If you are racing the Medtronic TC 10 Mile, congratulations, you have secured one of the most sought-after race entries in this part of the country! Now that you are signed up, you may be wondering, what now? Do I start training in earnest, or should I wait until summer to get started?
You have six months to train and prepare for the race, so my first piece of advice is that you shouldn’t feel like you have to rush into specific training for the race right away. However, you can take advantage of this time to address any areas of weakness and improve upon them. If you do so in a disciplined manner, when it is time to dial in your training towards the 10 mile, those weaknesses will have been transformed into strengths.
Now is the time to dig out those exercises you got from the physical therapist, the strength training routine you know you should be doing, and/or the core work that you know helps you. Get yourself overall strong and fit first, and you will reduce the risk of injury later. Similarly, if there’s a race distance or type of workout that tends to be much more challenging for you, take some time to do a weekly workout that will improve your abilities in that specific area. Maybe it’s tempo or long runs, or it could be shorter intervals or hills – whatever it is, commit to a weekly session that will improve your fitness in that area.
"Get yourself overall strong and fit first, and you will reduce the risk of injury later."
Another recommendation I have is to set another target race or fitness check at about the halfway point between now and marathon weekend. Having something at that three month mark that you can target will help keep you motivated, and again, give you something to work towards to be sure that you are going into your specific training for the 10 mile in good shape. Dividing the build-up into two distinct phases can help mentally break things up as well. After all, six months is a long time to be focused on a single race.
Lastly, put together a plan for the last 3-4 months that specifically prepares you for the demands of the 10 mile. If this is your first time training for a race like this, consult with some running friends, join a training group, or work with a coach to help you get ready.
When thinking about your training plan, remember that the race is run on a hilly course, so you will want to include hills in some of your runs – a couple days per week – and some specific hill workouts, like hill repeats or hilly tempo runs. This will help you to improve your form running up and down hills, and to understand how to alter your pace and stride as you navigate those changes in elevation. The 10 mile is also a long enough race that you will want to make sure you are doing a weekly long run, and are building up your weekly mileage. Make sure you are able to get up to the amount of mileage that you want to hit, and to do so in a gradual manner. Taking a gradual, incremental approach to your training, including breaking it up into a couple of phases, will ensure that you are prepared and excited come race weekend.
This article originally appeared in the The Connection, TCM's weekly e-newsletter. Subscribe here. Find more Motion Expert content here.
Chris Lundstrom, PhD, is a running coach and exercise scientist who specializes in endurance exercise performance. He is one of the team of Motion Experts TCM has gathered to help its subscribers and participants get the most out of their running. He coaches the Minnesota Distance Elite team and their squad of national class runners, including Olympian Dakotah Popehn. He teaches in the School of Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota, and also works with novice and high school runners. Follow and support MDE on their website: minnesotadistanceelite.com and on Instagram: @minnesotadistanceelite.