marathon training
So, I'm running my next marathon in five months, which means in another month I'll start a training cycle. Right now, I'm doing something like this:
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 6 miles
Wednesday - Yoga plus 6 miles
Thursday - Rest
Friday - yoga
Saturday - 6 miles
Sunday - 10 miles.
If I were normal, I would convert this. I would probably start doing something like this:
Monday - Rest/recover
Tuesday - 3 miles plus cross train (yoga)
Wednesday - Trackwork / intervals
Thursday - 6 miles
Friday - Intervals / striders / hills, 3 miles plus cross train.
Saturday - 5 miles
Sunday - long run (10+ miles)
This is a 35 to 60 mile a week schedule that gives me one day of rest a week. I found last year that not only would my calendar not allow for this, but also I can only keep up with higher mileage plus 6 days a week for about two weeks before I start hurting. Any time I do track work or intervals, it ends up in me taking a day off afterward, similar to doing a long run. This is not all that unusual. Stronger runners than I have ways of working through it. One way is to evenly space the intervals, but for things like track work and other coached activities, you generally have to run in the evening, and my schedule works better for morning. And finally, the speed work makes my long runs more unpredictable.
In likelihood, I will probably, in May, start doing a schedule like this:
Monday - yoga / crosstrain
Tuesday - 6 miles
Wednesday - 6 miles / yoga
Thursday - 6 miles
Friday - 6 miles
Saturday - rest / recovery
Sunday - long run (10+ miles)
When my long runs get up in the 20 mile range, I'll start doing yoga on Saturday instead of Monday as well. Also, later in the cycle, I will probably start doing 8 mile runs on Thursdays and possibly 8 mile runs on Fridays, or 10 mile runs on Fridays. This will get my max mileage to the mid-50s. And ensure that I get to the finish line.
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 6 miles
Wednesday - Yoga plus 6 miles
Thursday - Rest
Friday - yoga
Saturday - 6 miles
Sunday - 10 miles.
If I were normal, I would convert this. I would probably start doing something like this:
Monday - Rest/recover
Tuesday - 3 miles plus cross train (yoga)
Wednesday - Trackwork / intervals
Thursday - 6 miles
Friday - Intervals / striders / hills, 3 miles plus cross train.
Saturday - 5 miles
Sunday - long run (10+ miles)
This is a 35 to 60 mile a week schedule that gives me one day of rest a week. I found last year that not only would my calendar not allow for this, but also I can only keep up with higher mileage plus 6 days a week for about two weeks before I start hurting. Any time I do track work or intervals, it ends up in me taking a day off afterward, similar to doing a long run. This is not all that unusual. Stronger runners than I have ways of working through it. One way is to evenly space the intervals, but for things like track work and other coached activities, you generally have to run in the evening, and my schedule works better for morning. And finally, the speed work makes my long runs more unpredictable.
In likelihood, I will probably, in May, start doing a schedule like this:
Monday - yoga / crosstrain
Tuesday - 6 miles
Wednesday - 6 miles / yoga
Thursday - 6 miles
Friday - 6 miles
Saturday - rest / recovery
Sunday - long run (10+ miles)
When my long runs get up in the 20 mile range, I'll start doing yoga on Saturday instead of Monday as well. Also, later in the cycle, I will probably start doing 8 mile runs on Thursdays and possibly 8 mile runs on Fridays, or 10 mile runs on Fridays. This will get my max mileage to the mid-50s. And ensure that I get to the finish line.