Blogging Molonese

This is The Plan. We will try to stick to it as much as possible. Take a look:

TARGET TIME
You need go to a well-marked flat trail or road and run three miles as fast as you can. Then use the corresponding formula from number 1 above to find your half-marathon per mile pace and goal time.

HMP = Half-Marathon Mile Pace

THE TRAINING RUNS

Our half-marathon program includes three time-targeted runs each week.

Each run serves a purpose; to make us fitter and faster for our race. It also keeps things pragmatic and will over-run us. To be practical, we can always trade long-runs for getting out of town to ride bikes or do some races. After all, we must not forget to have some fun!

SPEEDWORK (aka interval training):

Speedwork is about alternating short, fast bursts of intensive exercise with slow, easy activity/recovery. Muscles develop a higher tolerance to the build-up of lactate, and the heart muscle is strengthened. These changes result in improved performance particularly within the cardiovascular system. Interval training also helps prevent the injuries often associated with repetitive exercise, and they allow us to increase our training intensity without overtraining or burning out.

Our plan uses three distances: 400, 800, and 1600. Warm up with a 20-minute jog and cool down after your session with a 10-minute jog. This helps prevent muscle strains, and will keep our legs fresh for the next session. As a practical substitute, I’m using our Thursday gym workouts (spin + treadmill runs) as speedwork, and using the table as a guide of intensity.

Sample Speedwork:
20-minute jog. 8 x 400 (at pace specified) with a two-minute recovery jog in between each. Cool down with a 10-minute jog.

Speedwork Target Times:
400s- HMP, minus 75 seconds, divided by 4
800s- HMP, minus 65 seconds, divided by 2
1600s- HMP, minus 45 seconds
For example, a runner who is targeting a 1:30 half-marathon would be running at a 6:52-per-mile pace. Their 400s would be run at 6:52 minus 75 seconds (5:37), and divided by 4, or 84 seconds.

TEMPO RUNS
The tempo run does two key things for us: it enables the runner to keep running at a faster pace. The key here is a good relaxed warmup jog, then a gradual shift into a tempo pace, followed by a relaxed cooldown jog.

Tempo runs can be done on a road or at the gym, at our own time. Use the table as an indication of the distance to run.

Sample Tempo Run: Jog 10 minutes. Four mile tempo. Jog 10 minutes.

Tempo Pace: HMP minus 15 seconds.
For example, our 1:30 half-marathoner would perform his / her tempo run in 6:37.

LONG RUNS
Without the strong, steady, endurance-boosting long run, speed workouts and tempo runs would gradually wear us down. We will start with 4-mile runs (one loop in Discovery Park) and work up to 12 miles.

Sample Long Run: 10 miles

Long Run Pace: HMP + 30 seconds per mile
For example, our 1:30 half-marathoner would run his/her long run at 7:22 per mile.