Day 46 is the plank circuit at 16: 16 shoulder taps, 16 plank rotations and a 16-count plank hold, 2 minutes rest, 3, 4 or 5 sets by level. The last visit of the plank hold version, up two from Day 32.
Sixteen taps, sixteen rotations and a sixteen-count straight-arm plank is where this circuit finishes - a long way from the 10s it began with. The trunk stability and shoulder endurance built here have been working in the background of every long run, keeping the torso quiet, the hips level and the arm swing straight when fatigue set in. With a 30-minute run and then the 5K still to come, this is the final dose of anti-rotation and plank work, and it is the biggest.
Taps: 8 per side, hips motionless, hand moving slowly. Rotations: 8 to each side, body as one piece, top arm all the way up. Hold: floor pushed away, glutes tight, gaze down, 16 steady counts. Reset and resume if the hips sag.
Sixteen counts of plank on the last plank day - the trunk finishes its program a week before the legs do.
Make it Harder: Lift one foot an inch off the floor during the 16-count hold and switch feet halfway through.
Make it Easier: Do the taps and rotations from the knees and hold the full plank for 12 counts.
