Last week marked the start of training for the Philadelphia marathon on November 20. I'm going with a 16 week plan this time (mainly because it worked with the timing of my last triathlon) and more or less following the Hal Higdon Intermediate 2 schedule. I've made a few changes based on my weekend travel plans, work and social obligations, etc. but the idea is generally the same. This plan peaks at 50 mile/week which will be the most that I have ever done. Last year I got up to the mid 40s. I think this will be beneficial (why I'm trying it), but I am going to be paying close attention to see how my body responds and, if there are any issues, will be quick to replace a running day with cross training. The other thing I like is that it calls for double long runs. The first day is about half the mileage of the second day and the first day is often done at marathon pace. While my focus now is Philadelphia, I'll be doing the Goofy Challenge only 7 weeks after that so I want my body to be prepared. For this reason I am also considering a shorter taper.
Monday August 1
Rest
All of the best training plans start with a rest day, right? I decided to give myself the day off after the Culpeper triathlon and jump back into running on Tuesday.
Tuesday August 2
5.0 mi
Wednesday August 3
3.0 mi
Thursday August 4
Rest
Thursdays are going to be my standard rest day, ahead of the double long run weekend.
Friday August 5
5.0 mi
The plan is set up for double long run weekends, but I really like to have Sundays as a day to sleep in and not have to use an alarm. I'm going to attempt to do the Friday/Saturday combo most weekends.
Saturday August 6
11.0 mi
Sarah joined me for the first 8 miles and it definitely made them fly by. I should probably try to convince her to run with me more often as I ended up with my best average pace for a long run since the spring (before the heat and humidity slowed me down). I tacked on an extra 3 by myself at the end to hit 11 for the day.
Sunday August 7
1 mile swim
I drove up to Ellicott City, Maryland on Sunday morning for the inaugural Centennial Lake 1 mile swim. Full race report tomorrow!
Week 1 (miles planned/ran) - 26-27/24*
*I realized after posting this that I did some wonky math. Monday had a 3 mile run on the schedule, but I decided to give myself a post-tri rest day instead.
8 comments:
nice week! can't wait to hear about the swim!
I used that plan for my last marathon. I had to drop some of the double runs, thanks to weeks of poor training with Snomageddon, but it was a good plan.
Guess that means I'm nearing the point where I should create a plan for the Philly half....
You have a lot of running in your future and I would be glad to join you on more long runs.
I'm doing 9 on Wen morning if that fits into your training schedule?
I've known several people who used that plan and have had success with it. I think you'll do great with it!
20 weeks. What a relief to have so much time! You can do it and do it RIGHT with that much time.
Looks great to me. I know you are going to rock it! I hope i can come down and cheer you on when you do.
Could you email me yours so we can compare? I feel like they are quite alike. Hopefully we will be able to meet up that weekend!
I agree, I used his back to back reverse taper plan for Goofy myself! Yes, it's def important to listen to your body, let us know if you want in the FB pool runners page for days you're feeling beat up!
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