Ideally a coach would make a custom training plan for you, but if you don’t have that option you can always customize an existing plan. Doing this preliminary work will make the training less stressful and more efficient. You can do it in a spreadsheet or by hand.
Add in start dates for each week.
It’s easier to figure out where you are in the plan.
Adjust the days of the week.
Some people like to do their long run on Saturday and some people like Sunday. Speedwork days may need to be adjusted as well. Use your best judgment, you want to have adequate recovery time between runs.
Add notes to yourself.
Write the race date, goal time, and anything else you want to remember. You’re going to be looking at the plan almost everyday, so it’s a good place for reminders.
Adjust the schedule based on any vacations or obligations.
You should aim to complete all runs on the plan, but something like a vacation or work trip makes that difficult. Use your best judgment to adjust the plan.
Consider adding in a “fastest mile”.
I like to run a timed mile every week because it’s a great speed workout and it’s exciting to try and set a new personal record.
Set a goal time for your race.
It’ll give you something to aim for and encourage you to push yourself. Most plans have speedwork that requires a goal time, for example “run 6 miles at race pace”. Once you set a goal time you can determine your pace. For example, if your goal for a half marathon is 2 hours, your race pace is 9:09 per mile.
Adjust the speedwork.
It’s good to have a plan that includes speedwork because it will force you to push yourself. If you’re going into the plan in good shape and don’t feel like it will be challenging enough, you can always increase the difficulty. Be reasonable about it, speedwork is hard.
Subtract weeks if you have an injury or other obligation.
It’s ok to do this if you’re already in good shape. You’ll have to evaluate everything and make sure you have enough time to be fully trained on race day.
Add weeks if you want to start early.
Most people are already running before the training plan anyways, so you could start earlier. It depends on if you’re a person that enjoys being on a schedule. Be reasonable, you don’t want to get burned out.
