7 Weeks to a 10K: The Complete Day-by-Day Program to Train for Your First Race or Improve Your Fastest Time

Ulysses Press

Text Copyright © 2012 Brett Stewart. Design and concept © 2012 Ulysses Press and its licensors. Photographs copyright © 2012 Rapt Productions except as noted below. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Published in the United States by

Ulysses Press

P.O. Box 3440

Berkeley, CA 94703

www.ulyssespress.com

ISBN: 978-1-61243-192-5

Library of Congress Control Number 2013930887

10987654321

Acquisitions Editor: Keith Riegert

Managing Editor: Claire Chun

Editor: Lily Chou

Proofreader: Lauren Harrison

Index: Sayre Van Young

Design: what!design @ whatweb.com

Cover photographs: front © Gabriel Gurrola; back © EpicStockMedia/shutterstock.com

Interior photographs: see page 106

Models: Michael Bennett, Brian Burns, Evan Clontz, Lewis Elliot, Brett Stewart, Kristen Stewart

Please Note: This book has been written and published strictly for informational purposes, and in no way should be used as a substitute for consultation with health care professionals. You should not consider educational material herein to be the practice of medicine or to replace consultation with a physician or other medical practitioner. The author and publisher are providing you with information in this work so that you can have the knowledge and can choose, at your own risk, to act on that knowledge. The author and publisher also urge all readers to be aware of their health status and to consult health care professionals before beginning any health program.

This book is dedicated to the memory of Sally Meyerhoff, an amazing spirit and extremely talented athlete who was taken from us far too soon. Smash it for Sally—#SI4S

CONTENTS

Foreword

PART I: OVERVIEW

Introduction

What Is a 10K?

Why 7 Weeks?

Frequently Asked Questions

Before You Begin

Gear

PART II: RUNNING 101

Getting Started

Running Safely

Running with Your Head, Heart & Gut

How to Run

How & Why You Should Build a Base

Setting Goals

Finding Your Motivation

Rest: The Secret Weapon

Preparing for the Programs

PART III: THE PROGRAMS

About the Programs

Prep Program

Level 1 Program

Level 2 Program

APPENDIX

Functional Cross-Training Exercises

Squat

Lunge with Twist

Marching Twist

Jumping Jacks

Wood Chop

Linear Reactive Step-Up

Box Jump

Inchworm

Mountain Climbers

Push-Up

Side Plank

Hip Raise

Superman

Flutter Kick

Bicycle Crunch

Mason Twist

In & Out

Cobra

Bird Dog

Toe Touch

20/20 Series

High Knees

Butt Kicks

Striders

Skip

Side Shuffle

Walking Lunge

Backward Sprint

Sprint

Warming up

Poor Man’s Yoga Dynamic Warm-Up

Side-to-Side Leg Swing

Front-to-Back Leg Swing

20/20 Warm-Up Drill

Arm Circle

Lumber Jack

Side Bend

Around the World

Stretches

Forearm & Wrist

Shoulders

Shoulders & Upper Back

Chest & Arms

Child’s Pose

Preparing for Your First Race

What’s Next?

Progress Log

Photo Credits

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Foreword

When I was sitting down to write this book, I had my first bout of crippling writer’s block—a serious, finger-paralyzing fear that crept over me and prevented me from typing a single word on my trusty little MacBook. My lockup wasn’t due to lack of material; I’ve been obsessing and learning everything possible about running for nearly a decade. If anything, I was overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of all the research and testing I’ve done for my own programs and those I’ve coached my athletes through, all the things I’ve screwed up and the times I succeeded way beyond my own expectations. Through it all, I’ve been keeping a mental diary of the places I’ve gone and every single thing I’ve seen and done along the way. That’s a lot of pressure to condense all those tips, tricks, tidbits, failures, foibles and follies and share them within the number of pages I’ve been allotted in this book!

In order to clear my head, slice through the glut of material I wanted to present and return my fingers to the keyboard, I decided to employ some sneaker therapy—in other words, go out for a run. With this writer’s block really knocking me off-track, I knew I needed to go for a rather long run…so I signed up for one of the premier ultra-distance events in the United States, Across the Years in Glendale, Arizona. After over 50 miles, hundreds of conversations, roughly 100,000 steps and millions of thoughts later, my mind was clear and my writer’s block was gone. The answer? I’d write about all the changes that have occurred in my life, how they started with just one step. The day I started to run was the first step to a completely new, healthy, happy and extremely satisfying life.

This book is my humble addition to the world of running, an attempt to give back even a fraction of what running has given me. It would be the ultimate gift if my words encouraged just one person to experience the life-changing effects of running. I sincerely hope this book will help motivate you to take that first step.

—Brett

PART 1: OVERVIEW

Introduction

I’ve been chased by zombies. I’ve run past rattlesnakes, crossed the raging Colorado River, circled a baseball field repeatedly for over 50 miles, sprinted past world-famous athletes (only to be left in their dust shortly thereafter), and watched a world-record ultramarathon distance get shattered. I’ve been lucky enough to run alongside Dean Ultramarathon Man Karnazes (one of my running heroes and a fantastic guy) in the middle of nowhere in Globe, Arizona, and got lost with him on a trail in Austin, Texas. Heck, I even got to run my first ultramarathon by Karno’s side for the first few miles.

