Brad, thanks for sharing this!

There are all kinds of things you can do to start adding some speed to your routine and you never have to go to a track. No matter what you do, you should be uncomfortable by the end.  Not like you are at the end of a race but you shouldn't be enjoying it by the time you finish.  I like to finish thinking that I could have done one more set or one more repeat or one more whatever but I'm damn glad I don't have to.  Here are a few suggestions.

 

1.  Fartleks.  Run fast for 30 seconds, then jog for 3 seconds then run fast for one minute then jog for 30 seconds then run fast for 2 minutes then jog for 30 seconds, then repeat the cycle.  You can do endless variations of this. I frequently use blocks.  Run fast for a block, jog for a block, fast for 2 blocks, jog for 2 blocks, fast for 3 blocks, jog for 3 blocks, etc.  I might work up to 5 blocks and then work my way back down.  Invent your own routines.

 

2.  Strides.  You should do these twice a week.  Over a distance of 100-150 yards, gradually accelerate from a jog to a very fast - 80-90% of all out - run and then gradually decelerate back to a jog.  Jog until you feel ready to do another one.  Start with 3 or 4 of these and work your way up to 7 or 8.  Alternatively to putting these at the end of a run, I always do 3-4 strides before I begin any speed work just to prime my legs for faster running.

 

3.  Fast Finish.  Finish the last 1/4 of a run significantly faster than the first 3/4.  This should be fast enough to be fairly unpleasant as the point is to simulate maintaining a hard effort at the end of a race.

 

4.  Progression runs.  The problem most people have with progression runs is that they don't start them easy enough.  Start them very, very easy.  Think of four efforts throughout the run.  First 1/4 very easy.  Second 1/4 easy.  Third 1/4 moderate.  Final 1/4 fairly hard.

 

5.  Tempo runs.  Jog a mile to warm up.  Then run 2 miles fairly hard.  Not really hard but fairly hard.  Jog a mile to cool down.

Personally, I would spread the mileage out that you have over 4 or 5 days and spend 2 or 3 weeks getting comfortable doing the routine nice and easy before working in the speed work.  Maybe instead of adding mileage, add speed.  I'm just personally cautious of increasing mileage and quality (speed) at the same time...not that it can't be done.

I finally got around to looking at your plan details. It's pretty much what I anticipated so my advice doesn't change.

1) add a 4th, and possibly a 5th day of running

2) add some striders at the end of 1 or 2 easy runs each week. Striders do not have to match what LTH describes. They can be anywhere from 50-150m long, though I've seen recommendations that they not exceed about 20 seconds. Even though you would be warmed up by that point, ease into them starting more slowly and increasing the pace. They're a good way to work on form.

3) try to keep your long run to 30-35% of weekly mileage since you'd be running only 4 or 5 times a week. That means a lot more total mileage in order to get your LR up to 10+ miles and that could take more time than you've allocated. If you have the option to drop to a shorter distance, you might want to consider that.

4) once your mileage up to about 20 mpw and/or you feel very comfortable with a 4-5 mile run, you should consider adding tempo runs or intervals to your schedule.

thanks wcrunner. If training is not going well I will eat the cost of the races. I'd rather lose money than get re-injured. Is that what your concern is for me? or is it more that I won't run the races very well with too low weekly mileage? I registered for the half and ten miler as a package back in December as a money saving option when registration first opened. I had completed several runs of over 5 miles at the time very comfortably, so running 10 by June and 13 by October did not seem like lofty goals. That was pre-injury of course.

My main concern for you is a higher risk of injury on low mileage with the LR accounting for 40-50% of weekly milage coupled with the relatively rapid increase in the LR distance in comparision to your weekly mileage. You may actually be better prepared for your races with a shorter LR but higher weekly mileage. If you have access to Hansons Marathon Method, you may want to read up on their approach.

