I don’t think I have followed a training schedule for many years. Mainly because it can set you for a fall as unless your time is your own you are likely to miss some sessions. Once you miss a session you then feel you need to play catch up and add in extra runs or longer distances.
However I am going to give this Bruce Tulloh (Runners World) schedule a go as the discipline of set sessions might be just what I need to kick start some improvement in my running times which have been slow and getting slower.
I have adapted slighhty to suit my needs. Firstly I only have 8 weeks so I am 2 weeks short of the 10 week plan suggested by Tulloh. However I do have a good mileage base as I have generally been running 30 miles a week all year.
This plan peaks around 40 miles a week. Not a huge increase in mileage compared to what I am already doing but I have tried to include 2-3 quality sessions each week. The cornerstone being a long run which increases gradually each week.
I don’t know the course at Ipswich but I assume there will be hills and I am hopeless at them. Everyone comes past me going up them, though I tend to pass the same people when going down the hill. So I am including some hill training as part of the quality trining sessions.
Now that the West Suffolk Athletics Track has reopened with the track having been relaid I will include a number of interval track sessions.
This said I am sure I will have problems keeping to this schedule – best laid plans an all ……
| Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
Fri |
Sat |
Sun |
Total Miles |
|
| WEEK 1 Jul 6 |
6m hill reps |
Rest |
Warm up, then 16 x 60 secs fast, 60 secs slow Warm down |
Rest | 10M slow |
Warm up, then 4 x 3 mins, with 3-min recovery jogs | 7-8M slow |
34-35M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WEEK 2 Jul 13 |
4M easy | 6M, fairly fast |
Repetitions: 4 x 3 mins fast, with 2-min recoveries | 5M easy | Rest | 1M jog, then 5M fairly fast, then 1M jog | 10M slow |
36M |
| WEEK 3 Jul 20 |
5M easy, off -road |
6M, starting slow, finishing faster | 3 x 5 mins fast, with 5-min jog recoveries | 5M easy, inc 6 x 150m fast strides | Rest |
2M slow, then 1M fast, then 2M slow | 10M |
36-37M |
| WEEK 4 Jul 27 |
5M easy | Rest | 5M, inc 16 x 1 min fast, 1 min slow | 6M easy | Rest |
1M easy, then 4-5M fairly fast, then 1M jog | 11M steady |
36M |
| WEEK 5 Aug 3 |
5M easy, off -road |
Rest | 8M, fairly fast | 4M easy | Rest or 3M jog | 4M on grass, inc 6 x 200m strides | 11M |
35M |
| WEEK 6 Aug 10 |
5M easy, off -road |
6M steady, inc bursts up hills |
3 x 1M (or 3 x 5 mins), with 5-min recoveries | 5M easy | Rest |
6-7M, inc 10 x 30 secs fast, 30 secs slow | 10-12M steady |
39-40M |
| WEEK 7 Aug 17 |
5M easy | 5M, inc 16 x 1 min fast, 1 min slow |
Warm up, then 2 x 2M (approx), timed, at threshold pace | 5-6M easy | Rest |
1M easy, then 4-5M fairly fast, then 1M jog | 10M steady |
37-38M |
| WEEK 8 Aug 24 |
5M easy | 6-7M at a comfortable pace | Warm up, then 2M at race pace, then 2M jog | 5M easy, inc 6 x 30 secs fast | Rest | 3M, in race kit | Ipswich Half Marathon |
35M |
Anyone else training for a half and can recomend a schedule that worked for them ?
