Introducing Turkey Throwing: Running Together
If you were about to start running or take running more seriously, today is your lucky day. We’re launching a new Challenge, rolling out over the next seven weeks, to prepare you to run your first or fastest 5K race on Thanksgiving weekend.
If you’re not sure you’re ready for an organized race, it’s okay: you can still complete our weekly challenges and schedule a holiday run alone or with friends to complete all your hard work.
The reason we chose Thanksgiving is because if you really want to try organized races, almost every city has them on Turkey Day and sometimes later this weekend. Search nearby for the Turkish Lynx, as they are called, with the running finder in the world of running . Most are within 5 km – just three miles. Are you ready to commit? Here’s how to set a goal and make a plan to achieve it.
For beginners
Whether you are new to running or it has been a long time ago , the next seven weeks will be your gentle introduction to running. 5 km is the ideal target distance: long enough to be challenging, but short enough so that you don’t have to worry about whether you can actually finish.
The ideal plan to get you in shape for race day is a 5K sofa-style program. These programs begin with short walking and jogging intervals: for example, running 60 seconds followed by a 90 second walking break. By the end, you can jog for half an hour without stopping.
The Classic 5K Sofa Program is nine weeks long, but don’t worry if the dates don’t match. We have seven weeks before race day. If you run for seven weeks, you can complete the 5K and enjoy it, even if you have to work with several walking breaks.
For experienced runners
If you already know how to run, you can get a little more creative with your goal and your plan. Remember, we will have multiple weekly challenges to keep you engaged, but you can still take charge of your journey towards your chosen goal.
Your local turkey may have different distance options (maybe 10 km), or you can try to cover 5 km with the aim of improving your time from the previous one. Or maybe the race itself isn’t very important to you, but you want to focus on consistency in your workouts, say going out for a run five days a week or running a total of 100 miles by the time the turkey arrives. …
Once you’ve figured out which goal is most important to you, it’s time to choose a plan that will lead you to it . I’m going to focus on consistency and beating the time I got earlier this summer, so I’m creating a training plan with the Nike Run Club virtual trainer that includes the right number of runs and a lot of speed work.
Whichever you choose, seven weeks of great running weather await, followed by a festive feast. What’s not to love? Let us know below what goal you have identified and let’s get started together.
Photo by Beth Skoreki; Illustration by Sam Woolley.