The plan is based around the Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training (FIRST) model that I read about in a runners world article a couple of years back. The plan is focused around 3 to 4 days a week of running with extensive speed work and cross training 2 days a week.

It’s a tough plan but I’m already happy with the results. The most difficult thing for me is the pacing. I prefer to run a variety of routes and don’t have a good feel for the milestone distances within my runs making it very difficult to pace as per the plan. It would seem that some treadmill and/or track work (or one of those fancy gps watches) is needed to ensure that you are training to the proper pace.

In any case if you’re training for any type of running race I suggest you check out the runners world article and the FIRST site to see if it might work for you.

Hopefully this plan will save me from death in the Alberta mountains. I’ll let you know come August!

Valentines Day is always a special treat that sneaks up on me. If you’re single it’s the day when all your coupled friends disappear and groups of brave faced singles gather to talk about how Hallmark invented this painfully commercial excuse to make use feel lonely and consume. On the other hand if you are lucky enough to be in a relationship come Valentines Day then the pressure is really on.

Valentines Day in many relationships has become a strange game of ongoing attempts to one up each other. When planning for the day not only do you have to top what your partner is going to do for you, you need to top anything that you have ever done before and anything that has ever been done on TV or in a movie. That means surprise trips, diamonds, puppies and roses are all on the table and hopefully in some combination that will dazzle your partner into staying with you one more year.

With this crushing pressure on my mind, I asked my girlfriend if we could do something a little different this year and start alternating the responsibility for Valentines Day. Because I followed the rules and dazzled her last year, I handed over Valentines Day to her capable hands this year.

She organized a great day wandering around town and visiting the art gallery with diner at a cute little spot. The best part was she invited my brother to come along with us. It was a great day and fantastic to share it with my girlfriend and my brother. While I’m sure it would have been great to spend it as just a couple, I think we might make it a tradition to recruit friends for Valentines Day celebrations. Seems only fair to spend a day dedicated to love with friends and family and not just a partner. After all there are many people in our lives that we love and we don’t get to tell people that often how much they mean to us. So next year on February 14 maybe you should think about spending your time with a few people you love rather than just one.