I can barely fathom being able to run 25-30 miles per week. Did he mean he runs that over the course of a whole week or each time he runs he does that much?

I noticed Garmin sells a GPS enabled personal trainer that looks very cool. It monitors heart-rate and makes tracking your performance more entertaining I guess. I would like to try using one of those to see if it inspires me.

This is the program that I have been using. Before I started this I was running all of my workouts way too fast which means that I was not developing my aerobic capabilities very well. Consequently, I was metabolizing glucose but not metabolizing fat. That’s kind of like trying to drive a car 50 miles on pint of gasoline. Since I started this program, I have reduced my per mile time by approx 3:30 while running strictly at MAF (Maximum Aerobic Function) pace which, for me, is a very low heart rate of 127 bpm. As I continue to run strictly at MAF, I hope to get my pace down by about another 1:30 by July (which will be a 10:00 per mile MAF pace). That should translate to a marathon race pace of about 9:00 per mile which, hopefully, will allow me to run a marathon in under four hours. I will warn you though, that running at MAF is brutally slow and almost demoralizing if you have been used to running at a faster anaerobic pace. And you have to run at least 25 to 30 miles a week to get much benefit out of the program.

http://www.rrca.org/resources/articles/slowdown.html

Also, here is the program that I used when I first started running. Once I got through this, I started increasing my mileage about 10 percent per week until I got up to about 25 miles per week. Again, I cannot emphasize enough, if you want to build the capability to run long distances without injury and without hitting the wall, you have to slow down.

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-261–2201-1-2X3X6-4,00.html

I like using a heart rate monitor which I started using in January. I use a Polar RS200SD but there are all kinds of them on the market and the prices run the gamut from very cheap to outrageously expensive. But, if you don’t want the expense, just run at a pace at which you can carry on a conversation while running. They say that if you can run and recite the Gettysburg Address without have to gasp for air, then you are running at the right pace. Over time, as your aerobic system develops, you will be running faster but still at a conversation pace.

Another, mid 20′s co-worker, has run 2 half marathons this year (only time he has run at all) and he has finished in around 2 hours both times.

You can do it!