TRAINING FOR A 10K – Colors and Craft

So, as I have mentioned, my husband and I are running a 10k… actually tomorrow. And although, I run year round, it’s nice having a race on the docket to keep me motivated. I tried running a half marathon last year and tore a groin muscle during my training, so I stopped running for about 4 months. This is my first race of this season, we’ll see if a half is on the horizon for me. Anyway, for those of you who plan to race this summer, I thought I would share some of my training must haves.

The earbuds:

I like the Yurbud Ironman series. They are supposed to never fall out of your ear. I would definitely say that they are the best earbuds I have ever used… but last year while I was riding in my 28 mile mountain bike race BOTH rubber pieces fell off the earbud rendering them useless for the rest of the race. I was bummed. However, you can just order replacement tips so I did that and now it’s great to have some extra on hand. Also, if for some reason the two sizes they offer don’t fit your ear they can make a custom size for you, for free.

The shoes:

I run with the Vibram Bikila shoes. They are a minimalist fivefinger shoe. I love them! I used to have knee and hip pain when I ran and since using these, I haven’t. Sometimes I will have a little knee or hip pain if I run a lot, but nothing like before. Also, sometimes my achilles tendon will be sore if I don’t stretch it out after I run a lot. But overall running is so much more fun now that I don’t have to worry about knee pain afterwards. There is a bit of a learning curve so don’t go out and run 3 miles in them, work in to them a little. There are also minimalist shoes that don’t have the fivefingers and I have a lot of friends who love those also. I think it’s the whole idea of running as close to barefoot as possible-which in some races I have seen people do! I also have never been one for socks so I love that I don’t have to wear them when I run and then I can just throw the shoes in the washing machine. My husband also always had knee pain and he bought these shoes and still has knee pain, so it may not be a cure all for everyone, but I think if you are having knee pain when you run, trying the shoes is worth a shot. Also, I feel like it has given me better posture because I am more cognizant of my foot placement on the ground.

The training schedule:

We used the Hal Higdon’s 10k novice training schedule. I have used his training schedules before and I think they are the best. They were recommended to me from my husband’s uncle who is an avid marathon runner. We just switched the days around on the schedule a bit to fit better with our family schedule. I liked that there were only three days of running, then if I ended up running a fourth day, I felt like I was doing great. I also would sometimes run more miles than requested. But this was a great guideline. There are different levels for each of his training schedules which makes it easy to adapt to your own skill level.

So you are all set to go out and run a race! 🙂