My Current Running Schedule

Over the course of my running journey, I have run many, many different races - lots of 5Ks, several 5 milers, 10Ks, half-marathons and even a full marathon.  OK - scratch that - I have PARTICIPATED in lot of races.  I'll be honest and admit that I usually don't train to run races hard; I run in races because I enjoy the race day atmosphere, enjoy running besides lots and lots of people, and I like having a set goal (i.e. completing a set distance) to work towards as I run.

I'm in good enough shape at this point that I can usually sign up for 5Ks and even 10Ks on a whim and run them with ease.  But for longer races, I always follow a more rigorous training schedule.  My training for these longer races usually consists of the following:

1. Find a race of X distance that I want to run
2. Sign up for said race
3. Find a training schedule online
4. Follow the schedule
5. Participate in the race

At the end of January, I was fortunate enough to attend a Coaching Certification course developed by the Road Running Club of America (RRCA).  In this course, we learned all about the physiological aspects of running and why different types of runs are so important to building speed, strength, and endurance.  We also learned the importance of tailoring a running schedule to an individual's goals and fitness level.

So armed with this knowledge, I have built a myself a schedule to prepare for a half-marathon that I'd like to run in mid-May.  I'll go into more details regarding the specialized workouts (tempo, hills, short/long intervals) as the weeks go on, but I wanted to provide a high level overview of what I've put together. So without further ado, here's my plan:

Unlike other half-marathons I've run, I've decided to aim for a specific time goal for this race vs just being able to complete the race; my goal is to run the half in under 2 hours.  I've incorporated a lot of the principles I learned in the RRCA course in my schedule, so theoretically, I should be able to make my goal.  I'm really interested to see how this race goes now that I'm taking a more customized approach to my training!