Hi all, I wonder if you can help me, I have been running now for 5 months and I am 47 years old, 12 1/2 stone (going down slowly), I have read so many articles and schedules I am now confused!
The thing I would like to know is:- what in your opinion is the best number of days to run?. Is it best to run 4 days or keeping the weekly milage the same spread the runs over 6 days?
At the moment I am running =
Mon 5 miles,
Wed 7 miles,
Fri 5 miles,
Sun 4 miles.
I am increasing my milage by 1 mile a week on one of the runs.
I am not training for an actual race but, I would love to do a half marathon sometime in the future.
Hope you can help,
Gaz..........
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Comments
If you feel you would like to train another couple of days / week, try cross training in a non-impact activity such as swimming and use them as cross-training / recovery sessions
Will
You can do great things on four days running a week. Rather than just aim for specific distance try and target each of your runs to train something specific i.e. a weekly long run, a speed session, a hill session and a tempo run.
Have a look round the site for example sessions (think they are in the training bit). If you are training specifically for a half marathon then make sure you gradually build up the weekly long run to around 10-12 miles 3 weeks before the race. From what you are currently doing you look like you are well on the way to doing a half though )
Gareth
chance of injury, and the rest days are just as important, if not more so than the active days.
Have you got a bike ? Go for a ride instead at the weekend. Great aerobic workout, and saves your joints.
You'll be ready for a Half in a month or so if you keep adding a mile a week to the long run.
I will stick to 4 days and yes I do have a mountain bike I have a computer thing on it that measures distance, I use it to go around a course that I intend to run to check the distance.
Think I will use it more, cheers.......
Gaz........
Gaz......
e.g.
Day 1 - 3miles
2 - 5miles
3 - 3miles
4 - rest
5 - 5miles
6 - 3miles
7 - 7miles
+ 1mile a week to the longest run till you get to 10-12. Try to make a conscious effort to run faster than normal on one of the 3mile runs.
Mon: Rest
Tue: 5 x 800m repeats
Wed: 6 miles hard
thur:rest
Fri: 5 mile easy
Sat: rest
Sun: 18 miles (or dependant on my race build up schedule)
This has seen me through a half-marathon in Feb in sub 2 hours, the GSR 10 miler in sub 1.30 and hopefully will suffice in a sub 4.15 dublin marathon.
Have you set any long goals, short or long term?
If you want to do a sub 4 hour marathon, then yes - 4 days is sufficient. If you are aiming to do a 2:45 marathon then training for 6 days per week would make attaining this goal so much easier.
Based on your current mileage then 4 days is fine. If and when you start increasing your training load substantially then you may have to add an extra day or two.
Alternatively read the daily sessions threads on 'Training' to see what others are doing.
I would say that with your current mileage 4 days is fine, however introducing some speed work into one of them (you have the base to start this) will improve you're all round speed,strength and stamina.Again the training threads offer sample sessions.
Drew you asked about goals, well, at first I just wanted to loose weight and get fit, now, I have been bitten by the running bug and cant wait to run a 1/2 marathon and if things go according to plan eventualy I would like to do a full marathon, but to tell the truth at the moment the thought of running 26+ miles does scare me a bit.
Cheers Gaz......
I introduced speed work to my schedule fter about 6 months and within a few weeks I got shin splints which I stiil have.
Despite specialist help, I still have problems whenever I try speed work. I put it down to years of a sedate lifestyle and poor bio mechanics.
Don't let me put you off, you'll probably be fine, just take care mate.
All the best
jenks
I trained 5/6 times a week for London and wound up injured, missing the last two weeks of training.
For New York in November I'm running 4 days a week, following the hard day/easy day rule, with a 90 minute yoga class on Saturdays - been working much better for me so far (touch wood!).
Mon: Rest
Tues: Slow/Moderate
Wednesday: Tempo/Speed (treadmill)
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Hills/Fartlek
Saturday: Yoga
Sunday: Long run
Good luck with everything!
Hi T & T Man, just to say that you mention hill work, where I live it is very hilly whichever direction I go in so I am getting quite used to them, which is a good thing I suppose, oh and good luck for the NY in November.
Cheers all, Gaz......
The problem is generally managable, but if I try to step up the intencity of training then it usually flares up again. Maybe Gaz' aproach of gradual increases is the answer...
jenks
I've been training for 10 years and stayed injury free (bar the odd stupid non running related incident!) using this.
Yours
Jim
Cheers Jim.......
Gaz....