It is July. Are You Meeting Your Summer Training Goals?

Now that July is here, it is a good time to take stock of the running you have been doing this summer.  I hope you all have been having a great summer, filled with relaxation and rewarding work.  Ideally, you will have kept a running log (I simply annotate a calendar with the number of minutes I've run each day), and so, will have a very clear picture of how close you are to your summer training goals.  

Photo courtesy of Schafer N.

The recommended SAS summer training programs were deliberately written with ranges for performance.  For example, for some of you,  a good goal might be to perform at the minimum recommended level on the standard schedule.  For others, consistently meeting the top-end of the 18-Minute Club training program might be the most appropriate training goal.  The range of workouts scheduled for early-July ranges from three  25 minute runs per week (75 minutes), to four 35 minute runs per week (140 minutes).  Where are you in this range?  Are you performing at the level that matches your goal?  You will see that, by the end of July, the recommended workout on the standard schedule is equivalent to the current workouts on the 18-Minute Club schedule. 

Remember, any changes you make to the amount of running you do, need to be made gradually.  The whole purpose of summer training is to establish a stable foundation of running fitness in order to enable yourself to safely complete the training and racing scheduled for the fall.  If you are behind on your goals, get started today, but add miles gradually.  If you are ahead of the high-end of the training schedule, contact me and we can tailor something to your needs.