I may have missed the boat by a couple of months (doesn’t time fly!) but have had requests from a few quarters to put in a training schedule, and there’s always autumn races! Are you guys lucky – my clients usually pay for these! But to thank you for your support with our blog, below is a free – yes FREE! – programme which should tailor you to achieving that target! Bear with me as it’s quite long but feel free to print it out and read when you have time. If running is not your thing then apologies… you’ll have to skip this one.
Half marathons are a fantastic goal – many people don’t have the time to train for marathons – long runs on a Sunday taking 3+ hours and the hours in the week simply mean that many don’t have time or, once you’ve done one, like me you think that you’ve “been there, done that and got the T-shirt”. However, ½ marathons can be achieved in under 2 hours and the training is obviously nowhere near as much!
I’ve made a few assumptions whilst planning this schedule; that you are fit and healthy, can run 10 minute miles and can happily run for 30-40 minutes continuously. If you CANNOT do the above, then keep doing what you’re doing until you can. It doesn’t rule you out, you just need a little longer than 12 weeks to get to your ½ marathon. The plan runs for 12 weeks… all ready for those autumn half marathons!
You also need to spend a little time planning your run routes. The occasional treadmill run is fine but if you’re planning on an outdoor half marathon than the treadmill just doesn’t cut it. You need to do the majority of your runs outside. And, if the word sprint strikes terror in your heart, please just humour me and as the popular slogan goes: JUST DO IT. Sprints are vital and you will be surprised at how much quicker you get over the weeks. You don’t have to do the sessions on the days I’ve specified but just make sure you don’t cluster them all on consecutive days in the week: recovery is as important as training.
This is not really geared to a specific time. Just do the runs as well as you can and as fast as you can. Try and keep track of how long each mile takes and you can estimate from your long runs approximately how long it will take. Once you get your first half marathon under your belt then you can try and beat your time on the next one!
The effort rate is relative to the distance. Of course a 90% effort over 6 miles will not be at the same speed as a 90% effort over 1 mile; just do the best you can for the appropriate distance.
A FINAL note before I begin (I will get there, I promise!): your weekly 50% recovery session should comprise: 20-30 minutes only (and no more!) of easy cardio (but not running); either swimming, gym, gentle cycling or equivalent with 10 minutes of resistance work: squats, lunges, core or upper body.
WEEK 1
Monday 50% recovery session (see note)
Tuesday 3 miles, 80% effort
Wednesday --
Thursday 3 x 100m sprints 100% effort then 10 min easy jog
Friday --
Saturday 2 x 1 mile, 90% effort
Sunday 4 miles, 60% effort
WEEK 2
Monday --
Tuesday 50% recovery session (see note)
Wednesday 4 miles, 80% effort
Thursday --
Friday 3 miles, 90% effort
Saturday --
Sunday 5 miles, 60% effort.
WEEK 3
Monday 50% recovery session (see note)
Tuesday 2 x 200m sprints, 100% effort then 10 mins easy jog
Wednesday --
Thursday 3 miles, 60% effort.
Friday 2 x 1 miles, 90% effort
Saturday --
Sunday 6 miles, 70% effort
WEEK 4
Monday --
Tuesday 50% recovery session (see note)
Wednesday 3 x 1 miles, 90% effort
Thursday --
Friday 4 miles, 60% effort
Saturday --
Sunday 6 miles, 80% effort (i.e. slightly faster than last week)
WEEK 5
Monday 50% recovery session (see note)
Tuesday 3 x 100 metre sprints, 100% effort then 10 min easy jog
Wednesday --
Thursday 2 x 3 miles, 80% effort
Friday --
Saturday 3 miles, 60% effort
Sunday 7 miles, 70% effort
WEEK 6
Monday --
Tuesday 50% recovery session (see note)
Wednesday 4 miles, 80% effort
Thursday --
Friday 2 x 2 miles, 90% effort
Saturday --
Sunday 8 miles, 80% effort
WEEK 7
Monday 50% recovery session (see note)
Tuesday 5 x 100 metre sprints, 100% effort, then 5 min easy jog.
