Another running question

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gracieabem
gracieabem Posts: 211
in Fitness and Exercise
I think I need my own thread for all my running questions! This query seems just obscure enough to justify a thread and I can't remember seeing a similar query elsewhere.

Ok, I am going to be undertaking Hal Higdon's Half Marathon program very soon (the novice one).

The mileage is going to increase on long days (from 4 - 10m), and increase a little bit on the other days as well (from 3 - 5miles) over a 12 week period.

I had a bright idea that I could run down to the pool one day of the week (2m approximately or just over 3km), swim and run back. This would be done on either one of my run days or on a cross training day. My question is - how important is it that I do the distances for easy runs in one block? Edit - I would have to tack on some extra distance before and/or after my swim to get the distance up as well.

I wouldn't break my long run into separate sessions because that's the whole purpose of the long run.

I'm just trying to get the balance right between overdoing it and not doing enough to keep my training consistent and productive.

Any suggestions/opinions would be appreciated?

Replies

  • campi_mama
    campi_mama Posts: 350 Member
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    I'm not super familiar with HH program, but I have used marathonrookie.com's half training program. There should be one (or more) day when you're scheduled for a 4 miler... do your split run/swim on that day. IMO it shouldn't be a problem. Awhile back I read an article that encouraged splitting your runs and doing 2 a days during training...for the life of me I can't track it down now though lol

    Happy Training :) not sure how much help that was
  • ixap
    ixap Posts: 675 Member
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    Totally fine. Those easy days are just ot maintain aerobic capacity, and if you're swimming between the runs, you've got that covered and more. I wouldn't add on extra miles and risk overtaxing your legs the first time training for a HM.
  • dq_diva
    dq_diva Posts: 66
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    I'm not super familiar with HH program, but I have used marathonrookie.com's half training program. There should be one (or more) day when you're scheduled for a 4 miler... do your split run/swim on that day. IMO it shouldn't be a problem. Awhile back I read an article that encouraged splitting your runs and doing 2 a days during training...for the life of me I can't track it down now though lol

    Happy Training :) not sure how much help that was

    DOH!!!! I read the SAME article and I can't remember where it was either! lol!
    I am familiar with the HH program. It's a good one. You are wise to commit to your long run. Adding the swim in the middle of short runs should not be a problem and sounds like a great workout.
    Good luck with your training! :)
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    Based on what I've read and learned about Hal Higdon's plans, that's something that would be fine as long as you stuck to it as a regular schedule.

    Personally, I wouldn't do it because since it's training to be able to run 13.1 miles, any continuous running is really important to me and I prefer to do my runs uninterrupted since it's all working towards the ultimate goal.

    The plans of his that I've used all have days in them that are specifically for non-running cardio workouts, so I would personally just opt to do swimming on those days and stick to running on the run days.

    But if you go to his forum and ask there, it's likely that he'll personally reply. He did for me when I had questions about his training programs.
  • ixap
    ixap Posts: 675 Member
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    Really? That's so cool!
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    Yeah, it's one of the many reasons that I've always stuck with his plans and recommend them to folks. Not only have I had great success with them and he's personally answered all three of the questions I asked about the various plans I've used for my different races. That says a lot to me about what he's doing and how invested he is in it personally and I really appreciate and respect that. :)
  • gracieabem
    gracieabem Posts: 211
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    Thanks so much for your help. :-) Sounds pretty positive for the run/swim/run approach. That is good to know about Hal Higdon Wolfchild and I agree - really cool! I didn't even notice a forum on the website - I was so busy looking at the different plans.
  • WCSU1987
    WCSU1987 Posts: 15
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    Can't remember how they break the HH plan down. However, see nothing wrong with this. You can treat it as a slow recovery run. The other thing is say two miles takes you 14 min.s to complete. Run 9 minutes to warm up. Run 2 minutes fast. 2 minutes slow. 2 minutes fast Light swim workout. Then run a 2 minute warm up. Then run three minutes medium. Three minutes fast. Three minutes medium. Then three minutes to cool down.

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