Zatopek

Jersey Shore Half · season finish

Sep 14 – Oct 4 · 3 weeks · goal Jersey Shore Half Marathon Oct 4 (confirmed)

Current-week conditional running delivery authorized September 14; later weeks remain discussion drafts.

The arc

Running minutes per week. Tinted bars are the plan; grey is what Intervals recorded, overlaid where a plan week has already happened.

171Aug 3283Aug 10301Aug 17168Aug 24242Aug 31169Sep 7145W1200W2215A raceW3

Restore consistency and HM rhythmRace weekRecordedRace

What the plan assumes

Three-week finish after disrupted training: restore repeatable running, retain controlled threshold and a modest half-marathon rhythm exposure, then taper. No compressed base build or repayment of missed work. Exact prescriptions depend on refreshed actuals and current recovery context.

Baseline
Four-week observed mean 220.3 minutes is historical context, not current capacity. Illness supersedes the earlier 220-minute rebound: week one is now at most 145 easy minutes, with a conditional return envelope next week.
Scope
Only the remaining three weeks are authored; prior season training remains imported actuals, never reconstructed prescriptions.
Recovery
Rest while feverish. Only consider running after at least 24 hours fever-free without fever-reducing medication, clearly improving and without systemic or chest symptoms. Tuesday defaults to rest if this is not met. Begin with 10 minutes very easy; stop early for abnormal effort or symptoms. Progress only with normal response during, after and the next day; the listed duration is a ceiling, not a required dose.
History
Intervals refresh 2026-09-14: 30 runs since Aug 3; recent longest runs 88 minutes/13.28 km Aug 23 and 79 minutes/9.93 km Sep 6. Activity titles suggest earlier SubT and HM blocks but do not establish completed reps or pace; no lap or stream confirmation was obtained. Generic recent run titles are not evidence of easy-only training. Provider intensity/load are retained but not used to infer zones or readiness.
Race
October 4 remains the goal, conditional on recovery. Race day 105 work + 15 preparation minutes is an accounting placeholder, not a finish target. Current race-week draft has 95 minutes before Sunday and needs response review.
Strength
Only use the listed lower-body work if already familiar and recently tolerated. If it would be a new or lapsed program, omit lower-body work through the race. No new strength acquisition block with three weeks left.
Today
No run September 14: Mike reports slight fever, congestion, irritability, jet lag and fatigue after an all-day outing. Legs feel fine; little chest cough or sore throat. No catch-up.
Next Season
The NYC draft remains saved separately. Reassess its opening after Jersey Shore from the race actuals and response; its old 270-minute baseline is not established by this finish.

What Mike has told it Ill · Returning From Interruption

  • illness Mike reports slight fever, congestion and irritability, jet lag from last week's trip and an all-day US Open finals outing yesterday. Legs feel fine; little chest cough and little sore throat. Fever timing/temperature and medication use are unknown.
  • illness Mike reports still sick, no running today, requests softer Tuesday and authorizes sending the revised week through Intervals to Watchletic, replacing overlapping old workouts. Specific symptoms remain unknown.
  • training Mike reports that training has been quite disrupted lately and requests planning the remaining season through Jersey Shore. Cause, current recovery and upcoming constraints were not yet supplied.

Execution not cleared for week 1. Interruption/return prescriptions require explicit response review, not automatic execution clearance.

Week 1Sep 14 – Sep 20Restore consistency and HM rhythm

Recover, then ease back

  • 145 min planned
  • 0% quality
  • 40 min long run
  • RETURN_PLANinterruption: Active illness with slight fever and jet lag September 14. All running is conditional on the fever-free recovery gate; 145 minutes is a ceiling if eligible, not a target. No threshold, strides or gym. Source: Mike September 14 illness report and request to soften Tuesday.. Explicit ceilings replace ordinary ramp comparisons for this week; this is not execution clearance.
  • QUALITY_BAND0.0% quality / 100.0% non-quality. Working band 20.0%–25.0%; do not fill a quota blindly.
  • NEURAL_GAPShort-speed exposure missing or overdue relative to proposed 14-day clock.
  • POWER_GAPFast aerobic support missing or overdue relative to proposed 28-day clock; strides/12K do not reset it.

Adjustment · interruption

Active illness with slight fever and jet lag September 14. All running is conditional on the fever-free recovery gate; 145 minutes is a ceiling if eligible, not a target. No threshold, strides or gym.

Running Minutes ≤ 145 min · Long Run Minutes ≤ 40 min

Source: Mike September 14 illness report and request to soften Tuesday.

Develops

Today off. Tuesday: rest unless fever-free for 24 hours without medication and substantially better; only then up to 20 very easy minutes. Rest while feverish. Only consider running after at least 24 hours fever-free without fever-reducing medication, clearly improving and without systemic or chest symptoms. Tuesday defaults to rest if this is not met. Begin with 10 minutes very easy; stop early for abnormal effort or symptoms. Progress only with normal response during, after and the next day; the listed duration is a ceiling, not a required dose.