Wednesday --
Thursday 5 miles, 60% effort
Friday --
Saturday 9 miles, 70% effort
Sunday --
WEEK 8
Monday 50% recovery session (see note)
Tuesday 4 miles, 80% effort
Wednesday --
Thursday 2 x 2 miles, 90% effort
Friday 4 miles, 60% effort
Saturday --
Sunday 10 miles, 80% effort
WEEK 9
Monday --
Tuesday 50% recovery session (see note)
Wednesday 5 x 100 metre sprints, 100% effort, then 5 minute recovery jog
Thursday 6 miles, 80% effort
Friday --
Saturday --
Sunday 12 miles, 70% effort
WEEK 10
Monday 50% recovery session (see note)
Tuesday 2 x 3 miles, 90% effort
Wednesday --
Thursday 4 miles, 80% effort
Friday --
Saturday 3 miles, 50% effort
Sunday 10 miles, 80% effort
WEEK 11
Monday 50% recovery session (see note)
Tuesday 3 x 200 metre sprints, 100% effort then 5 min recovery jog
Wednesday --
Thursday 3 miles, 90% effort
Friday --
Saturday 8 miles, 70% effort
Sunday --
WEEK 12
Monday 6 miles, 70% effort
Tuesday --
Wednesday 2 x 2 miles, 80% effort
Thursday 50% recovery session, see note
Friday --
Saturday 3 miles, 60% effort
Sunday RACE DAY!
Good luck, stick to it and you’ll be so chuffed when you finish the race that all the effort will be worth it… and I’d love to hear if anyone follows this programme and how they get on in the race!
Coming up TOMORROW - my not to be missed piece on race preparation, believe me, I’ve learnt by my mistakes and these are MY hot tips on getting it right.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
GEORGIE - Restaurant feast or famine....
Eating out is hard. When I lived in the USA we ate out 4 times a week on average and I got so used to restaurant dining I also got very good at portion control. I never ate two courses unless it was two starters back to back, no desserts, wine at weekends only and sticking to little plates etc. But now I am back in the UK (and while I was on unemployed persons budget) eating out has become something more of a treat then it was stateside. That brings up a problem - well, for the piggy in me anyway - as I want to eat THE WHOLE MENU. Things that were a complete NO NO for me in the US - bread basket, chips, onion rings etc are such a treat that I feel like I can just bend the rules as I haven't eaten out for ages. Add to that eating pudding, 3/4/5 glasses of wine and (in the case of twice last week) 3 COURSES (3 courses!) I am in danger of sliding into restaurant gut hell!!
I ate out three times last week. It was great! We were celebrating and I really felt like I deserved the treat. What my body didn't deserve was the stuffing it got... I really over did it. And while it's fine to pig out once in a while, its not ok for me to do it regularly. I have lost my restraint when there's a menu in my hand and I need to retrain myself to get that discipline back. I intend to get back on that wagon pronto.
So the answer? Well I go back to my Superbowl experience. (It's a good read if you want to look back through our February blogs) Fun is fine, but it must be a one off. So, back to the old rules. No excess drinking. No bread basket. No chips. Protein and vegetables to ensure I am not eating all my calories for the day in one sitting.
All I am saying peeps, is enjoy it, but when you wake up a week later 5 pounds heavier (like I did) then I guess, I deserve that. Oh well. Back to the gym we go.
I ate out three times last week. It was great! We were celebrating and I really felt like I deserved the treat. What my body didn't deserve was the stuffing it got... I really over did it. And while it's fine to pig out once in a while, its not ok for me to do it regularly. I have lost my restraint when there's a menu in my hand and I need to retrain myself to get that discipline back. I intend to get back on that wagon pronto.
So the answer? Well I go back to my Superbowl experience. (It's a good read if you want to look back through our February blogs) Fun is fine, but it must be a one off. So, back to the old rules. No excess drinking. No bread basket. No chips. Protein and vegetables to ensure I am not eating all my calories for the day in one sitting.
All I am saying peeps, is enjoy it, but when you wake up a week later 5 pounds heavier (like I did) then I guess, I deserve that. Oh well. Back to the gym we go.
