Mothers Day Classic

Welcome to the training section of the Mother’s Day Classic website.Below you will find some basic training plans to help you prepare to walk or run in the Mother’s Day Classic.

Duncan Armstrong’s training tips

  

Duncan rose to national and international fame at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 when he broke the world record to win the Gold medal in the 200 metres freestyle. For the past four years he has been the proud ambassador of the Women in Super Mother’s Day Classic in Brisbane.

 

 

Set your goals
If this is your first attempt at a fun run I strongly suggest that you forget about times and make your goal enjoying the experience of completing the Women in Super Mother’s Day Classic distance your choose. I always feel that the best possible result of a new challenge is completing it feeling good, and feeling that you’d like to try it again sometime.

Choose your distance
It might seem odd that this comes second, but taking #1 into consideration you should think about whether you are really ready to take on the challenge of enjoying running or walking either the 8k plus or 4k plus. The Mother’s Day Classic offers a wide range of challenges to suit any level of participation.  You can run with a friend or stride out in huge family groups.  Many people use the shorter run distance as a stepping stone to the longer distances in future races.  The shorter distance isn’t a cop out, it’s good sense.

Spend a few $$ on proper shoes
A golden rule of running is that when it comes to shorts, tops etc that you should run in whatever you are comfortable in. An old school sweatshirt is just as good as the latest organic cotton Nike gear if that’s what you feel comfortable in. But when it comes to shoes, don’t just buy whatever is on sale at a discount store, take some time to get the right shoes with the right fit for you, even if it costs you a bit of extra moo-lah.  Your feet will value your spending in the long run. (Please excuse the lame pun!)

Walk before you can run
Forcing yourself to run further than your body is capable will only lead to discomfort, injury, and burn out. So learn to break-up your training runs with sections of walking at a brisk pace. Over time gradually increase the length of running sections and decrease the walking sections. Depending on how your training progresses into May and the distance of your running sections, you may need to employ your running/walking strategy to make your Mother’s Day Classic distance.

Rope in a friend
If you are aiming to complete your first Mother’s Day Classic 8k you should be aiming to build up your aerobic fitness in a very gradual way.  In fact, the biggest danger in your preparation is training too hard. There are all kinds of heart rate monitors which you can use to make sure to train in the correct zone, but by far the best and cheapest training equipment you can use is a friend to train with. Having a training partner can not only help motivate you get out there, it is the best way to stop you running too hard. Basically, neither of you should get out of breathe enough so that you can’t chat comfortably while running - if you do get out of breath, you need to back off the pace or start walking.  As your fitness begins to build you should be able to chat further and further while you’re running.

How much?
Initially, focus on time spent on your feet rather than distance covered. So start with 30 minutes of walking/running.  Head out the door for 15 minutes before turning around and heading back home while keeping a conversation going with a friend to make sure you remain in the right training zone.  Increase the length of time you run gradually each week. Try to make one run a week slightly longer than your other runs.

 Mix it up
As you are focusing on developing aerobic fitness, doing other aerobic exercise such as cycling or swimming once or twice a week will contribute to fitness and reduce the risk of running related injuries. Again, employing the chat monitoring system is recommended to prevent you from getting carried away.

Put your feet up
Rest is a key component of any training schedule and you should take at least one full rest day a week, and absolute beginners should consider only running every other day at first. Doing yoga or getting a message on rest days can really help promote recovery.

Be cool… and hydrate
Be smart no matter what the weatherman says. Wear a hat and sunscreen, and carry water on all your runs. Staying hydrated in training is essential for your improvement and comfort.  It’ll be cooler by May, but the sun can still do a number on you if you’re not prepared.   There is some water available on the course, but you may want to consider carrying your own supply.

The Mother’s Day Classic – On the Day.
The biggest threat to completing your goal of enjoying your first 8K is going too fast. It’s important that you don’t get carried along with all the other people going off too fast. Focus on your breathing and remember that if you are feeling out of breath early in the race, you will pay for it later in the run. Aim to run the second half of the race slightly faster than the first.  As an old saying in racing states. “there’s no better way to end a run than by passing all the hares that are paying the price of getting carried away earlier .” Finish your goal distance at the MDC, maybe win something in the lucky number draw, share a water with the crowd and some fruit, and pretty soon you’ll be thinking of improving your time next year!

Good Luck everyone,
Duncan Armstrong

Training program, By Brian Schepisi, Training Director, Sporting Spirit

Six week run/walk program created for a 4km goal

This program will help you build from walking to jogging 4km in six weeks.

Before starting to the program you should have a base fitness of regular walking. Also make sure your runners are in good condition and suitable for running (cross-trainers are not suitable).

Warm up first with 5-10 minute walking before each session.

Keep jogging pace easy and walking pace brisk. Have a good stretch at the end.

To give your fitness that extra boost include one or two cross-training days such as a cycling, swimming etc

	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4	Week 5	Week 6
Tuesday	1 min jog plus 5 min walk x 5	2 min jog plus 4 min walk x 5	3 min jog plus 3 min walk x 5	4 min jog plus 2 min walk x 5	5 min jog plus 1 min walk x 5	10 min jog plus 1 min walk x 2
Thursday	1 min jog plus 5 min walk x 5	2 min jog plus 4 min walk x 5	3 min jog plus 3 min walk x 5	4 min jog plus 2 min walk x 5	5 min jog plus 1 min walk x 5	10 min jog plus 1 min walk x 3
Sunday	1 min jog plus 5 min walk x 5	2 min jog plus 4 min walk x 5	3 min jog plus 3 min walk x 5	4 min jog plus 2 min walk x 5	5 min jog plus 1 min walk x 5	4km Mother’s Day Classic

Six week running program created for a 8km goal

This program is aimed at getting you fit to run 8km in six weeks.

Before starting this program you should already be running 25-30 minutes two to three times per week. If you are doing much less than this I would advise you train for the 4km event first.

If you have a good fitness base and want to challenge your speed a little you can make Thursday a stronger run. Either run a 3-4km course at a stronger pace (80-85%) or try some 1-2 minute surges throughout your run. Start with just a few surges and build to five or six. Don’t sprint! Just work a little harder than usual. Jog easy for 1-2 minute between surges. Have a good stretch at the end.

Include one or two cross-training days such as a cycling, swimming etc

	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4	Week 5	Week 6
Tuesday	30 mins	30 mins	30 mins	30 mins	30 mins	30 mins
Thursday	33 mins	35 mins	35 mins	40 mins relaxed	40 mins	20 mins
Friday	20 mins or rest	20 mins or rest	20 mins or rest	20 mins or rest	20 mins or rest	20 mins cross-training
Sunday	35 mins	40mins	45 mins	45 mins	50 mins	8km Mother’s Day Classic

Brian Schepisi