Week 5: Apr 13 - Apr 19
Meso 2 (Threshold + VO2max), Week 1. Race-pace strides introduced. Zones should be updated from W4 test. All paces below assume recalibration happened.
the engine has been dusted off. Now we start forcing it to work harder at specific intensities. And we start teaching the legs what 3:15/km feels like — not for long, not for many reps, just enough that the neuromuscular pattern starts getting encoded.
Monday - Easy Run + Race-Pace Strides
- Distance: 7 km
- Pace: Z2 (recalibrated)
- Strides: 6 x 80m — but the last 2 are at R1 target pace (3:15-3:30/km). Full walk-back recovery.
- Purpose: First exposure to race turnover. 80m is short enough that it’s purely neuromuscular — no metabolic cost. The legs need to learn what this cadence feels like.
Tuesday - KEY: VO2max Intervals (Longer Reps)
- Pre-fuel: 30-50g fast carbs 60 min before.
- Warm-up: 10 min easy jog into 4 x strides
Workout:
| Interval | Reps | Pace | Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m | 4 | Z5 (recalibrated) | 2:00 easy jog |
- Total quality: 4 km at VO2max
- Progression: 1K reps now. Longer time at VO2max per rep. 2:00 recovery is short — this forces lactate clearance at pace.
- Pacing: If recalibrated Z5 is 3:55-4:15, each 1K in ~3:55-4:15. Push the lower end if the first 2 reps feel controlled.
- Cool-down: 10 min easy jog
Total ~9-10 km.
Wednesday - Strength A + Swim
Strength A
Warm-up: 5 min incline walk + activation
A. Plyometrics
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depth Drop into Broad Jump | 3 | 4 | 2:00 | Step off 30cm box, land, explode forward. |
| Bounding | 3 | 8 each | 90s |
B. Single-Leg Strength
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-Leg Leg Press | 3 | 10 each | 75s | Post-deload, reestablish at W3 weight. |
| Leg Extension | 2 | 12 each | 60s | |
| Seated Calf Raise (heavy) | 4 | 10 | 60s | Slow eccentric. Soleus-biased. |
C. Core
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dead Bug w/ band | 3 | 10 each | 45s | |
| Pallof Press | 3 | 10 each | 45s | |
| Side Plank | 2 | 45s each | 30s |
D. Accessories
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB Lateral Raise | 2 | 12-15 | 45s | |
| DB Bicep Curl | 2 | 10-12 | 45s |
Swim
- Duration: 30-35 min
- Structure: 10 min easy, 6 x 50m moderate (RPE 6-7) with 30s rest, easy cool-down.
Thursday - KEY: Progressive Tempo
- Pre-fuel: 30-50g fast carbs 60 min before.
- Warm-up: 10 min easy jog into strides
Workout:
| Segment | Duration | Pace |
|---|---|---|
| Tempo | 15 min | Z3 (recalibrated) |
| Recovery jog | 2 min | Z1 |
| Threshold | 6 min | Z4 (recalibrated) |
- Total quality: 21 min
- Progression from W3: Longer tempo block (15 vs 12 min), longer threshold block (6 vs 5 min).
- Goal: If the Z3 block feels comfortable by min 12, I should be pushing the pace down for the last 3 min. Don’t cruise.
- Cool-down: 10 min easy jog
Total ~9-10 km.
Friday - Strength B
A. Upper
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weighted Pull-ups | 4 | 6-8 | 2:00 | Add 5-10 lbs. |
| Cable Face Pulls | 3 | 15 | 60s | |
| DB Incline Press | 3 | 10 | 75s |
B. Posterior Chain
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hip Thrust (heavier) | 3 | 10 | 75s | |
| Leg Curl (slow eccentric) | 3 | 6 slow | 90s | 5-sec lowering. |
| Single-Leg RDL | 3 | 8 each | 75s |
C. Core
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plank Walkout | 3 | 10 | 60s | |
| Copenhagen Plank | 2 | 30-35s each | 45s |
D. Accessories
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tricep Pushdown | 2 | 12-15 | 45s | |
| DB Hammer Curl | 2 | 10-12 | 45s |
Saturday - Long Run
- Distance: 11 km
- Pace: Z2 (recalibrated). All easy.
- Cool-down: 5 min walk + foam roll
Sunday - Easy Swim or Easy Run
- Option A: 30 min easy swim
- Option B: 5 km easy run
Week 5 Totals
| Volume | |
|---|---|
| Running | ~32 km |
| Strength | 2 sessions |
| Swim | 2 sessions |