Plan the Run, Run the Plan

I have relied on plans for a long time, both in my running goals and in my career as Town Administrator before I retired.  There would simply have been no way to get the annual budget completed and ready for approval each year without giving our Department Heads a deadline for submitting budget requests, scheduling all the meetings leading up to the budget hearing, and giving myself large chunks of time alone behind a closed door and in front of my computer.

As I have said before in these pages, the gradually increasing intensity of marathon training over a period of time puts a tremendous strain on both the novice and the experienced runner, and it requires a careful plan, just like the ascent of a mountain.  Many runners have failed to make it to the starting line because of those four simple words:  Too Much Too Soon.  I devised my plan some time ago (see post of July 20) and, while I continue to read and watch podcasts on all sorts of marathon training programs, now is not the time to experiment with something new.  That's my plan and I'm sticking to it!  In fact, if I feel especially tired or on the verge of injury in my daily workout, I intend to use my status as an aging 65-year-old runner as an excuse to simply give it a miss that day.  Gifted runners may be able to achieve amazing things on little or no training (I have read about runners who were persuaded at the last minute to run the full- rather than the half-marathon, and who have done remarkably well).  But I am not a gifted runner, only an average runner, a "mere mortal," who is slowing down year by year.  I live and I train these days remembering the words of Samuel Johnson:  "Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance."  And I live and train by persevering in my plan.

Today I created a plan for Martha to complete her half marathon on the same day as mine, and I think it is a good one, based on a Hal Higdon plan and amended to take into consideration her recent level of training and her risk of injury.  It relies, like mine, on the foundation of long runs, but also includes some speed work, strength training (and in her case yoga), and lots of rest.  I specifically included this note at the bottom of the spreadsheet:  "If you don't feel well after one mile for any of these workouts, then you should skip it and take a rest day."

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My own plan was set down in excruciating detail weeks ago in my Outlook calendar, which I synch periodically with my iPhone.  Each Sunday I look ahead as another week begins and I know what I need to do if I want to achieve my goal.  This is Week 8 - the halfway point - and I have 4 easy miles, 8 miles of hill repeats, another 6 easy miles, and a 14-mile long run - 32 miles in all, and exactly where I need to be as I climb this mountain of fitness, looking back down behind me from time to time, and looking ahead from time to time to that unimaginably attainable summit.