The Problem with Traditional Training Programs

I am not trashing traditional marathon training programs. They, however, have trashed me. 

I made my own schedule. It follows the same principles as a traditional program, without all the nerdy runner jargon that only people who can run a fast marathon understand anyhow:

If you wish to run YOUR FASTEST MARATHON EVERRRRRRRRRR, you must not only do long runs and easy runs, you must do fartleks and tempo runs and tempo runs at your 5-k pace and tempo runs at your half marathon pace and tempo runs at your 5-k pace, but only on the second cloudy day following a new moon in months ending in ‘Y’ or beginning with an ‘M.” And don’t forget the 3 x 1200s and the 8 x 100s, and the 4 x 400s, and the Yasso 800s and the 1600 walk-on-your hands while blowing your nose in a windstorm half sprint at your 1-mile pace. 

Don’t get me started on hill repeats. Seriously? You want me to sprint up a hill, walk down it, and sprint up it again?

This is the only hill I'm repeating!

I’m not doing that.

I’m doing one long run per week until I do at least one run of 20 miles or more and 1 or 2 easy runs ranging from 3-8 miles. That’s all the running I’m doing. And I’m cross training. Intense cross training. Cross training that will make running seem like a day off. Cross training that will have me near puking…in the warm-ups.

If I ever figure out how to upload documents onto this blog, I’ll upload my training schedule. If you notice my schedule isn’t uploaded and you know how to do it, let me know.