Training plan for The Relay

As promised, I've come up with a basic training plan for The Relay. Please note that I am not a professional! I've trained for several distance races, but never for a relay, so this plan is based on my own experience and knowledge of general training, as well as relay-specific training plans I found online. I'd consider it an intermediate plan, in that it includes a fair amount of speedwork. If you're newer to running, you might consider substituting easy mileage for some of the speedwork.

So without further ado, here you go:

(Click it if you'd actually like to be able to read it!)

Some things to keep in mind as you train for The Relay, whether you use this plan or not:

• This plan is not written in stone. Be flexible! Rearrange the training days to best suit your weekly schedule. Don't panic if you miss a run or two, and if you do, don't try to make it up with extra mileage. Just resume the training schedule as quickly as you can.
  
• Listen to your body. If it hurts (outside of basic sore muscles), stop! A day or two off is far better than pushing through and really ending up injured.
  
• Hills, hills, hills! We will be running over some tough terrain, so be prepared! Do keep in mind, though, that hills are tough on your body. So make a point to do some hill running each week, but try not to tackle serious hills more than once or twice a week.
• Build your mileage slowly! No more than 10% increase per week.
• Your training can, and should, vary according to which legs you are running. I will be assigning legs as soon as I can, pending a full roster and a good group trail run or two. Once you know how long your legs will be, you'll want to prepare accordingly. If you're a beginner, don't worry--I'll be saving the especially long and tough legs for more experienced runners. If you're more experienced, be afraid! *grin*
• Run some two-a-days, but not too many. You want to get used to running on tired legs, but keep in mind that doing so increases your chance of injury. So be careful, and don't overdo it! You might also want to make a point of doing some of your runs in the morning and some in the evening, just to get used to running at different times of the day.
  
• If you're training for a spring half or full marathon, you should be pretty well prepared for The Relay. The only thing you will probably want to do differently is to add several two-a-day sessions in the month before The Relay to get used to running on already-tired legs.
  

Running 101: Training Runs

As you look at training plans for races, you'll find that most include a variety of "quality" runs--basically anything besides short runs at an easy pace. While it's important for new runners to build up an endurance base with easy-paced runs, it's the quality workouts that will push you, ultimately making you faster and stronger. Here are some of the most common:

Long, Slow Distance: Often abbreviated LSD (yeah, yeah, I know ...), this is the bread-and-butter of any distance training plan. The LSD is just what it sounds like. Long and slow. You want to do this run at 60 to 90 seconds per mile slower than your expected race pace. If you can't carry on a conversation during your LSD, you're running too fast. It's all about building endurance. Most people run their LSD on either Saturday or Sunday each week, since it can be pretty time consuming, particularly if you're training for a marathon. This is arguably the most important run in a given week, so make sure you don't miss it!

Fartlek: A funny-sounding Swedish word that means "speed play." Fartleks are a great workout for those new to speedwork. Just head out for a normal run, and periodically pick up your pace. For example, you might decide to sprint one block, or to the next telephone pole. It's all about getting your body used to running faster, and since you decide when to speed up and when to slow down, it's a perfect way to give speedwork a try.

Intervals: The fartlek's serious older brother. As with a fartlek, you speed up for a period of time, slow down, then repeat, but with intervals you run for a set distance or period of time. An interval workout might be something like 4 x 400, which would mean you run four intervals of 400 meters at a fast pace, with a break after each interval. During the break, you jog slowly, with the goal being to normalize your breathing before the next interval. High school or college tracks are a great place to run intervals.

Tempo: Running at a "comfortably hard" pace (think 6 or 7 on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being a stroll and 10 being an all-out sprint). The goal is to get your body used to holding a challenging pace for an extended length of time. You should run an easy warm-up mile before stepping up to tempo pace, and finish the run with a slow cool-down mile as well.

Hill Repeats: There are a bunch of ways to do hill repeats, but what I do is find a hill that takes about two or three minutes to run up, then do just that. And repeat! Hill repeats are challenging, but they are great for your endurance, speed and just general toughness! The downhill portions are a great time to practice fast foot turnover, too. If you're training for a hilly race (like, say, the Oakland Marathon ... or The Relay!), hill training is a must. If repeats sound tedious, you can also make a point to run one of your weekly runs on the hilliest route you can find.