Turkey Trotting Toss, Week 7: Rehearse Your Progressive Run
Can you believe it’s just a week away from your Native American Lynx? Don’t panic – we’ve got a great way to test your strength on race day, and it’s part of a simple, doable workout.
Your challenge this week is to progress. All of this means that you will finish your run faster than you started. Start easy and simple, a little slower than what you’re used to. Then run the last mile at a faster pace. Not a killer, just faster er than you started. It’s all. But trust me: it will be great.
If you’re training for 5K, a 3-mile run is ideal: two miles as easy as you like and the last one faster. If your turkey trot is 10 km or any other distance, adjust today’s workout accordingly.
This is why progressive running is a great workout tool:
- An easy start helps save energy. It is easy to succumb to nervousness, self-criticism, or other useless emotions at the start of a race or run. As a result, we sometimes run too fast and get tired even before the end of the race. Knowing to start slowly relieves stress and allows you to run easily.
- This last mile is a rehearsal for race day. If you want to show your best time in the race, you will need to run fast but measured so that you can keep up for a while. My five-year-old called this “turtle fast, not rabbit fast.” Going a full mile, you can work this pace.
- You will pleasantly surprise yourself. Since you don’t start the faster segment until you start your workout well, you will warm up and not be ready to go. If you check your time on every mile, you may find that your last mile is faster than you expected.
A good progressive race is fun! You will feel like you are flying the last mile. Since you are relaxing in the first half of your run, you are ready for the fast mile when it comes. It is difficult, but you will be very proud to have gone through it.
So, don’t panic, but try running this to test your fast passes. And remember, if you end up feeling nauseous, it was too fast. Let us know how Throwdown is going and after you try Progressive Run, tell us how great it is!