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Ryan Hall

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A Training Plan For Your First Marathon

December 19, 2016

If you’re new to running (maybe you mainly walk to get your steps in), or even just new to the idea of racing—and would like to enjoy the satisfaction of running a marathon—the following 20-week plan will help you go from scratch to crossing the finish line!

The beauty of this plan is that it doesn’t involve training with specific goal times in mind. Instead, your goal will simply be to feel good and enjoy running your first marathon!

Before you start, it’s important for you to be able to run or walk two to three miles in one workout session. This is the base level of fitness you’ll be building from, so if you are unable to walk or run two to three miles, gradually increase your distances before beginning this plan.

This plan also involves checking your heart rate to make sure you will be training in the proper cardio zones. Wear a Fitbit Surge, Fitbit Charge 2, or Fitbit Blaze if you have one, as your tracker will come in handy.

The first week is an easy one. You won’t find any hard running in Week 1. But you will want to wear your PurePulse heart-rate-enabled Fitbit tracker so you can see your heart rate when you’re running at an easy pace. This number will serve as your baseline heart rate for the rest of the plan.

Some terms you’ll see in the plan:

Run/Walk:  This should be a comfortable pace. It’s OK to walk when you need to catch your breath and get back into a comfortable zone.

Fartlek:  Sounds silly, but this word means “speed play” in Swedish. You will use Fartleks to change your heart-rate zones, for more effective training. Pushing yourself to run faster sometimes will help make your easy runs feel even easier.

Tempo: A tempo is simply a run performed at a higher heart rate than you’d have during an easy run.

Long Runs: These are meant to be performed at a comfortable pace with which you can cover longer distances. Long and slow is the idea here.

Week 1

Monday Run/Walk 2 miles
Tuesday Run/Walk 1 mile
Wednesday Run/Walk 1 mile
Thursday Run/Walk 2 miles
Friday Run/Walk 1 mile
Saturday Rest
Sunday Long Run/Walk 3 miles

Week 2

Monday Run/Walk 1 mile
Tuesday Fartlek Run Warm up 1 mile, and then run harder and faster for one minute. Your heart rate should be 20-30 beats per minute (BPM) higher than your usual, easy-running heart rate. Return to an easy run/walk for one minute. Do 6 reps (for a total of six hard minutes of running). Cool down for one minute with an easy run/walk.
Wednesday Run/Walk 2 mile
Thursday Tempo Run Start with a 1-mile warm-up, and then run/walk 1.5 miles at 10-20 BPM higher than normal. Cool down for one mile.
Friday Run/Walk 2 mile
Saturday Rest
Sunday Long Run/Walk 4 miles

Week 3

Monday Run/Walk 2 miles
Tuesday Fartlek Run 1-mile warmup then begin running. Aim for your heart rate to be 20-30 BPM higher than your usual heart rate when running easy. Do this for 1 minute with 1-minute easy walk/jog for recovery. Run 8 repetitions this week. 1 mile cool down.
Wednesday Run/Walk 3 miles
Thursday Tempo Run 1-mile warm up then 2 miles at 10-20 BPM higher than normal heart rate. 1 mile cool down.
Friday Run/Walk 2 miles
Saturday Rest
Sunday Long Run/Walk 5 miles

Week 4

Monday Run/Walk 2 miles
Tuesday Fartlek Run 1-mile warmup, then run 40-50 BPM higher than your usual heart rate while running easy. Do this for 30 seconds with 1-minute easy walk/jog for recovery).  Do 10 reps. 1 mile cool down.
Wednesday Run/Walk 2 miles
Thursday Tempo Run 1-mile warmup, then 2.5 miles at 10-20 BPM higher than normal heart rate. 1 mile cool down.
Friday Run/Walk 3 miles
Saturday Rest
Sunday Long Run/Walk 6 miles

Week 5

Monday Run/Walk 2 miles
Tuesday Fartlek Run 1-mile warmup, then run 20-30 BPM higher than your usual heart rate when running easy. Do this for 1 minute with 1-minute easy walk/jog for recovery. Do 10 reps. 1 mile cool down.
Wednesday Run/Walk 3 miles
Thursday Tempo Run 1-mile warm up then 3 miles at 10-20 BPM higher than normal heart rate. 1 mile cool down.
Friday Run/Walk 4 miles
Saturday Rest
Sunday Long Run/Walk 7 miles

Week 6

Monday Run/Walk 3 miles
Tuesday Fartlek Run 1-mile warmup, then run 40-50 BPM higher than your usual heart rate when running easy. Do this for 30 seconds with 1-minute easy walk/jog for recovery. Do 12 reps. 1 mile cool down.
Wednesday Run/Walk 4 miles
Thursday Tempo Run 1-mile warm up, then 3.5 miles at 10-20 BPM higher than normal heart rate. 1 mile cool down.
Friday Run/Walk 3 miles
Saturday Rest
Sunday Long Run/Walk 8 miles

Week 7

Monday Run/Walk 3 miles
Tuesday Fartlek Run 1-mile warmup then run 20-30 BPM higher than your usual heart rate when running easy. Do this for 1 minute with 1-minute easy walk/jog for recovery. Do 10 reps. 1 mile cool down.
Wednesday Run/Walk 4 miles
Thursday Tempo Run 1-mile warm up then 4 miles at 10-20 BPM higher than normal heart rate. 1 mile cool down.
Friday Run/Walk 4 miles
Saturday Rest
Sunday Long Run/Walk 9 miles

Week 8

Monday Run/Walk 3 miles
Tuesday Fartlek Run 1-mile warmup then run 40-50 BPM higher than your usual heart rate when running easy. Do this for 30 seconds with 1-minute easy walk/jog for recovery. Do 12 repetitions. 1 mile cool down.
Wednesday Run/Walk 4 miles
Thursday Tempo Run 1-mile warm up then 4.5 miles at 10-20 BPM higher than normal heart rate. 1 mile cool down.
Friday Run/Walk 4 miles
Saturday Rest
Sunday Long Run/Walk 10 miles

Week 9

Monday Run/Walk 3 miles
Tuesday Fartlek Run Create your own! Warm up, then change the pace and intensity over 4 miles. Cool down.
Wednesday Run/Walk 5 miles
Thursday Tempo Run 1-mile warmup, then 5 miles at 10-20 BPM higher than normal heart rate. 1 mile cool down.
Friday Run/Walk 4 miles
Saturday Rest
Sunday Long Run/Walk 11 miles

Week 10

Monday Run/Walk 3 miles
Tuesday Fartlek Run 1-mile warmup, then run 20-30 BPM higher than your usual heart rate when running easy. Do this for 1 minute with 1-minute easy walk/jog for recovery. Do 10 reps. 1 mile cool down.
Wednesday Run/Walk 5 miles
Thursday Tempo Run 1-mile warm up then 5.5 miles at 10-20 BPM higher than normal heart rate. 1 mile cool down.
Friday Run/Walk 4 miles
Saturday Rest
Sunday Long Run/Walk 12 miles

Week 11

Monday Run/Walk 3 miles
Tuesday Fartlek Run 1-mile warmup, then run 40-50 BPM higher than your usual heart rate when running easy.  Do this for 1 minute, with 1-minute easy walk/jog for recovery.  Do 12 reps. 1 mile cool down.
Wednesday Run/Walk 5 miles
Thursday Tempo Run 1-mile warm up, then 6 miles at 10-20 BPM higher than normal heart rate. 1 mile cool down.
Friday Run/Walk 4 miles
Saturday Rest
Sunday Long Run/Walk 13 miles

Week 12

Monday Run/Walk 3 miles
Tuesday Fartlek Run Create your own! Change the pace and intensity over 4 miles (including warmup and cooldown).
Wednesday Run/Walk 5 miles
Thursday Tempo Run 1-mile warm up, then 6.5 miles at 10-20 BPM higher than normal heart rate. 1 mile cool down.
Friday Run/Walk 4 miles
Saturday Rest
Sunday Long Run/Walk 14 miles

