When Training, Be Flexible (Physically and Timely)

Today I finalized my training schedule.  I've worked in several different workouts including yoga.  The inclusion of yoga will improve my flexibility as well as my balance and ability to keenly focus on my goal.  Not to mention yoga is a lot of fun!  I can't wait to get back into practicing - even if it's only once a week.

As you can see, I'm planning on running my long runs on Saturdays (as long as I can get up and not be tempted my Jen's delicious breakfasts...) with short runs on Mondays and Thursdays.  I'll plan to cross train at the gym on Sundays and Tuesdays (Tuesdays will be spinning!), practice yoga on Wednesdays, and finally, rest on Fridays.

I'm sure I'll find a few other days fall way to resting as well but that's okay.  The importance of the schedule is not to stick to it 100%; instead its importance is the accountability it creates.  I have a plan to follow to reach my goal.  RIght now the goal is to run the race, but as I progress I'll get a time in there to help fine-tune my schedule.  Most importantly though, the schedule should be FLEXIBLE!

So, how did I put this together?  6 simple steps:

Assembling a Run Training Schedule

1. Step1
   
   Sit down with a weekly calendar and determine (a) how many weeks you have before your goal and (b) how many days of the week you want to spend on each type of training (including rest!).
   
2. Step2
   
   Decide what specific type of exercises you want to engage in. For instance, you will need to balance your short runs, long runs, cardiovascular, and resting days to safely reach your goal.  Include yoga to really train across the entire spectrum of health and wellness.
   
3. Step3
   
   Starting with today (or starting from your goal), decide what types of exercises you will do on each day.  Spread it any way you like, just be sure you have 1 - 2 days of rest per week and that you aren't running any two days in a row.
   
4. Step4
   
   For any "run" days, determine your mileage.  Your long runs should build up to your goal and your short runs should stay attainable to fit in with the rest your life's schedule.  Experiment with running at, below, and above your race pace.  Run mile sprints/surges within your runs to train your muscles for quick changes in pace.
   
5. Step5
   
   Put it on paper and commit yourself to training according to your plan (but remain flexible!). This is the most important step.
   
6. Step6
   
   Don't be afraid to re-make your schedule.
   
   
   
   

And we're back!

October 18, 2009
Jen and Brian successfully complete their first half marathon (woo hoo!) and then immediately take a nap.

November 26, 2009
Jen and Brian run the 100th Annual Thanksgiving Day Run (what an event!) and then immediately eat a delicious meal (prepared mostly by Jen, of course).

December 31, 2009
Brian registers for the Flying Pig Half Marathon.

January 12, 2010
Brian runs the Corporate Climb (and realizes he hasn't run more than two miles in over two months).

January 14, 2010
Jen gently reminds Brian that he should probably start training soon.

January 24, 2010
Brian lays out a training schedule and re-inaugurates "Go, Craft, Go!" for another round of racing adventures!

Running a Half Marathon

As you could undoubtedly surmise from my previous post, we completed our first half marathon!  The day was full of excitement, exhaustion, and a little delirious humor towards the final stretch.

our bibs and medals

We started the day early, awaking to warm up, eat a healthy breakfast, and don our newly acquired running apparel (sidebar:  The one thing you learn while training is to train like you will run, meaning run in clothes you will wear, eat foods you will eat, and drink as you will drink on race day.  The week before our race, temperatures dropped nearly 40 degrees.  So...on our way to Columbus we stopped to purchase some new Nike cold-training gear for the race.  As it turns out this had no negative effects on our performance and made us much, much warmer.  It was barely 30 degrees when the race started.)

We ate responsibly the night before at Brio (a healthy dose of carbs from delicious pasta) and Sunday morning's fuel consisted of Clif bars, water, and jelly beans.  Six months ago when we signed up for the race, we were smart and booked a hotel two minutes from the start line.  Ingenious, idea.  A little after 7am, we made our way downstairs, walked around the Ohio State Capital Building, crammed into the starting area, and began our race.

a fuzzy before-race photo

I'm not sure if it was the brisk temperatures, the culmination of a long training cycle, the live band playing Born to Run, the exhilaration of race day, or the combination of all these things (the most likely option), but we started our race well.  Miles 1 - 6 seemed to just zip by.  Jen ran her fastest 10k time here and I ran my second fastest - not bad when we still had more than another 10k to go!

Miles 7 - 10 seemed a little spacier.  These weren't terribly more challenging in any way, it just seemed to take longer between mile markers.  Fortunately, we had prepared some great iPod playlists and were still conscious enough to have intelligent and humorous conversation.  This is where having a running buddy really helps you out!

Although, we didn't have to rely entirely on each other for entertainment and motivation.  The course was filled with live bands playing around every mile, active volunteers swarming the water/goo stops, and of course, some eclectic fellow runners.

Miles 11 - to the end were pretty exciting.  By this time, we had left German Village and made our way to the Brewery District.  Downtown and the Arena District were all that was left.  The crowds were thicker and even more motivating through here and that made the endorphins skyrocket.  We had to consciously hold ourselves back for fear we might burn out before we actually reached the finish!

The last 1/2 mile was probably the most challenging hill-wise, but once we crested High Street and rounded the corner onto Nationwide Blvd., there was nothing standing in our way.  Thousands of cheering spectators, arches of multi-colored balloons, and an announcer bellowing out the names of racers crossing the finish line.  This is where we really cut loose.  We opened up with all we had left and booked it to the end.  It felt amazing to hear the course announcer call out our names as we flew through the last arch of balloons and were wrapped in space blankets.  Utter, unbelievable pride.  That's what I felt after running a half marathon.  That and a strong hunger for bagels.

Here's a shout out to everyone who helped us train, gave us tips, wished us luck, or saw us finish - THANK YOU!

WE DID IT!!!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Jen and I are pumped.

I just came off one of those energizing days of work.  The kind where you are busy every minute of the entire day but yet you're not tired, angry, or anxious when you get home.  The kind where you are energized because you have a sense that you accomplished at least one important thing that day.  If you don't have these kinds of days, you need to read John Kotter's A Sense of Urgency.  Go to Amazon.com.  Right now.

Jen made it to our old school spinning class (I had to bail due to work but did go to the gym) with "Jillian" and she always feels super excited about life after that.  Jillian is by far the most motivating and hard-hitting instructors at our gym.  I don't think it's possible to not feel great after riding with her.

So, as I said before, Jen and I are pumped.  And our Half Marathon is only a few short days away.  It's been a great experience training (or sometimes trying to train...) for this race.  I know we will both do well and, hey, even if our times are outlandish we will have accomplished something that we've never attempted before.  And that rocks.

What's been playing in my mind...

Let the Countdown Begin

We both want to run the race.  I'll admit it, we're a little tired of the training.  The schedule was appropriate given that this will be our first long race but it has taken forever to get to this point...THE FINAL WEEK!

We both gave ourselves ample recovery time following last weekend's Reggae Run.  We made it back to a spinning class for the first time in a few weeks and did a short run.  On Saturday, we hopped in the 'bru with Wally and field tripped to Oxford.  After a "we really miss college" lunch Uptown, we spent the entire afternoon walking around campus.  I think Wally marked the entire place.

This week's schedule:
S: 4 miles
M:  x-train @ gym
T:  4 miles
W:  rest
R:  x-train @ gym (light)
F:  2 miles
S:  rest, head to C-Bus
S:  run our hearts out