The 2012 Race Plan

1.21.2012 UMD Indoor 5000m

3.18.2012 Shamrock Anthem Half Marathon

4.01.2012 Cherry Blossom 10 Miler

4.29.2012 Pikes Peek 10K

5.14.2012 Swarthmore Outdoor 5000m

6.16.2012 USA Half Marathon Championships


FALL:

9.16.2012 Philadelphia Rock N Roll Half Marathon

11.18.2012 Philadelphia Marathon


Thanks to everyone's advice and thoughts...even Charlie Ban's Hot Chocolate Race suggestions do not go unnoticed... After brainstorming a lot of different options, I do think the best decision is repeating last spring's schedule for the most part, with the exception of adding on the USA Half Marathon Championships at the end. I believe that this schedule will work the best for me and certainly it did last year(I PRed in every race).

The UMD indoor track 5000m in late-jan will be my 2012 opener, before focusing solely on peaking once the shamrock half marathon roles around in march. I will not run the VT race because it will probably hurt, not help my half marathon at that point. So that's out. The Shamrock Half begins my spring peak, along with the races that follow it. Last year, I was able to endure a 2 month peak, progressing from 13.1 down to 10 Miles, 10K, and finally 5000 meters, hitting PRs every time I raced. One reason I was able to do this was variety in race distance. Each distance has it's own unique traits of requiring different systems to be trained and used. I balanced it all out in a delicate sort of way. 13.1 is oh so close to my lactate threshold-just a tad slower(for me anyway...it varies from individual because it is a pace you can maintain for about 1 hour)...while 10 Miles is a little faster for me than lactate threshold...using a small portion of some VO2 Max. The 10K is a really unique race actually...it's like a divided line between VO2 Max and Threshold, using both pretty equally. And, of course, 5000 meters is a pure VO2 Max race. So as the season went on I tapered off my Lactate Threshold and raced towards using my VO2 Max at the end. This is what I will repeat this year.

I decided also to do the Pikes Peek 10K at the end of April instead of Penn Relays because for one thing it is convenient (the finish is right outside of where I live) and it is too much of a drastic change to go from road racing to 10,000 meters on a track, and it would probably hurt my chances of running Swarthmore 5,000 meters in May. The track 10,000 is so much more stress and pounding on the body than a 5,000. I love the 5,000 on the track and am comfortable racing it in spikes.

After March-May racing, The USA Half Marathon Championships will come up as my final race on June 16th. It will be 3 months after the shamrock half, so the idea is that going back to the half marathon will be somewhat refreshing again. I will do a mini-peak for this race and it won't be necessary to train too much between May and June since I'll have less than 5 weeks to prepare and also I will be fit as hell at that point-if anything I would just need to make sure I stay race sharp by doing just enough running and a few tune-up workouts to keep my body "awake." I think this race is a really great addition to my season and it will give me great experience competing with some great runners and it's a great way to end a season with a championship race.


And furthur out...

After June I will recover and get ready for a big fall racing season. I think I already have this figured out. I loved racing in Philly so much last fall that I will definitely repeat the Philadelphia Rock n Roll Half in Sept again. My fall marathon is looking to be Philadelphia, which is perfectly 2 months after the philadelphia half. It gives me enough time so that I can mini-peak in Sept and to train and prepare for one final peak in Nov. It is difficult, as I have learned, to peak in the half and the full during the same season. Just read Dickson Mercer's blog. Or, just follow Ryan Hall. Having more time between races is a good thing as long as you're able to handle a long season of training.