The only way for me to make a habit of running and stay on track is to follow a training plan. If I write my schedule down it helps me to stick to it. By setting goals as well as tracking my progress on a daily basis I am able to see my improvement to date and where I am headed. Once I set up my schedule with Excel it is very easy to adapt and make changes when necessary. (I record distance, time, pace ,calories burned, etc. for each training session.) These daily statistics provide additional motivation and immense satisfaction when I look back at them and see how much I have accomplished.
Now that I have completed the C25K (Couch-to-5K) and B210K (Bridge-to-10K) running programs I am ready for my next training schedule. Of course, many people move on to a half marathon after finishing B210K. However, I want to wait another 6 months before training for a half marathon. At present, I can consistently run 5K in about 33-34 minutes during practice runs. Additionally, I can run for 60 minutes non-stop since completing the B210K plan, covering a distance of 8 to 9K.
For now my focus is on improving my speed over 5K and increasing my endurance so that I will be able to run a 10K without walking by February 2012. In order to do this I have come up with a training plan which includes intervals, 5Ks, and long runs. The plan consists of 4 main workouts that will be repeated over the next 9 weeks.
Workout 1 Run 800 meters 1.2K 1.6 K
Walk 1 minute 1 minute 1 minute
Repetitions 3 2 1
Workout 2 Run 5K
Walk 1 minute
Jog (run) 20 minutes
Workout 3 Run 1.6K 1.2K 800 meters
Walk 1 minute 1 minute 1 minute
Repetitions 1 2 3
Workout 4 Run 60 minutes without stopping
I hope that these workouts along with cross-training on non-running days will get me ready for my next running events in February 2012. For the complete running schedule with dates you can download the excel file.
Soon, I hit the timer and I was off for my second 5K attempt. I was clipping right along when I felt something sharp, a little pebble, in my sneaker. I stopped quickly, took off my running shoe but couldn’t find the pebble. It must have disappeared on its own. (Really annoyed at this 30 second delay but I continued.) Two minutes later the nasty little pebble was back. I would have to stop again and investigate the situation more closely. I removed my sneaker and hit it on the pavement but still no sign of a pebble. However, while doing this I noticed that there was something on the bottom of my sneaker. Good heavens, did I step on a nail? No, it was a thorn which took about a minute to remove. Problem solved and I continued. By now, I knew this would be a slow 5K but I was determined to finish until I encountered another sharp pain in my heel. I stopped and took my shoe off again and found a second thorn which was impossible to remove. My test 5K was over! I guess this practice 5K was just not meant to be.
When I arrived at work I done some research to determine the type of thorn I stepped on. I discovered that there is a variety of plant life in Oman even though more than half the country is desert. As many as 400 different types of plants have been recorded in this part of the Arabian Peninsula. Trees, plants and shrubs have adapted to the harshness of the climate in many ways. For example, the root systems of many plants spread out wide distances in order to collect moisture. A number of shrubs have long sharp thorns that discourage goats and other animals from eating them. Perhaps these thorns are meant to fend off people as well. With so many different types of shrubs with thorns I am not sure which one I met this morning. All I know is my heel is still hurting.
Rural Route Runner 