It's
ironic that I became a world-class marathoner and now, a
marathon coach, because I used to think all marathoners were
nuts. As a so-so collegiate miler, I thought that 10 miles was
an ultradistance--and 26 miles was unthinkable.
But times change, and I changed my mind enough to try running
the '74 Peach Bowl Marathon in Atlanta. After I dropped out, I
told my friends, "Anyone who runs a marathon is sick."
Sick or not, I returned to Peach Bowl the next year, convinced
that this time I was ready not only to finish but to break 2:23
and qualify for the '76 Olympic Trials. I finished but ran 2:36
and didn't qualify on my next attempt, either.
But I was determined to do it right. When I started the '76 Rice
Festival Marathon, I had finally trained differently for it by
doing more long runs. I started the race cautiously, gradually
moved through the pack and surprised everyone--including
myself--by finishing second in 2:20:23.
I was a marathoner after all.
Since those early days, I've learned a lot about training for and racing
the marathon and eventually ran 2:09:58 in 1983. The most important lesson
I learned is that there are no simple recipes for training successfully
for a marathon. Part of the marathon's allure is that it's difficult--not
only to race but to train for properly.
Over a period of years, I developed basic guidelines about marathon
training that have worked for me. I didn't have great speed, but I knew
how to get ready for a marathon by following a well-conceived plan.
As I have moved from competing to coaching, I have successfully applied
these same rules to training programs for a wide range of runners, from
2:26 marathoner Kim Jones to recreational runners who have never run a
marathon and just want to finish.
Using formulas developed by Jack Daniels, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist
and a respected coach, I have devised an approach that uses recent race
times to adjust the basic structure of my program for specific ability
levels.
For the program I will detail, I've made a few assumptions. First, this is
a 15-week training plan, so if your marathon is next month, forget it.
This schedule won't work for you. Second, you should be comfortably able
to complete a 1- to 2-hour run on a weekly to biweekly basis. You also
should be able to run 60 minutes or better for a 10-K. While it's possible
you could make it through the program without meeting these criteria, wait
until you're at least able to complete the long run. Otherwise, the
program will be harder than it should be.
Chart 1 (below) gives you the basic training schedule. Each week consists
of four parts: a long run, a speed or strength run, a pace or tempo run
and four optional easy runs. About every third week, the long run is
replaced by a race. Before you turn to the chart, let's look at the
various elements of the marathon training plan.
Chart 1:Basic 15-week Marathon Training Program
|
Sun
|
Mon
|
Tue
|
Wed
|
Thu
|
Fri
|
Sat
|
|
*Long
|
Easy
|
Hills/Track
|
Easy
|
**Tempo
|
Easy
|
Easy
|
Week
1
|
2:00
plus adjustment
|
30-40
|
20
wup/wdn; 6 hills
|
30-40
|
20
wup/wdn; 2(8t/2e)
|
30-40
|
30-40
|
Week
2
|
2:15
plus adjustment
|
30-40
|
20
wup/wdn; 7 hills
|
30-40
|
20
wup/wdn; 3(5t/1e)
|
30-40
|
30-40
|
Week
3
|
5-K
to 10-K race
|
30-40
|
20
wup/wdn; 8 hills
|
30-40
|
20
wup/wdn; 2(9t/2e)
|
30-40
|
30-40
|
Week
4
|
2:20
plus adjustment
|
30-40
|
22
wup/wdn; 7 hills
|
30-40
|
22
wup/wdn; 3(6t/2e)
|
30-40
|
30-40
|
Week
5
|
2:40
plus adjustment
|
30-40
|
22
wup/wdn; 8 hills
|
30-40
|
22
wup/wdn; 4(5t/1e)
|
30-40
|
30-40
|
Week
6
|
10-K
to 15-K race
|
30-40
|
22
wup/wdn; 9 hills
|
30-40
|
22
wup/wdn; 2(12t/3e)
|
30-40
|
30-40
|
Week
7
|
2:50
plus adjustment
|
30-40
|
25
wup/wdn; 6 x 800
|
30-40
|
25
wup/wdn; 3(8t/2e)
|
30-40
|
30-40
|
Week
8
|
3:00
plus adjustment
|
30-40
|
25
wup/wdn; 7 x 800
|
30-40
|
25
wup/wdn; 4(5t/1e)
|
30-40
|
30-40
|
Week
9
|
8-K
to 10-K race
|
30-40
|
25
wup/wdn; 8 x 800
|
30-40
|
25
wup/wdn; 3(9t/2e)
|
30-40
|
30-40
|
Week
10
|
2:45
plus adjustment
|
30-40
|
25
wup/wdn; 7 x 800
|
30-40
|
25
wup/wdn; 3(5t/1e)
|
30-40
|
30-40
|
Week
11
|
15-K
to half-marathon
|
30-40
|
28
wup/wdn; 8 x 800
|
30-40
|
28
wup/wdn; 2(15t/4e)
|
30-40
|
30-40
|
Week
12
|
3:00
|
30-40
|
28
wup/wdn; 9 x 800
|
30-40
|
28
wup/wdn; 4(7t/2e)
|
30-40
|
30-40
|
Week
13
|
2:30
|
30-40
|
28
wup/wdn; 8 x 800
|
30-40
|
28
wup/wdn; 3(9t/2e)
|
30-40
|
30-40
|
Week
14
|
2:00
|
30-40
|
45
|
1:30
|
30-40
|
30-40
|
25
|
Week
15
|
Marathon
|
Rest
|
Rest
|
Rest
|
Rest
|
Note:
All workouts are given in hours and minutes. *If you want to increase the
length of your long runs, see Chart 3. **See text
for a complete explanation of tempo-run workouts.