I was going to jump in here, but read the previous posts.  I think you guys have this covered :-)

There are all kinds of things you can do to start adding some speed to your routine and you never have to go to a track. No matter what you do, you should be uncomfortable by the end.  Not like you are at the end of a race but you shouldn't be enjoying it by the time you finish.  I like to finish thinking that I could have done one more set or one more repeat or one more whatever but I'm damn glad I don't have to.  Here are a few suggestions.

 

1.  Fartleks.  Run fast for 30 seconds, then jog for 3 seconds then run fast for one minute then jog for 30 seconds then run fast for 2 minutes then jog for 30 seconds, then repeat the cycle.  You can do endless variations of this. I frequently use blocks.  Run fast for a block, jog for a block, fast for 2 blocks, jog for 2 blocks, fast for 3 blocks, jog for 3 blocks, etc.  I might work up to 5 blocks and then work my way back down.  Invent your own routines.

 

2.  Strides.  You should do these twice a week.  Over a distance of 100-150 yards, gradually accelerate from a jog to a very fast - 80-90% of all out - run and then gradually decelerate back to a jog.  Jog until you feel ready to do another one.  Start with 3 or 4 of these and work your way up to 7 or 8.  Alternatively to putting these at the end of a run, I always do 3-4 strides before I begin any speed work just to prime my legs for faster running.

 

3.  Fast Finish.  Finish the last 1/4 of a run significantly faster than the first 3/4.  This should be fast enough to be fairly unpleasant as the point is to simulate maintaining a hard effort at the end of a race.

 

4.  Progression runs.  The problem most people have with progression runs is that they don't start them easy enough.  Start them very, very easy.  Think of four efforts throughout the run.  First 1/4 very easy.  Second 1/4 easy.  Third 1/4 moderate.  Final 1/4 fairly hard.

 

5.  Tempo runs.  Jog a mile to warm up.  Then run 2 miles fairly hard.  Not really hard but fairly hard.  Jog a mile to cool down.

This is very helfpul since I am SO intimidated by the track.  Thank you.

Hey helpful running friends who I appreciate more than you understand....

I am officially back to running again! This was my first week back....I did a few east "test runs" to make sure my knee was feeling good. I did 3 runs of .85 miles, 1 mile, and 1.5 miles along with elliptical and stationary bike. The runs felt GREAT (I ran at an easy-effort pace for the 1.5 miler and it was a minute and a half faster than my 5K PR with much less effort). I went to the orthopedic doctor and he told me I can run. He said 4 days per week would be fine, that next week I should be ok starting a plan but to increase no more than 5-10% per week for the time being.

I posted an updated training plan in my log. I made the following modifications:

1) I added a 4th running day to each week.

2) I decided to scrap the April 6th 10K. I decided that this will take the pressure off the quick build up of my long run mileage. I kept the mpw virtually the same as the original plan based on Higdon Novice 10K, but spread it out over 4 days, and instead of running virtually the same weekday runs each week and putting all the increase in the long run, I varied which run to increase. I thought about that 10K race, and realized that the reasons I wanted to do it was A) It was in Central Park and I've been DYING to run a race in Central Park, and B) After I had to DNS my January 26th 10K I have been wanting to run that distance again. I found out that there is a 4 mile race in Central Park the day after the 10K, and that will still allow me to experience a race in Central Park, but without building up my long run too fast. And there will always be other 10Ks. NYC has a lot each year.

I am running a 5 mile race in May, but I am not "racing" it....I am using it as a training run. The race is in my boyfriend's neighborhood, and it is where I run when I visit him anyway. I enjoy race atmospheres and pinning a bib on, so I prefer to take place in a race even if I don't go all-out. The same goes for my March 3rd 5K....I am running it for fun, and because I am just itching to take part in a race again (last one was December 16th). The only race on my schedule I will "race" is the May 21st 5K,

Please let me know what you think. Also, I didn't formally put speedwork in there, but I may do speedwork during one of the runs each week. OBVIOUSLY I cannot predict how my body, particularly knee, will respond to running again, so I will listen to my body and adapt training accordingly....but this is just a rough plan to keep me organized as I begin running again.

THANK YOU AGAIN!!!!