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Thursday, March 24, 2011

Building my base with a plan!

Yesterday I found myself toying with the idea of running Long Beach again, even though my focus is not on longer races this year. I started thinking about running the LB ½ again for redemption, because I TOTALLY hit the wall last year (I did finish though!). Worst.Race.Ever. But then my vivid imagination ran wild with that idea and I started thinking about running the full! I thought about it to the point where I actually built a training plan…a full fledged full marathon training plan. Hmm.


Reality soon sank in when I saw some midweek runs of 8+ miles. I don’t have that kind of time. Between working 40-70 hours a week and going to grad school 6 hours a week + allotting an additional 8-10 hours of studying, my “extra” time is quite limited. My free time right now is mostly spent planning Sean’s and my beautiful wedding (we just got our invitation proofs today and they are G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S!!!), then getting some runs in and working out with my trainer, and maybe hanging out with the fam and friends. Where would I fit a midweek 10-miler in?! I wouldn’t.


I realized what was behind this drive (aside from the fact that I indeed want to and WILL run a fully mary one day) and why I built a training plan for something I won’t do until next year (did I say that out loud? ;) ) Well, here it is: I realized I’m the kind of person who needs a training plan. I need a goal, something to work towards. Without a goal I’m just moving. I want to be moving towards something. It keeps my running on schedule with all the busy aspects of my life. It helps me focus and stay focused. With that said, I built myself a nice little plan for the next couple months. It’s what I call my “base-building” plan:
I have a couple 5K’s coming down the pipeline, two of which I mentioned here, and I just signed up for the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundations Cinco de Mayo 5K on May 1st which will be super fun! I’m also planning on running the Palos Verde 5K then cheering on Kristy, Penny, and Lauren as they run the half marathon!

Do you follow a running schedule or just go with the flow and run?

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5 comments:

  1. BobMarch 24, 2011 at 1:21 PM

    I tend to always follow a schedule...at least that's the way it's been for the last couple of years. I just finished a 18 week LA Marathon plan and next week I will start my Vineman 70.3 training plan. Come July 18, I wont have a plan to follow although I am running Disneyland 1/2, but I will just wing it for that.

    I think a full is something you should do at least once in your life, but it is a huge commitment of time.

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  2. KristyMarch 24, 2011 at 3:25 PM

    I like to follow a schedule, it helps me stay on track and also helps me schedule my "normal" life sort of around it. I can't wait for the day you do a full mary...I got the bug hope you get it too!! See you in PV!!

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  3. The Green GirlMarch 25, 2011 at 10:44 PM

    Whoo hoo! I'm so glad you've got a plan all worked out, girl!

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  4. Glenn JonesMarch 27, 2011 at 11:38 AM

    Trying to accomplish anything in life without a plan is called "luck".....

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  5. Just Run With ItMarch 29, 2011 at 8:25 PM

    I feel ya, I'm the same. I need to feel like I'm training for something. Or at least feel like I'm really challenging myself running-wise. That's why I love the long runs. I'm sorry to hear you have such a crazy busy life schedule, but it's totally understandable how hard it would be to fit a 8-10 mile run in during the work week. It's rough! How's the rest of wedding planning going?? :)

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