Plans from Now until June 2011

All my plans are tentative and are subject to change BUT I really like to have some kind of schedule to go by because it keeps me motivated and keeps me on track.

--- November/December 2010: Work-out only in the gym 5-6 days a week. Concentrate on running at a constant pace for a predetermined time on the treadmill. Take 1-2 days a week to cross train on a stationary bike. Use the stair-master 1-2 times a week to work other muscles. Rotate muscle groups for weight training every day that I am in the gym in order to build strength. 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps in order to build strong, lean muscle. Stretch after every work-out.

--- January 2011: Incorporate outdoor running 3 times a week with strength training 2-3 times a week in the gym. Start working on running in the elements and also work more on stamina so that I can run for longer. Find hills if possible.

--- February 2011: First race of the year. 5k race. So far I have two that I can chose from in the Irvine area. One is on February 19th and the other one is on February 26th. So I just need to decide which one I prefer in regards to charity, trail etc.

--- March/April 2011: 10k race. I have two to chose from again. One is a road race on April 2nd and the other is a trail race on March 6th. Technically I could do both, but I don't want to push myself to hard, too soon. If I just do one of them I will probably pick the trail race just because they are more adventurous and more challenging for me.

--- May/June 2011: This is when I plan to do my 1/2 marathon (21k). I want to do it before my trip to Ireland because I don't want my hard work to go to waste. As of now, there is only one within 30 miles of me on May 30th. It looks like a good one, so I am okay with not finding any others.

I feel that I should plan the rest of my year once I return from Ireland so that if I happen to take more time off running than I would like, then I can plan accordingly and not feel guilty for spending time with my family and friends for 3 weeks.