Changes

All running easy: Tuesday 20, Wednesday 30, Thursday 35, Saturday 20, Sunday up to 40; Friday off. These are ceilings for a recovery that goes smoothly, not promised recovery dates.

Maintains

Comfortable movement when well enough. Threshold, fast running and lifting can wait; no quality-percentage quota.

Makes room

No gym. Skip running while still unwell, with fever, body aches or chest symptoms. Stop for chest pain, unusual breathlessness, palpitations, dizziness or disproportionate fatigue and seek medical advice. Do not progress if symptoms worsen during, after or the following day.

Weekend choice

Saturday 20 easy and Sunday up to 40 easy, only after normal shorter runs and recovery.

Not: Keep Saturday strides and the original 65-minute Sunday. Active illness invalidates the earlier recovered-athlete assumption. Shorten the weekend and remove intensity; missed running is not repaid.

  1. Mon
    Off
    Off / recovery
  2. Tue
    20min
    Easy

    PM · Runner Stretch PT · 60 min

  3. Wed
    30min
    Easy
  4. Thu
    35min
    Easy

    PM · Pilates for Runners · 1:1

  5. Fri
    Off
    Off / recovery
  6. Sat
    20min
    Easy

    PM · Runner Stretch PT · 60 min

  7. Sun
    40min
    General long run

Lifting Illness: gym off

No gym this week. Coordinate PT and Pilates with the provider while ill; do not attend in person while contagious. Resume care gently when appropriate. Appointments shown are usual context, not confirmed attendance.

Tuesday

Gym off during illness return

Thursday

Gym off during illness return

Saturday

Gym off during illness return

Week 2Sep 21 – Sep 27Restore consistency and HM rhythm

Conditional return to controlled work

  • 200 min planned
  • 11% quality
  • 55 min long run
  • RETURN_PLANreturn: Unsent draft only. Consider modest anchors and 55 easy Sunday only after illness has resolved and several easy runs have normal next-day response. Recalculate from actuals before this week; 200 is an upper envelope, not an automatic rebound. Source: Downstream revision from Mike September 14 active illness report.. Explicit ceilings replace ordinary ramp comparisons for this week; this is not execution clearance.
  • QUALITY_BAND11.0% quality / 89.0% non-quality. Working band 20.0%–25.0%; do not fill a quota blindly.
  • MULTIPLE_LEVERSBoth running minutes and quality-work minutes rise. Review the stated accommodation, not only individual caps.
  • NEURAL_GAPShort-speed exposure missing or overdue relative to proposed 14-day clock.
  • POWER_GAPFast aerobic support missing or overdue relative to proposed 28-day clock; strides/12K do not reset it.

Adjustment · return

Unsent draft only. Consider modest anchors and 55 easy Sunday only after illness has resolved and several easy runs have normal next-day response. Recalculate from actuals before this week; 200 is an upper envelope, not an automatic rebound.

Running Minutes ≤ 200 min · Long Run Minutes ≤ 55 min

Source: Downstream revision from Mike September 14 active illness report.

Develops

Reintroduce small controlled anchors only after recovery and normal easy-run response. This week will be reviewed before delivery.

Changes

Provisional ceiling 200 minutes with Tuesday 2 × 6 upper SubT and Thursday 1 × 10 lower SubT. Remove the planned HM Sunday.

Maintains

A small threshold touch if recovered. All weekend running remains easy; no race-pace test or fast-aerobic catch-up.

Makes room

Gym stays off. The return envelope is conditional, not a numerical progression from an assumed completed 145-minute week. If illness persists or easy running is not normal, replace anchors with easy/off and rebuild this draft.

Weekend choice

Saturday 25 easy, Sunday 55 easy, conditional on recovered running.

Not: Return directly to 235 minutes and 2 × 8 HM Sunday. The new illness report means that recovery and consistent easy running take priority over a late HM reminder. No extra intensity to recover lost fitness.

  1. Mon
    25min
    Easy
  2. Tue
    35min
    2 × 6 min upper SubT

    · 90s jog recovery

    10 min easy before the first block. 2 × 6 min upper SubT. 90 sec jog between reps. Controlled upper SubT. Keep the established effort; do not race the reps. Finish with 11 min 30 sec easy.

    PM · Runner Stretch PT · 60 min

  3. Wed
    30min
    Easy
  4. Thu
    30min
    1 × 10 min lower SubT

    10 min easy before the first block. 1 × 10 min lower SubT. Controlled lower SubT. Finish with another repetition available. Finish with 10 min easy.

    PM · Pilates for Runners · 1:1

  5. Fri
    Off
    Off / recovery
  6. Sat
    25min
    Easy

    PM · Runner Stretch PT · 60 min

  7. Sun
    55min
    General long run

Lifting Illness: gym off

Gym remains off in this conditional return draft. Reassess after normal running rather than restart a lapsed strength program immediately before the race.

