A conversation with Chris

A Preview:

This athlete has been doing 75 to 100 miles for mileage per week.
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So yeah that sounds like a good plan regarding taking 5 days off.

I would also add, that since you have a minor ache and pain this 10 or so weeks of less mileage working on good form through quicker races and training will serve you. In the sense that you will heal and get more fit for the very rigorous 1/2 marathon training for your Fall race.

First and foremost this is a tentative plan.

This all hinges on the contingency of our conversations regarding feeling and accomplishment

Also, what will depend on your transition from emphasizing workouts over races to emphasizing races over w/o is dependent on your "championship" Race. We need to figure out a racing calendar, with less important and more important races identified. The Twilight races in Boston are very competitive but it is a bit of a drive. The nice thing about the twilight races is they start in the evening so you can do a day trip. Anyway, just start planning a champ race and a few other ones around that time.

Until then you can race but the races have less importance in respect to what you are doing on the days during the actual week. During this earlier phase the days are really serving the "future you" more than the person running a few days later.


Also, you seem like you crave some heads up so here goes:

That being said lets talk about this Upcoming week and lets head in with 50 miles, and two w/o. Mon is fine to be moderately long like 10-13, but it would better if your 1st WK looked like this;

WK 1
(Day Today's Mileage / Weekly Mileage)
Mon 6 / 6
Tues moderately long < 14 / 16-20 Wed 6 / 22-26 Thurs Track w/o 7-9 / 23-29 Fri off 0 / 23-29 Sat 6-8 / 29-37 Sun Treadmill W/o 10 / 39-47 WK 2 Mon Long > 17
Tues 7-9 / 24-26
Wed 6 / 30-32
Thurs Track W/O 8-10 / 38-42
Fri Off 0 / 38-42
Sat 5-7 / 43-49
Sun Treadmill W/0 10-12 / 53-61

If this schedule is to be stuck to I would recommend Fri clearly as a supplemental day the other would be probably Tues. This might involve 10-12 min of light running or skipping rope for example which doesn't count towards the time limit, neither does a stretch session after.
However recovery in between exercises and reps DO count towards the time limit. Right now your time limit is 45 min. If you want to be a great runner you have to define priorities of training based on particular periods of the year.

SO supplemental can be a lot of things, plyometrics, explosive full body lifts, medicine ball work, isolated body build lifts, you know more than me with your background. The great thing about supplemental is it has its own crescendo of training through a season and year; emphasize this now and build into this later.

But we don't need to get all nuanced right now. This is our first season so we will work on communication and more major training.

So basically you get two supplemental days of 45 min (running time including the rest in between reps, sets etc) of hard work.

Also after wed and sat do 3-5 30 sec lights strides (3k pace fastest) with about 90 sec in between. Focus on good form, step over the knee with the trail leg, have the foot accelerate towards the ground and have your toes dorsiflexed.


As far as easy days go-The primary goals are as follows:
1)Physiological; Increase blood flow to the working muscle, increasing capillary use, number/size of mitochondria and increase strength in the tendons and ligaments plus more

2)Psychological; being able to look at a distance and know, not think, know it is nothing in terms of what you can devour.

However, there is a fine line where easy days become something they shouldn't be. This will eat away at any quality work done that week. There is something to be regularly felt; that an easy run felt easy immediately when you finish. Save something today to do something very well tomorrow.

So there is a range of time that can fit this 6:45 on a treadmill or very comfortable road/trail. But the slower end that will still accomplish this is 7:45 and use the window depending on how you feel. Easy runs serve the hard days, the should feel easy or at least tolerable after a very hard w/o. These paces also slow down when on a hill or muddy/sandy terrain. In such cases let intensity guide you.

Also don't worry about occasionally running, like once a week with people that are much slower than that. It will keep you good at heart to regularly run with people. If this means it is in the 9 min miles don't sweat it. Follow this rule though, don't do anything longer then 7 miles at a pace slower then 8min miles. Because you don't ever really do that pace it will leave you sore if you go to long.

We have a bit more to go over but that is it for now, let me know what you think.