ten things this tuesday: my USAF Half Marathon training plan

As I made the big announcement nearly three weeks ago, I think it’s time for me to fill in the PIP readership on my United States Air Force half-marathon training plan. And it is Tuesday after all…

TEN THINGS THIS TUESDAY: IMPORTANT NOTES ON MY USAF HALF-MARATHON TRAINING PLAN

1. The training schedule. As originally planned for the Rite Aid Cleveland Half-Marathon, I went for a mash up of Jeff Galloway’s beginners plan (the same that I used for my first half-marathon) and Hal Higdon’s novice half-marathon plan.

The major changes from both of those plans include one extra day of running during the week (Jeff only has two 30 minute runs with an “easy walk” day) and some tinkering with the long run mileage and placement in the schedule.

2. The “40 min run” days: I have mapped out two 5K routes starting and ending at my house:

• I start out by walking for the first five minutes, then go to the run/walk cycle as I’m feeling it that day. Early on I started out with a minute running, then a minute walking.
• As I move through the plan, I’m adding to the run segments – especially taking advantage of long, downhill stretches.
• Once I get back to my house, I walk to cool down for at least five minutes.

3. The Sunday Long Runs: I noted in my last training plan post that the single most important run of each week is the long run. I used Hal’s mileage plan here, adding a few weeks in the beginning and a step back week the week before the race.

4. The “yoga” days. After a break in May, I’m back on my yoga mat at Nishkama Yoga and am LOVING it. Maria was right in both of her guest posts – it’s amazing how well running and yoga go together!

• The days labeled “yoga” are 90 minute vinyasa classes at the studio.
• The days labeled “bike to yoga” are just that: we meet at a parking lot then bike along the Towpath in Valley View to a spot where we practice for about 75 minutes before biking back to our starting point.

5. An update on the first three weeks so far: At our Father’s Day cookout at my grandpa’s house, my  my aunt said to me “you look STRONG”. After I thought about it, I agreed with her. I do feel stronger AND faster this time around. When running, I’m running faster. When walking, I’m recovering faster. It’s really encouraging and makes it easier to get up and get moving before 7AM.

6. The races. To get back in racing mode, I’ve decided on participating in these three races:

• Saturday, July 9: Run for the Pierogies 5K at Tri-C Western Campus’ in Parma
• Saturday, August 6: 17th Annual Cleveland Clinic 5K Run/Walk to A Healthier You in Independence
• Saturday, September 10: 2011 Northeast Ohio Race for the Cure 5K in downtown Cleveland

Since that July 9th race is the July Ohio Blogging Association Meet Up, I know I’ll see some of your smiling faces there! Let me know if you’ll be at any of these in the future!

7. The rest. It’s amazing just how important the non-running days are compared to the running days! I tend to need a solid day of rest after a long run, so Mondays will be reserved for those. I’ll continue to honor my body and adjust those midweek runs as needed, but hopefully stick to that three times a week schedule.

8. The travel. You’ll see that there wasn’t much running while we were away at the Chautauqua Institution. For our upcoming trip to California, I hope to stick to my general plan as much as possible – including fitting in that four miler before seeing Hall & Oates that Sunday night! And as the race is down in Dayton, I’m planning on revisiting Katie’s guest post about enjoying race weekend travel before heading down I-71 that Friday.

9. The gear. Here’s what I am depending on to ensure a successful training:

• My Garmin Forerunner 305. SO HAPPY I got this for Christmas last year! I’m not even using it to its full capacity and I’m so thankful to have it on my wrist every single run.
• Running shoes. I need to publicly thank Kali at finishing firsts for recommending the Mizuno Women’s Wave Rider 13s. No ankle trouble in these! I’m already stalking the internet for back up pairs!
• A gym membership. While I’ve been able to do all my runs outside so far, I know I’ll still need this just in case we get hit with a summer thunderstorm.
• Protein – in all forms. After my long runs, I prefer a green monster or some variety of protein shake. I’m also realizing I need to focus on adding more protein to my meals – specifically my lunches. Grilled chicken breast FTW!

10. The motivation. There’s two reasons for all of this. First, I’m not going to lie that I’m pretty pumped to earn one of these:

(source)

…the more important one is honoring my loved ones that have served or will be serving in the Air Force. But you’re going to have to wait to hear more about them – SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO!

Any thoughts/comments/concerns? Are you training for a race this summer? Leave a comment and we can motivate each other along the way!