My Training Plan - Cambridge Half Marathon
12/15/2016
We're half way through December already, seriously, what the hell! I've probably mentioned far too much that this year has gone by way too quick. So, as it gets ever so close to the end of the year, it also means that my races are getting closer too! It's just 12 weeks until my first half marathon of 2017! So it's time to start up a new training plan to keep me motivated to run(which as of late has been less than stellar).
As always with a lead up to races, I'll be going back to doing weekly training diaries every Monday up until race day.
I have actually started training this week! So you'll see a fresh new training diary recap up on my blog for Monday to recap but I thought it'd be good to give an overall view of my training plan and goals.
GOALS
So, before I even made a training plan, I wanted to make sure I knew what my goals/aims were for Cambridge Half(thats my first half for 2017). I think it's good to have goals to work towards when training, they keep you far more motivated to get out and run if you know that you have something to work for!
So, first off - I'd like to be able to run the whole thing without having to stop for a walk break, that would be awesome! I'm pretty sure I've stopped to walk at every half marathon I've done so that would be a nice feat.
Secondly and more obviously, I'd love to get a PB. I haven't managed to PB my first half marathon time, which is massively annoying! My PB for Soham Half Marathon in 2013 was 2:17:38. So anything lower than that would be fantastic!
I'd love under 2:15, but any PB would be lovely!
So they're the main two. I have a 10k race at week 8 of training(London Winter Run) and I'd love to be able to PB in that too - can I finally get under 1hr?!
TRAINING STRUCTURE
So, now that we have the goals out of the way, here's a run down of my training structure with all the things I plan on doing in order to try and reach my goals for race day:
How many weeks till race day: 12 weeks - 5th March 2017 - This is all dependant on you. Some people will prefer to train a little longer than others, I figured I'd start early and it leaves some wiggle room if things go t*ts up!
How many runs per week: 3 x per week(any additional runs are a bonus).
What Days/Types of runs: In terms of days to run - Im just gonna base it on when I think it's best. The only day I know I cant run is a Monday.
In terms of the types of runs I'll be doing, I'll probably stick to an obvious Long Run which will be on a Sunday as thats the best day for me, a Interval/Hill run(I'll probably alternate each week) and a Tempo Run - as I said, I may choose to do a 4th run during the week and this will probably be an easy run.
Cross Training: Im aiming to swim, cycle(more like turbo) and throw in some home workouts as cross training. Previously during training, apart from keeping up my swimming lessons, I didn't do any sort of cross training. Doh! So Im gonna make sure I do it this time round! Lets get strong! So, I plan to:
Schedule: I have a blank training plan at the moment. I think it's gonna take me a week to figure out which days are best for which activities. I had an initial plan that I wrote as a draft and that has already changed, so I know I need to figure out the best days that work for me. I think as long as I complete what I've set out above with my Runs and Cross Training, I'll be fine!
As a very rough guide, I've got the following:
There we have it! That's it for my training plan for Cambridge Half. Training in the past hasn't exactly gone to plan but Im gonna try my hardest to make sure that I stick at it!
Wish me luck! and keep an eye out for Mondays Training Diary!
As always with a lead up to races, I'll be going back to doing weekly training diaries every Monday up until race day.
I have actually started training this week! So you'll see a fresh new training diary recap up on my blog for Monday to recap but I thought it'd be good to give an overall view of my training plan and goals.
GOALS
So, before I even made a training plan, I wanted to make sure I knew what my goals/aims were for Cambridge Half(thats my first half for 2017). I think it's good to have goals to work towards when training, they keep you far more motivated to get out and run if you know that you have something to work for!
So, first off - I'd like to be able to run the whole thing without having to stop for a walk break, that would be awesome! I'm pretty sure I've stopped to walk at every half marathon I've done so that would be a nice feat.
Secondly and more obviously, I'd love to get a PB. I haven't managed to PB my first half marathon time, which is massively annoying! My PB for Soham Half Marathon in 2013 was 2:17:38. So anything lower than that would be fantastic!
Dead after my first ever half. Ice cream still intact. |
So they're the main two. I have a 10k race at week 8 of training(London Winter Run) and I'd love to be able to PB in that too - can I finally get under 1hr?!
TRAINING STRUCTURE
So, now that we have the goals out of the way, here's a run down of my training structure with all the things I plan on doing in order to try and reach my goals for race day:
How many weeks till race day: 12 weeks - 5th March 2017 - This is all dependant on you. Some people will prefer to train a little longer than others, I figured I'd start early and it leaves some wiggle room if things go t*ts up!
How many runs per week: 3 x per week(any additional runs are a bonus).
What Days/Types of runs: In terms of days to run - Im just gonna base it on when I think it's best. The only day I know I cant run is a Monday.
In terms of the types of runs I'll be doing, I'll probably stick to an obvious Long Run which will be on a Sunday as thats the best day for me, a Interval/Hill run(I'll probably alternate each week) and a Tempo Run - as I said, I may choose to do a 4th run during the week and this will probably be an easy run.
Cross Training: Im aiming to swim, cycle(more like turbo) and throw in some home workouts as cross training. Previously during training, apart from keeping up my swimming lessons, I didn't do any sort of cross training. Doh! So Im gonna make sure I do it this time round! Lets get strong! So, I plan to:
- Swim x 2
- Cycle x2
- Home Workout x1(maybe 2)
Rest Days: 1 day - if I'm feeling particularly run down, I'll take a second, but I'm usually OK with one day to recoup.
Schedule: I have a blank training plan at the moment. I think it's gonna take me a week to figure out which days are best for which activities. I had an initial plan that I wrote as a draft and that has already changed, so I know I need to figure out the best days that work for me. I think as long as I complete what I've set out above with my Runs and Cross Training, I'll be fine!
As a very rough guide, I've got the following:
- Monday - Morning: Home Workout | Evening: Swim
- Tuesday - Morning: Run
- Wednesday - Morning: Cycle
- Thursday - Morning: Run(Interval/Hill), Swim
- Friday - REST DAY
- Saturday - Home Workout / Cycle
- Sunday - Morning: Long Run
There we have it! That's it for my training plan for Cambridge Half. Training in the past hasn't exactly gone to plan but Im gonna try my hardest to make sure that I stick at it!
Wish me luck! and keep an eye out for Mondays Training Diary!
Question: Do you plan out a specific schedule for your training plan or just plan it around whats going on? Are you training for any upcoming events?
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