XT?

Today I decided to ride a stationary bike for my workout because the heels of my feet were killing me. I think it had something to do with walking around a carnival in flip flops all day yesterday. I brought the latest issue of my Runner's World magazine to help keep me from going insane. (I ended up only reading it on the commercials of What Not to Wear...loove that show!) I've been interested in this issue because it has been dedicated to Half Marathons. It talks about programs for seasoned marathoners and beginners, and those in-between as well.

I'm not planning on running any halfs anytime soon, but I AM training for a 10K and I'm always looking for opinions on how I should train. Especially now, as my knee is worse than ever before. It used to be that I would run, my knee would hurt for about a mile, and then it would go away. Nowadays my knee hurts the instant I begin to run, and only gets progressively worse throughout the workout. UGH.

Back to my point. I read through the suggested training schedule for beginners, and was amazed at how much XT was on the schedule! (that's cross-training for those who didn't know) With my previous programs, there was hardly any (if any at all) cross training on the schedule. Cross training is awesome because you can choose any activity you want, as long as it isn't running! ALSO, the only workout measured in distance is your Saturday long runs. The rest say something like 40 min run, 50 min run, etc. Same with the cross training. The woman who designed this program, Jenny Hadfield, emphasizes that for beginners it's all about slow, steady improvements and that cross training is a huge part of that training so that you can avoid injuries, fatigue, and BOREDOM.

I think I'm going to give it a shot. Jenny mentions in the article that most beginning runners keep sticking to their schedules even if their bodies don't adapt. I feel that I do that. She claims that her program will help beginner runners' bodies adapt to the changes of running long distances. I'll let you all know how it goes.

If you want to see the program, try visiting runnersworld.com, or leave a comment and I can let you in on it ;)