Do as I say, not as I do ?

[Oldfloss]

I am struggling...I am confused, and would, please, appreciate some advice from the experts.

As some of you know I started a Beginner's Half Marathon plan.

womensrunninguk.co.uk/wp-co...

It requires you to be running 10K before starting.

I have followed the two weeks but am finding it tricky. The strength exercises etc, etc are fine.. I have always done and still do those routines anyway... rest days are strange, ( you are supposed to rest !) and the walk/runs I feel are really problematic... I feel barely warmed up and I have to walk... and feel like I am not really running at all.

I appreciate the building up process of stamina, but as with this morning, I really feel as if I am losing ground.

I currently run comfortably for an hour or over...on my Sunday run day usually.. covering at least 10 K in about 1 hr 10 mins...my other runs vary in distance and speed.

I chose this plan which is 12 weeks.. because I am an old snail and I have never done anything like this., but I feel it maybe is not the one for me.. am I just not understanding it or should I have chosen another plan that started me at a different level??

I know on C25K I am always telling folk to follow the programme.... and yet here I am , maybe wanting to rush ahead!

Reading this it sounds very garbled..maybe one of you can see what I am getting at ?

[mfamilias Half Marathon]

I'm not an expert on plans, and tend to apply them in a very haphazard manner, so anything I say should probably be taken with a lorry-load of salt. That being said, that looks to me like a plan that is designed for people starting to run, I'm not surprised that you feel you're losing ground. I'd gun for a MyAsics plan, which you can tweak in terms of number of runs, and which asks about your performance before it suggests a program. I find they reflect my abilities well and give realistic goals. AncientMum is a good person to ask about this.

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to mfamilias]

Thanks Mfam.. I will take a look...I will also ask AncientMum .. trouble is I don't really know what I am doing and whether this is a good idea.. but hey ho

I am good at tweaking

[AncientMum Half Marathon in reply to Oldfloss]

Ah Floss, as an Ancient person myself, I can't recommend the personalised Asics plans highly enough. They're customised for your age, sex, how many times a week you want to run and how hard you want to train. I followed one to get to 10k for the first time and have followed them for both my half marathons. There not perfect but they're pretty fine.

For my first HM, I put in my 10k PB and elected to run 3 times a week at low intensity (actually it only made about 1 minute's difference to the projected time when I compared low and medium intensity). The runs started small and slow; progressed to build-up runs where you start slowly and work at getting negative splits; moved onto faster runs combined with a longer slower run each week; and finally moved onto race pace long runs at the end.

Although I beat their projected finish time for the 10k plan, I didn't quite achieve their projected finish time in either of my HM races, but I was pretty close.

If you're like me and enjoy the structure that a plan brings and having a goal for each run, then sign up and give it a go. If you hate it, just abandon it, but I bet you don't. GOOD LUCK

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to AncientMum]

I have had an initial look at the plan.. and it gives me a projected time of much less than another plan...and strangely, I find that more encouraging!

I do like the idea of a basic plan to follow... it does give me a focus... and because this is really new ground for me, I feel I need that. I want to complete this , injury free and having enjoyed it

I am going to devote some time this weekend to finding exactly what is the way forward for me...I do like the tweak-ability, to tailor it to your needs, of this plan too...

Thank you Watch this space

[Whatsapp Half Marathon]

I am no running expert by any means - you have been running longer than I - but the first thing I think when I see the programme is: if you should be capable of running 10k prior to commencing this plan, then why all the short run/walk times at the beginning?

In fact if you are to build your running stamina - already being capable of running a quarter marathon (or 10k) non-stop, then why the need walk at all?

You know the C25k philosphy better than most. If you want to build stamina, run a little more each week to gradually build your distance - and go slow.

I'll wager you could write your own plan for this using the 10% rule which would fit better with your running habits; you are the expert on you and what you can do.

Failing that may I suggest you give myasics a try. Here you can set you own goals and adapt the plan to suit my.asics.com/uk/en-us

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to Whatsapp]

Thanks for the reply and link... I think I just felt, because I had never done this sort of thing before then I needed to take it carefully...

I am going to take a look at things and rethink

[Sandraj39 Half Marathon in reply to Oldfloss]

I agree with Whatsapp - that's pretty much what I did for mine, Oldfloss. Always kept the 10% rule in mind and built up my distance run slowly (often only increasing every other week), along with two shorter runs of about 6.5k. Throw in a low mileage week if you start to find it tough. Good luck!🙂

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to Sandraj39]

Thank you... the idea of the routine, (for me )runs and adding the 10% on seems to make sense... I just have to find the way forwards... it is all new ground for me... and I want to get it right! x

[Richard7 Half Marathon]

Hi .. obviously take the advice of seasoned runners .. but I was curious and so looked at the plan. One thing that jumps out to me is that it is all time based rather than distance but could not see an expectation of how long it would take to run the half! Given that some people run 5k in 15 - 20 mins and that the longest run in week 10 is 90 mins I wonder if you should tweak the times for the plan to suit your pace more.

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to Richard7]

Thanks Richard... I chose the plan for the slow build up... and because it never mentioned distances... I can get hung up on distance sometimes.. You are able to work out a rough HM time adding on %, based on your age and current running stats... they gave me a time of 3 hrs 8 minutes!

I have to take another look I think... feeling a tad flat this morning!

[Richard7 Half Marathon in reply to Oldfloss]

If 3 hours then the jump from 105 mins to 180 I would think is too big! Good luck

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to Richard7]

New time with another plan.. 2hrs 40

[Richard7 Half Marathon in reply to Oldfloss]

Go for it 😀 you have whetted my appetite but I think I need to master 5 & 10 properly first 😀

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to Richard7]

Thanks.. tuck some more 5Ks and the lovely 10Ks.... and they are... under your belt and who knows

[mrrun Ultramarathon]

I went with Hal Higdon's plan for beginners. Distance based, simple, no '10K requirements'. Do check it out!

Two things l changed because it worked better for me: no run/walk, strictly running even during the full 21.10k distance, and l ditched the final week, decided to 'graduate' a week earlier, simply because l could.

The rest l did by the book, look it up, it's easier than it looks!

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to mrrun]

Thanks you... I will take a look at that...x

[mrrun Ultramarathon in reply to Oldfloss]

halhigdon.com/training/5113...

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to mrrun]

Thank you😊

[JaySeeSkinny Half Marathon]

I just did my own thing based loosely on the 10% rule. One week my long run would be 12k, then I’d drop back to 8 or 10k the following week, followed by 14k, drop back etc, etc. It meant things weren’t quite so relentless. My mid-week runs stayed the same (anything between 4 and 6k). It worked very well and took me about 2 months to get to HM distance. Also gave me flexibility if a really long run wasn’t possible at the weekend. Mind you I’ve only done it twice and am nowhere near the distance at the moment. I seem to have settled in to about 13 - 14k as my long run. And I don’t think I want to get up to HM distance again in the immediate future!

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to JaySeeSkinny]

Thanks you... I am taking all the info in and trying to compute it! x

[Decker Ultramarathon]

Hi Floss, you have far more miles than me but I would agree with mfamilias, about the asics plan. I’ve wound up doing two asics plans back to back, and the second one had a much bigger time frame than the first, which resulted in a slower build up. But there is no walking, just a combination of run distances (5k was the minimum), that are calculated by your current 10k pace. You can choose your intensity level too. It does get a bit wonky at times with the pace suggestions, but you learn when it makes more sense to ignore the pace guidance and just run to your own happy pace. You can also shuffle days around which I did quite a bit. Its wise of you to shop around for a plan that works for you. Especially considering the chunk of time they ask of you. Would be nice to feel you are making progress.

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to Decker]

Thank you my friend.. I am rapidly coming round to a combination of slow plans mixed with my own tweaking x

[ju-ju- Marathon]

Hello... and well done you sound like a very strong and accomplished runner ... go you!

As for plans, my dear departed Gran had a wonderful phrase she used about everything she didn’t like or found tricky, and that was, ‘ piffle paffle’ I apply this to most training plans because I’m a simple soul!!!! Of course they are super if they do the job and are suited to you and I’m sensing this one could be the latter? When I trained for my first HM I simply applied the same logic that I did to get to 10k. I increased my long run and overall weekly mileage by 10% and it worked. I did a 5k, interval and long run a week allowing consolidation etc and it worked. I did the same for marathon training too!! I’d say think about what you want from the plan and find one that suits you and your running and life etc... you will get there!!

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to ju-ju-]

Thanks Ju... I am slowly forming a plan in my head.. and it will be one that does work for me..It will be slow and it will be steady...but I will do it x

[misswobble Marathon]

The plans should start slow as it’s the build up phase. You are conditioning your legs for what’s to come. Do this slow work and make the most of it . You know how I bang in about the slow bits of stepping stones 🙂. The runs will get quicker progressively like all the other programmes we’ve done Have you got notes with this programme?

