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Your Perfect Final 10K Training Week

Your Perfect Final 10K Training Week

Here’s how to design the week leading up to your 10K race. Take notes!

Late Summer is classic 10K-racing time! Are you one of the many women who will be running a 10K race in the next few weeks? It’s time to start thinking about that final week of training. Here’s how to run and what to eat before you get to the start line.

One Week To Go: Run The Distance

7 days out from your race is the final time you should run the entire distance in training. Don’t go all-out, but aim to cover the distance at around 80-90% of your race pace. The key here is to give you confidence, and get one final long training session done. The aim is not to exhaust yourself. You need to be able to recover in time for the race. The race itself is the focus! Rehydrate and refuel after the training session with a balanced meal of protein and starchy carbohydrates. Add electrolytes to your water in this hot weather.

During The Week: Keep Active

In the week leading up to your 10K, don’t stop running. Keep your legs fresh with shorter, more intense sessions. There’s plenty of time for recovery. Keep your training sessions around 5K in distance. Introduce intervals of faster-paced running with recovery periods. The fast intervals should be short (100-200m). The aim is to keep speed in your legs and sharpen up without covering too much distance. These sessions are psychological as well as physical! Keep drinking lots of water this week. Fuel your body with healthy food that won’t cause any digestive problems. Don’t do anything new.

Downtime: Have A Race-Day Plan

You might have more downtime than usual in this final week. Keep your mind active to avoid last-minute worries. Think about your target finish time, then work out your 3k, 5k and 8k target split times. (Divide your target time by 10, then multiply by 3, 5, 8). On the day, write these on your hand or arm so you can keep on track.

Eating & Drinking: Support Your Body

In the final few days, think about foods and drink which will support your body and not work against it. Cut out alcohol, and cut down caffeine. Less caffeine helps you sleep better, and if you choose to use caffeine to fuel your race performance, it will have more of an effect. Don’t eat anything new, and choose foods which energise you and digest well. Remember to keep drinking lots of water every day.

Your Final Run: 3 Days Before

3 days before your 10K race should be your final run. Stick to interval efforts to get your body ready for racing at a faster pace and pushing through discomfort. Your intervals should be 100-200m and significantly faster than your normal running pace. You have 2 full days to rest and recover. If you want to run 2 days before the race, keep it very short and slow (just to satisfy your mind!)

The Night Before: Rest

There’s no need to carb-load for a 10K race. Normal meals will provide enough carbohydrate and glycogen to fuel you through 10K (and much more!) Don’t risk overloading your stomach with too much food. Err on the side of plainer foods which will digest well. Pack your race bag and make sure you have everything organised. Relax, wind down, and go to bed early if you can. Aim to get a good night’s sleep because you might be up early for the race.

Put into practice what you have just read: Boudavida Womens 10k Windsor

Good luck! Share your 10K stories and successes with us on the running4women Facebook page.

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