Intro Part 2: A New Training Plan

Bizarrely, I probably started marathon training before I had any intention of running one – even a half marathon or any organised race.  But at the beginning of 2012 I had a seed planted in my mind by a couple of friends who had either entered marathons, joined a club or started taking their training to a new level.  I was hearing a new language which added to my understanding of the sport, and hearing about races and clubs was like seeing a new dimension.  Running to them wasn’t just about plodding the streets to get fit or to lose weight; it was about personal bests, pacing, speed-work, meeting targets, cross training, new friends, taking part in famous city races and raising money for charities in memory of lost friends and loved ones.

To see what all the fuss was about, I started reading runner’s websites such as Runner’s World, coming across the marathon forum pages and getting a feel for what it was all about and why people ran them.  I looked at racing calenders such as marathon Runner's Diary and Southern Running Guide.  I learned about hundreds of races organised across the country (and the world) from the local 5k Parkruns, to the well-known marathons such as London and Boston, extreme desert or polar marathons and long-distance Ultras.  Many people seemed to have a whole calendar of races they were entering, whatever their level – and a rack of medals to show their past achievements.  Most had race plans and training logs and mixed up their training with different types of runs focusing on different skills, for example the long, slow weekend run, or the faster speed work during the week.  This sounded far more appealing that just running the same route day in day out, so I downloaded some marathon and half-marathon training plans just to have a look and get an idea of what I could do. 

 I created a little diary to cover the next few weeks, penciling in “long runs” on Sunday afternoons, “recovery runs” on Monday evenings and “regular tempo runs” on Thursdays, with cross training (circuits class) on Wednesdays and rest days on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.  The following Sunday I went for my first “long run” – a big loop from St Albans to Hatfield, with an aim of 10 miles (although with some parts I could miss out or add on depending on how it went).  I mapped out a new route, bought some chocolate with me and headed off slowly but steadily.  I was absolutely hanging when I finished and had developed a blister, but when I went Map My Run to check what I’d done, was surprised to see I had managed (staggered) almost 11 miles in total – almost 3 miles further than my normal 8.  I followed this new routine for a few weeks, and soon decided that a half marathon was easily obtainable – possibly more.