Week 13

Monday Run/Walk 3 miles
Tuesday Fartlek Run 1-mile warmup, then run 20-30 BPM higher than your usual heart rate while running easy. Do this for 1 minute with 1-minute easy walk/jog for recovery. Repeat 10 times. 1 mile cool down.
Wednesday Run/Walk 5 miles
Thursday Tempo Run 1-mile warm up, then 7 miles at 10-20 BPM higher than normal heart rate. 1 mile cool down.
Friday Run/Walk 4 miles
Saturday Rest
Sunday Long Run/Walk 15 miles

Week 14

Monday Run/Walk 3 miles
Tuesday Fartlek Run 1-mile warmup, then run 40-50 BPM higher than your usual heart rate when running easy. Do this for 30 seconds with 1-minute easy walk/jog for recovery. 1 mile cool down.
Wednesday Run/Walk 5 miles
Thursday Tempo Run 1-mile warm up then 7.5 miles at 10-20 BPM higher than normal heart rate. 1 mile cool down.
Friday Run/Walk 4 miles
Saturday Rest
Sunday Long Run/Walk 16 miles

Week 15

Monday Run/Walk 3 miles
Tuesday Fartlek Run Create your own! Change the pace and intensity over 4 miles (including warmup and cooldown).
Wednesday Run/Walk 5 miles
Thursday Tempo Run 1-mile warm up, then 8 miles at 10-20 BPM higher than normal heart rate. 1 mile cool down.
Friday Run/Walk 4 miles
Saturday Rest
Sunday Long Run/Walk 17 miles

Week 16

Monday Run/Walk 3 miles
Tuesday Fartlek Run 1-mile warmup, then run 20-30 BPM higher than your usual heart rate when running easy. Do this for 1 minute with 1-minute easy walk/jog for recovery. Do 10 repetitions. 1 mile cool down.
Wednesday Run/Walk 5 miles
Thursday Tempo Run 1-mile warm up, then 8 miles at 10-20 BPM higher than normal heart rate. 1 mile cool down.
Friday Run/Walk 4 miles
Saturday Rest
Sunday Long Run/Walk 10 miles

Week 17 — Your biggest week!

Monday Run/Walk 3 miles
Tuesday Fartlek Run 1-mile warmup, then run 40-50 BPM higher than your usual heart rate when running easy. Do this for 1 minute with 1-minute easy walk/jog for recovery. Do 12 repetitions. 1 mile cool down.
Wednesday Run/Walk 5 miles
Thursday Tempo Run 1-mile warm up, then 8 miles at 10-20 BPM higher than normal heart rate. 1 mile cool down.
Friday Run/Walk 4 miles
Saturday Rest
Sunday Long Run/Walk 18 miles

Week 18 — The taper begins!

Monday Run/Walk 3 miles
Tuesday Fartlek Run Create your own! Change the pace and intensity over 4 miles (including warmup and cooldown).
Wednesday Run/Walk 4 miles
Thursday Tempo Run 1-mile warm up, then 6 miles at 10-20 BPM higher than normal heart rate. 1 mile cool down.
Friday Run/Walk 3 miles
Saturday Rest
Sunday Long Run/Walk 15 miles

Week 19

Monday Run/Walk 3 miles
Tuesday Fartlek Run 1-mile warmup, then run 20-30 BPM higher than your usual heart rate while running easy. Do this for 1 minute with 1-minute easy walk/jog for recovery. Do 8 reps. 1 mile cool down.
Wednesday Run/Walk 4 miles
Thursday Tempo Run 1-mile warm up, then 4 miles at 10-20 BPM higher than normal heart rate. 1 mile cool down.
Friday Run/Walk 3 miles
Saturday Rest
Sunday Long Run/Walk 10 miles

Week 20 — Keep those legs loose!