Monday, May 10, 2010
ZAR - little resolutions
(With apologies for a lack of blog yesterday - you can blame GB who was out bouncing around some social event and forgot to post)
I never used to make New Years resolutions, rather I'd resolve to be better every year. I did make a couple of resolutions this year but I usually set goals - 5 years, 1 year, monthly.....whatever it might be. I had an interesting conversation with a customer the other day who had a good idea to make mid year resolutions.
I want to add just a little to Pose's wonderful blog on goalsetting. She talked about making goals specific, achievable, measurable, realistic and putting a time frame on them. Unless you do this it will be very easy to lose sight of your goals. Weeks slip by, become months and suddenly you're not the same person who was so fired up.
I think it's really important to keep goals and resolutions at the forefront of your mind. As we hurtle towards winter here, I like to promise myself that I won't put on any weight through the winter. I've got a new exercise regime that I'm really excited about, have my eating under control(ish), monthly weigh-ins as a WeightWatchers lifetime member. I'm determined to come out the otherside; fit, slim and feeling great and not have to hit the gym to make my body bikini ready.
If you have made resolutions, set goals or promised yourself to get fit or eat healthy, remind yourself of them, write them down. There's nothing like achieving a goal to give yourself a boost. Life is busy; don't let another 6 months slip by and suddenly you realise that promise you made to yourself was just words.
I never used to make New Years resolutions, rather I'd resolve to be better every year. I did make a couple of resolutions this year but I usually set goals - 5 years, 1 year, monthly.....whatever it might be. I had an interesting conversation with a customer the other day who had a good idea to make mid year resolutions.
I want to add just a little to Pose's wonderful blog on goalsetting. She talked about making goals specific, achievable, measurable, realistic and putting a time frame on them. Unless you do this it will be very easy to lose sight of your goals. Weeks slip by, become months and suddenly you're not the same person who was so fired up.
I think it's really important to keep goals and resolutions at the forefront of your mind. As we hurtle towards winter here, I like to promise myself that I won't put on any weight through the winter. I've got a new exercise regime that I'm really excited about, have my eating under control(ish), monthly weigh-ins as a WeightWatchers lifetime member. I'm determined to come out the otherside; fit, slim and feeling great and not have to hit the gym to make my body bikini ready.
If you have made resolutions, set goals or promised yourself to get fit or eat healthy, remind yourself of them, write them down. There's nothing like achieving a goal to give yourself a boost. Life is busy; don't let another 6 months slip by and suddenly you realise that promise you made to yourself was just words.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
ZAR - Something for the weekend - Spanish Chicken Stew!
This takes about an hour to cook but doesn't involve too much fiddling around or standing over. Easy and delicious; great to freeze too.
Serves 4
4 boneless chicken thighs, skin off, cut in half
2 chicken breasts, skin off, cut in half
150g slices pancetta, cut into 1cm pieces
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
120ml white wine
1 tin diced tomatoes
25g pine nuts
4 bay leaves
1 red capsicum, grilled and skinned
handful chopped flatleaf parsley
Pre-heat oven to 150 degrees.
Heat an ovenproof, heavy bottomed dish on a medium heat on the stovetop with 1 tbsp olive oil. Brown the chicken in batches and set aside on a plate. Put the pancetta in the pan and cook to brown for about 5-10 mins. Add the onion and sauté for another 5-10 mins. Add the garlic and cook for another 5 mins until softened.
Pour in the white wine to deglaze the plan and reduce by about half. Return the chicken to the pan with the tomatoes, bay leaves, 3/4 of the pinenuts and season. Put into the oven for half an hour.
Blitz the capsicum flesh and remaining pine nuts in a food processor. Stir this mixture into the stew and sprinkle on chopped parsley to serve.
Serves 4
4 boneless chicken thighs, skin off, cut in half
2 chicken breasts, skin off, cut in half
150g slices pancetta, cut into 1cm pieces
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
120ml white wine
1 tin diced tomatoes
25g pine nuts
4 bay leaves
1 red capsicum, grilled and skinned
handful chopped flatleaf parsley
Pre-heat oven to 150 degrees.
Heat an ovenproof, heavy bottomed dish on a medium heat on the stovetop with 1 tbsp olive oil. Brown the chicken in batches and set aside on a plate. Put the pancetta in the pan and cook to brown for about 5-10 mins. Add the onion and sauté for another 5-10 mins. Add the garlic and cook for another 5 mins until softened.
