What's your training program? (Read 149 times)

My training plan: I go running.

I run fast when I feel like it, slow when I feel like it, but regular most of the time.

Currently I'm on a strict training schedule of 40-50 miles a week pending illness, weather and free time.

6-7 days a week, but the easy days seem like days off.

I have no day-to-day schedule, but I tend to get my long run on the weekends, currently 13-15 miles.

I am avoiding speed work because I have a bad achilles, but I'll try one in April and see if I don't scream in pain the next morning.

I always run alone, I don't like chitter-chatter, I have a bad habit of "racing" people, and running is my meditation (something best done alone).

Also, I don't race. For now. If I want to know how fast I am, I have a watch.

If you're looking for training advice, there are myriad free plans online for specific distances, and the feedback on this forum fills in the blanks. Everyone seems to have their own opinion about what is "best", but it's usually what is best for them.

As a vaulter, you may not have the same loner/introvert personality as most distance runners. I always had a hard time competing for the attention of prospective girlfriends with vaulters, but then again, both of these guys were in Calvin Klein underwear ads..

If you're outgoing, group runs might be just the thing for you. Your local running store probably has a few organized group runs each week.

Do you target a specific race distance? Not specifically but I Race anything from one mile up to a half marathon. I don’t do marathons anymore. Not my thing. 
How many days a week? 6
How long is your long run? 10-12
Do you do track/speed sessions? When it gets nice out
What's your weekly mileage? 32-38
Do you run alone/ with someone? I prefer to run alone. Right now I’m coaching a training group though and enjoying it. In the past I haven’t enjoyed it as much because although the people were very nice and I liked helping them, the pace was often much slower than I’m used to and it was hard to adjust. My current pace group is my actual pace and I like it much more.

I've found the heart rate metric to be not as useful as we're lead to think. It's interesting for an apples to apples comparison (you to you) but the guidelines for "80%, 90%" etc vary so much from person to person that they are almost useless. I've exceeded my maximum HR a number of times in the last 3 months, and nearly all my runs are in the 90% range according to charts and my watch, even if I'm breathing through my nose feeling like I'm not doing much more effort than walking. I think perceived effort is more useful than HR numbers. HR is probably more revealing as resting HR, not HR while you're working out.

I have the Polar M430 watch, and I find that knowing the speed/pace, distance and avg pace are all helpful. The HR function a little less, but I do check it sometimes. A GPS watch is a great tool for doing pace work because you know if you're actually running the pace desired rather than doing math in your head as you pass each quarter mile and finding out after the fact.

Thanks,

 

targeting a 5k in less than 13 weeks.

 

going from couch to 5k currently but hoping to do more than simply finish, but we'll see how the body responds to training.

 

debating whether or not to get a gps watch, and if so, with heart monitor or not. I have a heart monitor from 15 years ago?

 

wonder if these watches with gps and heart rate would be able to help me find my speed/heart rate for my lactate threshold?

 

 

In my past all I used was a watch with stopwatch and occasionally the heart rate monitor. tend to like to keep things simple, so maybe just a gps watch would be plenty but if the other features could help me train smarter/faster/better I'm open to that idea.

If you're going couch to 5K in 13 weeks, I wouldn't get too wrapped up in a specific plan (unless a C25K plan).  Training for experienced runners I don't think wold be very relevant for what you're trying to achieve.  I think running, or run/walk, and giving your body time to recover and get stronger would be most of what you would need.  Once you get that 5K done, and you want to continue to improve, then I'd say look into a more structured training plan.

I wouldn't use the HRM as a training tool right now either.  You can use it to measure and observe the trends, but I don't think it will help at this point.  When I start from zero, I usually don't start to use the HRM to guide training until after about 6-8 weeks.

Just my 2 cents (others may disagree).  Good luck!

I've found the heart rate metric to be not as useful as we're lead to think. It's interesting for an apples to apples comparison (you to you) but the guidelines for "80%, 90%" etc vary so much from person to person that they are almost useless. I've exceeded my maximum HR a number of times in the last 3 months, and nearly all my runs are in the 90% range according to charts and my watch, even if I'm breathing through my nose feeling like I'm not doing much more effort than walking. I think perceived effort is more useful than HR numbers. HR is probably more revealing as resting HR, not HR while you're working out.

 

I have the Polar M430 watch, and I find that knowing the speed/pace, distance and avg pace are all helpful. The HR function a little less, but I do check it sometimes. A GPS watch is a great tool for doing pace work because you know if you're actually running the pace desired rather than doing math in your head as you pass each quarter mile and finding out after the fact.

This isn't possible, by definition.  You've exceeded what you thought was your maximum HR a number of times, which means you miscalculated your HRmax (or your HRM acted up, or both).

There are a variety of protocols for determining one's max HR. The one that works best for me is to run an all-out 5k and add a few beats to the max I get. You don't want to use any "max HR" you get off an age-based chart; those are calculated from average populations and they are useful only for talking in generalities, not for any individual person's max HR.  I also recommend using %HRR (heart rate reserve) rather than %HRmax - heart rate reserve is the difference between resting and max HR.

I do agree that perceived effort is useful, but HR numbers are a good way of learning how to quantify that perceived effort, and for extrapolating metrics.  Ideally you get to the point where you can pretty accurately guess what your HR is.  I recommend Greg Maclin's HR spreadsheet which you can download from his site http://mymarathonpace.com - the fact that it includes a lot of ranges suggested by different coaches makes it clear that the boundaries between various HR bins are somewhat fuzzy, and I find it super useful.

Also, all HR monitors can be squirrely for various reasons.  Chest straps often have static issues early in runs especially in the winter or dry climates, and wrist-based monitors occasionally cadence lock.  If you're marveling that your HR is apparently through the roof while you're on a casual easy run, manually take your HR for 15 seconds - it's probably a monitor problem.

I don't actually like using instantaneous pace on the GPS watch because it's not really that meaningful without averaging.  Average pace per "lap" (where lap is set to something useful for your workout) is usually better to use.

Back to the original questions: I am not currently training other than getting back into shape after a stress fracture, but when I'm training for a half or marathon I run 6 or 7 days a week, 45-68 mpw.  I build my own training plans according to the principles in Brad Hudson's book Run Faster: mostly easy runs with strides and hill sprints, a few harder workouts. Sometimes I do track workouts with my running club, and sometimes I run easy runs with my husband, but mostly I run by myself.

Do you target a specific race distance?

How many days a week?

How long is your long run?

Do you do track/speed sessions?

What's your weekly mileage?

Do you run alone/ with someone? or a group ever?

 

Curious to see how much variation most runners have, vs. say 3x a week for 5miles, also if so are all those runs equal effort, hard vs. easy etc...

Hi There

I'm running my first marathon at London 2018.  I'm concerned that i'm behind schedule having only ran upto 14 miles due to a couple of injuries etc.  I'm now injury free and had full intention to run 16 miles this weekend however due to the snow only managed 10 miles!!!

I'm quickly running out of weekends to put in long runs therefore do i pull out of the Reading Half Marathon on the 18th March and use that weekend as an opportunity to do 17/18 or should i continue with the HALF MARATHON?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

Interesting article at the link below about how a cross country skier improved her performance by shaking up her training plan, most notably by adding more volume/easy workouts.  It just reinforces the message of run more miles, and run them at an easy pace.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/well/move/do-you-have-what-it-takes-to-be-an-olympian.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fhealth&action=click&contentCollection=health&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=search&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront