Please help me build a base.

It appears that no one wants to help you.

Yeah, unfortunately.

No need for anything fancy--you've almost described the schedule yourself already. You want to run 30mpw with one day of speed work, and I assume you want to keep the long run. So put your long run on the calendar, put your speed work on the calendar three days later, schedule a day of rest two days after that, and then divide the rest of the mileage into the remaining four days.

Might look something like this:

S 8.5

M 4

T 4

W 5.5 (1.25 up, 8x400 w/200 rest, 1.25 down)

R 4

F 0

A 4

Since that's your goal schedule, scale it down to a level you can complete now (~3/4 of the work each day). The 10% rule (increase mileage by 10% per week max) is actually a decent rule for beginners, so use that as a guide for how quickly to increase the workload. Schedule a "down week" of about 2/3 the work once every three or four weeks.

Listen to your body. Consistency is paramount.

Hi Delacram,

I think the reason many people are hesitant to help is because oftentimes the person posting is not ingenuous - meaning, he or she is a troll.

If there was some way for you to verify that you are sincere, I am sure that many - I, certainly - would be glad to help.

Higdon is way too hard for beginners (and intermediates). I don't know what the guy is smoking.

Just follow a simple plan for now. I'd recommend this:

http://www.exrx.net/Aerobic/RunnersEdge/HalfMarathon2.html

I don't think these are the best message boards for you, simply because a lot of very good runners here who do not have the experience of starting from scratch.

Try this

http://www.runningahead.com/forums/forum/e156b4159be84f8e96fec5f2b86b9000

There's some great advice for new runners there as well as weight-loss tips.

Good luck!

I wouldn't mess with speed work or long runs for awhile.

Run 4-6 miles a day - if you feel good during a run, pick up the pace the last few miles.

Don't worry about time or pacing very much. The first goal is to become a consistent runner. This means daily running and soon twice a day running!

Hi Delacram.

If you're not a troll, you've made a wise decision to back off the intensity of Higdon's plans.

I would consider getting a heart rate monitor.

Read this article, and consider following its advice:

http://www.markallenonline.com/maoArticles.aspx?AID=2

Another great resource for beginners, and those that never learned to train properly is the book "Heart Monitor Training for the Compleat Idiot" by John Parker.

Even simpler advice is to run easy enough that you can run every day. Run about 30 minutes. Run evenly, meaning if you run an out & back course the 2nd half takes about the same time as the first. If you have to slow down, start out easier the next run.

Once you're comfortable with 30 minutes every day, start building every other, or every third day a bit longer. Stretch it to 40 minutes, 45, 50, 60 minutes. 60 minutes is the eventual goal. One you are comfortable running that every 2nd or 3rd day, start bringing up the 30 minute days a little to 40 or 45.

Eventually, get to where you can run comfortably for 45-60 minutes every day. Once you have that, you can start a plan with some speedwork and probably have some decent success.

Expect this base process to take at least 3 months, and possibly as many as 6 months.

The article & book & heart rate monitor would be a better aproach though, imo.

Hey, guys. Thanks SO MUCH for your informative replies. I really appreciate them.

@P. Revere - It's a shame that trolling is a problem here. Here's some proof that I'm serious about running, I guess. I just got the Garmin watch a few days ago, so it doesn't have my entire running history on it. If you want to see that, I can provide a link to the picture.

http://gyazo.com/c64b8c04255b3aa1e568d833b9bc29da

@Anonymous - Your plan seems great. If no one offers anything better, I'll type yours up into a calendar and get to running.

@Surprise! - Alright. I'll work on becoming a consistent runner. How far into my career should I start trying to pick up the pace, though? My REAL goal is to start placing in races. I know I have a long way to go, though. It's both inspiring and discouraging to see people who are so much faster.

@for me... - I've been receiving a lot of advice about the heart rate monitors. Problem is I just invested in a watch that doesn't have that luxury. I am going to have to hold off for a while. I can actually run very well for 30, 40, 50, and even 60 minutes. I start to get bored after 60 lol. My long run last weekend was 73 minutes, I think. I'm willing to put in the necessary work to get better. I'm going to do this.

I wouldn't worry too much about when and how to pick up the pace. At this point in your fitness, you'll pick up the pace naturally as you improve. If you feel like you can go a bit faster, then go ahead and run faster.

I wouldn't worry too much about the HR monitor. While it can be a great tool, it's a luxury that isn't needed.

If you can, find a friend/running group/club that you can run with. You don't have to run with people every day, but it'll definitely help the long runs pass by quickly.

M: Flex Day (30min to LongRunLength+1mile)

T: Easy + a few fun sprints

W: Easy 30 min

R: Easy including *Run Like A Gazelle*

F: 30 min

S: Long Run (start at 7 miles)

S: Rest

1st Week's Mileage: ~20-25 miles

A few things I'll comment on:

One is the "Flex Day." I feel it is important to have one day a week that you really let yourself go depending on how you are feeling. Say you have just found a magnificent path through the woods or a sidetrack through an alleyway - you don't want to have to cut your run short because of a prescribed time. This is your Free Day, where you can have fun finding a new route and exploring. The only caveat is that even though you can go as long as you want depending upon how you feel, this should never be longer than your weekly long run + 1 mile.

