Running around work

I recently set myself a running program based on a workout every second day. This would give me plenty of exercise, and some rest days. Well, I have my work timetable and it's fairly long hours for 4 days (Tuesday-Friday 8am-7pm) and a whole Saturday 9am-3pm. So it has become harder to fit my running schedule around this. I have therefore decided to change it, and will now try to run 4 times a week. The workouts will be:

Tuesday steady 8-10km
Thursday steady 8-10km
Saturday long run building up to 20km
Sunday recovery run

The plan is now to get the miles into my legs, and not worry about speed. I want to be able to run a half marathon in 2013, though I'm just concerned about the distance, not any time. Maybe I'll enter the Melbourne Marathon which is around October time, though there are plenty to choose from.

In the meantime, the entries have opened for the Puffing Billy Great Train Run. My boss has entered the race already so I better get my act in gear. The race is over 13.2km of pretty hilly countryside which should be a big test. My longest run so far was just over 13km last week and that took me about 78 minutes which gives me a rough guide to how I'll run. Although the course is harder than what I normally run, I will be running with others, whereas I usually run alone. I'm guessing these factors will wipe each other out and anything under 80 minutes will be good for me. The race is on May 6th which gives me 2 and a half months to train for it. I will hopefully have a 15km run behind me before May!

I've been using 2 websites a lot recently to do with running. Endomondo is an app for your phone which has GPS tracking that can monitor your workouts. It has a whole lot more on the website, including challenges and a community based feel. As an example of a challenge, I've entered a challenge to run 1000 miles in 2012. I'm a little behind schedule, but I intend to pick up the training over the year. The other site is a forum which is packed with information. Coolrunning Australia, is where I found out about the Puffing Billy Run and I've seen much more, including other events, health issues, equipment discussions and good old fashioned banter.