Thursday, February 24, 2011

Training Time

The past few weeks have been a bit nutty for me because of travel and two brand new preps, but I've done a pretty decent job of keeping a solid base going with my running.  But now, with a half-marathon, a mere seven weeks and three days away, I need to start getting a bit more serious about my training.  I decided to take Hal Higdon's Intermediate Plan as a basic template, make some tweaks and adjustments, and to jump into long runs at around week 4.  Because my goal for this race is a new half-marathon PR (2:14:32 from 2009) or at least a time under 2:20, I've been trying to force myself to do a bit more speed (for me) work, and I wanted to make sure that was in the training schedule.

So here is my training plan for the Earth Day Half-Marathon I'll be running on 17 April.


Mon - Tempo Tues Wed - Fartlek Thurs Fri - Long Sat - Recovery Sun
3.5 mile rest 3 mile Yoga 6.5 mile 3 mile Yoga 
3.5 mile rest 3 mile Yoga 7 mile 3 mile Yoga
4 mile rest 3.5 mile Yoga 8 mile 3 mile Yoga
4 mile rest 3.5 mile Yoga 9 mile 3 mile Yoga
4.5 mile rest 4 mile Yoga 10 mile 3 mile Yoga
5 mile rest 4 mile Yoga 11 mile 3 mile Yoga
5 mile rest 4.5 mile Yoga 12 mile 3 mile Yoga
3 mile rest 3 mile 5 mile  Yoga Rest Race


This time around I've decided to try doing my long runs on Fridays.  If necessary I can switch things around and do them on Saturdays, but I tend to spend most of the day working from home on Friday.  The other reason I'm choosing Fridays is so that I can more easily get in two 45-90 minute yoga practices a week.   I might occasionally cross train at the gym on Saturdays instead of doing a recovery run, and I might also try to meet a friend at the gym some Wednesday mornings to lift in addition to doing some speed work on the treadmills there. But this gives me the basic template.

Because I am a giant self-professed nerd, training plans get me really excited.  Are you a fan of plans?  Do you have a race that you're currently training for?  What plan are you using?
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8 comments:

  1. HappyFeet26.2February 24, 2011 at 7:41 AM

    Looks like a great plan. I love doing yoga, and totally believe that it's what keeps me injury free. I generally make my own plan, but I typically have 2-3 hard (quality) run per wk - usually track or hill repeats, tempo run, and long. Then I add at least 1 yoga class and I try to lift weights 1-2 times per wk.

    I LOVE a program too - BIG TIME training nerd here. I'm ok with that! ha!

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  2. TheNewChrissyFebruary 24, 2011 at 8:32 AM

    I'm running a half marathon on April 9 and I really need to make a training plan and stick to it. I've been slacking on my running since finishing the marathon/getting back into swimming and rock climbing. I really need to find a good balance!

    I love training plans, so maybe I'll make one today and get motivated. Thanks for the inspiration! Oh, and your plan looks good. I definitely need to incorporate more speed work into my training as well.

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  3. Tanya PatriceFebruary 24, 2011 at 1:32 PM

    My next half is March 19th, and I haven't been good at following my training plan - but winter kicked my butt big time! I am a fan though of scheduled workouts - and I'm not even a big planner. But I like how it takes the guess work out of things. Plus when I know I'm supposed to run xx miles, it makes me push to make sure I get it done instead of being okay with cutting it short.

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  4. LeiaFebruary 25, 2011 at 12:29 AM

    I am so impressed! I've never run a race and I'm really a novice runner, 4 km (2.5 miles) is my maximum at the moment! This is incredible. Wishing you luck in sticking to the program :)

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  5. La Historiadora de ModaFebruary 25, 2011 at 10:32 AM

    Thanks, Leia! This will be my fifth half-marathon. I'm excited!

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  6. La Historiadora de ModaFebruary 25, 2011 at 10:33 AM

    Winter totally kicked my butt, too. I have been running exclusively on the treadmill for the past couple of months, but I'm hoping to take it back outside soon.

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  7. La Historiadora de ModaFebruary 25, 2011 at 10:33 AM

    I look forward to checking out your training plan, Chrissy!

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  8. La Historiadora de ModaFebruary 25, 2011 at 10:34 AM

    I think yoga really helped me to have happy joints during my last training cycle. I hope it continues this time around.

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