Eau Claire Marathon G-EAU Big(ger) and Half & Half Challenges TRAINING PLANS
Coach MARIA LONG
Past Eau Claire Marathon Ambassador
"I'm Maria Long, a running coach in Northwestern Wisconsin! As a runner with a family and a part-time job, I understand that juggling life and training doesn't always come easy. I love coaching other runners, to show them that with a practical training plan and a positive outlook throughout the process, they can dream big and achieve their goals!"
From Coach Maria: Congratulations on signing up for one of the many fun challenges brought to you by the 2024 Eau Claire Marathon! In these training plans, you will see abbreviations and other details that I’d like to clarify for you below.
E: Easy - conversational pace – you should be able to hold a conversation during this run
R: Recovery - conversational pace or slower – you should be able to sing along with your music during this run
RPE: Rate of Perceived Exertion – how hard you think you’re pushing yourself during a run
20/40s Strides: These are quick bursts of speed, about an 8 out of 10 RPE. 20/40s means you’ll run hard for 20 seconds, then recover for 40 seconds. These should be done in the middle or toward the end of your run (when prescribed) – Hill Strides are the same idea, just on a hill.
Fartleks: “Speed Play” – These are longer bursts of hard efforts, about an 8 out of 10 RPE.
NS: Negative Split – Start out easy, then progress the pace as feels good to you. Some plans may say: “NS: 5mi (3, 1, 1)”, which means that the first 3 miles should be relatively easy, the next mile faster, and the last mile fastest.
Tempo: Hard effort – 7-8 out of 10 RPE
10kP/E: 10k race pace/effort (this can be done by pace or by RPE)
HMP/HME: Half Marathon Pace/Half Marathon Effort (this can be done by pace or RPE)
Dynamic Warmup: Don’t skip the warmup! This routine should take 5-10 minutes and is simple enough to do while standing in your kitchen and eating your pre-run breakfast/snack.
Purple Highlight: If you need a break, or don’t have time, feel free to skip this workout
Red Highlight: Do whatever you can to fit this run in, especially if they’re Saturday/Sunday back-to-back runs.
Cross Training: Options include Swimming, Biking, Hiking, Elliptical, Stair Stepper
Strength Training: Strength workouts are highlighted in green just so they stand out and aren’t skipped. When doing these strength training workouts, please remember to start slow, with body weight or low weights. These are basic exercises that shouldn’t leave you feeling depleted, overly sore, or burned out. They are meant to supplement and support the running you’ll be doing over the next twelve weeks.
Build: This is a week where we’re building mileage or adding a new stress, such as different (or more ) speed work
Cutback: This week may be a cut back in mileage, or a cutback in other stresses such as speed work
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
- Coach Maria
Coach: Maria Long | CoachMariaLong@gmail.com | www.BrightsideRunning.org