She Strengthens

Final Countdown: Your Last Week of 10K Training

You’ve made it to the final stretch! With only seven days left until your 10K race, it’s time to push yourself to the limit and finish strong.

Running Workouts

Run 1: Easy Does It
Begin with a 35-50 minute easy run to get your blood pumping. Follow up with 6-8 x 20-second strides to get those legs moving. If you’re feeling sluggish, reduce the strides to 15 seconds each. If you’re feeling energetic, bump them up to 30 seconds.

Run 2: Hill Sprints
It’s time for your last hill session before the big day! Warm up with a mile, then tackle 2 sets of 5 1-minute hill charges with 2 minutes of jogging or walking in between. Cool down with a 1-mile jog. If you need to modify, reduce the reps to 45 seconds each or add a hard 90-second hill sprint at the end.

Run 3: Midweek Recovery
Take it easy with a 30-40 minute recovery run. Opt for a soft surface like a dirt road, smooth trail, or turf field to give your legs a break. If you need more recovery time, swap this run for an off-legs cross-training day or extend your run to an hour.

Run 4: Fartlek Fun
Get ready for a fun and challenging fartlek session! Warm up, then alternate between hard and easy intervals: 3 x 90 seconds hard, 4 x 60 seconds hard, 5 x 30 seconds hard, and repeat. Cool down with a 1-mile jog. To modify, walk the recovery segments or “float” them to make it harder.

Run 5: Taper Time
This final run depends on when your 10K is scheduled. If it’s within the next 1-4 days, take it easy with a 20-40 minute recovery run. If you have 5-7 days to go, consider this your last long run, aiming for 60-90 minutes with walk breaks as needed. Then, recover hard until race day!

Strength Workouts

Choose one of three strength workout options to help you build endurance and power.

Option 1: Movement Drills and Supersets
Perform 3 rounds of movement drills like 90/90 transitions, dead bugs, and single-leg deadlifts. Then, move on to supersets like tempo squats, foam roller bridges, push-ups, and split squat iso holds.

Option 2: Movement Drills and Supersets
Try a different set of movement drills, including 90/90 knee rolls, wall strides, and A skips. Follow up with supersets like 1 1/4 split squats, quadruped holds, single-leg hip extensions, and butterfly drills.

Option 3: Movement Drills and Strength Circuit
Combine movement drills like 90/90 transitions, 90/90 knee rolls, wall strides, and slow marches with a strength circuit featuring heels-elevated squats, long lever single-leg hamstring bridges, renegade rows, dead bugs, and single-leg deadlifts.

Nutrition Advice

Carb Up!
The night before your 10K, fill 50-60% of your plate with carbs, followed by protein (at least 25%) and veggies. Test out different dinner options on long run days to see what works best for you. Don’t forget to add a pinch of salt for extra sodium!

Protein Power
As a runner, you need more protein to aid in recovery. Aim for 20-25 grams of protein post-workout, whether through food or supplements. Try snacks like smoothies, Greek yogurt with nuts and berries, tofu scrambles, or eggs with chicken sausage and toast.

You’ve made it! You’re ready to crush your 10K. Review any part of this training plan by heading back to the calendar.