01.06.07
i love when a plan works!
100_4756[1]Originally uploaded by andynoise.
today was fun! the plan worked. christopher proved that the Lydiard Program works.
before june 2006, christopher never ran. heck, he never even went outside. he went to BC a couple hours a day and played video games the rest of the time.
i let him do whatever he wanted as long as he did well at BC. but after he graduated with his AA, i decided he needed to go to high school to become a more well rounded person.
in fact, athletics is the main reason he is going to high school and running was his only option. he cant throw or catch anything as the team knows.
besides he had my decades of running knowledge and a perfect body for running. he is five foot and eleven inches and weighs maybe 120 pounds. so in june 2006, he started running.
well lets say jogging. he was slow. the first time he ran a mile he barely broke 10 minutes. his first 5k he ran in 33:56 on 6/6/6. when he finished, the race volunteers thought they needed to call a medic.
because christopher was so slow, i had him do more intervals then long runs because he couldnt run long at all. through the summer he improved and ended up running 24:20 at the last handicap race on 8/15/06. in fact he won the btc 5k handicap series (his 8th grade brother got second btw).
when xc season started he was still slow and barely broke 16 minutes for the 2 mile. but he eventually ran 12:20 for the two mile and 19:57 for the 3 mile.
then the season ended and i could fully implement the Lydiard Program. the police 10 k was right after the season so it was a good race to run. christopher had never run a 10 k and barely broke 51 minutes.
then he started doing the following:
Monday: Aerobic running 3/4 hour.
Tuesday: Aerobic running 1 hour.
Wednesday: Run hilly course 1/2 to 1 hour.
Thursday: Aerobic running 1 hour.
Friday: Jog 1/2 to 1 hour.
Saturday: Run hilly course 1/2 to 1 hour.
Sunday: Aerobic running 1.5 hours.
Monday: Run hilly course 1/2 to 1 hour.
Tuesday: Aerobic running 1 hour.
Wednesday: Time trial 3000 or 5000 meters.
Thursday: Aerobic running 1 hour.
Friday: Jog 1/2 to 1 hour.
Saturday: Relaxed striding of 4 to 8 times 200 meters.
Sunday: Aerobic running 1.5 hours
we followed this schedule except that he took tuesdays off because of academic decathlon. he walked home on those days to get some exercise in.
after almost two months of this training, christopher PRed on a much harder course today. he took almost 8 minutes off his time today with a 43:24.
he ran between 30 and 40 miles a week and most of it was in the 8 or 9 minute per mile range. in fact, i have every mile logged via the Garmin Forerunner 205 Wrist-Mounted GPS Personal Training Device
during this time, he didnt get hurt or burnt out. he got strong and fast despite not doing any speed work. next up in the program is Hill Resistance Training (4 weeks).
there is nothing like making a plan, following it and then getting the results you wanted. when christopher was in 6th grade, i mapped out a plan to get him an AA from BC and he graduated from BC before his former classmates graduated from 8th grade.
so far my athletic plan for him is going like my academic plan. the goal is to be the best runner he can be by his senoir year. i dont want him to look back at his high school athletic career and say what if i had trained better?
if anyone out there wants to join us in our quest, you are more than welcome. we need company! look at the kenyans, they train together and it works.
if you want to know more, check out da plan.
