Why I Ditched My Training Plan
As we are creeping closer and closer to race day, I’m glad to say that I am feeling great! There’s been a few moments where I’ve had to adjust my weekly schedule but I’m injury free. Now you’re probably wondering about that title. After lots of thinking and tweaking, I’ve decided to “quit” my training plan and do my own thing. Here’s why I ditched my training plan.
First, I should explain what my training plan was. I was using one of the coached plans through Garmin. It is great because you can tell it which days you’re available to run and which day you prefer your long run. One thing I liked about it is that each run had a different objective. My schedule worked out that my Tuesday run focused on running drills, Wednesday alternated between speed and hill repeats, and Saturday was my long run or time trial. For the most part, I liked this plan and it worked really well for the past few months.
The problem began when my body began to feel SUPER run down. If you know me, you know that an addition to running, I also do CrossFit. We’re currently in a new strength cycle so with that along with my accessory work, my body wasn’t happy. I tried adjusting my nutrition and mixing up my recovery methods but ultimately, I was feeling burnt out. I had a heart to heart with a friend and knew that I had to make some changes while I still had time before my race.
The plan that Garmin gave me was great. However it didn’t take into account that I also do A LOT of other activity. Garmin was telling me that certain speeds or workouts should feel easy but my heart rate was through the roof. Mentally that got to me so I knew that ditching the plan was the best thing to do. I’ll still keep my three weekly runs and the general structure (drills, speed, hills) but pick Peloton classes that focus on those workouts to guide me. I’ve also adjusted my nutrition in hopes that it would help me feel better as I get closer to race day.
As someone who likes to see things through completion, this was a hard decision for me. I’m still training for my race and hope to get a PR but I knew that I had to change my approach. I’m still looking forward to race day!
Now you know why I ditched my training plan. Have you ever found yourself in that position before?
