Running plans for the next 5 months
October 2018 turned out to be a much better running month than expected. I ran over 100 miles. and whilst not doing anything particularly structured managed to break my half marathon PB at the Workshop Half Marathon . So it’s got me thinking what I could achieve next year with a bit more training
Setting Targets
Working backwards that means coming up with some targets, and then working back from there to come up with a timeline and a training plan.I reckon these will do for up to April 2019:
- A sub 20 minute 5k
- A sub 40 minute 10k
- A sub 3:15 marathon
Those feel like a nice achievable set of running achievements. Plugging the numbers in to Jack Daniels VDOT calculator gives a VDOT 0f 52 for those (well, that’s for the 10k, the other 2 are lower, but let’s aim high ?). Based on my Worksop run I’m sat at 48.6, so it’s not too unreasonable jump based on his book saying 1 VDOT per 6 weeks can happen.
Setting Deadlines
April seems to be a good time of the year for marathons with plenty to choose from. For no other reason than that it’s:
- close to Beeston
- very flat
- On a weekend that’s currently free
- The name will confuse people
I’m picking the Boston Marathon on the 14th April (That’s Boston, Lincolnshire not Boston, MA)
So now I can work backwards through a training plan to work out which 10k would fit in nicely. 5k’s I’ll stick with Beeston Parkrun as it’s so close to home
To Do Now
Rather than getting bogged down in analysis paralysis trying to find the perfect training plan I’m going to start with a simple general plan for the rest of the year, and then be in a good place for 1st January 2019 to start a proper plan
Keeping it simple I’m going to aim for:
- Build up to running 35 miles per week
- Get better a doing steady runs slower
- 2 a week out of tempo, intervals or hill running sessions
- Join a running club to help with pacing and advice
- Try to lose a few more kgs. I like my beer and crips 🙁
- More Parkruns
Those should all be achievable. Not to stop writing on the intertubes and go running