Training Plans

Welcome to training! Our programs cater for all fitness levels, from the beginner looking to complete the distance to the elite runner looking to achieve a PB. We have teamed up with Mind&Body at The West Australian to bring you a special training guide written by the Mind&Body Trainer, Matt Fuller.

Over the next seven weeks, we’ll be training to have you fighting fit to complete the HBF Run for a Reason on May 23. Matt’s training programs are aimed for anyone with a beginner to average level running fitness - hopefully this will cover most of us. Cut the training program out of Mind&Body each week and stick it to the fridge. That way you’ll know what you need to do each day. You can plan your week around your training and have a fitness goal to work towards.

When you follow the programs, make sure you work at your own pace and at an intensity level that suits your level of fitness. The HBF Run for a Reason is a great chance for you to get motivated and kick-start your fitness campaign or lose some unwanted weight. Take the challenge. Get your mates together and give the HBF Run for a Reason a go.

Kit up and let’s get started.

WEEK 1 TRAINING
Beginners 14km running program

We’ll start off easy. Remember to warm up before any session with a 5-minute slow jog and stretch and be sure to cool down by stretching at the end of each workout. The following weeks’ training sessions will become harder as we increase intensity and workload, so it is important that during this time you eat well and drink plenty of water. Try to get enough sleep for you to perform at your best.

Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday
20 min power-walk. Walk as fast as you can without stopping.	Rest day	Fartlek training.* Jog for 1 min slow, run hard for 1 min. Repeat pattern for 20 mins without stopping.	20 min power-walk (same as Tues).	20 min continuous jog easy, slow pace without stopping.	Rest day	Interval training. 5 min slow jog. 1 min running hard and fast, 1 min slow. 4 x 1 min sprints. 3 x 45 sec sprints. 1x 15 sec sprint. 5 min slow jog

* Fartlek training is where the pace varies from fast sprinting to slow jogging. It really helps to increase your fitness and endurance ability to be able to surge quickly during a race.

WEEK 2 TRAINING
Beginners 14km running program

This week, we will step up our training from last week’s easy introduction. We need to build the base for what will be the nucleus of your training sessions. That is, continuous jogging, interval training, hill work and low-impact water running. Remember to work at your own pace, eat well and drink plenty of water.

Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday
20-min continuous slow jog. Work up good sweat & get heart rate up slightly. Should be an easy pace & feel comfortable.	Rest day	25 mins interval training. Increase intensity. 5 min jog warm-up pace, stretch. 2 x 400m running 70% maximum capacity with 1:1 recovery.* 5 x 200m runs flat out with a 1:1 recovery.	20 min slow jog then 20 min fast power walk. Stretch.	Steep hill training. Jog up 40m from the bottom. Walk down to recover. Then sprint up, flat out. Walk-down recovery & repeat for half an hour.	Rest day	Deep-water running for 25 minutes.**

* You need to know how to work out your maximum capacity: Subtract your age from 220 to get your maximum heart rate, e.g., a 40-year-old man’s maximum heart rate is 220-40 = 180. So Then you can work out what percentage of your maximum heart rate you need to work at for maximum benefit. This is more effective if you wear a heart monitor. If you don’t have one, you can check your pulse by counting the beats over 15 seconds. Then multiply the result by four and this will also give you your heart rate. To work out your resting heart rate, take your pulse (for 15 seconds and multiply result by 4) first thing in the morning when you get out of bed over a one-week period and average it out.

1:1: Means however long it takes you to complete the interval sprint, you then have that same amount of time as rest/recovery, e.g., if you do a one-minute sprint, you have a one-minute rest. If you do a 45-second sprint, then you have a 45-second rest or a 15-second sprint, you get a 15-second rest.

** Water running is a great cardiovascular work-out while being very low impact on your body. What to do: Go to your local pool. In the deep water, sprint (running style) at maximum capacity for 30 seconds and then tread water for one minute slowly to allow your body to recover. Repeat this 15 times.

WEEK 3 TRAINING
Beginners 14km running program

We take training up another notch this week. The training sessions will be the same as last week’s but this week we will add an additional five minutes to each workout. By now you will be well into your fitness program for the HBF Run for a Reason, so you should be trying to increase your intensity with each session. Let’s get to it.

Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday
25 min continuous, slow jog, non-stop. Work up a good sweat & get heart rate up. Run at an easy pace.	Rest day	30 mins interval training. 5 min warm-up jog, stretch. 2 x 400m run at 70% heart capacity with 1:1 recovery.	25 min slow jog, 25 min fast power walk. Stretch	Hill training, use a steep hill. Jog up 40m from bottom. Walk down recovery. Sprint up. Walk down. Repeat 35 mins.	Rest day	Deep water running in pool. In deep end sprint at max capacity for 30 secs, tread water slowly for 1 min, recover. Repeat for half hour.

WEEK 4 TRAINING
Beginners 14km running program

With 3 solid weeks of training under our belts, you will be well on your way to having increased cardiovascular fitness, good strength in the legs with the addition of increased running endurance and stamina overall. This week we look to cross training at the halfway point of our program. For those who are not able to get to the gym or do not have access to one, choose the “Alternative” training program. It includes more interval and distance running, combined with strength and endurance. This will still enable you to stay sharp and keep you focussed for the up and coming 14km fun run.

