Creating a Training Plan

Hello World!

Life sort of got in the way of blogging, but I want that to change. I want to use this blog as a journal of my life and outlet for my thoughts. You probably noticed I have a new design. Jenny from PBJ Design created the new look and I think it’s fabulous. If you’re looking for a new header or full website design I would definitely check her out.

I have a lot to update you all on but I’m going to save that for another day. Today I’m working on creating my training plan for the Boston Marathon so I thought I’d share some tips.

I realize that this may sound intimidating, but as long as you know the basic principles, creating one from scratch probably isn’t as tough as you think!

Figure out how long you need to train. Most marathon plans are around 16-18 weeks. Decide if you need more or less time than this and pick a marathon that is far enough away. Then count backwards to pick your training start date.
Create a calendar. I use Google Calendar and sync it with my iPhone and iPad so I always have it with me.
Plan out your long-runs. The first thing I put down on paper are the long runs. These are the most important things to plan to make sure that I build up carefully and fit in all the runs that I need.
Work backward. Put the date of your marathon on the calendar and then I put my last 20-miler three weeks from that date, followed by three weeks of tapering. The very end of the training schedule is the easiest thing for me to plan.
Fill in the gaps. Once I’ve planned the last couple of weeks, I go back to the beginning and figure out what I want to do for my first long run. Then I build up from there, making sure not to increase too quickly.
Decide your weekly mileage goal. Once I figure out how many miles I need to do each week I subtract the long run and then take the remaining days and divide them up.
Finalize. Once I have all of the runs in place I then look at my personal/work schedule and make sure nothing’s going to get in the way.
Be flexible. Preparing for a marathon is a big commitment. Despite all your best efforts, things can come up during this time that throw a wrench into your training plans. As long as you give yourself some flexibility, these things are inconvenient, but not the end of the world.