Welcome to the intermediate Tely 10 training program. A few years back I decided to start writing up this program to help those who may have been following the beginner program, or is an experienced runner and wanted to take their training to the next level. So have a look at this program and see if it looks right for you.

Due to the nature of this kind of training, please consult your physician before taking on this program. This program is more demanding on the cardiovascular system than the beginner program. So let's make sure that we are clear to training at a more intense level. Make sure to stick with the MAX Heart rate formula (Max HR = 220 – (Age)) to ensure that you are training within your abilities.

When you change the intensity of your training, you need to listen to your body. It's important to make sure you are not taking on too much too soon. Most of us now have GPS watches or some kind of fitness watch that has a heart rate monitor on it, whether it's optical or uses a chest strap. These tools become very important in your training. They track not only your heart rate, but will give you important information such as pace, distance and even your sleep quality. Pace and distance are important of course because we are running, and have specific distances and target paces to hit. But tracking your HR and sleep are vital as well. Sleep is important because that is when we recover from the days work. So your quality of sleep is important, getting 8 hours a night is key. But your HR will tell you if you are pushing your body too hard. Track your average heart rate in the mornings. If it starts to go up 6-10 beats higher than your normal resting HR, you may need to ease off the workouts for a few days and just run at an easy pace.

I tried to keep the workouts but effective. They are, for the most part, pretty easy to read and to understand what is being asked of the session. After some of the easy runs, I have you doing either hill sprints of regular sprints. These little sessions at the end of an easy run prove to be a HUGE factor in improving one’s running. The short hill sprints work on your leg power, running form and strength. While the short sprints also work form but give you a little speed work without the stress of a full-speed session. I don’t have actual hill workouts in the program. But make sure you run your long runs with hills in mind.

You are doing speed workouts right from the start. Week one has you doing a ladder workout. You start at 1600m done at 10k race pace and get quicker with each segment. As you move into the longer sessions, say week 5 3x2 mile, do them at more like 8k-10k race pace. Pay attention to the rest intervals as you don’t want to take too long of a break and have your heart rate drop. You will see that some of the long runs are workouts. Take week 5’s long run of 16k. You run the first 8 kilometres at an easy pace, run kilometres 9-14 at Tely pace, then finish with some easy kilometres. It's great running Tely pace with some fatigue in the legs. There is a similar long-run workout in week 7. All will help you for a great run on race day!

The Long runs are important sessions for building your aerobic endurance. Keep the pace honest, don’t go too slow. If you train slow, you run slow. Keep them comfortable. As I said above, you will be doing some workouts on these long runs. That’s what I love about training for longer distances are the longer sessions.

Hopefully this year we will be able to have a race before the Tely. If not, you can pick a day and run a 10k time trial at race effort to test your fitness level.

So keep track of your workouts and your training in a running journal or log. This is a great way to see the numbers and track your progress. Look at a route you did a few weeks back and see if you did it faster, or a speed session and see what the average pace was. All of these tools will show you your progress like a road map. Follow the route to the destination.

When you are out there training, be sure to practice social distancing. This is an unusual time for all of us. Running for a lot of people is a social thing. Getting together with friends and going out for a training run. But we need to be training solo for the time being. Stay to your side of the road giving that 6-foot buffer between you and the other person. If on the trails, do the best you can, but be respectful to the other person and give them space. And don’t be afraid to say hi, we are all still human. We can be friendly but keep our distance too.

All the best and see you at the race!

Jason White
Personal Trainer

Definitions

Maximum Heart Rate (Max HR) = 220 - (Age):

This formula is used to help determine your effort level based on how fast your heart is beating. Example: 30 year old runner: 220 - (30) = 190. The Target Heart Rate is based on a percentage of your maximum heart rate. Example, to run at 65% of your Max HR: 190 x 0.65 = 123bpm. Therefore, 190 x (0.65) = 123 beats per minute (bpm) is where your heart rate should be.

Cross Training:

Other cardio activities that will use other muscles that will help to prevent injuries during training. Examples are: swimming laps, going for a bike ride or weight training.

Rest Days:

These days play an important role in your training program. They are designed to give your body a break from training and allow you to remain healthy, prevent injuries, achieve physiological gains and help you concentrate on your overall goal.

Hilly Runs:

These days are designed to help build your running strength in your legs. Pick a route that contains 3-4 hills that you have no problem running. Increase pace slightly going up each hill (MAX HR of 75-85% on hills). After you have completed the hill, continue your run at a steady pace (65-75% of Max HR).

Tempo Run:

This is a run that is run at a pace that is about 15-20 seconds slower per mile than your ideal race pace. This will allow your body to adjust to a more challenging pace without over stressing your system.

Easy Runs:

Doesn’t require a lot of effort to maintain pace. Conversation with running partner is easily maintained.

Cooldown:

Done at the end of a hard training session to bring your heart rate down slowly.

Tapering:

This week you don’t want to do anything out of the ordinary. You have worked hard over the last 11 weeks. So rest up your legs but keep them fresh for race day. You have worked hard over the last 11 weeks.