My Post-Race Workout Plan

Now that I'm walking pain-free, I feel ready to start thinking about working out again. No, I did not work out at all this week. I considered it my reward for that punishing half marathon course. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

While I was tapering before the race, I gave a lot of thought to what my workout schedule would look like post-race. The half marathon was the impetus behind starting this blog, actually. I was working out semi-regularly and eating semi-healthy. I signed up for the half-marathon, started training, and subsequently decided to start cleaning up my eats. Immediately noticing that my workouts were easier when I ate better, so I decided to write about it.

I make no secret about the fact that I think I overtrained for the half. I took a 10-week training program and stretched it to about 16 by doubling some weeks. What I should have done was schedule step-back weeks to prepare me for upcoming pushes in mileage. I was tired a lot this summer - way more than I should have been. I also suffered a few injuries. There were weeks when I didn't want to run at all.

Because of the overall fatigue and soreness that overtaining caused me, I did little-to-no cross training - I just couldn't find the motivation. This is a huge bummer because I actually really like cross-training and it helps me feel ready to exercise multiple days in a row (because I'm working different parts of my body).

I'm signed up for several races in the next few months and I'm really excited for them:

• September: Palo Alto Moonlight Run 10K
• October: Marsh Madness 10K
• November: Women on the Run Title 9K
• December: Jingle Bell Rock 5K

I'm committed to making my training a little more well-rounded by adding spinning and "yoga" to the mix (I don't have the patience for traditional yoga classes. I'm hoping Jillian can keep me focused). Here is my tentative workout plan for the fall:

• Monday: Spin/Abs
• Tuesday: 4-6 mile run
• Wednesday: Yoga
• Thursday: 4-6 mile run
• Friday: Spin/Abs
• Saturday: Long(ish) run (7-10 miles)
• Sunday: REST

I'm going from 4 runs/week to 3, but I think that will be good for me if I'm still doing cardio in the form of spinning. Spinning will also hopefully help build some strength in my knees so I can avoid future injuries.

I'm also not planning to be so militant about mileage.  This is a big hangup for me because I tend to obsess about numbers. I think I like the idea of giving myself a range of miles for the day and doing what I feel up to. Most of these workouts will happen in the AM before I leave for work, so that puts some time constraints on the length anyway. Other days, I'll just sweat it out when I get home. No biggie.

Are you at the beginning or the end of your racing season?
I love knowing I have a race each month this fall to work towards and look forward to!