The Schedule and its components 11 of 12 Use Your Brain series

As I sit here, legs up after another wonderful weekend on a Sunday night, I am reflecting on how much fun I just had running desert trails with old and new friends. Everyone should be so lucky. But now it's time to talk business.
For those of you looking for a written schedule specific to your goals and abilities, I will not provide one. But, I can help you craft your own schedule, and isn't that way mo betta? Besides, if you learn, you can help someone else someday. Never the less, I always remain available for questions and comments, so ask away.

Write your schedule:

1. Get a blank monthly calendar, and make copies if you have to. I like the 8x11 size format. 
2. Most of us work, even still, the following is the best schedule for most of us: Tuesday night speed, Thursday night tempo, Saturday morning long run
3. Other days cross train with weight lifting, biking, or even easy runs.
4. Periodization, periodization, periodization. 1st week load normal, 2nd week increase load, 3rd week increase load even more, 4th week back off to about 65% of week three, then start all over again at slightly higher levels. Forever or until recovery from your targeted race.
5. Use periodization for your cross training activities too, keep them on different schedules than the running periodization schedule.
6. Look at your goal race date. Read my blogs on taper, then work BACKWARDS from that date to today's date and write it up!
7. Remember to increase loads slowly. Load increases can be miles, intensity or both. But remember, 1,2 3 weeks then back off a bit. OC's can't do this. They can't believe that rest makes them faster. Poor OC's. they plateau then slowly deteriorate.
8. Tuesday night speed recommendations are odd weeks a mix of 400's and mile repeats, even weeks laddered 800's. So week 2, 6x800, week 4 8x800, week 6 10x800, week 8 8x800 and so on. Remember, the 800's are TOUGH workouts so don't mix 10x800 in same week as longer runs. Beginners start with 3 or 4 800's and slowly work up to the 6/8/10 schedule.
9. Thursday Tempos... start with 2x2miles, but move up to 2x5k as soon as possible. Then get faster, and negative splits.  3 minutes recovery in between. Both Tues and Thurs workouts have mile wu/mile wd.
10. Saturday long runs add 1-2 miles every other week, subtract same miles in between. 8/6/9/7/10/8/11 and so on. Also, sub in 1or 2 long run a month with a bike ride if desired. You'll feel better and be just as tough.
11. ALL workouts, speed, tempos and long runs from now on are by NEGATIVE SPLITS.
12. DON'T make up missed workouts. When really tired, just skip a workout, or immediately go into the 4th week of periodization, then start all over again.
13. HIIT High Intensity Interval Training, which this schedule employs, is the best way to get faster with less miles. But it requires CONSISTENCY!!! Back in the day, I was holding it for 48 weeks a year. It's not that bad IF you use PERIODIZATION, since every 4th week is easy recovery workouts, and weeks 1 and 2 are not THAT bad. The tough one is the 3rd week, but you'll be ready, and happy knowing the following week gets easier by a lot.

Good Luck, and feel free to ask away if needed. :>)