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Cheeta_HH
Cheeta_HH Posts: 489 Member
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Hello!

I completed my first 15K today. It went pretty well considering that I've been resting since Tuesday due to major piriformis pain! I have never been this sore right after a race before. Is there any "rule" about how long I should rest?

Also, I plan to run my first half in May. I want to start Hal Higdon's plan the first week of February. In the meantime, my goal is to cut down my running and do more strength training and yoga. I've had a few aches and pains these past couple weeks, so I think the intermediate plan that I followed might have been a bit beyond my fitness level. I want to strengthen up my weak spots before I start training again. My question is... How many days and/or miles do I need to maintain in a week to still be able to run 10 miles? (Or do I even need to worry about that?!)

I am thinking about doing a run on Saturday, long run on Sunday, and a shorter run on a week day, along with yoga or a "total body sculpt" class a few times a week.

Does this sound like a decent plan? Any recommendations would be appreciated! I am now below my goal weight, so I'm not really concerned about calorie burn. My primary goal is to become a better runner... and lowering my body fat % would be a nice bonus!

Thanks!

Replies

  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    You can maintain for a couple of months on 3 runs a week. Do one easy, one hard, and one long. For the long one you could alternate weeks of 90 min and 2 hrs. That should be enough for around 2 months.
  • RunnerInVT
    RunnerInVT Posts: 226 Member
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    If you want to be a better runner you have to run. I was at 6 days and 45 miles a week for one of my half marathons...my running partner did Hal Higdons program and I ran 4 basic runs with recovery ones... the basics are tempo - hill - speed -and a long run up to 15 miles...then tapered for 2 weeks. I beat her by 15 minutes. There's no such thing as junk miles. :)
  • kenleyj
    kenleyj Posts: 51 Member
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    First off, Congratulations on your race. There is this cliche in running, "To be a better runner, you must run" While I believe that this statement is mostly true, it all depends on your current condition. If injured, of course, more running could make a worse runner due to making the injury worse and making things worse. Yoga and Strength training are awesome, but you need to incorporate them into your running, and not replace the running with these. You just have to be sensible about everything. IF you want to train under a specific plan, then go for it 100%. Hope this helps.
  • Cheeta_HH
    Cheeta_HH Posts: 489 Member
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    Thanks for the advice! After following a specific plan for 10 weeks, I just feel like I need to make a change. Right now I do yoga once a week, strength training twice a week, and run 5 days a week. I'm going to spend a few days resting and give some thought to my next step.

    RunnerInVT, I've been curious about how the HH plans compare to others. One of my running buddies and I both followed the intermediate 15K plan and had very similar race results. (But I guess that doesn't say much because we were at the same pace to begin with!)

    Kenleyj, your post makes a lot of sense. I really don't want to replace the running, but I feel like maybe I should, at least temporarily!

    Scottb, your suggestion would work well with my schedule now that winter is almost here. I hate treadmills, and would like to avoid the cold and dark as much as possible!

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