When I did my marathon as run walk cos my painful hip I was walking after 2.5k which felt weird but i stuck with it cos it was in the plan. I did it just fine and no problems. If I’d done this during training I probably could have run the actual race 😃

If you input your details correctly at the outset you should be able to trust the plan as it’s YOUR plan. Bear in mind this is a beginner plan.

It’s 21kms ! That’s hard work so don’t go at it like a bull at a gate. Slowly, slowly catchee monkeee

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to misswobble]

Thanks... I do see where the plan is taking me... and I am the queen of slow and steady! I love the idea of being a bull at a gate, but I know in reality I will always be a snail

I shall find the right way... it may take a while, for me, because I do realise it is a long way to the finish line

Thanks you x

[Rignold]

I realise I have a bit of a reputation for being scornful of programmes and going at things like a bull at a gate, but that is not entirely deserved. I have stuck rigidly to strength and conditioning plans for 12, 24 minths at a time, because I had faith the science behind them was sound and they were working for me. I have also abandoned programmes after 2 weeks because I lost faith in them and they weren't. What works is always king and (sings) "what might be right for you, might not be right for some..."

Ultimately though the plan that works is the one you can stick to. If you struggle to adhere it does not augur well. I would say have a look around and see if there is one that better suits your style. If there is, then you can change horses in midstream. Just don't fall off.

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to Rignold]

Thanks Rig... I may still be a tad scared of you, but you have always, always given me great advice. Two weeks in and I just know this particular plan is not going to take me onwards.

I will find the way... x

[Frank-ntj]

Hi Floss, what a delema! I know exactly how you feel, I’ve done a couple of half’s now and started by following a plan or should say like you tried to follow a plan, but in the end I just built up gradually from 10k by adding 10% each week on my mileage. By the time I got to running 11 miles I knew I’d be able to finish, but I do recommend tapering on the last week or so. I found pacing myself with a steady increase worked well, but I know, not everyone’s the same. Best of luck on your adventure I’m sure you’ll make the right desicion and come out with flying colours! 😎

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to Frank-ntj]

I think I will find the right way Frank..thanks... I am if truth be told a little nervous... but I would really like to do this

It will take me a while but this snail is in no hurry ...thank you xx

[Ajs07]

I only graduated c25k in December then completed ju-hi- Bridge to 10k plan. I am now also in training for a half and am following the ASICS plan. I’ve only set it up for 2 runs per week as it’s my first half marathon and know that my body needs time between each run to heal, especially as the runs get longer. My main aim is just to plod around and cross that finish line, and following this plan I actually feel it is achievable. I’m not really going at their pace but at my own comfortable pace but am definitely getting stronger and faster. The whole plan is based on your ability before, walk/ run is not an option 😂 I would definitely recommend the plan,

Good luck xx

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to Ajs07]

Thank you.... I am sorting out the way I want to go... but I do know that the plan I have started is not the one for me Good luck to you too

[benwill Marathon]

I did my first marathon using the myasics plan and completed it faster then the following two where I took a kind of hap hazard view to training. But maybe that's being rubbish there are problems with myasics as in the short sessions are quite fast and the longer runs are quite slow.

But I would always advice going for a plan on distance rather then time as each person runs at different speeds and to the same degree each person is different. The best way would be to hire a coach but none really wants to do that!

[Oldfloss Administrator]

Thanks for the advice... I did like the plan I started on because it did not mention distance until the end of the plan... I shall be researching a bit more and will have a plan to begin Monday

[agedsnailspace Marathon]

I must admit that with all the experience you have, I would go for a diy add to the longer runs each week with some conditioning work thrown in. The Guardian do a cracking running apps series (the Advanced running guide) to help both with the earlier long runs and with some conditioning runs (intervals and hill sprints). I put together my own plan (because I like to have things to tick off) so that I could see the clear progression. I know some people do not approve, but I do like to make sure that I cover the distance beforehand and plotting my own was the only way I could ensure this. Having said that, you do always need to be a bit flexible! Things change and sometimes you need to shift runs around to fit in with like.

You have a wise head on your shoulders, trust yourself and listen to your body. Whichever way you decide to approach it, you will be fine :).

Just remember, it's meant to be fun!

[Oldfloss Administrator]

Thanks you... that last sentence says it all... Having fun..which is what I have always done...

I am really moving towards a sensible, structured plan of my own... I know my limitations and I know when to ease off. There is no rush for me as I have not got a particular event in mind... I just feel that I would like to do this and see just where I get to.

This has really helped.. thank you x