Training Plan

I have said this before, and I am saying it again. I NEED A TRAINING PLAN. I have been doing a less than stellar job of getting in shape and with the Chicago marathon only 5 months away and then Tulsa a month after that I need to get on the ball.

Last night (or should I say early this morning – it was 2 am) I was reviewing the TNT training schedule. It is set up as follows:

Monday – timed run
Tuesday – track / speed work
Wednesday – rest
Thursday – timed run
Friday – timed cross-training
Saturday – long run
Sunday – rest

Well, I need to do more. I need to throw in a couple days of strength and core training along with a few more days of cross-training (specifically swimming and biking).

I am thinking of:

Monday – timed run, strength, core, cross-train (swim)
Tuesday – track / speed work, cross train (bike)
Wednesday – strength, cross-train (swim)
Thursday – timed run, cross-train (bike), core
Friday – cross-train (swim)
Saturday – long run
Sunday – rest with the possibility of some cross-training (bike)

Bike rides will consist of riding along the bayou anywhere from 20 to 30 miles.

Swims will consist of laps anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 meters which might or might not include kicks and pulls.

Strength will consist of legs, back, arms, shoulders, and glutes all in the same day.

Core will consist of using the stability ball and various types of crunches.

Timed runs will be anywhere from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours (times will get progressively longer until the taper). I might include running hills along the bayou, too.

Track / Speed work will consist of meeting up with TNT and doing the assigned work. Sometimes I might head over to Rice U and do the stairs at the stadium.

Long runs will start at 4 miles and max out at 21/22. I will do most of my long runs with TNT.

I will also include more stretching into my routine.

And my daily nutritional intake needs to improve. I will try harder to include more fruits and veggies in my diet. My major downfall when it comes to food is sweets. I LOVE chocolate and ice cream. I am trying to lessen the amount of sugar and refined carbs I consume. I have started buying multi-grain pasta. When I buy yogurt I buy organic or ones made with sugar (I try not to buy things sweetened with high fructose corn syrup). I DO NOT DO DIET!! Artificial sweeteners taste nasty and leave an awful after taste. I rarely drink sodas, and my beverage of choice is water. I only drink alcohol socially, but sometimes I drink too much! I need to cut down on that – wasted calories. One or two drinks is sufficient every once and awhile. I eat out way to much (lunch). I need to bring my meals with me to work. Some weeks I am really good and bring everything with me. Other times, not so good. I do try to eat healthy when I do go out though! But I could do better.

So those are my plans. Better training and better nutrition.

So, what do you think? Is there something I could be doing better? Or do I need to change things around a bit?

The nutrition part of this plan will start immediately. The major training part will start after Tahoe, but I will be doing some light training prior.