My plan is still a work in progress, and will have to be flexible throughout the program as I will have to adjust to both my travel schedule and how my body seems to be reacting to the training, but here are some of the key components that I’m designing into the program;
As a runner, my speed is more developed than my stamina or endurance (see McMillanrunning.com for the definitions I use for these.) As such, my program will focus more on these aspects than on speed workouts. The program will have the standard long run on the weekends, a second long run during the week, a stamina run, and either a second stamina run, or a speed run as the 4 main workouts each week. There will also be 1-2 easy run days and 1-2 rest days each week.
The plan will build from a planned 28 miles this week to 57 miles 4 weeks before the marathon before tapering to marathon week. (I’ve been hanging between 20-25 miles for the last 9 + weeks with a high of 38 miles and never really taxing my body.) Both the weekly distances and the long runs won’t increase by more than about 10% in a week to protect against over training.
PACING
Paces for all of these runs will be determined by McMillan’s Pace Calculator using my ING Half Marathon time, which gives me a target Marathon time of around 2:56 (2:50 is day one registration for Boston, 3:00 is day 3 registration.) I ran this half without any training, so I’m hoping that I can achieve this goal time or better for the full.
LONG RUN 1
The marathon is long, and thus the main workout of a marathon program should be the weekly long run. The long runs teach your body how to function when fatigued, and when blood sugar levels start to dip, as well as prepares you mentally for several hours of running. Long runs lead to several physical adaptations that are important for long distance running; your heart stroke volume (blood pumped per stroke) increases, the number of capillaries in your muscles increases and the number and size of mitochondria, a cell’s power plant (including muscle cells…), increase.
Many programs suggest no more than 20 miles as a long run, while others suggest 26-28 mile long runs. The trick is getting your body to the point that it’s used to running for that long so that you can handle 26.2 miles, but not pushing it to the point of breaking down and setting your training back. My main long runs will build up (no more than 10% in a week) to 3 twenty mile runs and one twenty three mile run.
A few other tricks I plan on incorporating into my long runs; I won’t be fueling as often as I would during the race. Enough to teach my body how to handle food while running, but limiting what I intake to teach my body how to function efficiently with less fuel / blood sugar than I’ll have on race day. Hopefully this will prep my body against crashes on race day and the extra fuel will keep me feeling good. I will also practice fast finishes on some of these long runs – finishing the last 1/3 or so of the workout at marathon pace. This will help the body feel what that pace feels like even after the legs are feeling tired.
LONG RUN 2
A second long run each week will also be an important part of my plan. These run will be shorter than the main run (maxing out at 8-12 miles), but at the same easier pace, ranging from 30-90 seconds slower than marathon pace. Because the main long runs will never hit marathon distance, my body will have to feel like it can push the last 3-6 miles on auto pilot, and in order to do this, 3-6 miles has to seem like a very short, easy distance. You also reap most of the same physical benefits from a second long run, without the same physical break down as the main long run, allowing other quality runs without as much recovery.
STAMINA RUN
Stamina training will also be an important component of the training plan in order to push thresholds, like the lactate, and anaerobic thresholds, to faster paces, allowing me to run faster without crossing these thresholds. The lactate threshold is perhaps the most important component in distance running success. When you cross this threshold the buildup of lactate acid is faster than your body can remove it from the blood. Once this happens, through processes that are beyond my limited understanding of biology and even more limited ability to explain it, hydrogen atoms are released which increase the acidity of the muscles. The increased acidity slows down enzyme activity and ultimately breaks down the glucose itself, ultimately leading to pain and fatigue. Complicated, but in short, not good for distance runners.
Increasing the lactate threshold will increase the speed I can run before encountering this buildup of lactic acid. My threshold runs will consist of steady state, tempo and cruise interval workouts.
