Why a running plan is really a pacing algorithm with a race date attached
The author, who has coached themselves through three marathon blocks and several half marathons, found that spreadsheet-based plans broke down within weeks. They built a generator that uses race distance, current weekly mileage, target pace, and the race date to schedule training, capping weekly increases around 10% and inserting a recovery week every fourth cycle. The tool's main limit is that it only does arithmetic on the inputs given, so inflated mileage figures produce plans that can cause injury. Its export to Garmin, Coros, and Strava-connected watches required a validator, since malformed TCX files fail silently. The author stresses that such a tool is a planning aid, not a coach or medical advice, and that progress analytics show compliance but not whether the training suits the individual.
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