Friday, July 8, 2011

Run Less, Run Faster

Apparently I can't get enough of running. When I'm not running I like to read about it.

Yesterday we went to Hastings to rent some movies and I wondered over to the book section and found this...


I read a few pages last night and this morning while enjoying a cup of coffee.

So far I find their training approach very interesting. I'm excited to finish the book and hopefully make up a training plan for my fall marathon.
I've read multiple blogs that have used the FIRST training program and have had success so I'm excited to see what it can do for me.

I like the idea of quality over quantity runs but I also like running more than 3 days a week. So I may incorporate an extra day of running.
I know I need to cross train more. I still have my gym membership but since I started working I haven't made time to go back. No more excuses though!

I'm also going to use the FIRST program to make a training plan for Gene. He wants to run a half marathon this fall. I think this approach will help him get back into running and start to love it again. He does better with running when he has a very specific plan that tells him exactly what paces he should run at.


If you have used the FIRST training approach did you like it and would you recommend it?

Any good running books you've read lately that you recommend?


I was thinking about running a local half marathon tomorrow morning but decided against it. I have had two awesome PR's for a half and full marathon both within the last 4 weeks (one week apart from each other I might add). Although I love racing, the energy and adrenaline draws me in every time, I don't need to run every race. So what did I do with the money I would have spent on the race? I went shopping of course. For non-running clothes too!
One of my outfit purchases


Hope you all have a nice weekend!
I'm super excited to go on a 10 mile run with Linzi from Beyond Destination 26.2 !

7 comments:

  1. Cute outfit! I have that book too and I love the theory behind it, I just don't have access to any of their cross training methods at this time. My bike is broken and i don't want to spend the money to get it fixed, I would rather be entering races or buying new clothes :)

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  2. you look so cute! I started reading that book and never finished...whoops. I may have to give it another shot...

    Have a good weekend!!

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  3. Ok, I've been running for most of the last 22 years and have had various coaches and followed many training plans. THIS Furman FIRST/RLRF plan is the BEST! Swear by it! I could talk about it all day, but...for me the 3 d/wk is perfect because I'm injury prone and 3 days of intense running is just right and the cross-training is very healthy for me. Plus, the swimming/biking allows me to be in shape for sprint triathlons. I LOVE Speed so I love that each workout involves hitting specific paces. I love the physical and mental challenge that each of the 3 key runs require. And...in Feb at the start of the plan I ran a 1:54 half marathon, in late March I ran a 1:52, and in early May I ran a 1:44. By early June, I was running an 11-mile tempo run @ 7:44 pace and felt good so I'm pretty sure I could have gotten another PR in the half marathon if I'd raced one. Bottom line - This plan gives you SPEED if you stick with it and follow their instruction.

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  4. I really want to read RLRF! I hope you will post a review when you finish it!

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  5. I had never heard of this method, but I'm pretty sure the training plan I got from RW is based on this! It has me doing 3 runs per week with 2 rest days before my long run. (I was running 5-6 days per week) By the end of the first week I could feel a HUGE improvement in my muscle recovery and endurance, and this coming from a beginner! It was hard to not run as often at first, but I have gotten used to it now. I use off days to do weight training which is key for me to hang on to my muscle mass and strengthen my knees! Love the outfit!

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  6. I like the idea behind it, but like you I can't just run 3x a week. I enjoy it too much and that's more important to me right now. I think 4x a week is good.

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  7. I used FIRST and loved the intense runs. But, I totally get running more than 3 days per week. I loved the training and got faster--its also great for busy peeps, but I totally slacked on crossing training :P

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