Another is a day that you "Run Like A Gazelle." (The idea is inspired from Frank Horwill.) Meaning run at a brisk, breakneck, easy pace. Breakneck because the thought is that a lion is chasing you. You are acting out your flight response. Easy, because your thought is never on tiring; it is simply on running as effortlessly and quickly as you possibly can. Quick quick QUICK! It should always be exhilarating, first and foremost. If you start to seriously tire beyond being excited-tire, stop.

I really would not recommend speedwork at this point if you had no real preferences, but if you really love doing it, by all means go for it - you seem like an intelligent guy. I know you'll be smart about it.

Tuesday sprints are after the workout and with full recovery. Quick and easy enough to get you excited, speedy and short enough to work on your pure kicks.

Although I think running 7 days a week is good in theory, I think making yourself take a rest day every week keeps you from getting too nutty and pushing yourself too much, as a beginner.

To expand mileage, just gradually add minutes on to your easy runs, and tack on a mile to your long run every couple weeks.

Time, in my opinion, is better to follow than miles for all your easy days. This keeps you focused on building up time on your legs, rather than specific mileage outputs. The long run I like thinking about in miles, however, because it is your weekly reward: it is fun to see your progression in how far you are able to run each week.

Cheers

P.

If you are new to running, why are you starting on a half-marathon plan?

I would recommend sticking to 5k and 10k distances the first year.

You should also look at Joe Henderson's plans for new runners. They are quite sensible.

Good luck to ya.

Practice running 15 miles non stop. It doesn't matter if you have to take long breaks now but, work your way up to a comfortable run for 15 miles.

I would drop all speed work and formal scheduling until you can do this.

Supplement this with strength training and cross training.

Reasoning: you want an aerobic base and a 15 mile run will prove that and you choose a half marathon plan so I assume you want to run that distance eventually.

After you accomplish the 15 mile run then take a break and proceed to start following a plan that uses hills instead of speed work.

I'd try to then race 5Ks to be a better runner as you loose more weight.

Revisit the half marathon a few years later.

Thank you, P. Revere. I really like the idea of the flex day and the gazelle analogy. I'll incorporate those into my plan.

To those of you asking why I chose to do a half marathon plan so early into my career is because I actually completed a full marathon last month. It was the Long Island marathon on May 5th. I know I can cover the distance. It took me 6:37, but I did it, nonetheless. I also ran a 5k two weeks ago.

It's time you know of Percy Cerutty. Look him up.

No worries about not having a heart rate monitor. It helps... especially beginners that almost always tend to run their easy runs too hard. So keep that in mind on easy days.

At this stage of the game, I would not spend much time/energy on stuff like 400m repeats. I would work on:

1) mileage

2) steady state/ tempo runs

3) shorter, faster running in the form of strides

Here's the idea: you probably have plenty of speed to run way faster in races. How fast can you run 100m or 200m? You can probably run those at 5:00 pace. So, you obviously have enough speed.

The question is - why can't you run much slower than that, say 6:00 pace or 7:00 pace for a full half marathon? It can't be speed. It's stamina. You don't have the stamina to hold a solid pace for a decent length of time. You get out of breath, and your legs burn too quickly at those paces.

To improve that, you need to work from the bottom up. Easy miles, and steady state/tempo runs will do that better than anything else. Keep the strides in a few times a week so you keep in touch with faster running, and improve your economy, without exhausting yourself.

During base for a beginner, you don't really want to get out of breath.

Good luck.

Delacram wrote:

Thank you, P. Revere. I really like the idea of the flex day and the gazelle analogy. I'll incorporate those into my plan.

To those of you asking why I chose to do a half marathon plan so early into my career is because I actually completed a full marathon last month. It was the Long Island marathon on May 5th. I know I can cover the distance. It took me 6:37, but I did it, nonetheless. I also ran a 5k two weeks ago.

Are you comfortable saying what part of the island? I might be able to get in you touch with good groups of people depending.

Sure! My family has houses in Floral Park, Brookville, and Southampton. I have no problem getting to anywhere around these areas. I'm there all the time.

Did you bandit that marathon? It looks like the last person across the line at the 2013 LI Marathon finished in 6:19...

[quote]Not a Coach wrote:

Higdon is way too hard for beginners (and intermediates). I don't know what the guy is smoking.

Have you ever spoke with Mr. Higdon?

He is a nice guy. However, he appears to be a bit insecure. He tends to let a person know of his past accomplishments on various occasions.

I sopke with him once, and he asked my pr's.

I mentioned my 13:49, and he began speaking while I was talking, as if he had something better to tell me. Mostly about himself.

That is my personal encounter, and my personal impression.