Target 26.2 - First Timer Steve's Journey to Paris

Wowsers - finally caught up with myself and thought I'd pop by to see how it's going only to find you're flying - whoop whoop

Same question from me (as for RRR) - if you had to sum up how things are going to date in one word...what would it be?

Morning Steve, Sorry just noticed an error on the training plan that means you have 2 consecutive rest days (yesterday, Sunday 13th and today Monday 14th). If posible could you move either Tuesday or Wednesday's run to today and take Tuesday as rest/low impact cross training day instead.

Am about to post the remainder of the next 4 week block.

Here's the full picture for the next four weeks;

PACE GUIDELINES
Jog (Recovery) = 9.45-10.30 mins per mile

Comfortable (Easy) = 8.40-9.30 mins per mile

Steady = 8.05-8.40

Fast (Tempo) = 7.35-7.50 (Or for intervals 7.15-7.30)

Speedwork - dependent on distance

Week 5 w/c 14th January
Monday 5 miles STEADY
Tuesday REST OR LOW IMPACT CROSS TRAINING
Wednesday 4 MILE JOG
Thursday: REST OR LOW IMPACT CROSS TRAINING
Friday 1 MILE COMFORTABLE then 3 x acceleration strides then 4 x 600m (or 2.5 MINS) in 2.20-2.26 per rep with 2.5 min jogs in between each. 1 MILE COMFORTABLE (4 MILES)
Saturday REST
Sunday LONG RUN 12 MILE: 9.45-10-10.15 depending on surface OFF-ROAD GOOD OPTION
MILEAGE 25

Week 6 w/c 21st January
Monday REST or non-impact cross training
Tuesday 4 MILE JOG
Wednesday 5 MILE BUILD UP (8.50-7.40)
Thursday REST
Friday 3 MILE COMFORTABLE + 3 ACCELERATION STRIDES
Saturday TRAINING DAY – MILE WINDERS (APPROX 7 TOTAL)
Sunday 12 MILE LONG RUN: 6 @9.40, 6 SPEEDING UP TO @9.05
MILEAGE 29

Week 7 w/c 28th January
Monday REST
Tuesday 4 MILE JOG
Wednesday 6 MILES FAST (Suggest structuring this as 2 easy, 3 fast, 1 easy)
Thursday REST
Friday 1 MILE COMFORTABLE then 3 x acceleration strides then 1 x 800m in 3.16-3.24 per rep with 3 min jog, 2 X600M IN 2.20-2.26 with 2.5 min jog, then 2 x 400m in 94-98 secs with 2 min jog between each. 1 MILE COMFORTABLE (5 MILES)
Saturday REST
Sunday LONG RUN 14 MILES EASY
MILEAGE 29

Week 8 w/c 4th February
Monday REST
Tuesday 4 MILE JOG
Wednesday MILE EASY 5 X 1 MILE AT ‘FAST INTERVALS’ PACE WITH 2.5 MIN RECOVERY JOG. ½ MILE EASY 6.5
Thursday: Rest or low impact cross training
Friday 4 MILE STEADY ON HILLY ROUTE - OR TRY CONTINUOUS HILLS: 4 X 4 MINS OF CONTINUOUS EFFORT UP AND DOWN HILL WITH 1 MIN JOG BETWEEN SETS. SANDWICHED BETWEEN STEADY PACED RUN
Saturday REST
Sunday 7 MILE COMFORTABLE
MILEAGE 21.5

Wow Steve - what a fantastic PB! Absolutely amazing improvement. Congratulations mate! Really chuffed for you. Think you might be the first of the famous 5 to set a PB since training started!

Green & White Tigger wrote (see)

Hey Ruth loving the rules!! any advice for someone looking to lose weight and train for a (nearly) marathon??

Put on a some examples of your food like Steve has done and I will gladly make some suggestions! How much weight do you think you need to lose?

Steve loves bacon wrote (see)

Haha sorry, been a mega-busy couple of days! Will give a full update on training tomorrow

Ruth, I'm definitely up for the challenge... Intrigued as to what number four is though...

Green & White Tigger wrote (see)

Hey Ruth loving the rules!! any advice for someone looking to lose weight and train for a (nearly) marathon??