Pour in the white wine to deglaze the plan and reduce by about half. Return the chicken to the pan with the tomatoes, bay leaves, 3/4 of the pinenuts and season. Put into the oven for half an hour.
Blitz the capsicum flesh and remaining pine nuts in a food processor. Stir this mixture into the stew and sprinkle on chopped parsley to serve.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
GEORGIE - Doing your 'daily bit' - try the 100's!!
A little thought for you on making a daily pledge. If you're not able to get to the gym daily, or exercise as regularly as you like, I got an idea from a friend of mine - she does what she calls her 'little bit' every day. A little bit of resistance training that needs no gym, no mat and no special clothing. She has made a little pledge on the days she doesn't get a chance to go down to the gym to just do what she calls 'something'. So I thought about what she said and decided that I might find myself a little big of something to do on the days I don't gym (or on the days when I cycle to work and feel like I could do with a little extra for a full body work out).
My old trainer used to set me task called the "100's". It's basically doing 5 different exercises 100 times. You can break these up into four circuits of 25 and they take about 10 minutes of your time which is nothing at all! You can even do your four different circuits of 25 each at different times of the day providing they add up to 100.
So - try this one. 25 sit-ups, 25 full squats (proper bum down - no cheating!) 25 press ups and 25 lunges. Repeated 4 times. You can vary the exercises that you do but I like this combination as it works the tum, the bum, the hamstrings and your arms and chest. Managing 100 lunges is quite a feat too! You can make it as easy or hard as you like by varying the type of sit up, using weights for squats and/or lunges and by working towards doing full press ups (never going to happen with me but hey, aim high). I've done it for a few days now and it's great!! I find it easiest to do while I am waiting for my bath to run in the evening but anytime will do. It's important to choose exercises that aren't too aerobic so don't make you sweat too much or the thought of doing your 100 might be too dreaded to bear.
Good luck and try this one out - let us know how you got on!!!
My old trainer used to set me task called the "100's". It's basically doing 5 different exercises 100 times. You can break these up into four circuits of 25 and they take about 10 minutes of your time which is nothing at all! You can even do your four different circuits of 25 each at different times of the day providing they add up to 100.
So - try this one. 25 sit-ups, 25 full squats (proper bum down - no cheating!) 25 press ups and 25 lunges. Repeated 4 times. You can vary the exercises that you do but I like this combination as it works the tum, the bum, the hamstrings and your arms and chest. Managing 100 lunges is quite a feat too! You can make it as easy or hard as you like by varying the type of sit up, using weights for squats and/or lunges and by working towards doing full press ups (never going to happen with me but hey, aim high). I've done it for a few days now and it's great!! I find it easiest to do while I am waiting for my bath to run in the evening but anytime will do. It's important to choose exercises that aren't too aerobic so don't make you sweat too much or the thought of doing your 100 might be too dreaded to bear.
Good luck and try this one out - let us know how you got on!!!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
ROSIE - Injuries... grrr!
This is a seemingly obvious piece... and has come from speaking to Zar over the past couple of weeks You may have noticed from her blogs (!) that she has an injury at present and my heart goes out to her on that! So, let's ask the basic question - what do you do if you have an injury? Simple; rest it. Yes, very simple, unless it happens to be YOU that's carrying that injury. It's only when exercise becomes an important part of your life that having an injury becomes an issue. If going to the gym is a struggle rather than a part of your day, an injury is a great excuse not to have that workout!
On the other side of the coin, I know how desperate it feels to have a great exercise regime that you simply cannot live without when injury strikes. You feel like your whole world has shifted and life as you know it is not the same. It sounds crazy and over the top but it's true. Over and over I've had clients who are injured and still push themselves to the limit. I spend two sessions per week with them trying to give them exercises to recuperate and strengthen an injured area and BAM, the next week they're even worse because they've pushed themselves too hard in between our sessions.