Monday Run/Walk 2 miles
Tuesday Fartlek Run 1-mile warmup, then run 20-30 BPM higher than your usual heart rate while running easy. Do this for 1 minute with 1-minute easy walk/jog for recovery. 1 mile cool down.
Wednesday Run/Walk 3 miles
Thursday Pre-Race Interval Session 1-mile warmup, then 1 mile at 10-20 BPM higher than normal pace. 3 minutes rest. 1 minute hard (40-50 BPM higher than normal). 2 minutes rest. 30 seconds hard (40-50 BPM higher than normal). 2 minutes rest. 15 seconds hard (40-50 BPM higher than normal).
Friday Run/Walk 2 miles
Saturday Easy Run/Walk 1 mile
Sunday Marathon Race Day!
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A New Way To Run Strong

August 26, 2016

Throughout my running career, I’d avoided upper-body strength training as if it were the plague. I’d seen enough pictures of tiny runners dominating the sport to think a big chest and nice set of biceps could only slow me down. Now, 20 years later, my thinking has started to shift.

When I first started lifting, it wasn’t for my running. My sole intention was to get as big and strong as I possibly could. I went from exclusively running 140 miles a week, to running three days per week for 30 minutes, and lifting heavy weights six days per week. But something interesting happened along my journey to strength: Aside from putting on 25 lbs of muscle in just over four months, I started to feel better during my runs, even though I was running less.

It hit me in April when I was in London with Sara as she was preparing for the London Marathon. I had been pacing her runs by riding my bike in front of her to break the wind, but now that we were in London, I was bikeless and she needed a pacer. I nervously put on my lightweight running shoes for the first time in months, and gave it (what I was sure would be) a hopeless try.

As I was running with Sara at her marathon goal pace (roughly 5:30 per mile) I was expecting to have to drop out about two minutes in. But those two minutes came and went, and I made the run with surprising ease. Sure it felt slightly awkward with my heavier weight, but I noticed a newfound power in my legs and arms that I never felt during my professional running career. It is kind of hard to explain the sensation, but I think I may have been  tasting what sprinters must feel when they power through 100 meters. I felt like I had springs in my legs, and my cardio wasn’t nearly as bad as I would have imagined.

That was the first day the wheels in my head started to spin with thoughts of marrying weight training with running. And now, I can see even more how much energy weight training has brought not only to my running, but to my daily life. For starters, strength training helped me get my testosterone back to normal. It’s also brought a tremendous amount of power to my legs, which I feel noticeably on all my runs, and especially when sprinting and on hills. I also feel like I can recruit my arms to do more work when my legs are tired, allowing me to run faster for longer.

It’s also simply nice to feel strong. I like picking up heavy stuff now (like my kids!), and I no longer get sore from dragging luggage around at the airport. Still, there are some possible drawbacks with weight training for those trying to maximize their running potential. For example, you might gain weight which could lead to reducing your running economy. There is a tradeoff, however. Running is a mix of weight and power, and of course, you want to have power—so the key is balance. Making yourself as strong as possible (even in your upper body) while staying as small as possible should be the goal for those looking to run at their peak.

Our biggest breakthroughs often occur when we take chances. Yes, elite runners seem to be getting smaller, but perhaps that trend will only go so far—I don’t know. But it’s possible your biggest breakthroughs in running won’t come as a result of running more, but as a result of getting stronger through gym work. I have experienced firsthand how strength training can revitalize running, so maybe some time in the weight room can do the same for you. You won’t know for sure until you try.

food recipes ryan hall

Ryan’s Famous Muscle Milk Pancakes!

August 11, 2016

Here is our recipe for delicious Muscle Milk, teff, and cocoa pancakes. It is packed with protein and essential nutrients to help fuel a morning workout or whatever else you need to tackle during the day. The batter also makes healthy donuts!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c teff flour
  • 3 tb cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • dash of Himalayan sea salt
  • scoop muscle milk organic chocolate protein powder
  • Stevia to desired sweetness (taste the batter before you make it)

Preparation:

Mix all above dry ingredients. Then slowly stir in enough water until pancake batter consistency is achieved. Pour all of the batter in a 10-inch heated skillet over medium heat. Flip pancake when air bubbles appear all over pancake. I like to flip it and take it off the heat after about 20 seconds and begin eating it directly out of the pan. It is still gooey in the middle which makes it strikingly similar to a molten lava cake. I like to top the pancake with 1 tablespoon Kerry gold grass fed butter. The pancake absolutely does not need syrup.