Steve loves bacon wrote (see)

Haha sorry, been a mega-busy couple of days! Will give a full update on training tomorrow

Ruth, I'm definitely up for the challenge... Intrigued as to what number four is though...

So pleased you are up for this.

Number four- is not excluding beer! I think this is fine every now and again, just do not do long sunday run with a  hangover!

Number 4 was simple: no binge eating on bad foods. Either cut them out or start to control how much you have ( but often most people find dont have them in the house  or not to start on these foods if out and about as once you start.....). Think before you start on these foods and what will you gain by eating the family size pack!

Once you have settled into steps 1-4, I would like you to start thinking about race day nutrition: what will your breakfast be? what is your plan for fluid and food on route?

Lastly, WELL DONE ON PB!

Ruth

Hey Steve. I liked your interview in the latest Asics video. How is it going with the cutting down of fried food? Does it still count as a takeaway if you eat the same meal in a restaurant? See you in a couple of weeks!

Sarah, here's the link:

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/events/video-asics-flagship-store-day/9174.html

Hey, Stevo - what's going on here? Sub 4? You should surely smash it. Amazing 5K performance, don't be peaking too early now 

That vid is fantastic. You all come across really well. I'm just thinking back to my bootcamp mini interview - I think that alone was enough to seal my fate. Mr Bean would have done better.

Come clean, did they give you any coaching or are you all just naturals?

Ah, you little film star, you'll be doing autographs next, n writing your Paris medal acceptance speech.  

Hi Steve, I know it might be too short notice but was wondering about swapping your Friday speedwork session to today if possible as snow is forecast for then and this might be your last opportunity to do it (unless track is already icy).

Hi Sarah

Yes, that will be long enough to be fasted  but what is the point of the session? If it  is an interval/intense session you will flag and it will not be a quality session. Quality sessions should  be just that. Also you would be better to do a run before breakfast as this sort of fast during the day is not recommended - are you planning to eat anything? not even a meat salad? The training low is not a fasting diet, it is training low in carbs . The idea of training low can be made to happen in many ways but I have never heard of the fasting during the day method and I would not do this. You can train low by just eating more protein and salads but with a small amount of carbs in meals and you will still have low stores, if do this sort of diet for a few days when training hard OR  do a hard session  or a 90min plus hard run and then no carbs for a few hours after this depleting session then start on high protein and salad type diet and the next session you will be low to start with. Only some sessions or a block of session should be carried out low .  

I know this training low has evidence but I do not do this with my athletes until they have absolutely got everything else right in their diet and their body composition is optimal as these will get you results. Then we may add in phases of training low to seek a slight edge.

I do not mean to be negative but think you can get into more trouble training low unless really planned out what session/block of training you plan to do this for and fully understand how to train low. I feel I may annoy people about this post but feel I am here to give advice and do not want people to start lacking motivation as they feel so low in fuel or to not get the benefits of training low as the progress to do this is not right for that runner.

Ruth

Hi Ruth, thankyou ever so much for getting back to me. I tend to eat my lunch at work at 11:00 and 13:00 (split it into two). I then generally leave work at 19:00-20:00 and either go to the gym (doing resistence training first) or go straight for a run. I then have my tea at around 21:30 at night. Occasionally if im really hungry I will grab a sweet to keep me going. I dont really do this through choice as im generally starving by 18-19:00 but do it due to work and wanting to run after work. I was hoping that I would be able to use these runs as the ones to teach my body to burn fat so that I dont have to run at the weekends without breakfast as I really do love my breakfast and im not sure I could give it up. However if this is a better option then I can do it a couple of times im sure, if it wont do me more harm than good. 

I tend to do one interval session on one evening and then an 8 miler steady on another evening. The other nights I play netball (but I tend to have an innocent pot for tea at work before I drive to them).

If I ran before I went to work I would probably have to get up at about half 5 and it would still be alot of rushing around so I prefer to do my runs in the evening mid week, but then morning runs on my days off (fri-sun)

I have taken snacks e.g fruit to work...thinking that I will eat them later in the day but I have no self control and end up eating them with my lunch

Just watched the video...much better than my attempt at stardom!

Evening Bacon Steve! Just thought i'd nip on and check you're still doing your training and not cruising along on your glory of a new PB!!