I had a few criteria for a training program. First, I knew I wanted to run four times per week, but one of them needed to be quite short so I could run and do other exercise. Second, I wanted to have one long (5-10) mile run on the weekends. Lastly, I knew I wanted to focus on improving my speed, so I needed to do some intense speed work once per week. I used Runner's World's Smart Coach program and then tweaked it. Mostly, the tweaking was increasing the distance of the long runs, and then making the mid-week easy runs on the shorter end (to help with time constraints, etc.). Here's what I came up with:
Week of | Monday | Tuesday | Thursday | Saturday |
Oct 17 | Rest! (Post-half) | 3-5 mi, easy | 4 mi tempo, 2 mi @ 9:45 | Long run: 6ish |
Oct 24 | 2 mi, easy | 3-5 mi, easy | 4 mi speed, 2X1600 @ 9:18 | Long run: 7ish |
Oct 31 | 2 mi, easy | 3-5 mi, easy | 4 mi tempo, 2 mi @ 9:40 | Long run: 9ish |
Nov 7 | 2 mi, easy | 3-5 mi, easy | 4 mi speed, 2X1600 @ 9:09 | Long run: 7ish |
Nov 14 | 2 mi, easy | 3-5 mi, easy | 4 mi tempo, 2 mi @ 9:35 | Long run: 8ish |
Nov 21 | 2 mi, easy | 4 mi speed, 2X1600 @ 9:03 | Run if you can (Thanksgiving) | Run if you can (Thanksgiving) |
Nov 28 | 2 mi, easy | 3 mi speed, 1x1600 @ 9:00 | Rest! | RACE IN DC! |
So, what do ya'll think? It's going well so far. I have been doing a bit more on the treadmill than I normally would prefer, for a few reasons. One is that it's getting COLD and sometimes, I'm just not up for a cold in sub-freezing weather. But, the main reasons is ... I'm HORRIBLE at holding a steady pace!! I know I am capable of running a mile at 9:18 pace (as I did this past Thursday), but without the treadmill to keep me on schedule, I don't think it would be possible. Does anyone else have this problem? Does anyone have a solution to it??
Along the same lines, I'm REALLY trying to make my "easy runs" an easier, more consistent pace. The Smart Coach program tells me that my easy runs and long runs should be veryyyy slowwww... as in, around 11:30 min/mile! Particularly if I'm running on a treadmill, that is almost painfully slow. However, there is apparently a lot of science behind the "run slow to run fast" idea (so I am told - I'm not personally familiar with the literature), so I'm attempting to follow it... at least somewhat. So far, my "easy runs" have been between 10:13 and 10:55 pace and my long runs have been 11:06-11:26 pace. Not terrible, right?
It's a bit unfortunate that Thanksgiving interrupts training. I'm going out of town, and it seems incredibly unlikely I'll be able to run Wednesday-Sunday of that week, but oh well! Missing two runs isn't going to destroy all the progress I make over the 6-ish weeks of training.
As for cross-training, I'm REALLY trying to get better, both to improve my running as well as for general fitness. I'll post again soon about my cross-training plans!
I'm sort of the opposite. I've found that I run faster outside rather than on the treadmill. I recently downloaded the runkeeper app for my iphone (there's others apps, I forget what phone you have) but when I put it on the GPS setting and run outside, every 5 min it breaks into my music and tells me my distance and pace. Anyway, just an idea for a tool to help you track your pace when not on the treadmill. (And I so wish an 11:30 pace was painfully slow to me!)
ReplyDeleteI'm like Monica - I run much faster outside and I have a hard time keeping up on the treadmill! I can definitely see the value in it for helping you keep a consistent pace, though. I'm impressed that you are doing tempo runs and speedwork! I need to get more motivated and start doing that, or at least bringing my Garmin with me so when I run with my neighbor I know how fast I am going. Have you been doing most of your speedwork on the treadmill or trying to do some outside too?
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