Running by The Book

A few weeks ago, I started a new Bible study with a group from my Wednesday night church (yes, I go to different churches on Sundays and Wednesdays).  I was apprehensive about it at first, because I couldn't figure out how you could tie a Bible study to running.

I've changed my mind about that =)

The beginning of August, we started Running by The Book by Corrine Baur.  

Each week she presents a training plan that helps the beginner train for a half marathon in 12 weeks (she also has a 10k program in the back of the book).  The plan is very doable and gradually increases the intensity of the program.

Each week, she gives you something physical to work on.  So far we have covered form, physical imbalances, core strength and nutrition tips.

The really cool part comes with how well the author ties the physical to the spiritual.  This week we talked about form and physical imbalances- what causes them and what to do to fix them.  The author then took the same 6 reasons for physical imbalances and related them to spiritual imbalances in our lives.  She gives numerous Scripture references to help you strengthen your imbalances.

Each week I've found myself challenged and encouraged to continue on.

Even though the book has a full week of training, the study part of it only takes 2 or 3 days.  Which is perfect because I have a hard time fitting that in each week =)

If you're looking for a good way to start a Bible study that touches on physical fitness as well, this is the perfect study.

Level UP Update

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the Level Up training program.

I thought I would give an update on it.  I'm starting level 7 this week (9th week with recovery weeks) and I am still loving it.  

The workouts are getting a bit more challenging.  My long runs are getting longer and there's more speed work.  Mile repeats still aren't my favorite, but I am seeing improvements in my mile time =)

Although, the training didn't really help me run faster at my last race...

Brave the Mud Run

Because I, apparently, have not been doing enough upper body strength work ;)

I have about 2 months left before my target race and am feeling pretty confident about my training.  The fact that I've stuck with a plan this long without getting bored or skipping most of the workouts says a lot about the program.  I will definitely be using this program for more of my races.

Level Up

For every runner, there is a training program that is perfect for them. Some find it right away, and others (like me) struggle to find the fit for them.

I've tried a bunch of different plans (Hal Higdon, Smart Coach, Run Less, Run Faster, custom built...) and I always struggle to stick to it.

Maybe it's a lack of motivation, a lack of desire or a lack of drive. Or, maybe it's the fact that I have four kids and it's hard to schedule hours a day for workouts ;)

So I continue to search for that perfect training plan. One that has me running almost every day (because if mama ain't running, mama ain't happy) but not killing myself with the number of miles I HAVE to run.

A few months ago, I stumbled upon Run The Edge. And I started reading about their Level Up plans. Hmm... This sounded intriguing. There are 6 workouts a week and you can run them in any order you want, as long as you're not running the key workouts (usually 2 a week) back to back. And, the workouts are based mostly on time. So when it's 90* and 100% humidity, I can still feel like I accomplished what the plan called for without killing myself trying to hit the miles =)

So I went ahead and ordered their 13.1 Ultimate plan. And now, months later I finally have the goal race and the motivation to start a new training plan =)

So far, I'm loving it. Each workout has a set number of points. Earn enough points, and you get to level up. Not enough, and you stay on that level until you're ready to progress. For me, it's perfect. There's a bit of competition with each workout without being stressed about if I can complete it or not (because it's time based, not mileage based).

This is what the first 3 levels of the 13.1 Ultimate plan looks like.

At the end of each week, you tally up your points. If you have enough to level up, you're told to visit the Virtual Coach. Then, through a series of questions that ask how you feel (aches, pain...) and how the workouts felt (too hard, energizing...) you can decided if you're ready for the next level.

If you don't have enough points, you repeat the level =)

The points are set you that you have to run both key workouts each week to get enough points.

This is my first week on the plan.

Since most of my runs are longer than what this week called for, I did run longer on a couple of days =)

At the end of the week, I felt pretty good. I wasn't completely drained even though a couple of the workouts challenged me to run faster than what I have been- it's been a long time since I've seen a 7 in front of my mile splits!

I'm going to continue on with this plan with my goal race being the River Valley Half in November.

These opinions are completely my own. I was not compensated in any way to write this review.