Sweat is Fat Crying

Now that I have a school schedule and life is feeling a little more routine it’s time to start training. I have had a few emails and comments the past few weeks asking about what my training schedule is like. I am by no means an expert or professional runner but after 2 years of running and 7 races, 3 which were half marathons, I have learned a few tips.

The first year three friends and I decided to run the St. Jude Half. We got together and ran a few times a week and even signed up for Race for the Cure 5k about 6 weeks before the half. We finished and ran the whole half marathon; however, we did not really train so after the race we were all feeling a little less than 100%. I even ended up injurying my knee pretty bad and forced to wear a brace for 8 weeks and no physical activity.

I was hooked as soon as I started running so I did not want to stop just because I had not trained properly. During my doctor recommended time off I decided to read up on how to improve my training. The two books that helped me the most were “Marathoning for Mortals” by John Bingham and “Nancy Clark’s Food Guide for Marathoners”.

As far as a training schedule for starters I would recommend two days of cross training with one rest day a week.Here is a quick glance of a schedule:

Monday-Cross Training

Tuesday-1 mi run (increase to 3 mi when your body can handle the increase and then hold steady at that milage)

Wednesday- 1 mi run (increase to 5 mi and alternate between 4 and 5 miles)

Thursday- Cross Training

Friday- 2 mi run

Saturday- Long run day (start off with 1 mile and increase by either half or a full mile depending on what your body tells you until you reach 11 miles if you are training for a half marathon. After you reach 11 miles you need a few weeks to taper off your milage before race day so you have some recovery time.)

Sunday- Rest

Feel free to switch the days to ones that work best for you. Just make sure that you have a rest day after your long run day so your body can recover. My favorite cross training exercises that I have tried are spinning, step class, swimming and pure barre.

For more moderate or advanced runners try a schedule like this one:

Monday- Cross Training

Tuesday -2 mile run

Wednesday- Alternate between 5 and 6 miles

Thursday- Cross Training

Friday- Alternate between 3 and 4 miles

Saturday- Long run starting at 6 miles and increase to 11

Sunday- Rest

I hope this helps anyone who is thinking about running!