I was already really excited about my spring half-marathon season in late 2012. "Season" feels weird to say, like I'm an athlete or something... but when I have three half-marathons and a destination 10 miler lined up in the span of 3 months, I'm not sure what else to call it!
But now, after my slightly disastrous second half-marathon, I am officially psyched for a redemption race at the NYC Half. I had incredible luck with lotteries, although my bank account feels a tad bit less lucky (Mint.com's alert about how much I was over my exercise budget made me very, very sad). So I'm racing the NYC Half-Marathon in March, the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler and the Nike Women's Half-Marathon, both in D.C. and both in April, and the NJ Long Branch Half-Marathon in May.
The first one is the NYC Half, and it's the one I'm really hoping to break 2 hours in because I live in NYC, I have quite a few friends running it, and I'll be able to have friends and Sourabh rooting for me on the sidelines.
So I'm going to take my training very seriously. I'm using Hal Higdon's Intermediate Training Program, adapted a bit to add in yoga because I want to avoid any more muscle issues.
In addition, I'm going to commit to foam rolling. I watch a TV show almost every single day, so there is no reason for me not to foam roll while I watch. I also shortchange stretching every. single. workout. That has to change if I want to stay injury-free (which, um, yes... yes I want to stay injury free). And I'll be working with my trainer, Amanda, on calf, glute and quad-strengthening exercises. (Check out her tips on making the most of a personal trainer from yesterday!)
So here's the program I'll be following as of next week!
A few notes: RP means "race pace," which for me will be 8:45 or so. Runner's World has a great article on how to do a tempo run. Abby of Run Stronger Every Day wrote a wonderful guide to speed work in general for newbies like myself. Strength workouts might be a class or an in-gym workout (and since I need to not get any more Mint you're-over-budget-you-profligate-hoe alerts, a workout in my building's gym needs to happen more often).
Are you training for a spring half-marathon? I want to hear about your training plans!! What are your goals?
Looks like you have a great plan set! Hopefully we can do some runs together. Looking forward to an awesome spring "season" (feels weird to me too) with both NYC Half and Cherry Blossom! :)
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for March and April!!
DeleteGreat plan! I followed Hal Higdon's intermediate program for my summer half, and even though I didn't execute my race plan, I felt very strong and well prepared. I didn't know you were doing the Nike half too--I've heard amazing things about it!
ReplyDeleteGood to know you liked the training program! And yes, I'm SO excited for the Nike half. I've heard they put on a wonderful race and expo experience.
DeleteGreat plan! Running "fast" longer runs will definitely help simulate race day and how to execute your plan. Sub-2 will definitely be yours this spring!
ReplyDeleteI'm also hoping for the elusive sub-2, my goal race is the Long Branch half in May. Looking forward to it!
Awesome!!! I am SO excited by all the kickass runners who will be in New Jersey in May. Hopefully we can both be sub-2 by May 6 :)
DeleteThat's when you know you are serious when you've got a full plate that you can call it a "season"! Good luck, I'm a Hal Higdon fan, and hoping that his Intermediate plan for the full works as well as it did for the half.
ReplyDeleteI am sure you will get your redemption in NYC! :)
I only have one registered race for spring (signed up last year) the first half I did - 13.1 NY I plan to do every year since it got me hooked!
But, I have a few half's, another full and a 50K "planned" but refuse to jinx myself and register until I finish the Miami Marathon!
I'm so excited to read your Miami recap soon! I've heard great things about Hal Higdon's programs so I'm sure you're in good hands.
Delete13.1 sounds like so much fun, maybe I'll do it in 2014. I love the fact that you haven't registered yet! I am totally not superstitious... and yet totally do superstitious things like that :) Hey, can't hurt, right?
The NYC Half was my very first! You'll love it. For some reason I can't do tempo runs - the pace I start in the first mile sets the stage for my entire run. If I start fast I can maintain but if I start slower to warm up before the tempo, I just can't speed up for some reason. I need to work on this.
ReplyDeleteI am SO excited. The course is perfect for a NYC race! And I have a similar problem and have never done a tempo run, so I'm eager to see how that goes. I tend to slow down rather than speed up!
DeleteLooks like you have a couple of fun races months ahead of you Jen! That's awesome, I know you'll rock 'em :-)
ReplyDeleteAs for training, I haven't been stretching well on my runs either. That needs to change for me too. But I'm happy to say that I've been doing a pretty good job of sticking to my training schedule. I still need to add hill repeats an some strength training to work on my core, but so far, so good.
I'm not sure what my goals are for my upcoming half-marathon, I just want to perform better than I did in my first half-marathon. It's the trail races that I'm excited about. My long-term goal is to finish a 50k in April and place 1st in at least one trail race this year (any distance). I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I'm putting in the hours to get there.
Thanks, Ricardo! Stretching is so important, but it's good to know others have a hard time incorporating it as well. I need to add in hill repeats, too!
DeleteWow, a 50k!! That's incredible! Where is the race you're planning on running? I think having big goals is great because it makes us push ourselves so much more.
There's quite a few 50k's throughout the year, but race entries are so darn expensive (or at least they start to add up after a while). So the one I have my eye on is pretty close to home (no travel required). It's the Leona Divide 50k at the Angeles National Forrest towards the end of April.
DeleteRace entries are VERY expensive. I probably won't be able to do many small races with all the big ones I have slated. Just googled and gawked at the Angeles National Forest. It's gorgeous! Lucky thing about California, right? Lots of gorgeous trail races easily accessible!
DeleteJust found your blog from Running Bun. I love finding other NYC runners!!! I am also running the NYC Half and am wondering about your training plan above. Are you doing 5 runs a week plus all of the cross training? Does that mean you run and do yoga or run and do a spin class on the same day? Sorry if this seems like a dumb question (actually, I think it is a dumb question but I am curious and not embarrassed by sounding dumb :). Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteHi Summer! I love finding other NYC runners, too!! I trained for my first half all by myself and it wasn't a ton of fun. I'm too social for long solo runs :) Where do you live in the city?
DeleteNot a dumb questiona t all! So I am doing the 5 runs a week along with the cross training. I never spin and run on the same day (I like to spin after a long run because it loosens up my legs well), but I do like to do yoga and run or strength train and run. For example, if I do speed work on a treadmill, I can easily do a 30 minute core session before or after. I tend not to do anything extra on long run days, though!
I live in Brooklyn Heights. Where do you live? Since I'm so close to the bridges and Brooklyn Bridge park, that is where I usually run. I actually fell in love with running during my long runs for the first half I trained for - I found it very meditative and enjoyed the time to myself to clear my head. I love how running is something special and different for everyone! Thanks for explaining your training schedule - makes total sense!! I've only done spin a couple of times, but I want to add in a class once a week to cross train. I think I'll work on that this week. Thanks again!! Looking forward to adding your blog to my to-read list :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading, Summer! :) I'm on the Upper West Side, but I've been meaning to plan a weekend Brooklyn run for a while to have a fresh place to run!
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