Keeping hydrated is not as easy as it seems. The average person (non-runner) needs to drink half of an ounce of water per pound of body weight. For example, a 100-pound person needs to drink fifty ounces of water each day. While this totally breaks the eight glasses a day rule, lighter, and inactive people don’t need to flood themselves.
The same is not true for runners. Although there is no easy equation for runners, you need more that half of your body weight in ounces. Rule of thumb, the more mileage you are running, the more water you are going to need to drink. Not only will staying hydrated keep your focused and running better, but will also aid in the recovery process. Not to mention, staying hydrated helps smooth out your complexion.
How can you get more water into your day without actually drinking water? Avoid drinking a boatload of coffee. Although some caffeine is good for you, coffee is a diuretic and it actually dehydrates you. As a replacement for your daily caffeine fix, try a black tea or a latte with skim milk. Another way to get a little more liquid is by eating foods that have a high water level. Some of these items include:
- Lettuce
- Watermelon
- Broccoli
- Grapefruit
- Milk
- Carrots
- Yogurt
- Apples
Week 8
Beginner:
- Week 8 is a key week in your training. Three of the days, you should run 5 miles at an easy pace. Pick out one day to do a hard workout. Run easy for 10 minutes to let your body warm up. After the warm up, run a mile (four laps) hard around the track. Immediately after the mile hard, run out of the gates to the bottom of the hill by the stadium. Run hard to the top of the hill, and then jog down. Repeat the hill 2 more times, for a total of three hard ascensions. After the hill repeats, go back to the rack and run an 800 (two laps) hard. Finish with another 10 minutes to let your body cool down. The day after the workout, take an easy, 4 mile run to let your body recover. The final run of the week will be a longer distance run reaching 10 miles. Double digits at last! Take it at a relaxed pace to make sure you finish all the miles.
- You should not need to cross train this week unless you are fighting off an injury.
- This is the last week of weight training you will complete; so don’t be afraid to combine all of the previously mentioned exercises.
- With the stress of finals looming, be sure to plan a day of rest from exercise.
Intermediate:
- Another tough week near the end of your training! Four of the runs should be easy 5-6 mile runs. Similar to the beginner’s workout, jog easy for 15 minutes to warm up. Get on the track and do a mile (four laps) hard. Jog out of the track area to the base of the hill by the stadium. Run up the hill hard, and recover while jogging down the hill. Repeat this process 4 times. After the hill repeats, go back into the track for another hard mile repeat. After the workout, be sure to do a cool down jog for 10 minutes. The following day, take it easy for a 4 mile run. Shoot for a longer fifth run around 10-11 miles. Keep the pace super easy, especially if you go for 11 miles.
- Only cross train if something hurts.
- For the final formal week of weight training, be sure to hit the dumbbells and machines at least four days. Abs and free weight exercise are also important to integrate. Next week, we will move to a different type of muscle training to supplement your running.
- Enjoy a couple hours of rest with a day off.
Advanced:
- Keep up the good work. Two of your days will be easy 6 miles runs, and the third easy day will be 7 miles. Like the workouts listed above, you are going to do a combination of things. Take 15 minutes to jog and let your body warm up. Once on the track, you will do two1600-meter intervals at a 10k pace (refer to the pace calculator) with a four-minute rest in between. After the second interval, go to the base of the hill by the stadium. Sprint up the hill four times, using the descent as a recovery. After the final hill repeat, come back to the track to finish with one more mile hard. Finish with 15 minutes of cool down. The day following the workout, take an easy 4-5 mile run. The final run for the week will be a long 12-mile run. This will be the longest run you have to do in training.
- For your workouts, try to add two extra reps to your general routine. Since this is the last week of weight training, it is ok to put a little extra umph into it.
- Be sure to take a day off from physical activity.