Tuesday Run — Hal Higdon Novice 5K, Week 3 Day 1

Session specs

Warm-up (~4 min)

The run: 2.0 miles easy

Pacing — the Talk Test

Running form checkpoints

• Posture: stand tall, hips slightly forward under your torso; avoid hunching at the shoulders or leaning too far forward at the waist
• Foot strike: aim for your foot to land roughly under your hip (not out in front), which reduces braking force on each step
• Arms: elbows bent at about 90°, hands loose (imagine holding a potato chip without crushing it), arms swinging forward-and-back rather than across the body

Cool-down (~6 min)

1. Hip flexor stretch — a half-kneeling lunge position; the hip flexor is a muscle group running from the front of the hip to the lower spine that gets shortened with each stride
2. Hamstring stretch — straight-leg forward reach; the hamstrings run along the back of the thigh from the sit bones to below the knee
3. Adductor stretch — wide-stance inner thigh stretch; the adductors (inner thigh muscles) stabilize your pelvis on each foot strike
4. Glute/piriformis stretch — a figure-4 position lying on your back; the piriformis is a small deep hip muscle that can tighten significantly after running and is a common contributor to hip and sciatic discomfort

Scaling

Week 3 schedule