Tuesday

Gym off during illness return

Thursday

Gym off during illness return

Saturday

Gym off during illness return

Week 3Sep 28 – Oct 4Race weekJersey Shore Half Marathon · Oct 4

Arrive ready to race

  • 215 min planned
  • 60% quality
  • 120 min long run
  • RACE_ESTIMATEAll-out race replaces weekend quality. Shares and duration use a placeholder; ordinary ratio targets do not force a performance taper. Reconcile actual load afterward.
  • MULTIPLE_LEVERSBoth running minutes and quality-work minutes rise. Review the stated accommodation, not only individual caps.
  • POWER_GAPFast aerobic support missing or overdue relative to proposed 28-day clock; strides/12K do not reset it.

Develops

Freshness for October 4, conditional on full recovery. 95 running minutes before race day; the total includes a race-duration placeholder.

Changes

Tuesday 2 × 6 upper SubT, Thursday 1 × 10 lower SubT, short easy days and relaxed Saturday strides only if recovered. No gym. Reassess racing if illness persists.

Maintains

Familiar running frequency and controlled rhythm. Saturday 3 × 20 seconds is relaxed coordination, not a speed test. Race at 100% effort, paced from current fitness rather than a pre-disruption goal.

Makes room

Friday off and all gym off. PT Tuesday/Saturday and Pilates Thursday remain appointments, but ask for familiar gentle work without fatiguing legs or aggressive new treatment. The 120-minute race-day entry is not a target or instruction to stop; actual race time replaces it.

Weekend choice

Saturday 20 minutes with 3 × 20 sec relaxed strides, 80 sec jog; Sunday Jersey Shore Half, 8am Sandy Hook.

Not: A short fast-aerobic Saturday or a final long run during race week. Neither addresses the immediate need better than arriving recovered. The missing fast-aerobic exposure remains a review note; three weeks cannot recreate the interrupted season. Do not compensate for missed endurance during the taper.

  1. Mon
    10min
    Easy
  2. Tue
    30min
    2 × 6 min upper SubT

    · 90s jog recovery

    10 min easy before the first block. 2 × 6 min upper SubT. 90 sec jog between reps. Controlled upper SubT. Keep the established effort; do not race the reps. Finish with 6 min 30 sec easy.

    PM · Runner Stretch PT · 60 min

  3. Wed
    10min
    Easy
  4. Thu
    25min
    1 × 10 min lower SubT

    10 min easy before the first block. 1 × 10 min lower SubT. Controlled lower SubT. Finish with another repetition available. Finish with 5 min easy.

    PM · Pilates for Runners · 1:1

  5. Fri
    Off
    Off / recovery
  6. Sat
    20min
    3 × 20 sec relaxed stride

    Fast-relaxed · not sprinting · 80s jog recovery

    10 min easy before the first block. 3 × 20 sec relaxed stride. Fast-relaxed · not sprinting 80 sec jog between reps. Smooth acceleration and relaxed mechanics. Fully recover; stop if speed requires straining. Finish with 6 min 20 sec easy.

    PM · Runner Stretch PT · 60 min

  7. Sun
    120min
    Jersey Shore Half Marathon

    A race · 100% effort

    100% race effort. Race minutes are accounting estimates, not predictions or quotas; reconcile actual duration afterward.

Lifting Race-week gym off

No gym this week. Keep care appointments familiar and non-fatiguing: Thursday Pilates and especially Saturday PT should not leave residual leg fatigue for the race. This is an instruction to coordinate intensity, not a claim the appointments were changed.

Tuesday

Gym off; gentle familiar PT

Thursday

Gym off; keep Pilates light

Saturday

Gym off; gentle familiar PT

Policy, RPE and sources

Using RPE

RPE is the weight prescription for each work set, not the whole session. RPE 6: comfortable, roughly 4+ clean reps left; 7: about 3 left; 8: about 2 left. Select and adjust the weight to meet that target today. No max testing or failure sets.

5–8 min easy movement, then 2–3 progressively loaded warm-up sets for the first lift. Listed sets are work sets, not warm-up sets.

Stable RPE does not mean a frozen weight: stronger days may use more, tired days less. Do not exceed the target to force progression. A scheduled higher RPE is conditional on clean prior sessions and normal subsequent running; otherwise repeat or reduce the last tolerated prescription.

If lifting changes your running mechanics or soreness carries into the next key run: remove one set from each lower-body exercise; if still affected, omit lower-body work. After illness/travel, return at the last tolerated dose, not the missed target. PT-specific restrictions override this draft.

Proposed planning limits draft-07 · proposed numerical bounds; user constraints retained

Ramp · Max Minutes
20
Ramp · Max Fraction
0.08
Ramp · Four Week Minutes
60
Ramp · Four Week Fraction
0.2
Longest run · Max Minutes
120
Longest run · Max Increase Minutes
10
Longest run · Max Increase Fraction
0.15
Fraction · Easy
75%–80%
Fraction · Quality
20%–25%
Fraction · Easy Long
18%–30%
Fraction · Quality Long
20%–30%
Fraction · Long Quality Work
0%–12%
Fraction · Weekend
0%–42%

Sources