The Training Plan

So what exactly does my training plan look like?

I spent hours researching and adjusting my training plan to fit my needs in order to get my ideal outcomes.  I bought a giant wall calendar that I stare at every day to keep everything organized for this upcoming year.  I took time to put the pieces in place.  I wanted to train hard and have a road map to do that, but also make sure I had weeks I could relax.  During this winter I wanted to make sure I had time to snowboard along with running and not have to sacrifice one over the other.

Generally speaking, I will be doing speed work on Monday, recovery run on Tuesday, sub 8 minute splits on Wednesday, long runs with sub 9 splits on Friday, Saturday will be recovery run day.  This leaves me with Thursday and Sunday as my days off  from running, which will hopefully be spent snowboarding.

My focus from now until early February will be speed and working on increasing my oxygen efficiency.  Focus will then shift to tempo runs, nutrition, and learning how to run loops in preparation for the DFL 12 Hour Race.  After DFL I will be running a few races and running hills to get ready for Vermont.

Signing up for a race can be a frightening experience, but planning out how I will accomplish these goals brings some calm to the situation.  This is a plan for me.  This is not a plan for everyone.  We all have different strengths, weaknesses, and preferences.  As of right now, I don't feel comfortable running 100 mile weeks, so I'm not going to create a training plan with 100 mile weeks.  I also don't have many runs past 24 miles.  Others might feel comfortable running high mileage weeks and running many ultra races as part of training.  I'm not in that boat.

My training plan is below.

Run wild.

100 mile training plan											race	long run
		speed	10min		sub8	sub9	sub10			notes
Week Of	Week	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thur	Fri	Saturday	Sunday	Miles
18-Dec	1 CD	2	2	2	0	8	6	0	20
25-Dec	2 CD	2	2	4	0	10	6	0	24
1-Jan	3 CD	2	2	4	0	12	8	0	28
8-Jan	4	2	4	6	0	14	8	0	34	Mtn Run
15-Jan	5	4	4	6	0	16	10	0	40	mtn run
22-Jan	6	4	6	6	0	18	10	0	44	mtn run
29-Jan	7	4	6	8	0	20	10	0	48	mtn run
5-Feb	8 CD	4	8	6	0	10	8	0	36	Relax
12-Feb	9	4	8	8	0	22	10	0	52
19-Feb	10	4	10	8	0	22	10	0	54
26-Feb	11	4	10	8	0	24	10	0	56
5-Mar	12 CD	4	10	6	0	10	8	0	38
12-Mar	13	4	4	4	0	0	31	31	74	5hr 50k/6hr 50k
19-Mar	14	2	4	4	0	24	10	ES 20M	64	9 negs
26-Mar	15	4	12	8	0	26	10	0	60	9 negs
2-Apr	16 CD	4	10	8	0	16	10	0	48	Taper
9-Apr	17 CD	4	6	6	0	10	6	0	32	Reggaefest
16-Apr	18	3	2	0	4	0	DFL 12HR	0	70?	100k
23-Apr	19 CD	0	2	4	0	10	13	0	29
30-Apr	20	10	12	10	10	6	0	Wedding	48
7-May	21	10	8	12	0	20	vol/pace	vol/pace	50?
14-May	22 CD	8	8	8	0	10	0	SL 26.2	60
21-May	23	0	0	10	0	6	0	PF 50	66
28-May	24 CD	0	2	6	0	10	10	0	28
4-Jun	25	ACAD 13.1	0	20	0	31	31	0	95
11-Jun	26	10	10	15	0	20	20	0	75
18-Jun	27	5	5	10	0	15	15	0	50
25-Jun	28	2	4	10	0	15	10	0	41
2-Jul	29	2	4	4	0	10	5	0	25
9-Jul	30	3	2	0	4	0	VT 100	VT 100	109

Why Do I Run?

Why do I wake up before the sun rises and go out into the unforgiving Maine cold?

Why do I spend hours creating race and training plans for myself?

Why do I exhaust myself mentally and physically on a weekend afternoon?

Passion.  That is the simple answer.

I entered my first race the summer before my senior year of college in 2012.  It was the Jaycee's Soybean Festival 5k in Mexico, Missouri.  I ended up winning it, not because I had an impressive time, but only because there was also a 10k event that all the faster runners entered instead.  A few weeks later, I was signed up and running the Roots'n'Blues'n'BBQ 10k in Columbia, Missouri.  I ended up placing 40th in a time of 48:21 Results. I was exhausted, but proud.  The next year I moved to Philadelphia and ran my first half-marathon and did it under 2 hours.  This was the first time I felt "runner's high" and I was addicted.  I upped my training miles and started an actual routine.  I wanted to run and complete my first ultramarathon.  That time came in the middle of Black Rock Desert in Nevada on August 27, 2014.  It was the most fun and most demanding thing I had ever done at the time.  Running four big loops around the desert with the happiest and friendliest people I had ever met.  I ended up being the 3rd youngest finisher that year with a time of 6:00:47 for 50k.  results

The rest is history.  I went on to run my first marathon back in Philadelphia and completed my first trail 50k at Orcas Island in January 2017 and I won't be stopping anytime soon.

So, yes, passion is why I run.  But what does passion mean?

It means I like feeling good about myself when I'm running in the morning while others are sleeping.

It means I enjoy having time to clear my head or think things through while powerhiking steep elevation.

It means I wake up smiling knowing I am healthy and get to utilize my body today.

It means that in an ever changing, sometimes hostile world, I have the pleasure of knowing I have control over at least one thing.

It means I have goals that I want to and will accomplish.

This is why I run.

Stay warm and run wild,

Todd

What is the Todd Runs Wild Project?

This blog will be a transparent tool to track my journey as an ultrarunner.  I recently completed my first 50 miler as the 1st male finisher in a time of 9:27:22 (Results, Strava).  This has prompted me to attempt longer distances.  I will be running a 12 hour race in Savannah this spring (Race site) and I plan on signing up for Vermont 100 this year.

This is not a guide of what to do or what not to do, but simply what I am doing.  

I will be reviewing gear, shoes, and nutrition choices.

This is a project with a sample size of 1.

My training plan starts on December 18th.

Stay tuned and run wild.