So... my advice? Take a step back. Don't make your injury worse. It's hideous and frustrating and you want to scream but look at the maths. It's better to take 2, 3, even 6 weeks doing exercise at a lower intensity than pushing your injury too far. If you do, you could be back in business and better than ever. If you DO push your injury then you will, WITHOUT DOUBT, make it worse and have longer off exercise and could cause permanent damage. Try and think outside the box and don't panic. Take up swimming, pilates, just something different and lower intensity that won't damage you even further. 2-3 weeks won't make a big difference. Your fitness may drop a little, hell, you may even put on 4 or 5 lbs. But you can pick up your fitness and lose those pounds.
On this note, if you do exercise regularly it's probably very rare that you take a "week off". We exercise to feel good and why should we take a week off feeling good? But it's so SO important for your body to have a break. If you go on holiday, leave your trainers behind. Don't panic if you have a busy week at work and can't make it to the gym. Don't worry if you oversleep on Sunday morning and don't have time for your workout. If you feel guilty about missing exercise then it's often a sign that it's controlling you. Hard as it is, give yourself a week off. You can get back to it after a week feeling rested, refreshed with your energy stores replenished and feeling better than ever!
On the other side of the coin, I know how desperate it feels to have a great exercise regime that you simply cannot live without when injury strikes. You feel like your whole world has shifted and life as you know it is not the same. It sounds crazy and over the top but it's true. Over and over I've had clients who are injured and still push themselves to the limit. I spend two sessions per week with them trying to give them exercises to recuperate and strengthen an injured area and BAM, the next week they're even worse because they've pushed themselves too hard in between our sessions.
So... my advice? Take a step back. Don't make your injury worse. It's hideous and frustrating and you want to scream but look at the maths. It's better to take 2, 3, even 6 weeks doing exercise at a lower intensity than pushing your injury too far. If you do, you could be back in business and better than ever. If you DO push your injury then you will, WITHOUT DOUBT, make it worse and have longer off exercise and could cause permanent damage. Try and think outside the box and don't panic. Take up swimming, pilates, just something different and lower intensity that won't damage you even further. 2-3 weeks won't make a big difference. Your fitness may drop a little, hell, you may even put on 4 or 5 lbs. But you can pick up your fitness and lose those pounds.
On this note, if you do exercise regularly it's probably very rare that you take a "week off". We exercise to feel good and why should we take a week off feeling good? But it's so SO important for your body to have a break. If you go on holiday, leave your trainers behind. Don't panic if you have a busy week at work and can't make it to the gym. Don't worry if you oversleep on Sunday morning and don't have time for your workout. If you feel guilty about missing exercise then it's often a sign that it's controlling you. Hard as it is, give yourself a week off. You can get back to it after a week feeling rested, refreshed with your energy stores replenished and feeling better than ever!
Monday, May 3, 2010
ZAR - Considering GI
I read a small article in the paper the other day regarding GI foods. The GI (glycemic index) is something that has really came to the fore in the last 5-10 years. The GI rating of a food is calculated by monitoring an individual's release of blood sugar immediately after consumption of that food. Low GI foods are digested more slowly and leave you feeling fuller for longer. Typically, unprocessed, brown grains and certain fruits and veg. High GI foods give us a rush of blood sugar and not much more.
The article spoke of a study which had been conducted into the diets of 15,000 men and 32,000 women. It really focused on the danger of refined carbohydrates which generally have a high GI. It found that diets which were higher GI had an increased risk of developing heart disease.
This is another reason to cook from raw and avoid too much processed food. I don't want you to immediately adopt a strict low GI diet, just be aware of what you put into your body. This is not just better for you in the short term but consider the future of your health - doing something now is so much better than wishing you'd done something now, in the future.
More info on adopting these ideas as a programme or to find out about GI foods - www.glycemicindex.com is the official website and makes some interesting reading. Certainly worth a look!
The article spoke of a study which had been conducted into the diets of 15,000 men and 32,000 women. It really focused on the danger of refined carbohydrates which generally have a high GI. It found that diets which were higher GI had an increased risk of developing heart disease.
This is another reason to cook from raw and avoid too much processed food. I don't want you to immediately adopt a strict low GI diet, just be aware of what you put into your body. This is not just better for you in the short term but consider the future of your health - doing something now is so much better than wishing you'd done something now, in the future.
More info on adopting these ideas as a programme or to find out about GI foods - www.glycemicindex.com is the official website and makes some interesting reading. Certainly worth a look!
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