Get ready, Lori!
Hi, Lori. I have The Plan!
I am going to lay this out for you but I cannot stress enough how utterly flexible I am when it comes to any workout schedule. I add rest days or change workouts depending on how I feel and that's so important. I am going to give a breakdown on the types of training but a dollar says you will find some workouts more to your liking than others (if you can call your feeling "liking" and you may chose one or two speed workouts and use them exclusively, forgoing other types that just don't do it for you. Speedwork is painful and hard and you have to choose the ones you can face doing over 12 weeks time. This is a 12 week schedule.
You are doing this to build endurance which is simply the ability to run at a given pace (fast for a race!) over an extended period of time (how long it takes to run 13.1 miles for a good finishing time!).
To build endurance you need to do these types of training runs:
LONG RUNS are run at an easy pace and start out shorter, growing longer as the weeks progress but each increase in mileage is balanced out by a shorter run the week before.
SPEED WORK is shorter, faster runs starting and ending with a warm up and a cool down of approximately one mile or ten minutes at a relaxed pace.
Types of speed work are as follows:
FARTLEK is a Swedish work for "speed play". These are road runs done by warming up and then choosing a spot in the distance, say a tree or sign, and running comfortably hard to reach it, then choosing a second spot and running at a recovery pace to reach it. You then choose another spot and head for it at a harder pace and another spot to run to at recovery pace. Keep repeating until you begin to tire then cool down at an easy pace. You may want to try fartlek in the Spring.
PACE or INTERVAL WORKOUTS are intervals done by distance. Warm up and then chose a 800, 400 or 200 meter stretch to use for your intervals. Run very hard for 800, 400 or 200 meters then return to the starting point at an easy recovery pace. You can recover at the same distance or halve the distance or twice the distance, i.e., run 800 meters hard, jog 800 meters slowly back to starting point or run 800 meters hard, jog 400 meters slowly back to starting poiint or run 800 meters hard, jog 800 meters slowly to starting point plus 400 more and then 400 back to point A.
Beginning a training schedule I like to use 800 meters, then go to 400 and then to 200 meters. At 800 meters, which is almost half a mile, you will not be able push as hard as you can when you get to shorter distances but it lets you increase the effort you expend very nicely. By the time you are doing 200M repeats, you can run at all out effort and get really fast because the distance is so much shorter than trying to go all out at 800M. You do have to find a place where you can measure out the distance and it should be flat and free of traffic for the most part. Cathe's Imax, Imax 2 and boot Camp done at maximum effort are a great sub for these workouts as long as you give them all you've got. I hated these but boy do they make you fast!
PICKUPS are timed speedwork. They are easily done on a treadmill or on the road with a watch. Warm up and then run comfortably hard for one minute followed by runnng very easily for one minute. Repeat until pleasntly pooped! Cool down. I liked to cool own for 10 minutes or so but you can finsih off with an easy two or three extra miles since sort run days can make you feel like you are missing out if you are accustomed to running for an hour or so!
PICKUP SETS are based on the same principle but you increase the time of the intervals. Warm up and then run 1 minute hard, 1 easy, 2 minutes hard, 2 easy, 3 and 3, 4 and 4, 5 and 5 or until you have had enough! Cool down.
PICKUP LADDERS are about the same as Pickup Sets but they are pyramid style. You go 1 hard/1 easy, 2 hard/2 easy, 3 hard/3 easy, 4 hard/4 easy, 5 hard/5 easy, 4 hard/4 easy, 3 hard/3 easy, 2 hard/2 easy and back to 1 hard/1 easy and then cool down. Five minutes is an arbitrary number. You may want to go back down the ladder after 3 or 4 minute intervals.
TEMPO RUNS build speed endurance. They are like practice races you run on your own. Warm up and thenpick up the tempo to a pace that feels hard but not as fast as race pace. Faster than an easy run but slower than speedwork. Maintain the pace for 10 minutes to begin with, then 15 then 20 and up to 30 by the end of your training. Finish with a cool down. During Tempo runs you can pretend to race and imagine it in your mind!
RACES, if you can find some that are held in the weeks before your half marathon, are a great way to train. Look for and sign up for a 5K or even a 10K and use it to get a feel for the experience of racing and to build speed and endurance.
That's the low down on types of training.
The schedule is for twelve weeks of training and one week of little or no running and little or no strength training the last week before the race.
You will begin training in earnest the week of 2/29 so you are free to play around with the types of training I've outlined before you actully begin the traiing schedule.
Sunday- Long Run
Monday-Easy Run/Total Body Strength
Tuesday-Speed Run
Wednesday-Easy Run/Lower Body Strength
Thursday-Rest Day
Friday-Tempo Run/Upper Body Strength
Saturday-Short & Easy
Week 1 2/29
Su 8 miles
M 5-7 miles easy pace (go gently since you ran long the day before)
Tu Pickups
W 5-7 miles
TH Rest
F Tempo Run-10 minutes at hard pace with warmup/cool down
S 5 Easy (take it easy on Saturday since Sunday is you long run) day.
Week 2 3/7
Su 10
M 5-7
T PU Sets
W 5-7
Th Rest
F Tempo 15 minutes hard pace
Sa 5 miles easy
Week 3 3/14
Su 8
M 5-7
Tu Ladders
W 5-7
Th Rest
F Tempo 20 minutes
Sa 5 easy
Week 4 3/21
Su 11
M 5-7
Tu 800 meter pace or interval workout
W 5-7
Th Rest
F Tempo 25 minutes
Sa 5 easy
Week 5 3/28
Su 9
M 5-7
Tu 400 meter pace or interval workout
W 5-7
Th Rest
F Tempo 30 minutes
Sa 5 easy
Week 6 4/4
Su 12
M 5-7
Tu 200 meter pace or interval workout
W 5-7
Th Rest
F Tempo 30 minutes
Sa 5 easy
Week 7 4/11
Su 10
M 5-7
Tu Tempo 30 minutes
W 5-7
Th Rest
F Tempo 30 minutes
Sa 5 easy
Week 8 4/18
Su 13 miles-race distance
M 5 miles easy
Tu Hill Repeats
W 5-7
Th Rest
F Tempo 25 minutes
Sa 5 easy
Week 9 4/25
Su 9
M 5
Tu Fartlek
W 5-7
Th Rest
F Tempo 20 minutes
Sa 5 easy
Week 10 5/2
Su 9
M 5
Tu Pickups
W 5-7
Th Rest
F Tempo 15 hard!
Sa 5 easy
Week 11 5/9
Su 8
M 5-7
Tu Pickup Sets
W 5-7
Th Rest
F 5-7
Sa 5 easy
Week 12 5/16
Su 6
M 3-4
Tu Light Weights (optional
W 2-3 (optional)
Th Rest
F Rest
Sa Rest
Su-Race Day!
