Feb23 2/23/2010 9:00 AM
It was great to see such an enthusiastic crowd last Tuesday morning for the brisk fun run at City Park. In addition to running with last years winners, there were some great giveaways, and some very good (and warm) coffee and fruit. Stay tuned to the Facebook page for other opportunities to get together and run as well as learn from each other, and get to know others who have some amazing experiences. Learning from those who have gone before you is helpful as you continue along towards your race. In the next 12 weeks, appropriate training will be crucial to achieving your goals. In addition to expert advice, there are also other resources that can be helpful.
Remember to first have your overall goal well thought out and SMART (see previous Blog). What you want to achieve: to just finish, to improve your race time, or to just have a good time? Your individual goal will help to decide on an appropriate plan to achieve what you want.
Thanks to Jacque Maldonado, one of my active living colleagues, experts, and tri-athlete for the following suggestions:
"Just finish": if this is your first half or full marathon, look for training plans geared for beginners. The Jeff Galloway training plans (www.jeffgalloway.com) and programs are perfect for first timers. This program helps runners adapt to running farther by incorporating walking during long runs. A runner will run for 10 minutes, then walk for 1 min and this has been shown to reduce fatigue and make those long runs easier to tolerate.
"Improve my time" for runners wanting to run faster the Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training (http://www.furman.edu/first/) has been shown to help runners improve their race times by way of running 3 key runs each week: tempo, speed and the long run. The other days of the week include either easy runs, cross training and rest.
"Just have fun" perhaps you are running the relay with friends. Depending on the distance you have in mind, there are training plans available to help you prepare and allow you to enjoy the experience. Good places to look for plans include: personal trainers, health clubs, and online. Our favorite website for all types of running advice is www.runnersworld.com
Good luck in your continued training
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