybe even the track in Mount Pearl to use as your training ground. Lightly jog for 10 minutes to get your body warmed up. Run the workout listed, paying close attention to the rest breaks, lightly jog to keep body ready to run. It’s OK to take a little longer of break in between reps if necessary. It should feel like a comfortably challenging pace. Run the intervals as even as possible.
Tempo runs are crucial to any distance training program. The idea of these workouts is to get you feeling comfortable with running the pace you want to come race day. So calculate your pace based on your goal finish time. Do the warm up (light jog) then start to run at your race pace for distance listed. This should not be too challenging. Heart rate kept within 70-80 per cent of MAXHR.
Also, tempo runs are a great time to test out what you want to wear on race day. So try out certain sneakers, socks, shorts, etc. You don’t want any surprises during the Tely, running in something you haven’t tested.
I can’t say this enough — easy run days are to be run easy! They are called easy runs for a reason. They are just as important as speed sessions. These runs help you recover from workouts, while also building your aerobic fitness. But you need to make sure you are dialing it back a bit for these as you want energy for the other sessions later in the week, mainly the long run.
The final week is a Taper Week. We slowly drop your training volume leading up to the event. This helps you store energy while not taking a complete break. You need to keep moving to help you be sharp on Tely 10 Sunday.
Each year I have made it a point to say this: Please leave your Ipods and mp3 players at home. You may have trained wearing one leading up to the event, but we strongly discourage people from wearing them while running on race day.
It’s a huge safety concern when a lot of participants have them on. You are not aware of your surroundings. There are other runners, cars, safety personally on bicycles, etc. These things you can’t really hear with earbuds and music in your ears.
I have run this event many times, as well as large races outside the province. I can’t imagine having on a headset missing out on all the people cheering and the chance to chat with a fellow athlete. So please leave the headsets at home!
So there it is, another schedule, another year! I hope you enjoy the process. I hope you learn a lot about yourself during this process.
If this is your first time, enjoy everything that this event offers. You will always remember the first time you cross the line. Don’t forget to smile as you get close to the finish line … you never know who maybe taking your picture!