Training Tips: 5 Tips to Create Your Own Training Plan

Hey Guys!!! So I know alot of people don’t want to hire or cannot afford a coach but you want to have some advice on how to create a training plan specific for you and yours goals so I thought I would share some tips…

1. Pick a Race and Date. Seems like a no brainer but honestly its the first step if you want to run a 5K/10K/Half/Full/Ultra/etc you have research the available races and find which one corresponds to your goals, location, time frame, etc. For example if you want to qualify for Boston 2017 you need to know your marathon needs to be ran before mid-september 2016. Additionally you want to research course profiles and find a course that fits your racing style and has a record for being a solid BQ race. Further you want to make sure that if you choosing a race you have enough time to adequately train without injury – this varies by the individual but the key is be realistic and honest with yourself.
2.  Pick The Number of Days to Train per Week. How many days per week do you want to run? How many days a week can you for sure dedicate to running? Most marathon plans have a training split of 4 or 5 Days running with one rest day and 1-2 XT Days. Some plans have 3 days (Run Less, Run Faster) and some plans have 6 Days (Hansons). Be honest with yourself and pick a realistic number of day you can run and make consistently for 12 – 20 weeks (length depends on your goal). 
3. Create your Training Split. You want variation in your training so that you don’t plateau.
   • 4 Day split: 1 Speed Work, 1 Easy Run, 1 Tempo, 1 Long Run.
   • 5 Day Split: 1 Speed Work, 2 Easy Runs, 1 Tempo, 1 Long Run.
4. Formulate a Schedule. Make a schedule for your specific runs that you can follow each week and  have some float days so you can adjust if necessary.
   • An example for a 5 Day split:
     • Monday: Speedwork, Tuesday: Easy, Wednesaday: XT/Rest, Thursday: Tempo, Friday: Easy, Saturday: Long Run, Sunday: Rest Day.
     • Adjustment if you pushed long run to Sunday –> Monday: Rest Day, Tuesday: Speedwork, Wednesday: Easy, Thursday: Rest Day/XT, Friday: Tempo, Saturday: Long Run, Sunday: Rest Day
5. Use Your Resources. The internet is a HUGE place and there are a ton of free plans out there for your use. A couple example are Runners World and Hal Higdon. Also you can invest in running books great reads with training plans are Hansons, Run Less Run Faster, Hal Higdon Marathon, and 80/20 just to name a few. Additionally some of your favorite running bloggers offer automatic downloads such as KatiesFitScript, FitandFaithfulFitnessand MyHeartRacesBlog. You can always look at these free or low cost plans and adjust them to make a custom plan to fit your schedule.

Hopefully some of these tips were helpful to you on journey to your next race – because Fall and Winter PRs are made in the Summer!

With Love and Training

❤ Kindal (RunningWithStrength)