Running has taken me to the Outer Banks of North Carolina and all the way to San Diego, both times to run some of the most exciting marathons in my life. I’ve enjoyed running down the middle of the Las Vegas strip under the Sin City lights past all the billion-dollar hotels, and in the middle of, well, nowhere in Montana. I’ve seen more places across the United States with running shoes on my feet than I can count, and each experience has been special to me because there’s no way I should ever be a runner—I’m just a fat kid from Connecticut.

I’m the second of two boys. My brother was the honor student, all-star baseball player and on the starting basketball team as we were growing up—and I was the one riding the pine. My athletic prowess (or lack thereof) was only due to my dad taking over as Little League coach and putting me at second base. Willie Randolph, I was not. Aside from being the team mascot cheering from the bench, I was the kid who’d (occasionally) hit a ball to the outfield grass and still get thrown out running to first. Have you heard the phrase you could time his speed with a sundial before? Well, that was me.

Pudgy, slow and below average were the terms I’d use to describe my youth, and for the next decade or so it only got worse. By age 29, I was overweight, smoked about two packs of cigarettes a day, and sat on my butt in front of a computer screen for eight hours a day before heading back home and plopping on a couch to stare at the boob tube. My weight had easily eclipsed 200 pounds, and at 5’8" tall, I was the furthest I could possibly be from being an athlete. I had stopped playing sports, wasn’t dating and was pretty darn bummed about my life when one of my employees and good friend Chris Goggin challenged me to do a duathlon with him. I tell the story of that adventure in 7 Weeks to a Triathlon, but prior to showing up for that event, I prepared by running my first 5K.

That day in downtown Hartford, Connecticut, a decade ago, my journey to becoming a runner was launched rather inauspiciously. Walk, run, jog, walk, curse, walk some more, trip, tie shoe, walk, run, tie the other #$& shoe and curse a little more…and that was just the first mile. I didn’t realize it then, but everything I’ve come to know and love about running across the years started with just one step. A little piece of me longs to go back to that day and start all over again knowing what I know now, but the reality is that I wouldn’t change a single thing. In running, the journey is its own reward, and everything you learn, see and do along the way is a treasure unto itself.

About the Book

Much more than just preparing for a specific 6.2-mile event, 7 Weeks to a 10K is about all aspects of running. (It would’ve been difficult to sell a book with a title like 7 Weeks to Learning Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Running but Were Too Afraid to Ask the Clerk at the Shoe Store. In Part I, we cover some background on the 10K, explain why seven weeks is an appropriate time to meet your goals and then spend a huge chunk of the book talking about running in general. Case in point, the FAQs only contain one question specific to the 10K distance. As I mentioned earlier, this book is about your journey into being a happier, healthier or faster runner, whether this is your first jaunt into the world of foot races or you’re a veteran looking for some tips to improve your fastest time.

The initial section of the book is the proverbial starting line, and Part II is where the show rubber meets the road, trail, track or what have you. In this section, we cover everything you need to know to get out and run—the gear and gizmos you may (or may not) need, mental preparation, goal setting, as well as where, why and especially how to run. This section is all about the pastime, sport and passionate pursuit of running, not, like I said above, specific to any particular distance. Whether your goal is to run a 3K or a 30K (and all the mile equivalents in between), this is all stuff you should know! I even share some other training plans so you have a well-rounded view of the different techniques for starting out and progressing as a runner.

Part III gets specific about training plans. The Prep Program is for first-time runners or those coming back after a break or an injury—the goal is to get off the couch and get active. This program is everything you need to get you into the rhythm of running and a perfect way to practice the basics you’ve learned in Part II. The Level 1 Program is geared toward relatively fit individuals who are ready to tackle their first 10K, have finished some shorter-distance events, or have an athletic background. Done a 5K? Start here. In the Level 2 Program we add more intensity in the form of speed work, hill work and advanced cross-training exercises to build a stronger, faster body. Running doesn’t take a backseat to all the other exercises—this program is specifically designed to help you drive your running to the next level, be it 10K PRs (personal records) or even longer distances.

In the Appendix you’ll find illustrated cross-training exercises, warm-ups and stretches, a training log and a run-down of what to expect on race day. How about a checklist so you don’t forget anything on race day? Need one of those? Well, now you’ve got it.

The author running with Dean Ultramarathon Man Karnazes somewhere outside of Globe, Arizona, during one of his runs across the U.S.

What Is a 10K?

Why on earth do we run 5Ks and 10Ks here in the United States? Didn’t we reject the metric system? —BILL RIBBLE, BRETT’S RUNNING PARTNER

Let me be honest: When I first started running, I didn’t know the difference between a 401k and a 10K. Somewhere around mile 2 of my first 5K, the thought of completing a 10K seemed as irrational as climbing Everest in flip-flops. Little did I know I’d be running distances 10K and more in only a matter of months. When you get bitten by the running bug, anything can happen!

Ten thousand meters is a pretty impressive sounding distance, right? Ten kilometers also sounds like a heck of an accomplishment too, while 10K (pronounced ten-kay) is a bit friendlier and quick off