Running

[cjsmith]

What would it take to get me in shape to run Bay to Breakers?

D@#$it, these tables render FINE outside of LJ. Sigh.

An old, Google-cached version of the Bay to Breakers web page yielded a chart looking something like this: (pretty please excuse hand-done HTML)

Training for Bay-to-Breakers

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
rest	3	3	rest	3	CT	40min
rest	3	4	rest	3.5	CT	45min
rest	3.5	4	rest	4	CT	50min
rest	3.5	4.5	rest	5	CT	55min
rest	4	3	rest	6	CT	60min
rest	4	3	CT	2	rest	RACE

In this table, as best I could figure, bare numerical values meant miles to run. I'm pretty sure it wasn't kilometers. 6k as the longest run before a 12k race didn't seem right to me. So those must be miles. CT meant cross-training: weights, bicycling, swimming, anything but a run. The times denoted a "long run", for endurance, not speed.

(Already I had a problem with that table. Six miles is longer than sixty minutes, for a five foot four midthirties bad-kneed GIRL. Obviously middle-aged short-legged females are not who's supposed to be reading this chart.)

I had more weeks available and that first one looked stiffer than I'd want to just try, so I extended the table as best I could, roughly pattern-matching the weekly increases in mileage and time. Now I have:

Training for Bay-to-Breakers

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
rest	1.5	1	rest	1.5	CT	20?30?min
rest	2	1.5	rest	2	CT	25?30?min
rest	2.5	2	rest	2	CT	30min
rest	2.5	3	rest	2.5	CT	35min
rest	3	3	rest	3	CT	40min
rest	3	4	rest	3.5	CT	45min
rest	3.5	4	rest	4	CT	50min
rest	3.5	4.5	rest	5	CT	55min
rest	4	3	rest	6	CT	60min
rest	4	3	CT	2	rest	RACE

I may mess with the endurance numbers near the end, but basically, this is my get-in-running-shape program. Week one was easy. I expect more difficulty soon.

Comments

[wcg.livejournal.com]

The tables render fine for me in Netscape 4.77. It looks like a reasonable plan. I take it you've already begun?

Right now I can't run with you, because of this cold. But perhaps in a few days I might give it a try. I'll have to do a little catching up if you're already running, but I think I can.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

So if Bill comes out to run the Bay-to-Breakers, we'll have a party? ;)

[wcg.livejournal.com]

If Bill does, we certainly will. Though the current plan is for CJ and I to continue as virtual running buddies, reporting our run times and distances to each other.

We do, however, hope to someday actually run side by side. It'll be fun.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks! They're doing okay for me now, too. I had greatly improved the tables within a few minutes. I could pull off the cut-tag, I suppose.

Yes, I began last week with "week one". I scrambled the days a little bit but did each item. This week is week two, with a couple of two-mile runs.

I bet you'll have no trouble catching up with me. I may have a lot of trouble catching up with this chart :-). But I'll give it a try!

Vive le running buddy!

[joedecker.livejournal.com]

Tables lookin' good in IE6 (on a PC), FYI.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks! They were improved quite a bit by the time of your comment. They may be just fine now. Oh well - no longer worth worrying about. HTML is not something I particularly want or need to get good at!

[elflet.livejournal.com]

I'm chasing the same goal (Bay to Breakers), even though I screwed up a knee royally doing it 2 years ago. (Memo to self: STRETCHING IS GOOD). The numbers in the table are miles, and yes they assume something resembling a sub 10 minute mile.

I'd suggest scaring up a copy of Galloway on Running in the library -- he gives excellent training information without trying to make it "one size fits all". His pattern of alternating walking and running in the first parts of training works a lot better than a pure running program.