Stamina training will also be an important component of the training plan in order to push thresholds, like the lactate, and anaerobic thresholds, to faster paces, allowing me to run faster without crossing these thresholds. The lactate threshold is perhaps the most important component in distance running success. When you cross this threshold the buildup of lactate acid is faster than your body can remove it from the blood. Once this happens, through processes that are beyond my limited understanding of biology and even more limited ability to explain it, hydrogen atoms are released which increase the acidity of the muscles. The increased acidity slows down enzyme activity and ultimately breaks down the glucose itself, ultimately leading to pain and fatigue. Complicated, but in short, not good for distance runners.
Increasing the lactate threshold will increase the speed I can run before encountering this buildup of lactic acid. My threshold runs will consist of steady state, tempo and cruise interval workouts.
SPEED WORKOUTS
Because of my history of shorter distance running my speed fitness is a fair bit more developed than my endurance or stamina fitness, so these workouts will not be as important in my marathon plan. Speed training can help improve the capacity of several of the body’s systems as well as increase running efficiency. Occasional speed workouts will be implemented in the form of track speed work in order to keep sharp and mix up my training.
Because of my history of shorter distance running my speed fitness is a fair bit more developed than my endurance or stamina fitness, so these workouts will not be as important in my marathon plan. Speed training can help improve the capacity of several of the body’s systems as well as increase running efficiency. Occasional speed workouts will be implemented in the form of track speed work in order to keep sharp and mix up my training.
MARATHON PACE RUNS
These workouts are a little harder to classify, technically too fast for endurance training and too slow for stamina training, they will still be an important part of my training. I’ve classified them as stamina workouts as they are only about 2 seconds slower than steady state stamina runs. These runs will be important for teaching my body how to handle the pace I’ll be asking from it for the marathon. I plan on fitting these runs in before my weekly long run. This way I tire my body out a bit before the long run of the week, making the long run slightly harder and forcing myself to run even when my legs are feeling slightly heavy or tired. These runs will max out at about 10 miles at marathon pace.
These workouts are a little harder to classify, technically too fast for endurance training and too slow for stamina training, they will still be an important part of my training. I’ve classified them as stamina workouts as they are only about 2 seconds slower than steady state stamina runs. These runs will be important for teaching my body how to handle the pace I’ll be asking from it for the marathon. I plan on fitting these runs in before my weekly long run. This way I tire my body out a bit before the long run of the week, making the long run slightly harder and forcing myself to run even when my legs are feeling slightly heavy or tired. These runs will max out at about 10 miles at marathon pace.
EASY RUNS
Easy or recovery runs will also be important runs incorporated into the training plan after hard workouts. These runs will simply get the legs moving and blood flowing and allow the body to recover and rebuild after difficult workouts. These runs can also offer some buffer in my weekly schedule should I feel down, or unable to run, these can be dropped or exchanged for cross training without too much worry.
Easy or recovery runs will also be important runs incorporated into the training plan after hard workouts. These runs will simply get the legs moving and blood flowing and allow the body to recover and rebuild after difficult workouts. These runs can also offer some buffer in my weekly schedule should I feel down, or unable to run, these can be dropped or exchanged for cross training without too much worry.
REST DAY
I also intend to incorporate at least 1, sometimes 2 days a week as completely off to let my systems recover and to reap the gains of training. These will likely come on Fridays – both a reward for finishing up the week and a way to let my body gather up strength for what should be pretty tough weekend runs.
While these are the main components I’m trying to fit into my training plan, how they fit together – the mix of distance and speed every week, is still very much a work in progress. Hopefully in a week or two when I have my plan fully developed I’ll post my exact workout plan here. I won’t know if this plan works or not until October 9th, but hopefully it will lead to positive results. I’d love to hear what others are doing for their marathon training!
I also intend to incorporate at least 1, sometimes 2 days a week as completely off to let my systems recover and to reap the gains of training. These will likely come on Fridays – both a reward for finishing up the week and a way to let my body gather up strength for what should be pretty tough weekend runs.
While these are the main components I’m trying to fit into my training plan, how they fit together – the mix of distance and speed every week, is still very much a work in progress. Hopefully in a week or two when I have my plan fully developed I’ll post my exact workout plan here. I won’t know if this plan works or not until October 9th, but hopefully it will lead to positive results. I’d love to hear what others are doing for their marathon training!
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