I decided the best approach to tackling my inquiry would be to start with one focus question: What are the different training plan options? Feeling pretty confident with my ability to conduct online searches, I did a Google search for "half marathon training schedule beginner". Wow, so many hits! I read the brief descriptors accompanying each hit to try and eliminate the ones I thought wouldn't fit. I started clicking away, navigating through web pages, and analyzing training plans. What I quickly realized is that I was finding only 12 week plans that were starting the runners with 3 & 4 miles on week one. This is exactly what didn't work for me last time. Here I started to experience some of those feelings that Kuhlthau outlines as confusion, doubt, and uncertainty during the exploration phase.
I had an epiphany, and I'm almost a little embarrassed to admit what it was. My Google search words did NOT match what I was trying to find! I went back to the search box and modified my search so that it read, "half marathon training schedule beginner 16 weeks". Aaaah, finally I was getting somewhere! Amazing how thinking about key words to use in a search, as you're supposed to do in the Webbing phase, proved to be successful.
I was simultaneously Webbing (searching) & Wiggling (evaluating). I'm not sure it would make sense to entirely separate these two phases, and that's something I need to be mindful of when working with students. There were so many hits and numerous training plans, but when evaluating them I felt really underwhelmed. I wasn't finding exactly what I wanted. Doubt. There were 16 week plans, and there were bits and pieces of each one that I really liked, but not THE perfect plan. Ah-ha: I'll simply combine the pieces from each plan that I like, creating my personal perfect plan. This will come later... I'm thinking Excel spreadsheet.
Now, what to do with the 7 tabs open in Internet Explorer? They all contain important information. Wanting a bibliographic record of all my useful sites/information, I decided to create a Delicious account. Amazing! Useful. Practical. Easily accessible. With each website I saved, I was able to title it in my own way, add tags, and write myself a note. These notes will be really helpful during Weaving/ synthesis phase.
I'm going to continue to use my Delicious account as I research my other questions...AND I will be more specific when conducting my searches :)
If you're interested in checking out my Delicious account: http://www.delicious.com/lacingmyshoes
Yeah! I was so excited to see your blog. I just completed my first mini-marathon in November. My husband and I did the Monumental in Indianapolis. We did the training program for beginners that we found at marathonrookie.com. What an awesome feeling when you cross that finish line! We had to change the days around that we did our runs because of my husband's work schedule. I would suggest that you do not run more than two days in a row in order stay injury free. A year ago I would have probably laughed if someone told me that I would be a runner. I am now addicted! I will start training for another mini in May in just a couple of weeks. Good Luck! If you have any questions I would be glad to help you out or provide the much needed support and motivation you will need some days.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment and encouragement, Jennifer! Also, thanks for sharing the link to your training plan. Since it sounds like you're new to running like me, your advice will be really helpful. The experts are great, but I'm not sure they can relate to someone like me. Watch for an email from me-- I'd love to include some of your advice in my research :)
ReplyDeleteI'm finding the same thing with my research: webbing and wiggling overlapping with each other. I like that webbing allows time to really think about what kinds of resources I will use, and then wiggling is about whether or not those resources are any good.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that you went back and changed your search terms to avoid falling into the same training traps as last time. How many students just type in one thing and take what they get? Now that I think of it, how many adults do the same thing? :)
Casey-- you're exactly right about changing search terms. In fact, just yesterday I was helping 3rd grade students with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. research. They started to have a disagreement about the elementary school he attended. Individual students thought they had found the picture of "his" school (all had different pictures). As it turns out they were finding pictures of different elementary schools named after Dr. Martin Luther King. It was such an important and teachable moment for me to guide them in using exact search terms, rather than just "MLK elementary school".
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how I had experienced the same problem just a few days earlier.