First off, thanks to everyone who has given me feedback on my non-running supplements to marathon training. I'm going to start implementing some of your ideas and let you know how they go. Once I get a few more pieces of advice/comments, I'll post my current plan for non-running training aspects that I incorporate each week.
Second, as promised last Saturday, I have to let you know why I am running 13 miles tomorrow instead of the scheduled 15K (slightly over 9 miles). The answer: I can't count. Yes, I am a college graduate who cannot count. Specifically, I think that 30 and 40 are the same number.
When I planned out my training, I counted backwards from October 30 to get to my starting point in February. It was supposed to work out perfectly, because I would have exactly 40 weeks to get ready for the marathon. This matched with my plan. Yet, when I looked at the plan a few weeks ago, I realized that I was way, way off. The plan only has 30 weeks.
I am loosely following Hal Higdon's "Personal Best" training plan, a combination of his Intermediate Spring and Intermediate I Marathon Training Programs. The plan can be found online here: http://www.halhigdon.com/Articles/personalbest.htm There were two reasons why I chose the plan. The first is that it's free. Why would I want to pay a company to view their marathon training plan if I'm not even sure it would work for me? The second reason is that I felt that this was a schedule that my body could take and that would fit well into my own weekly routine.
Right now, I am technically on week 18, but I am inserting "filler" weeks here and there based on what I think looks good. You can see on the plan that some weeks skip a number - for instance, in the progression, there are no 13 or 16 mile long runs. For the weeks that skip a number, I will add a filler week - keeping the shorter runs the same as the week prior, but making the long run that "skipped" number. This will at least give me three weeks back. With the planned fillers, I will only have seven weeks to add to training.
I have altered a couple of aspects to fit my life. The first is the days of the week. I run the lower mileage pieces Monday through Thursday, take Friday as my cross-training day, do my long run on Saturday, and take Sunday as my rest day. The second is my speed work. Earlier in the plan, I would take the runs such as 7 x 400 and run them as intervals for a set distance. Now, I take one run per week and make it a tempo run. Lately, my tempo runs have been during my Thursday 6 miler - meaning that I'd go 1/3 warmup, 1/3 pace, and 1/3 cooldown. I really think that the speedwork helped me in my first half marathon, so I'm keeping it in my marathon plan. The last is that for the beginning of the plan, I made up my own distance for Saturdays to get ready for my half marathon - so I just finished a progression up to 13 miles, then back down for 2 weeks, and then a half marathon race.
That's my running plan, and it's been working great so far! Now, if I can only figure out what to do with the extra 7 weeks I added on to training...
If I follow you correctly, you are adding certain mileages back into the training routine? Make sure that you still make the most of those weeks where you are running less. They are built in to give needed breaks every few weeks and let your body recover a little.
ReplyDeleteSome added info that I had to learn the hard way:
Vaseline is your best friend- use liberally on any parts that rub together.
Microfiber sports bras are the best for long runs. Anything with a cotton liner is NOT recommended.
Assuming that you are wearing running shorts with the liner, if you kneel on one knee and pull your shorts/liner toward your thigh that is parallel to the ground, you can pee anywhere without taking off your shorts. This is crucial on race day b/c porta potty lines are crazy long.
Invest in an SPI belt or something you can carry food in because there are not enough GU stops to keep you satisfied. Also, Gu chomps are infinitely better than Gu.
A little coffee before a run can help get things moving so you don't have to worry about it during your run.
Be a smart runner- gravity is your friend. So let go on the down hills and even walk if you need to on the uphill.
Especially important for you: Assume ALL dogs are evil while running. And silently curse their owners for not keeping them on a leash.
Mark Remy has a hysterical book called "The Runner's Rule Book" that I recommend reading. If only for giggles, but he takes a great look at running rights of passage. Such as being spit on by another runner... or developing a case of the trots when no bathroom is present.
oh yeah... and never run a competitive 5k time as the kick start to a long run. BAD IDEA.
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