FOUR WEEKS TO GO to the VHI Women’s Mini Marathon in Dublin. It’s a great day out for people of all abilities and the energy in the crowd is electric! If you’d like to take part with team MHi then please email me here at fundraising@mentalhealthireland.ie
We want to say a huge thank you to all the ladies walking and jogging for Mental Health Ireland and we hope this blog series helps you in your preparation.
Here we will give you a training plan if you want to walk or jog the course and some useful tips to help get you through it all with a smile on your face! The aim of the game is to get across the finish line and if that means running, jogging or walking we will get you there!
Don’t forget to register with Mental Health Ireland to get your race t-shirt and sponsorship card. You can email fundraising@mentalhealthireland.ie and we will send everything your way!
Five Ways to Wellbeing
Connect – Ask someone to come walking or jogging with you.
Be Active – By putting those runners on you are half way there!
Take Notice – Check into yourself and how you feel when training taking notice of your body and mood.
Keep Learning – Hopefully you are learning something new each week be it from this blog or how your body is working.
Give – Giving back has benefits for your wellbeing and the person or organisation at the other end of your giving
This week we will talk about some food you can incorporate into your diet to give you more energy!
Training:
Walkers week 3 of 6
- In order to be race ready you need to practice a number of walks over 45-90min in length to ensure you get over the line!
- This week you will be training four times and we will be starting easy as today is a REST DAY! This gives you lots of time to read what’s ahead for the week and make your plan!
- Rest days are just as important as your training days. This is when your muscles rest so you can train even harder on our ON days. Depending on your own schedule you can juggle workouts substituting one day for another but be sure to REST at least two days a week.
| Monday | REST DAY |
| Tuesday | Walk 45mins at a comfortable pace |
| Wednesday | REST DAY or a light walk |
| Thursday | Walk 45mins at a comfortable pace |
| Friday | REST DAY |
| Saturday | 7.2km walk at a comfortable pace. You will need to measure this out and it will be a great indicator of the distance you are covering and the time. You can track the distance on your smart phone or by driving the distance whilst tracking it. |
| Sunday | Long walk. This walk is not measured or timed. It is simply a walk of 75-90mins with stops if you need. Try a walking trail in a local forest, park or beach with friends and family or music to encourage you along! |
Joggers Training Week 3 of 6
If you plan to jog/run the 10km you should not have any major health problems, be in reasonable shape and should have done at least some jogging or walking previously. If in doubt please get clearance from your doctor to jog the distance and if this doesn’t work out there is always the walking option.
- Stretching & Strengthening: Do some light stretching on these days. Here are two handy links for some stretching and strengthening exercises for all levels.
- Cross Training: This includes walking, cycling or swimming – basically anything that gets your heart racing but is easier on your joints than jogging.
- Walking: The aim of the game is to finish and if that means taking a walking break occasionally then so be it. Listen to your body and you’ll get over that finish line.
| Monday | Stretch and Strengthening – 30mins |
| Tuesday | 4.8km jog |
| Wednesday | 35mins cross training |
| Thursday | 3.2km jog and strengthening |
| Friday | REST DAY |
| Saturday | 40min cross training |
| Sunday | 6.4km jog |
Congrats… week three is over! Three more to go!
Some nutritional guidance
- Chances are that you are already eating a healthy diet. This should consist of a good balance of energy-rich carbohydrates; protein for repair and re-growth of muscles and tissues; fats for energy and protection; and the fibre, vitamins and minerals that are so important for your immune system and good health.
- As you increase the time you spend running and the distance that you cover, you will find that your energy needs rise. It is important that you develop your fuel intake so that you satisfy your hunger without resorting to eating foods that are ‘empty’ calories, such as crisps, sweets and cakes.
- There are a few simple 10K nutrition rules that you can follow to ensure that your activity levels remain high and you are not tempted into eating snacks that are high in sugar and lead to an artificial high with a subsequent slump in energy.
- As part of your 10K nutrition plan eat three well-balanced meals a day – breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- These are the foundations of your day and should contain a balance of carbohydrate, fat and protein. You should ensure you eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, as well as a selection of beans, lentils, rice, pasta, potatoes, fish, eggs and lean meat. Your diet should also contain dairy products or their substitutes to ensure you get enough calcium.
- Keep hydrated. Even on days you are not running you still need to drink plenty of fluids because your muscles keep working after you have finished exercising and you should never allow your body to get into a state of dehydration. A slightly yucky but effective means of checking your levels of hydration are to check your urine – it should be a light straw colour. The darker the colour, the more you need to drink some water.
- Keep a ready supply of healthy snacks to hand. When you run, your body keeps working long after you stop so you are burning calories. This means that you may well be hungrier than normal and crave some sugar.
- Rather than succumb to the chocolates and cakes that are left lying around the office, or popping your hand in the cookie jar, keep a supply of fresh and dried fruit, nuts, seeds, cereal bars or pots of yogurt within easy reach. These snacks will stabilise the sugar levels in your blood and keep your hunger pangs at bay.
- Your 10K nutrition plan should still focus on eating the healthiest options – wholemeal bread and pasta, steamed vegetables instead of stir-fries, low fat options for spreads and yogurts, chicken and fish in preference to red meat.
- Plan your meals and snacks around your activity so that you are eating a light meal or a snack about two hours before you run and re-fuelling within half-an-hour of finishing your run. You might not feel like eating after a run, particularly if you have completed a tough session, but it is important that you get some energy into your system. If eating solid food is really a step too far, then a fruit-based smoothie is a good substitute.
