Here is why:
While I somehow love the idea to get ready-made workouts on my watch, and also like doing them so I do not have to think about who to do a workout, I also at the same do not like the rigidity of a pre-made plan.
That's mostly because I am changing preferences all the time: some days I like to "just follow a plan", on others I prefer to "train the way I think is right for me".
Btw, the Garmin Coach Plan do not have to be done the exact way they are laid out. You won't get expelled from them when you chose to do more, or less.
But I wonder, what is the purpose of following a ready-made training plan, when you don't follow it but accostum it so much that you could actually just train the way you want to?
One other thing with Jeff's workout is, that the two shorter workouts (well, the one with the 800m repeats is 55min long actually, including warm-up and cool-down) are done at medium intensity.
They are neither easy nor really hard.
And I have successfully avoided that this year:
Until may this year, I did most of my training really easy.
As in: I could chat with someone while running, and I'd walk when heartrate went up.
That way, my recovery time stayed short, I felt refreshed and energized after my runs and bike rides, and was also able to do more strength training.
Once a week, I'd go to the track and do a short workout of 1min repeats of hard and fast running, with a minute rest in between. From five to ten repeats were enough.
And I love them!
What I will take with me from Jeff Galloway's Garmin Coach plan are:
- the drills: I think working on cadence will benefit me, so I'll continue doing them.
- the Magic Mile: I "hated" doing it - not short enough to go all-out, not long enough so I was able to plan the laps - but I think it is a fun way of testing oneself
- the walk/run-method: although I will just incorporate the walking part based on how my heartrate is (walking up hills) - not using predefined walk/run ratios
- the hill drills
I found out that three workouts, with two of them being at medium intensity, left no room for my bike rides, and I didn't appreciate Jeff Galloway saying in one of his videos that "You can cross train for sure, but it will have no benefit for your running" (I am not quoting him literally here, just by what I remember).
I strongly disagree - but will not further elaborate my opinion right now (maybe later).
One big thing that seems not to work for me is the simple follow-a-plan-and-stick-to-it way of training. I need flexibility since my energy levels are greatly fluctuationg throughout my week, and in order to follow a training plan, I must be able to fully customize it.
Meaning that I'd rather want to be doing the long run on tuesday since I felt good, had enough sleep, my stomach was ok, weather good, legs fine, and so on - and postpone the short intervals for a quick workout on saturday afternoon.
Or whatever.
My training is strongly influenced by the way I feel. I do think that you do not have to feel great in order to work out, but I have to use my feelings to my advantage in training. Meaning that, on an "angry" day after a night with nightmares and an emotional flashback from cPTSD during the day, I can use that kind of negative energy for a good hard hill workout on the bike.
On a "sad" day, I love to be on my bike and do an easy ride.
On a balanced day, strength training is what I do.
And so on.
It would be great to be able to have a more steady way of live and to be able to "just follow a plan" but that is not a good option for me right now. I don't like the feeling of not going a good job, so I'd rather make a good job at following my own, highy customized plan than doing a mediocre job on a pre-made plan.
So thanks for the training input, Jeff!
I will certainly look into your books and use some of your training tips and technique, but apart from that, you are better off without me 😊
