Recap of Week and Look at Next Week: 10/26-10/31

This week I ran 29 miles, ending with an 8 mile run on Saturday. I'm just trying to build a base before my marathon program begins. I asked, Aron, from Runner's Rambles what schedule she uses and she introduced me to Pfitzinger plans. I've decided I'm going to do his plan that peaks at a 55 mile week and is 18 weeks long. I was originally going to use the FIRST training plan because I really enjoyed using the FIRST half marathon plan on my last half marathon. However, I decided to go with the Pfitz plan because I felt like I would rather put in more miles and run a little slower than the FIRST plan recommends. We'll see how this decision plays out.

This week I'm going to try and run 30 miles, ending with a 9 mile long run. I'm going to increase my long run by a mile every week until the first week of my training, which includes a 12 mile long run.

Here's my plan this week:
Monday: 3 miles + upperbody workout
Tuesday: 6 mile progression run
Wednesday: 3 miles + lower workout
Thursday: 6 mile progression run
Friday: 3 miles + upperbody workout
Saturday: 9 mile long run between an 8:46 and 9:46 pace

I've decided to do a lot of progression runs while building my base so I can still reach faster paces, but avoid injury. Ending at a faster pace than I start also helps me end my workout on a positive note. I can tell I've gotten a lot stronger because I've finally been consistent lifting weights. I plan on continuing this routine until my schedule starts, and will then reevaluate.