5K Training Plan for a Turkey Trot Near YOU!!
Hey there, I hope that your week is flying by as fast as mine! We will be to the weekend before we know it! 🙂
Yesterday’s morning run happened on the dreadmill because it was pouring rain and pitch black when I woke up… daylight saving’s cannot come soon enough! (I will spare you the blurry/sweaty selfie I took in the middle of my 8 miles… you’re welcome!)
When Henri got home from work he asked if I wanted to join him for his track workout and what girl can turn down a date at the track with their man?? He was doing 8x 200m so I ran his warm-up & cool-down with him and jogged around the track while he did his repeats. I am in awe of his form <– he hasn’t been running consistently in years but the second he steps on a track he looks soooo natural!
On the way home we needed to stop at the store to pick up a few last ingredients for dinner and I was forced to go in alone because Henri refused to be seen in public in his running shorts… ha. Thank goodness for self checkout so the cashier didn’t have to wonder about my very manly wallet…
Crockpot beef tacos really hit the spot after running around in the rain for a few miles.
The whole reason that Henri had a track workout last night is that a couple weeks ago he asked me to make him a training plan/coach him because he really wants to get back into running (swoooon). We targeted the Thanksgiving 5K that my family always does as his next goal race and he’s shooting for a post-collegiate PR (sub-20). 
The race that my family runs every Thanksgiving is actually called a Gobble Wobble (I love this name so much more than a Turkey Trot) and we’ve been running it together for years. There’s really no better way than to kick off your Thanksgiving than running with your family!
Last year Henri and I spent Thanksgiving in California and did a new race with my aunt and cousin – if you are in the SoCal area definitely check out the Dana Point Turkey Trot (they have a 10K and a 5K). It is a great event with lots of runners, spectators, and the course is right along the ocean!
Today I realized that this coming Monday would be the perfect time to start an 8 week training plan for all the 5K Races that happen on Thanksgiving so I thought I would share the next 8 weeks of the plan that I put together for Henri for you to try too! 
This plan is specifically designed for someone that wants to run the 5K faster but will work for any fitness level, just run at your own pace. So get out there, train hard, and get ready to Wobble ’til you Gobble (or Trot like a Turkey 😉 )
| Week/Day | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 4 miles (1 mile warm-up, 6x 400m with 200m jogging rest, 1 mile cool-down) | Cross Train (XC) or Rest | 3 miles easy | Cross Train (XC) or Rest | 4 miles (1 mile warm-up, 2 mile tempo, 1 mile cool-down) | 6 mile long run | rest |
| Week 2 | 3 miles easy | Cross Train (XC) or Rest | 5 miles (1.5 mile warm-up, 4x 800m w/ 200m jog, 1 mile cool-down) | Cross Train (XC) or Rest | 3 miles easy | 7 mile long run | rest |
| Week 3 | 4 miles (1 mile warm-up, 6x 400m with 200m jogging rest, 1 mile cool-down) | Cross Train (XC) or Rest | 5 miles easy | Cross Train (XC) or Rest | 4 miles (1 mile warm-up, 2 mile tempo, 1 mile cool-down) | 7 mile long run | rest |
| Week 4 | 5 miles easy | Cross Train (XC) or Rest | 6 miles (1.5 mile warm-up, 6x 800m w/ 200m jog, 1 mile cool-down) | Cross Train (XC) or Rest | 4 miles easy | 8 mile long run | rest |
| Week 5 | 5 miles (1 mile warm-up, 3 mile tempo, 1 mile cool-down) | Cross Train (XC) or Rest | 4 miles easy | Cross Train (XC) or Rest | 5 miles (1 mile warm-up, 12x 200m hard w/ 200m jogging rest, 1 mile cool-down) | 8 mile long run | rest |
| Week 6 | 5 miles easy | Cross Train (XC) or Rest | 6 miles (1.5 mile warm-up, 6x 800m w/ 200m jog, 1 mile cool-down) | Cross Train (XC) or Rest | 5 miles easy | 9 mile long run | rest |
| Week 7 | 6 miles (1.5 mile warm-up, 8x 400m w/ 200m jog, 1.5 mile cool-down) | Cross Train (XC) or Rest | 5 miles easy | Cross Train (XC) or Rest | 4 mile progression run (run the first mile at a comfortable pace and then run each mile 15-20 seconds faster than the previous one) | 9 mile long run | rest |
| Week 8 | 5 miles (4 miles easy, last mile on track alternating 100m hard/100m easy) | Cross Train (XC) or Rest | 5 miles easy | 5K Race * Turkey Trot (1 mile warm-up, 5K race, 1 mile cool-down) | rest | X | X |
Do you usually run a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving?