Running six days a week?

Calvin Johnson

Hi all,

Seeking help as I consider altering my marathon training plan for Limerick. I found this Jack Daniels "advanced" plan and liked the look of it so have been following it for six weeks now. There are 12 weeks left.

However, I've found that fitting in the runs six times a week is difficult and have so far dropped one each week (usually the complicated looking one!)

Obviously this is not good and after doing the 5x800m interval session this morning and seeing the benefit of this type of session I don't want to keep missing sessions.

Should I add some of the easier paced runs together? For example - add two four mile runs together and run eight?

Or at this stage should I just toughen up and stay on the plan?

Tombo2001

Havent seen your plan.

What I would say is,

If you are going to skimp on sessions, or cut back on them, then cut back on the hard sessions rather that the easy ones.

What you dont want to be doing is two hards sessions in a row, with no running in between, even if there is a day off in between.

A recovery day means a recovery run, not a day with no running.

dna_leri

What's your target time and marathon experience?

If you can't run 6 times a week, then maybe JD advanced is the wrong plan.

Krusty_Clown

I don't believe any of his book-based plans include 800 reps. Is in an internet-sourced plan?

Calvin Johnson

Yes I found it on the internet.

Calvin Johnson

dna_leri wrote: »

What's your target time and marathon experience?

If you can't run 6 times a week, then maybe JD advanced is the wrong plan.

1 Marathon - Dublin 4'16

Hoping to take a big chunk off it - not got an exact target yet though.

Krusty_Clown

Calvin Johnson wrote: »

Yes I found it on the internet.

Can you provide a link to it?

Calvin Johnson

Sorry! My memory is failing me.

It was a Hal Higdon...

http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51142/Marathon-Advanced-2-Training-Program

Toblerone1978

Tombo2001 wrote: »

A recovery day means a recovery run, not a day with no running.

Cheers Tombo for the clarification, I had that mix up myself.

Due to injuries history, I don't run two days in a row. I normally cycle or swim the day after a hard session - is that okay? I have a bit of a session on them but they're not too hard.

rom

Calvin Johnson wrote: »

1 Marathon - Dublin 4'16

Hoping to take a big chunk off it - not got an exact target yet though.

What are your other race PBs ?

HelenAnne

If some runs are only four miles, could you squeeze them in at lunchtime? I'd never get six days a week in without lunchtime runs.

Calvin Johnson

rom wrote: »

What are your other race PBs ?

5k - 22'06
5 mile - 37'33
10k - 48'05
Half - 1 hour 52

I've only raced very sporadically with all of those times in the past year and most first attempts at the distance.

Reading a few logs with people doing morning and evening runs on the same day, I think I'll just toughen up and get out there 6 days a week. See how it goes in Limerick and can decide on the next training plan after that.

rom

What pace do you do your long runs at ?

Krusty_Clown

Calvin Johnson wrote: »

Reading a few logs with people doing morning and evening runs on the same day, I think I'll just toughen up and get out there 6 days a week. See how it goes in Limerick and can decide on the next training plan after that.

Hi Calvin, why can't you fit it 6 days a week? is it because work/life/college/social life makes it too difficult to fit these in, or because it is physically too challenging? If it's a physical reason, then you should consider looking at another plan, like Higdon's Intermediate plans, which are only 5 days a week anyway. Unfortunately the 'complicated looking session' is probably one of the key runs of the week to improve performance, so if you've not been doing it, it is unlikely that you will be able to do the more challenging follow-on sessions later in the schedule.

These plans are the sum of their parts, rather than a sequence of individual 'bouts' of training, so if you are consistently missing one particular type of session (e.g. tempo, marathon pace, long run), then you're not really following the plan as designed and getting the expected benefit from it. Might be better in that case to re-align your training goals to something achievable.

Faith+1

Calvin Johnson wrote: »

5k - 22'06
5 mile - 37'33
10k - 48'05
Half - 1 hour 52

Excellent time for the Half, I remember when I did my first half back in '11 I was happy with any time as long as it was under 2h! I think I did 1h 48...

Calvin Johnson

rom wrote: »

What pace do you do your long runs at ?

9'20 - 9'40 so far.


Thanks Krusty, appreciate the advice.

Tigerandahalf

Calvin
I'm probably similar to yourself in that I'm only running about 6/7 months.
For me running 6 days a week doesn't work. Not at the moment anyway. You are likely to get injured or get fed up. One of my main goals is to still be running in a couple of years time, competing in a few competitions each year. Thus I don't want to take the enjoyment out of the running by overdoing it.
I'm just after doing my LSR (Long Slow Run) tonight as I couldn't do it at the weekend (18k in 1hr30min). I play a bit of indoor soccer one night a week and I swim instead of doing recovery runs. For me it is important to give my knees and hips a break and time to recover. The swimming I find is handy. If i can do 3/4 runs every week consistently I would be delighted. For me it is good to have other activities to balance out the running as I think I would get sick of running if I was doing it 6 times a week.