I've taken it relatively easy in June. Hardly any kilometres clocked, no performances of note, just a ticking over of the engine whilst I worked out my goals for the Richmond Half in September. By luck or judgement the half lands on Sept 21st, 12 weeks from June 30th. This gave me the opportunity to put together a full plan based on this goal. I might have the US Half and St Neots halves in November, but they're extra events without specific goals.
As discussed at length in October a 1:50 half is something I'm striving for. Dropping 7 minutes between Copenhagen and Helsinki proved to be unrealistic, but the two and a half minutes chopped (would've been more without a toilet stop) suggest further gains can be achieved. Therefore the target for Richmond will be a 1:50.
I've tweaked the format that has done me well since spring 2013. Lucozade produced several training plans for the London Marathon website and I found them the most adaptable. Too many plans look to achieve 5 or 6 runs a week. Previous plans I've put together have included 4 runs a week and even this I've struggled to achieve. A Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday schedule has proved too hard to maintain, especially if the Saturday is a parkrun. This has led me to dropping too many long runs. With all of this in mind I've gone for a simple format, run, rest, repeat. If I run on a Saturday, I take the Sunday off. This leaves me with a fortnightly parkrun schedule and frees up some time on Saturdays, volunteering at Great Notley parkrun the most likely result.
Actually to say I've tweaked the format would be misleading, the format has been thrown out! Tempo runs will now be on Tuesday or Wednesday giving an easy run buffer before a parkrun or long run. In recent months my tempo efforts have been limited to just parkruns, I'm hoping to do more midweek effort sessions over the course of this schedule. I've included hill sprints, 3-2-1's and fartlek, all staples of my normal regime.
After last year's post Pride debacle I've included a week of rest after the 10k in August, allowing some recovery after what I'd like to be my first sub 50 minute 10k.
I've not set any grandiose plans for a parkrun PB, I'll attend every fortnight at various events and just try to deliver gradual improvement. I'm also expecting to get restarted on the DDP Yoga. A lack of space at home during building works is slowly being addressed which means my rest days can include some diamond cutters!
Unlike in October I'm not going to make a big weight loss goal. The past two months where I've dropped down on carbs have been very beneficial and if I can continue this improvement in diet the weight will naturally fall. I'm a lot more comfortable than I was and the overall weight loss since the start of 2013 has been excellent.
So here's the plan, hopefully there won't be as many missed sessions as previous attempts!
As discussed at length in October a 1:50 half is something I'm striving for. Dropping 7 minutes between Copenhagen and Helsinki proved to be unrealistic, but the two and a half minutes chopped (would've been more without a toilet stop) suggest further gains can be achieved. Therefore the target for Richmond will be a 1:50.
I've tweaked the format that has done me well since spring 2013. Lucozade produced several training plans for the London Marathon website and I found them the most adaptable. Too many plans look to achieve 5 or 6 runs a week. Previous plans I've put together have included 4 runs a week and even this I've struggled to achieve. A Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday schedule has proved too hard to maintain, especially if the Saturday is a parkrun. This has led me to dropping too many long runs. With all of this in mind I've gone for a simple format, run, rest, repeat. If I run on a Saturday, I take the Sunday off. This leaves me with a fortnightly parkrun schedule and frees up some time on Saturdays, volunteering at Great Notley parkrun the most likely result.
Actually to say I've tweaked the format would be misleading, the format has been thrown out! Tempo runs will now be on Tuesday or Wednesday giving an easy run buffer before a parkrun or long run. In recent months my tempo efforts have been limited to just parkruns, I'm hoping to do more midweek effort sessions over the course of this schedule. I've included hill sprints, 3-2-1's and fartlek, all staples of my normal regime.
After last year's post Pride debacle I've included a week of rest after the 10k in August, allowing some recovery after what I'd like to be my first sub 50 minute 10k.
I've not set any grandiose plans for a parkrun PB, I'll attend every fortnight at various events and just try to deliver gradual improvement. I'm also expecting to get restarted on the DDP Yoga. A lack of space at home during building works is slowly being addressed which means my rest days can include some diamond cutters!
Unlike in October I'm not going to make a big weight loss goal. The past two months where I've dropped down on carbs have been very beneficial and if I can continue this improvement in diet the weight will naturally fall. I'm a lot more comfortable than I was and the overall weight loss since the start of 2013 has been excellent.
So here's the plan, hopefully there won't be as many missed sessions as previous attempts!
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| Will I manage to stick to the plan? |
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