Realistic or just plain stupid

Hi all,

I'm new here and hoping for some coaching opinions on a training plan ive created.

I've attached a screenshot of the first 21 weeks. After the first 21 weeks I intend chaning runs from a small increase per training day to 3 short runs and 1 long run per week.

Does this plan appear to be realistic?

 

Ideally I'd like to work towards running a marathon in about 60 weeks time. I tried training plans last year whereby I run for time and gradually increase this but it did not work well for me. I am overweight hence the reason for starting off at such a short distance. The reason for 162 meter increments is because I believe it is an achieveable distance and hopefully it will allow me to maintain a 6mph speed until week 21.

Looking forward to peoples comments.

Thanks,

Wayne

Looks a crap program.

It's not a mathematical equation - it's running. I've never heard of people making each run longer than the one before for weeks on end.

How will you do these runs with such precision? Treadmill presumably ?
You'd do better to follow a tried and trusted plan devised by people with a running back ground. Why reinvent the wheel ?

Even experienced runners wouldn't do 4 runs of that distance in a week (ok - some might - but not new ones)

Rest and recovery is very important - that's why it's important to mix things up.
A little speed work - a long run each week - but most of your running needs to be done at a fairly easy pace. A pace you could chat at. If you're chasing a pace on every run- you'll burn out or get injured.

Slow and steady does it.

Another posting from cyber space.

why overcomplicate something thats fairly simple??

oh and for the records, dont work out the metres!

That week 1 sure is a gentle intro... 4 runs with a combined mileage of ... 1 mile?!

Real question, why would you even be contemplating a marathon in just over a year when you're literally starting from nothing!

Why not just do couch to 5k till you're at 5k. Enter a 5k race or 2 and see how it goes. Aim to increase to 10k, enter a 10k. If you're still keen, aim for 1/2 marathon. Etc.

Something tells me that a year from now you will look back and you will have spent more time on the spreadsheet than actually running.

If the OP actually followed this through with the military precision given to the planning I'd be genuinely interested to see the results, if only for curioisity's sake.

sevendaughters wrote (see)

If the OP actually followed this through with the military precision given to the planning I'd be genuinely interested to see the results, if only for curioisity's sake.

i wouldnt they sound like a dull person!!

look at the spreadsheet for f**k sake!!

The funniest thing is Day 1 ....... picture the scenario, you've put on your running bottoms, put a clean shirt on, fired up your ipod ....... youre all set ........ a 50 seconds later you cross the 162 yard mark ......... OK Im done!

 

Give the guy a break: Everyone has to start somewhere.

But I agree, It's not a particularly sensible plan.  As Runshonarun suggests: Sart with a C25K plan and work from there.

 

Wayne

My advice would be to walk and bike for 2 months until you've got your diet and weight under control.  Running can wait, the focus should be on developing good eating and exercise habits.  A stationary bike would be the safest method and allows the volume to be more limited by willpower than threat of injury.

Flipping heck, give the guy a break. If it works for him then magic. We are all different and anything that works for the individual should be encouraged.

You go for it chief, and good on you, happy running.

RodthePlod wrote (see)

Flipping heck, give the guy a break. If it works for him then magic. We are all different and anything that works for the individual should be encouraged.

You go for it chief, and good on you, happy running.

 

But the problem when you plan everything out to the nth degree like that is you leave no room for manouevre ....

His relatives come to visit him one weekend. Does he continue where he left off, or does he just miss those days and keep going on as though he had done the work?

What if hes sick for a week? Injury?

Thats why most people have a 'broad' plan of what they want to do, but to say 'Im going to run 162 yards today' is slightly ridiculous.

 

Rod - he asked for comments on it. Not for someone to blow smoke up his ass.

He doesn't know if it works for him. He's not started.

Moraghan - I can't speak for Wayne, but 2 months of walking and biking would not have my weight 'under control' (assuming that means being a 'healthy bmi'). Although it is true that diet is by far the more important part of the diet and exercise thing when it comes to weight loss, exercise is still very effective and running will burn more calories than walking (for a given time spent doing it at any rate).

Personally, I've been running less than a year, but I am loving it. I got up to 5k by the start of the year and it is since then that I've started to get my diet under control. Maybe this doesn't make much sense, but I wanted to run, I didn't particularly want to diet I guess. Now I can run, I find it easier to control my food - maybe because I now actually want to lose weight in order to get better at running, maybe because the running high is so much better than the chocolate cake high (which is always sharply followed by a chocolate cake low), maybe it's something about the fact that I am now regularly running what to me is a fair distance that it changes my self image a bit to 'healthy person' rather than 'couch potato'. I don't really know, I expect it's bits of all of these and more.

My weight is not yet 'under control', but it is decreasing. Don't know if I've explained this very well and I guess everyone is different with what works for them anyway.

Wayne - you should do whatever works for you, but as you're asking for advice I'm guessing you are asking 'is this going to work for me?' and I think the general answers here are saying 'no, probably not'. Someone more expert in running could possibly explain why not in more detail, but the starting distances are too short - there's just no point in that short a distance. It's fine if that is as far as you can run, but run it, then walk for an equivalent amount of time, run it again, walk again, run again would be a better idea. Couch to 5 k plans this out for you by telling you to run/walk etc. By the end of your plan you are doing too much for only being 5 months in - 4 long runs in a week where I think most people would do 1 long and 2 or 3 shorter ones.

RunShonaRun - sorry if I wasn't clear, I think it better to start running after you've lost some weight, rather than run to lose weight.  As you say running is a more efficient method of weight loss for losing weight, but carries significant risk of injury for the overweight.  You can bike and walk for a lot longer for the same level of fitness and do so without risking impact injuries.  It's not as efficient time-wise but less risky so that's why I recommended it. 

Christ what about giving him some encouragement.

He could simply be like most of the population and do naff all to get himself fit.

"What if he is sick for a week", what if after all the knocks he has taken on here he does even bother to start.

As for "blowing smoke up his ass", well thats what we should all be doing if it helps get one more person off the couch and out running.

 

I take your point Moraghan, and I'm sure you're even right except for the contraryness of human nature.  I enjoy running - I enjoy walking and biking too, but realistically, I'm not going to do them 3 times a week in sufficient quantity to make any real difference to my weight, whereas running I seem to be doing so.  But then, different people are different, so just because I don't doesn't mean someone else won't.

The other problem though, is that if you are overweight enough for it to make any difference in terms of injury risk (not that I'm sure what the cut-off would be, but I'd be guessing 'obese' is enough) then it's going to take you a lot longer than 2 months to make a big difference to that. 8 weeks at max 2lb a week is only just over a stone.  And I'm guessing if you're only a stone overweight, the increased injury risk is not a significant problem - could be wrong of-course!