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I finished tweaking my training plan for the 2011 Bank of America Chicago Marathon this afternoon. It is 14-weeks, and begins tomorrow. While there are some deviations (i.e. recovery weeks, taper, etc.), the general template is as follows for Running and Cross Training:
Running
- Mon: 5 to 7-Miles – Trails
- Tue: 7 to 11-Miles – Tempo
- Wed: 4 to 6-Miles – Recovery
- Thu: 5 to 7-Miles – Track
- Fri: 4 to 5-Miles – Barefoot
- Sat: 14 to 22-Miles – Moderate or Interval Workout
- Sun: Rest
Cross Training
- Mon: P90X – Legs & Back
- Tue: Insanity – Plyo Cardio Circuit
- Wed: P90X – Shoulders & Arms (1/2) + Ab Ripper X
- Thu: P90X – Chest & Back (1/2)
- Fri: P90X – Ab Ripper X
- Sat: P90X – X Stretch or Yoga
- Sun: Rest
Let me know if you have any questions or feedback. Also let me know if you want a copy of the full plan in spreadsheet format. I would be happy to share.
My goal for this fall and winter marathon season is to break 3:15:00 for the first time. 3:15 was my goal when I ran the Twin Cities Marathon last October, and I was able to hold that pace for 22 miles before I hit the wall and never recovered (Finished in 3:25:38). I did not try for 3:15 again last season, but did set my current PR of 3:24:13 in San Antonio 6 weeks later. Last year 3:15 would have been a BQ for me, but with the revised standards it is now 3:10. However, I know that improving upon my PR by 9 minutes will be hard enough without the added pressure of an extra 4 minutes. Also, even if I did qualify, my dad and I have a big golf trip planned for Scotland next April during the same time as Boston.
This season, I’m tentatively scheduled to run 4 full marathons, and I’m going to try and not overemphasize any one race. There are so many factors outside of my controls (e.g. weather), so my goal is to break 3:15 in any one of those races.
My first shot will come at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9th. My training program for Chicago starts tomorrow, and at this moment I’m making a few last minute adjustments to my schedule. I plan to chronicle my journey toward 3:15 on my blog over the coming months.
