Last night, we played pass-the-baby from me to the Hus; this morning, we switched it up. I went on an early morning run, and when I returned, he left for his workout. Although we weren’t too keen on the idea of a jogging stroller at first, we both agree that it’s mighty appealing now… We’d get to spend more time together.
Not that my solo run was unpleasant… It was actually great. I did 5 miles in 51 minutes. I’m not truly following a training plan at the moment, but I am trying to establish a decent base so I can prepare for my half marathon in January. I’m aiming to run four days a week, and I arrange the workouts like so:
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Two easy runs – Usually done at night or during a time crunch, these runs are 2 – 3 miles. Sole purpose of these runs is to just get out there, maintain the habit, and clock in mileage. I’ll probably extend one of these runs to 4 miles as I get closer and closer to the half marathon.
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One moderate intensity longer run – I’m making this run a 5-miler (I really like my 5-mile route), and my goal is always to run with only one walking break, which I take at the halfway point. I also do ‘strides’ at the end. Strides involve sprinting for 30 seconds, jogging for 15 seconds, and then repeating. My last sprint is always the hardest; I imagine a finish line at my mailbox.
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One long run – Right now, my long runs are 5 miles, too, but I’m planning to extend them starting next week. Gotta up get to 13.1 miles! I’m cool with loads of walking breaks during these runs because, well, I’m at the point in my running life that I don’t mind walking breaks during races.
It’s definitely a loose plan, but a loose plan is what works for me right now. Everyone is different, of course – I’ve done enough long races to know what I need to do to prepare my body (and have fun along the way!), but this style might not work for everyone.
Scenes from this morning’s ‘moderate intensity’ run…
Cold enough to require ear coverage! Wahoo.
How do you arrange your runs? Do you just get out there and run whatever distance you feel like doing, or do you have a system like me? Or do you follow a specific training plan?
I’ve only followed a training plan once while training for my first 10k, but I really liked having structured workouts on the non running days, too. It was amazing how much it helped me increase my distance and speed.