Training plans

I'm using a Runner's World Smart Coach training plan for the Dallas Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon. I'm pretty happy with it. I like the basic outline of a plan...easy run on Monday, speedwork/tempo run on Wednesday, long run on Saturday. I usually throw in a short, easy run on Friday as well. It works for me. I am not sure about the times it gives me to run. I used my 10K as a basis for the plan, and it gives me some pretty slow (even in my standards) times for completing my runs. And it has me finishing my half marathon in 2:25.

So I thought I'd mess with it. I used my White Rock Marathon Relay time (roughly 5 miles in 50 minutes) to see what would happen. It's better. Not perfect. But better. It does change some things though. It gives me shorter distances for the speedwork/tempo runs, which I like. It gives me longer long runs. It gives me a Thursday run (which could easily be my Friday run). It still has be going pretty slow on some of the runs, but it's closer. And it has me finishing my half in 2:16. Now, I like that!

I think I'm going to do a combo of the two. I haven't quite decided what that means yet, but I'm working on it.

I ran 3 this morning (plus a warmup/cooldown) in the cold garage. I have a feeling, though, that the cold I felt this morning won't even compare to the cold I'll feel out there Wednesday morning! It should be in the single digits at that time. Lovely.

I'm having a little ache in my lower left leg. It's not exactly a shin splint, but it's not my calf either...somewhere in between. I have no idea what it is. It only hurts with certain movements, and not all the time. I can't "make" it hurt, so I can't really figure it out. I need to put on my Phiten discs (which, by the way, I tried one day last week and really liked...even my principal said she felt like they worked after she some of mine last week for some shin splints) and my compression sleeves tonight.

I'm hoping for a late start tomorrow due to this storm moving in. I don't like losing days, so we'll just hope for a late start. It's amazing what I could get done with a little extra time tomorrow.

I haven't done weekly goals in a while...oh, ok, since that first one a few weeks ago, so we'll try again...

1. Hit my workouts (2 core, 3 runs including the 8-miler on Saturday)
2. Try new foods (ok, I'm only putting that one in there because I tried brussel sprouts for the first time in my post-kid days and actually liked them and I have polenta to try later this week).
3. Keep the house picked up after last week's marathon cleaning session

Which reminds me of a great post I read today on Run Like a Mother Book. Check it out here: Picking up the Pieces Go ahead, look...really! Now, isn't that the truth?! That's my life in a nutshell...pick it up, put it away. But I like the correlation to our running/fitness...pick up the pace, put the race away...pick up the feet, put the road away..pick up the candy bar, put the calories away (LOL)...ok, I know I'm stretching it a bit, but it works. For me, at least.