After a friend pointed out last night that my training plan was liable to result in the destruction of my Achilles tendon, we came up with an alternate plan based on this. Since I don’t have 3 months to prepare for a half marathon, we decided to start at week 7, and after accounting for soccer and Ultimate Frisbee, came up with this:
Week 1
Monday: 4.5mi + Ultimate Frisbee
Tuesday: Soccer (cross-training)
Wednesday: 4.5mi
Thursday: 3mi + Soccer practice
Friday: Off
Saturday: 7mi
Sunday: Stretching and weightlifting
Week 2
Monday: 4.5mi + Ultimate Frisbee
Tuesday: Soccer (cross-training)
Wednesday: 4.5mi
Thursday: 3mi + Soccer
Friday: Off
Saturday: 8mi
Sunday: Stretching and weightlifting
Week 3
Monday: 5mi
Tuesday: Soccer (cross-training)
Wednesday: 5mi
Thursday: 3mi + Soccer practice
Friday: Off
Saturday: 6mi
Sunday: Stretching and weightlifting
Week 4
Monday: 5mi
Tuesday: Soccer (cross-training)
Wednesday: 5mi
Thursday: 3mi + Soccer practice
Friday: Off
Saturday: 9mi
Sunday: Stretching and weightlifting
Week 5
Monday: 5mi
Tuesday: Soccer (cross-training)
Wednesday: 5mi
Thursday: 3mi + Soccer practice
Friday: Off
Saturday: 10mi
Sunday: Stretching and weightlifting
Week 6
Monday: 5mi
Tuesday: Soccer (cross-training)
Wednesday: 2mi
Thursday: 3mi + Soccer practice
Friday: Off
Saturday: 13.1mi
For my first day on the plan, I opted to map a run that started and ended around Tunnel Park so I could do Frisbee immediately after the run. The course I mapped out was 5 miles instead of 4.5, and I figured that I could always cut it short and do 4 miles if I was getting tired. I reminded myself to keep a slower pace and not start out with wild abandon at the beginning. The course (for those of you not from Holland) was mostly flat; down Lakeshore Drive which was shady, quiet, and beautiful, then up Riley a half mile to 168th and out to Perry before rounding the corner and taking that to the corner on Lakeshore. I was in the shade most of the time which was a much better experience for me than running along a strip of asphalt under the sun in the boonies by my apartment. The stretch of Perry between 168th and Lakeshore was pretty hilly, and I wasn’t entirely sure I’d do well on it, but I managed, and when I turned up for Frisbee I was nice and loose. It almost makes me want to run a couple miles before a soccer game as a warm-up…
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