-Ryan

ryan hall

Marrying Strength and Endurance

June 27, 2016
I am going to be honest here.  At one point in my life I hated to run.  That all changed one day when I was 13 and I was transformed into a kid who hated running to a kid who was fully devoted to developing my running abilities, training through the snow, rain, and any other obstacles I faced.  I trained like that for 20 years until my body could take it no longer.  I was so run-down at the end of my 20 year career that I couldn’t go jog an easy 30 minutes without having to do a substantial amount of running.  So last January I retired from professional running, but I found I was still craving physical challenge.  So I got into weight training.  Now, another confession: when I was running I hated doing weights and I only did the bare minimum I could get away with and never upper body weights as I was afraid to bulk up.  However, I found that I loved the daily challenge of weight training.  I could go hard everyday, which I couldn’t do in running, so I naturally loved it.
I couldn’t have been much weaker when I began weight training.  I think my bench was around 130 lbs and my squat was even worse than that.  It was a little embarrasing to be walking around the gym so skinny and weak.  However, as most find when they first begin weight training, I found that my improvement was rapid and dramatic.  I felt like I was literally watching my body change before me.  It was also fun to be able to take a different approach to nutrition, so rather than stepping on the scale and being bummed out if I gained a pound, I would be bummed if I didn’t gain a pound.  Now, 7 months later I have gotten my bench up to 215, my squat to 195, and my deadlift to 245lbs.  I know these are not impressive numbers but I am excited by the improvement I’ve seen.
In the last few months I’ve also rekindled my love for running as I prepared for a recent relay race around Mount Blanc.  It took a while for my body to adjust to running with extra muscle (I went from just under 140 lbs to 165 lbs), but now it feels good to run again.  With all the weight training it has added a ton of power to my legs.  Now, my favorite workouts to do in running are sprints, both on hills and flat.  I used to hate sprinting, largely due to the fact that my legs were so muscularly weak.  It feels amazing to walk around feeling so much stronger than I once was.
I continue to have lofty goals as I marry running with weight lifting.  I want to get as big, strong, and fit as possible.  I think it would be a good benchmark for me to be able to deadlift, squat, and bench 300lbs (I’m guessing I would be the only 2:04 marathoner to accomplish that feat) but I think it will take me some time to get there.  When it comes to running I’ve found running to be a great way for me to lean out after going through a pretty big bulking phase, so the two actually work together really well.  I’d much rather be outside running through beautiful single-track trails then walking on a stair climber.
In terms of competitions, it can be hard to find events that have both the endurance and strength world colliding.  I’ve been captivated by the Mr. America event because it’s (like me) found how beautiful it is to marry endurance and strength.  I am so inspired by all the competitors at Mr. America and will be following the results closely as I search for further motivation for me to reach my endurance and strength goals which is the key to reach my goals.
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Living Fearlessly: Adoption

June 9, 2016

A friend of mine in Redding, Natalie Putnam, asked me to write a guest blog for her site on adoption.  It was the first time I had taken the time to really sit down and write out my feelings on this journey we have been on the last 10 months.  I wanted to repost it here for all of you as well…

Previous to starting our adoption process Sara had spent a week training in Ethiopia during their cool, damp, rainy season and fallen in love with the country, people, and culture.  We have had the pleasure of traveling all over the world training and racing as professional track and road runners so we can tell when a place grabs our hearts in a unique way.  Sara so raved about Ethiopia that we decided to return the following year (only slightly earlier in the year before the rain arrived) to prepare for the upcoming Boston Marathon.

In between training sessions we spent many afternoons in Addis Ababa visiting orphanages and other family-based care providers. It was on one of these trips that God truly broke my heart for older child adoption. After meeting and playing with the many, many older children in the orphanages I couldn’t help but feel that I would take any one of these kids home with me.

