Running Training Plan Questions.....?

Question

Hi All...

This is what I currently do:

Monday: Cross train (Aikido)

Tuesday: 3.5mile easy run

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 3.5 mile easy run

Friday: 3.5 mile spead play run (Fartlek)

Saturday: Cross train (Aikido)

Sunday: Long run 6 miles and increasing a mile a week (dropping back every 4th week)

Question is as I increase my long run every week do I keep the easy runs the same distance? Or should these increase periodically too? And if so by what increments?

My goal, for now, is a half marathon in September.

Other info: Been running 3 months (have been fitted for shoes).

5k time: 21.45

10k time: 49.14

Thanks for your help!

Regards,

Answer 1

too many days off and not enough mileage. Aikido (whatever that is) is a day off.

You need some steady state (tempo) runs and more mileage

Answer 2

What you are doing sounds good at the moment. Perhaps you are increasing your long run a bit too fast - aim to time it so that you can run maybe 10 miles by August, so increase by maybe 1/2 mile a week (some say no more than a 10% increase per week). Dropping back for a shorter long run every now and then is good to consolodate what you are doing.

Yes, you can increase your easy runs as well - aim to get them to half an hour in length or a bit longer, so up to 4 or 5 miles by August too. Keep your Fartlec sessions the same, just increae the intensity if you want to.

Cross training is good too.

So to answer your question, yes, increase your long run till August you are doing 10. Increase one short run a week to 5 miles by august and I think you will be fine

50 min 10k, that would work out to be something like a 1:45 to 1:50 half - not bad for a first one

Answer 3

You need to have more running, and less cross training as you build your base fitness.  The martial arts are great for fitness and flexibility, so don't abandon them, just run more.

I would be running 5 days a week, and for time not mileage.  Long Slow Distance (LSD) is the key.  You should be training at around 70% of your max heartrate, which is usually around the pace at which you can still speak to someone without gasping.

Increase the time you run each week by no more than 10%.

Depending upon the race you are running, later in your base training you may consider some hill work, or a few speed drills.  Over the next month, I would swap the fartlek for more LSD.

I think you can pull of a half marathon by September if you can build your time running at one time to approximately 2 hours before you taper.

The attached link has a lot of good information.

Answer 4

Have a look on here for the running calculator. It gives excellent training schedules and the times you should be running for each type of run you do. You input your best time for a given distance and it works out predicted times for all the rest too.

It's a great runner's resource.