Tag Archives: mileage

Griffith Park Half Marathon Training Plan

Aaaaannndddd….I’m type A. I like training plans.

I enjoyed my summer of free-form running, but I was feeling like I tended to slack on runs because I wanted to “save” energy for some undetermined future run. I also have a weird mental block with runs over about 8 miles, and when Leo asks, “So, how far do you want to run today?” I immediately answer, “Ummmm, 3. Or 4. But not more than 4. Unless I feel great. And then maybe 6.”

So I started putting together a training plan. And because I enjoy Excel spreadsheets and running math, it took forever. But it’s done!

Training Plan – Griffith Park Trail Half Marathon (I don’t know why you’d want this, but feel free! However, I am not a doctor, and have gained all my running knowledge from the internet. Don’t be stupid)

Yeah, it’s color coded.

I threw in a day of swimming (or cross-training) because I’ll start having access to a pool when my new job starts in August. I’ll also have access to lots of big heavy weights, and a track, hence the weights-only days and speedwork. I’m going to try to do all of my other runs at least partially on trails, which is pretty easy around here. I kept the long run mileage relatively high, and added some back-to-backs because I may want to run another marathon in December or January (I will actually run a marathon).

I’ve already noticed that I’m putting more effort into my runs, since I know exactly what’s on the schedule for the next day. Yeah, I could have just sucked it up and pushed myself harder, but I like this way better.

Of course, it’s still all subject to change, based on day availability and whether I feel like running more. We’ll see how it goes! Saturday is already looking fun, there’s a training run on the Griffith Park Trail 10K course, and it’s just far enough from my house that if I get a ride there, I can run home and hit my 10 miles. Runmuting!

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12athon: Month Six

Because we’re halfway through the 12athon, and because I wanted a challenge, I decided to tackle Macchu Picchu (Machu Picchu: 12 miles up a hill. Can be the same hill, but the distance you travel downhill to run back up doesn’t count. 24 POINTS), and the Slacker’s 12-Hour Race (Slacker’s 12-Hour Race (AKA The 12 MPH): Run 1 mile during every hourly increment for 12 consecutive hours. 24 POINTS. 4 more points if you end at 12 p.m. (noon).). And because I was doing it anyway, I claimed points for Sunrise  (Sunrise: See the sunrise during your run. Find your local sunrise time on SunriseSunset.com4 POINTS).

Because we live very near a straight 1-mile stretch up a hill, my husband (who is awesome) came up with a great plan. We staggered the runs so that we started one on a “40” increment, and then started the next one on the hour. This allowed for around 1:20 between running legs, and still made sure I was running each leg within the allotted hour period.

During the Night Legs (first 6 miles) my husband took our car to the top of the hill, rode his bike down, and then rode the bike back up with me. This arrangement meant that I ran 3 extra miles (down the hill between legs) but felt safer in the dark.

During the Day Legs, he’d drive the car to the top, meet me there and drive me to the bottom, drop me off, and then drive to the top again. He was great about stopping partway up the hill to see if I needed water or any assistance.

Mile One

 

Mile Two

Mile Three

Mile Four

Mile Five

Mile Six

Mile Seven

Mile Eight

Mile Nine

Mile Ten

Mile Eleven

Mile Twelve

I managed to pull out a great split on the last leg, and it was pretty amazing to be done. It’s not that the 12 miles are hard (although the uphill is pretty killer), but being awake and having to run so frequently is mentally draining. We came back after every set and watched Big Bang Theory or Iron Chef America while snacking, so I wasn’t tempted to fall asleep and give up.

Elevation Chart for the Route

I’m so glad I tried these two challenges, and I hope I’m not too sore tomorrow! Video from my support crew will come when we’re not too tired. 🙂

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Workout Week Wrap-Up: Week 5 (January 29-February 4)

Sunday (1/29): 6.2 mile run (Beach Party 10K)

Monday (1/30): 1.5 mile run with fitness challenges

20 burpees

20 star jumps

20 pushups

40 mountain climbers

50 high knees

20 tuck jumps

20 squats

Tuesday (1/31): 6.0 mile run on the treadmill in 1:05.00, 4.1 miles run at home in 55:00

Wednesday (2/1): Day off

Thursday (2/2): 1.5 hour dance class

Friday (2/3): Day off

Saturday (2/4): Day off

Weekly Mileage: 17.8

Year Mileage to Date: 100

This week, my singleminded goal was to reach 100 miles in the month of January. I had known I was getting close for awhile, but towards the end of the month was the first time it actually became a tangible goal. Tuesday was packed, but I managed to bang out 6 miles on the treadmill at school before coming home to finish out the month. I was really excited to hit the 100 mile milestone (ouch) and I can’t wait to see what my total mileage for 2012 is going to be.

Of course, after that I took several days off, but I needed a break from the insanity of January. I’m going to try to keep my nutrition going well, even though I’m running less. so that I can get back into it easily.

Oh, and no real race recap for the Beach Party 10K. It was a pretty small race, and not my best pace wise, so I wasn’t feeling the write-up.

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Workout Week Wrap-Up: Week 1 (January 1-8)

It’s really astonishing how much you end up working out when the other person who lives in your house is running every day. It’s almost impossible to not do something physical every day. I think this is my most active week in several months.

Sunday (1/1): 10 pushups, 1 mile of Tabata sprints

Monday (1/2): 10K run in 1:15

Tuesday (1/3): 2.1 miles of running in 22 minutes, plus 7 x 7 pushups (42 total)

Wednesday (1/4): 5K in 28:49

Thursday (1/5): Full body stretch (rest day) and 3 x 10 pushups

Friday (1/6): 4 mile run in 43:00

Saturday (1/7): 13.1 miles (Southern CA Half Marathon) in 2:27.03

Sunday (1/8): 5K in 40:00

Week Mileage: 32.6

Year Mileage to Date: 32.6

Seeing it written out makes me more tired than I already am! Ready for a new week 🙂

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