I couldn’t think of a reason to not adopt an older child that wasn’t driven by fear. I seek to make all my decisions in life with a love-based approach so rather than determining ‘I am afraid that I won’t be able to handle the challenges that adoption will hold’ I ask myself, ‘Do I have the love in my heart to love these kids?’ For me the answer to that question was yes. It was that simple.

After that trip we went home and changed all our paperwork to adopt an older child. During this time we began becoming aware (mostly via Facebook) of waiting kids in sibling groups and again my heart burned for these kids, being filled with love from the God who loves these children so deeply. I couldn’t find a good reason, besides fear of failure, to not step up and adopt a sibling group.

Being a professional runner taught me that if I was going to have a chance to win a race I had to take a chance and go out fast with the leaders.  Once I committed to going out with the leaders, I couldn’t afford to let fear creep into my mind because it would weaken me.  I knew that failure was an very real possibility (I failed a lot more than I was successful throughout my 20 year career spanning two Olympic Marathons, the American Record in the half marathon (59:43) and a 2:04:58 marathon best time) but I knew I could get through failure, what I could not accept was not trying to win.  I approached building my family the same way I approached races.  I trained endlessly to exhaustion, learned from the best coaches and athletes in the world, and then went to the races believing anything was possible.

I always liked to be prepared for anything I might encounter from the elements, the course, and my competitors, but at the same time expecting nothing, meaning being open to however my body was feeling and being able to respond moment by moment accordingly.  So when it came to adoption I was a student but then I was also not going to allow fear to creep in once I had committed.  I knew I would fail many, many times as a father but knowing that I didn’t have to be perfect set me free to pursue being a good dad without fear.

During this time of switching home study agencies we became aware of a sibling group of 4 girls ages 5, 8, 12, and 14.  Apparently they had been looking for a home for these girls for quite some time, unsuccessfully.  They were talking of splitting them into two’s since they weren’t able to find a family for them.  The idea of splitting up siblings crushed my heart.  I couldn’t imagine being split apart from my siblings at that age.  I felt immediately that God had put love in my heart for these four girls and wanted to adopt them.  My wife took a more systematic approach, weighing out the pro’s and con’s and deciding if we were at a point in or lives to be both willing and able to adopt four girls.  Ultimately, we decided to travel to Ethiopia and meet the girls and get to know them and let them get to know us without them knowing that we were thinking of adopting them (so they could be free to be themselves around us and not performing for potential parents).  Something that was important to my wife and I was giving the girls choice in choosing us.  Through all the trauma and everything the girls had been through they were never given and choice in any of this, everything just happened to them.  We wanted to empower them to choose us just as we were choosing them.

I am so grateful that my Dad never forced me to run when I was a kid.  I was really into baseball as a kid and just like every other little kid in the U.S. dreamt of one day playing in the Major Leagues.  So even though I was good at running, and my Dad told me I could be a great runner if I wanted to, he never forced me to run.  He waited until I chose running.  If my Dad would have forced me to run I would have never made it through all the very hard seasons of running that awaited me.  The ability to get through hard things comes from inside, a desire that you want to do something.  If you are doing something for someone else or not because you  want it for yourself then you will never get through the hard times.  In the same way, we wanted our kids to choose us because when the hard times come they have to know they choose this path.

hallfamily

During the adoption process I began to understand how aggressively God pursues us in the same way that I had to aggressively pursue my kids. I flew through endless stacks of paperwork, went to never-ending fingerprinting and doctor appointments, met with social workers, paid a large sum of money and patiently waited for that day we would all pull up in our driveway home at last. Adoption is like running.  It is a journey, it’s got hard stretches, but in the end it is a beautiful adventure that is very much worth taking.  Adoption should also be celebrated in the same way that winning a race is celebrated.  The best way we can understand our adoptive Father’s (God) love for us is to adopt for our self.

 

 

God does the same for each of us. He pursues. He pays a great price. He longs to be with us. He patiently waits for the day that we make a home with him in our hearts.

Adoption is the greatest thing I’ve done. It’s sweeter than competing in Olympic Games and running American Records because it has increased the love in our house and in my heart.