By taking on cross training this week you’ll give your body the opportunity for a rest, of sorts, taking a load off the joints and ligaments. Hopefully you are following Clare Wood - our sports dietician’s eating plan and have plenty of fuel and hydration for your body to perform at its optimum best and recover well from rigorous training sessions. As weeks 5 and 6 approach, we will be concentrating on increasing our stamina further through more distance running at race pace. But for now here’s week four’s cross training program; let’s get started.

Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday
Bike: Interval Sprint. 30 secs flat out; 30 secs slow 20 mins cont. Rowing Machine: 3000m cont row. Men 4 mins per 1000m, women 5 mins per 1000m. 25 min power walk. Alternative: Sprint 100m from one end to other starting on every 30 ses. Eg if the sprint takes you 15 secs, have a 15 sec rest. Cont for 20 mins. 5 min rest. Jog, slow, for 3kms without stopping.	Rest	Rowing machine: 5000m cont row. Cross Ski: 12 mins. Choose level of resistance that allows you to maintain over 60 steps or more. Alternative: 45 min cont jogging, at comfortable pace.	Treadmill: 40 mins cont jogging at 5% incline at 60% of max heart rate. (220 minus your age will give you your MHR) Alternative: Hill running. Find steep hill over 60m in length. Run up hard & fast – and jog down, slowly, for recovery. Repeat 20 mins continuously.	Cross Ski: 20 mins cont. Alternative: Interval work. Sprint as fast as you can for 1km. Then take a 4 min rest for recovery & stretching. Repeat 6 times. Max effort is required.	Rest	Bike: 20 mins cont. Choose level of resistance that allows you to achieve and maintain over 100 RPMs Rowing Machine: 5000m cont row. Cross Ski: 30 mins cont. Alternative: Beach Running. Time yourself jogging in beach sand 30 mins. Warm up and pay particular attention when stretching to calves and Achilles.

WEEK 5 TRAINING
Beginners 14km running program

I hope you enjoyed the variations of our cross training program last week. This week we concentrate on running endurance and stamina. Be sure to warm up and stretch before you start any exercise training program. Increase your intensity and attack the longer runs as though you were running at race pace condition. A good guide to use when running is aiming for 6 minute kms for beginners, 5 minute kms for intermediates and 4 minute kms for fit, conditioned runners. Women add 30 seconds to each of the above categories as required.

Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday
5km run race pace. Aim to complete as though it’s event day in the times below: Beginners 30 mins; Intermediate 25 mins; Fit runners 20 mins	Rest day	30 min cont jog, 6 x 200m interval sprints with 1:1 recovery	Hill running. Run up hard; jog down cont for 20 mins.	30 min cont jog, 6 x 200m interval sprints with 1:1 recovery	Rest day	5km fast run: race pace time. Try to improve on your Tues time.

WEEK 6 TRAINING
Beginners 14km running program

After this week of training, you’ll have great cardiovascular fitness, fantastic endurance and good leg strength - as well as looking and feeling great. I hope our training has given you the fitness bug and that you'll continue a regular exercise training regime. This week's training program is all about running (we taper off next week). Be sure to run near your race pace - you will get a full day's recovery between runs.

Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday
A rest day after yesterday's 5km hard run.	45-min fast run. Beginners aim for 7.5km, intermediate 9kms and fit conditioned runners 12.5km.	Rest day	1hr slow jog cont at 60% of max heart rate. Subtract your age from 220 to get your MHR.	Rest day	20-min fast run. Run faster and with more intensity than Wed.	Rest day

WEEK 7 TRAINING
Beginners 14km running program

This is an exciting week. All of your hard work and training preparation you’ve been doing with your training team at Mind&Body means you’ll be fit and ready to enjoy the HBF Run for a Reason this Sunday. You can be confident that our seven solid weeks of fitness training will have you in good stead for race day. I hope you have enjoyed the varied training routines, have increased your cardiovascular fitness level while also losing some unwanted weight in the process. This week, we taper. Tapering allows runners to keep mentally and physically fresh; without taking your foot off the pedal. Good luck on Sunday and enjoy the challenge.

Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
45 min slow jog, followed by good stretch.	35 min slow jog and stretch	25 min slow jog and stretch	Rest Day. Start fuelling and hydrating your body for the big day.	15 min slow walk and light stretch	Race day! Remember: you’re ready to go, so just enjoy yourself.

You can also use the following guides -

8 week beginners walking guide for 4.5km distance
8 week beginners running guide for 4.5km distance

8 week advanced running guide for 4.5km distance
8 week beginners walking guide for 14km distance
8 week advanced running guide for 14km distance

alt You may like to head along to one of our free Conan Fitness Sessions to help you with your training.

Your health and safety is important to us and so our HBF experts we have detailed some useful information on injury prevention, nutrition, mental preparation, footwear and eyecare to help you with your training leading up to and on event day. We also have some great healthy recipes you may like to try.

Please note:

The information contained in these training programs is general information only and is not tailored for any particular individual’s circumstances.
This information does not take into account your medical history and any medication you may be taking and cannot replace the advice of your health care professional.

For these reasons, to the maximum extent permitted by law, HBF will not be liable for the death of or injury to any person or any other loss or damage resulting from undertaking the training program or reliance upon this information.

To find other exercise physiologists contact Exercise and Sports Science Australia