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6 day week - 8 day week - ... (Read 297 times)
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posted: 12/31/2006 at 2:32 PM
modified: 12/31/2006 at 2:43 PM
I'm wondering if any of you plan your training where the training week is not 7 days.

I'm contemplating making my training plan 8 days instead of the usual 7 days.

For example:

Day 1 - Easy
Day 2 - Tempo
Day 3 - Rest
Day 4 - Easy
Day 5 - Hills
Day 6 - Rest
Day 7 - Long
Day 8 - Rest

Repeat

I find it hard to fit a training cycle in 7 days.

Anyone doing that? Any opinions?
veggies on the run
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Runs With Snowplows
posted: 12/31/2006 at 2:46 PM
Hmmm...that's really interesting. I can see how that would work really well. I wish I could do something like that, but due to my son's school schedule I'm pretty locked into a 7 day week. I do like the idea of ignoring the calendar and scheduling runs in terms of optimum training, though.

k
Kirsten

Ladies Locker Room

.: 2008 Goals :.
• Run 1500 miles
• October 5 - 1st marathon - Milwaukee Lakefront - in my home state of WI
• PRs: 5k ~ 15k ~ 25k
• 1st trail race
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posted: 12/31/2006 at 2:50 PM
No personal experience trying that, but I don't see how it would be a problem. The main reason I stay on a 7-day schedule is so I can always do my long run on a weekend. But I keep it pretty flexible and have done the long runs on weekdays at times... works fine if your job allows it! Wink
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Funky Monkey
posted: 12/31/2006 at 3:47 PM
I would do this, in 7 days

Day 1 - Rest
Day 2 - Easy (short length)
Day 3 - Easy (mid length)
Day 4 - Tempo alternate with Hills
Day 5 - Easy (short length)
Day 6 - Easy (mid length)
Day 7 - Long

Long is any distance above 14 miles
Mid is 1/2 the weeks' long distance
Short is 1/4 the weeks's long distance
Do Tempo / Intervals / Hills on alternating weeks.

It is very hard to ignore the calendar on an ongoing basis unless you and your family have jobs, activities and school that also ignore the calendar. Over time, this becomes more and more difficult to do.
It's all fun and games until the flying monkeys attack.
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posted: 1/1/2007 at 2:31 PM
modified: 1/1/2007 at 2:33 PM
I'm lucky to have quite a flexible schedule, enough so I can get my runs in before going to work. I'm also lucky because we have locker rooms and showers at work.

So, to optimize my time, I try to run to work. I can then remove my commute time from my run. If I have an easy 10km run which would take me about 55 minutes but would get me to work in the end. I would save 35 minutes commute and it would only cost me 20 minutes net in time.

My longest runs eventually get close to 3 hours. If I start at 7am, I would get to work at 10am, in my office and showered by 10:30am which is definitely acceptable where I work, specially if it's once a week.

The only complication with running to work is planning ahead for clothes. I have to remember to bring an extra change of clothes, shoes and coat the previous day.

I used to try to fit 5 running days in a 7 day week and had to run 3 consecutive days, 2 of them hard. It was hard to fully recuperate.

I'll give the 8 day schedule a shot and see how it works out. I like having a rest day at least after every other run. It also allows me getting three hard runs a "week".
veggies on the run
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posted: 1/5/2007 at 2:13 PM
modified: 1/5/2007 at 2:41 PM
I've often thought that, from a purely training perspective, either a 6 day schedule or 10 day schedule (depending on what phase of training I'm in) would work best. But there is no way I can ignore the calendar, so I'm stuck with 7.

I do like the idea of doing a long run to work once in while though. We just moved in to new offices where we have a shower and a few of us have been running at lunch a few days a week. It's definitely a nice option like when my kids are up sick all night/morning and the a.m. run gets messed up (like today.)

But I could definitely turn that into a "run commute" once in a while and kill two birds with one stone. It would be a net time savings over running at home then commuting in. And I can hitch a ride or take the train home no problem...that has potential. I'm about 13 driving miles from home so probably more like 14-15 if I try to stay off really busy roads.
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posted: 1/5/2007 at 2:43 PM
Plus I pay $9/day to park....hmm this is getting more attractive by the minute.
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