Friday, August 27, 2010

The Plan

I need a plan for my running. I finish up the C25K next week. That makes it nine weeks of jogging. Starting out winded at 30 second runs and ending up being able to hit 30 minutes straight without too much trouble. In a lot of ways this has been the easy part. You get a lot of encouragement. You see changes in your body. It is the fun time.

The hard part is keeping it interesting day after day year after year running the same 30 minutes a night. I really do not see myself being that guy who runs because he enjoys it. Logistically it is easiest for me to hit the track a few times a week. I could throw in a weekend day at some exotic location. The track runs are going to be my normal routine though. It just works for me.

I need to get a plan together and figure out what the next four months is going to be. I think I want to work on just running for the next 3-4 months. I read somewhere that you should really have like 5-6 months under your belt before you start doing things like speed work or hill training or other advanced techniques.

I also have some desire to train for the 10K using the C25K bridge to 10K program. I am not sure if I want to start it immediately though. I may just keep running my 30 minutes for a few weeks then tack on like three more minutes and do that for a couple weeks and see how it goes. Get myself up to like 40-45 minutes slowly over the next few months.

I do want to try out a 5K also. I am not really ultra competitive. I do not really like strange people enough to want to run beside them and be their comrades. So I do not have that burning desire to run a race that some people might. I do think it would be cool to be able to say that I did it though. Have that neon shirt hanging in my collection.

So I have come a long ways. It is just the beginning though. Hard work and things worth having like health and fitness are not always "fun". It will be a long grind like poker. We shall see what happens.

7 Comments:

Blogger lightning36 said...

What are you doing regarding your diet? Anything special or just sensible eating?

6:17 AM

 
Blogger SirFWALGMan said...

I have taken no steps in diet at all. However my body has seemed to want things.. and through my reading I do some things like tuna after I run for some protein.. etc.. Lately I have started to try and grab a banana or something for breakfast.. and I gave up caffeine. So I guess I have made changes but not on purpose.

6:35 AM

 
Blogger Lucki Duck said...

Good luck Waffles!

7:13 AM

 
Blogger --S said...

Stick with it. I've lapsed on the running lately, but I've started climbing mountains again so it all evens out.

Good luck!

7:41 AM

 
Blogger Memphis MOJO said...

Congrats - I admire your will power.

11:18 AM

 
Blogger Shelly said...

Definitely sign up for a 5K - if for no other reason than to say you did it. (It really is something else, running with some crazy adrenaline rattling around in your veins). And if you're lucky, you'll get a free workout shirt. I've been running for 6 months now (4 months post-C25K). I decided at my crossroads to up my workouts from 3 to 5-6 days a week (the same 3 running, 2.5-3 miles per day), and add cross training on the other 2-3 days. (I do yoga and strength training, and sometimes walking). I'm not doing any speed work, but naturally am increasing in speed as I get more fit. So, I'm conscious of my speed and am trying to beat my best speeds when I go out there, but not doing any dedicated speedwork yet. I read in several places that it takes the skeletal system 9-12 months to adapt to the rigors of running, so I won't increase my days per week of running until Spring at the 1 year mark. I'm not doing this to get hurt! Then, I think I am going to start the Bridge to 10K.

9:23 AM

 
Blogger Unknown said...

I wish you could find a route to run...you will burn out if it's just the track. Or find some music and bring that along. That helps me. It can be a grind. I think maybe goals are the key. That works for me. Hey is --S my doppleganger? :)

4:42 PM

 

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