The Value of Rest
Here's a shocker. The most important days in this schedule aren't the hard
days, but the four easy ones per week, scheduled for Mondays, Wednesdays,
Fridays and Saturdays. Easy days are critical because they allow the body
to recover from and adapt to the hard training done during the rest of the
week. Without easy days or days off between the hard workouts, the
training will break you down rather than make you stronger.
Rest, or easy days, are the most overlooked part of many programs.
Typically, runners are reluctant to rest enough between hard workouts
because they worry about losing ground. I was a perfect example of this
during the early days of my career. I knew about former University of
Oregon coach Bill Bowerman's hard day/easy day philosophy, but I thought
"easy" meant not doing speedwork. To me, "easy" was
still doing two 6-mile runs a day.
After injuring my right knee, I rested for a month. When I returned to
training, my knee pain kept flaring up. By trial and error, I discovered
that I could train one day and if I didn't run the next, the knee pain
wasn't a problem. Eventually I began to run on the easy days, but the runs
were gentle and no longer than 40 minutes. My knee didn't bother me again,
and that spring, I ran the '78 Boston Marathon in 2:15:04, a 4-minute PR.
Notice on Chart 1 that easy days are 30- to 40-minute runs. Limiting easy
days to just that length is vital to allow adaptation to the hard work
that you'll be doing the other three days of the week. Resist the
temptation to go longer or faster on these days.
ADVERTISEMENT
Chart 2: Workout Paces Based On A Recent 10-K
10-K
Time
|
Easy
Run
|
Long
Run
|
Tempo
Run
|
800
Repeats
|
32:00
|
7:13
|
6:42
|
5:20-5:23
|
2:25-2:35
|
33:00
|
7:26
|
6:54
|
5:29-5:33
|
2:30-2:40
|
34:00
|
7:39
|
7:06
|
5:39-5:43
|
2:34-2:45
|
35:00
|
7:52
|
7:22
|
5:48-5:54
|
2:38-2:50
|
36:00
|
8:05
|
7:35
|
5:58-6:04
|
2:43-2:55
|
37:00
|
8:18
|
7:48
|
6:07-6:14
|
2:47-3:00
|
38:00
|
8:30
|
8:01
|
6:17-6:25
|
2:51-3:05
|
39:00
|
8:43
|
8:14
|
6:26-6:35
|
2:56-3:10
|
40:00
|
8:56
|
8:27
|
6:35-6:45
|
3:00-3:15
|
41:00
|
9:09
|
8:40
|
6:45-6:56
|
3:04-3:20
|
42:00
|
9:21
|
8:52
|
6:54-7:06
|
3:08-3:24
|
43:00
|
9:34
|
9:05
|
7:04-7:16
|
3:13-3:29
|
44:00
|
9:47
|
9:18
|
7:13-7:26
|
3:17-3:34
|
45:00
|
9:59
|
9:31
|
7:22-7:37
|
3:21-3:39
|
46:00
|
10:12
|
9:44
|
7:31-7:47
|
3:25-3:44
|
47:00
|
10:24
|
9:56
|
7:41-7:57
|
3:30-3:49
|
48:00
|
10:37
|
10:09
|
7:50-8:07
|
3:34-3:54
|
49:00
|
10:49
|
10:22
|
7:59-8:17
|
3:38-3:59
|
50:00
|
11:02
|
10:35
|
8:08-8:28
|
3:42-4:04
|
51:00
|
11:14
|
10:47
|
8:18-8:38
|
3:46-4:09
|
52:00
|
11:27
|
11:00
|
8:27-8:48
|
3:51-4:13
|
53:00
|
11:39
|
11:12
|
8:36-8:58
|
3:55-4:18
|
54:00
|
11:51
|
11:25
|
8:45-9:08
|
3:59-4:23
|
55:00
|
12:04
|
11:38
|
8:54-9:18
|
4:03-4:28
|
56:00
|
12:16
|
11:50
|
9:03-9:28
|
4:07-4:33
|
57:00
|
12:28
|
12:03
|
9:12-9:38
|
4:11-4:37
|
58:00
|
12:41
|
12:15
|
9:21-9:48
|
4:15-4:42
|
59:00
|
12:53
|
12:27
|
9:30-9:58
|
4:19-4:47
|
60:00
|
13:05
|
12:40
|
9:39-10:08
|
4:24-4:52
|
If
you aren't sure how fast you should go on an easy day, check Chart
2 . For example, if you have been running around 48 minutes lately for
10-K (don't use your PR unless that is your most recent performance), Chart
2 suggests that your easy pace should range around 10:37 per mile.
(Please note that for easy runs, I've given a suggested pace. It's fine if
you are within plus or minus 20 to 40 seconds of that pace.) During your
easy runs, check occasionally to see that your pace is comfortable and in
the right range. If you err, err to the slow side. Easy days are optional.
If you don't want to run because you're too tired or something comes up,
don't run. At some point during any lengthy training program, the
realities of a busy life are going to require skipping or postponing a
hard day. That's fine as long as you resist the trap of trying to catch up
by dropping the easy days to get in the hard ones. Just because the easy
days are optional run days does not mean the rest
/ recovery can be skipped.
If you miss a hard session, keep on schedule. You will still improve your
fitness. But if you skip the easy/off days, you'll be more prone to
injury. Easy days are also a good time for cross-training. Weight work,
cross-country skiing or NordicTrack, brisk walks and swimming are all
beneficial cross-training activities for marathoners. Just don't do too
much. The idea is to recover on your easy days, not become more fatigued.
Credits:
Text copyright © 1996 by
Benji Durden
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