Pilot Mountain To Hanging Rock Training Plan – Sharing is Caring :)

Looking back I think my passion for running most likely came during my childhood when I saw my older brother running cross country and as most younger brothers do, I wanted to do what my older brother was doing.  That is just what I did, by running both cross country and track in junior high and high school.

However my love for running and endless drive to learn all about the mechanics of the running form, running nutrition, human performance and energy systems did not manifest itself till 2009 when I was stationed in Hawaii.  I was actually visiting my brother back on the mainland and I distinctly remember sitting at an outdoor table at Sammy’s Craft Burgers and Beers, where my brother was a manger and one of his friends was describing how he had just completed a marathon.  I was amazed because this guy was not what, at the time, I thought a runner should look like.  He described how he was now in a very small group of people in the world who have completed a marathon.  I cannot remember the stats he gave me that day but I do recall being in awe.

For you type A people (and by you I mean most likely everyone who reads this) according to Statistic Brain data gathered in 2016 only 0.5% of the US population had run a marathon.

Now how awesome of a story would it be if I could have some kind of Forest Gump moment and just flip the table over, spilling all the brews and flipped the burgers over and just start running (pronounced Run-knee-ning) and not stop till I was fit enough and complete a marathon.

Well sadly this was not the case, I indeed stayed in my chair and finished my burger and brew….(s)  However when back on the Island of O’ahu that little spark inside of me grew and soon become an inferno driving me towards my first goal of the Saucony Val Nolasco Half Marathon in 2010 and eventually the North Shore Marathon in 2011.

Now today, just 8 short years after I was sitting at that outdoor table enjoying a avocado and fried egg burger (maybe,… I can’t remember) and I am sure more than just 1 beer my drive and love for this seemingly simple thing called running has lead me to wanting to help so many other find their passion for running.  Which is the primary reason I started my run coaching business 4CycleRunner, I recall hitting so many obstacles during my running journey on the way to completing my 3rd 50 mile race on 14 October 2017.  Many of them could have been avoided with some knowledge, guidance, and direction.  That is what I hope to provide with 4CycleRunner, here on my blog, on the rest of this website (once I finally find the time to complete it), on my Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts as well as my new vlog I am starting up (Running In Your Car).

I am fairly new to this coaching thing, at least publicly anyways.  I have been helping friends and family with training plan development for many years now but I remember when I was just starting out, I took to Google and searched and searched and searched till I found a plan that I thought looked good.  At that time and place that did provide some value for me so this is where I start here….

Below you will find my training plan with the actual miles I ran training for my last 50 mile race, Pilot Mountain to Hanging Rock.  As a DISCLAIMER I had a significant base as I had just completed a 16 week block of training for the Big Turtle 50 Miler on 29 April 2017 and went into a recovery and maintenance phase for the month June.

If you have any questions about this plan, why I chose 152 HR, why I chose to try and get certain elevation days, why I did speed work while training for an ultra.. etc etc..  feel free to email me using the contact me page on my website (that page actually works) or put them in the comments below, I will respond to all comments.  Heck you can even shoot my a text @ 872-215-2422.

Josh (4CycleRunner)