New Running Program
I’ve been reading through Daniels’ Running Formula in an attempt to design the best possible running program for me. Since outgrowing the Cool Running Couch-to-5K program, I haven’t found a running plan online that met my needs. Most running programs are either training plans for really fit competitive athletes or fitness plans for the casual runner/jogger. I tend to think of myself as somewhere in the middle of that spectrum. I have clear running goals in mind, and I want to steadily improve until I find a limit to my genetic potential. Daniels’ program provided me with the formulas and calculations I needed to really “roll my own” training program.
Starting this week, I’m following a new program that I designed based on my immediate goal of building up base fitness and weekly distance in preparation for including some more formal speed or quality work around the first of next year. The biggest change in my program is that I will start including a weekly long run on Saturdays that includes 30% of my weekly distance. This means that I’ll have a 6 km run on Saturday and four shorter 3.5 km runs during the week. My current (self-designed) training plan switched to five days starting this week with Friday and Sunday off on most weeks. I’ll be holding this weekly distance of 20 km for three weeks without an increase to allow my body adequate time to adapt to the new level of stress, a training principle that I intend to include henceforth if I’m satisfied withe results. When increases are due, I’ll be increasing 7.5 km/week, 1.5 km for every training session.
I need to work on my pacing to be more consistent with Daniels’ suggestions. Right now, I tend to run almost exclusively at what he defines as my marathon (M) pace with dips into my threshold (T) pace and only occasional true easy (E) recovery runs. This is extremely difficult when your E pace is a tortoise-inspiring 7:52 km. I’m hoping that the long runs will enforce this slowdown somewhat. Though I must admit that the ease at which I run T pace makes me wonder if my VDOT value is actually higher than my recent 5K result would indicate. Or maybe my pain threshold is just too high.
The advantage to designing my own training program is that my regimen evolves and adapts with my increasing fitness and my immediate running goals. Running as a pasttime is working out very well for me. I’m consistently losing body fat (0.7 kg/week) and increasing aerobic fitness above even the levels I enjoyed in high school. I want to ensure that I’m choosing the best possible program for me and my running goals. For me, that involves a bit or research and a lot of tinkering.
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