The art of running long distance is not as mysterious as many people think. I know many of you have run marathons in the past or are currently training for your next marathon or long distance race — maybe even an Ultra. But I think we can all agree that many times we don’t take the time to properly build-up our endurance for the race ahead. As a group, we often seek the “short cut” to getting prepared for race day. I will contend from experience that this is not a good idea.
In 1998 while running in the Atlantic City, NJ Marathon I felt so horrible, due to lack of conditioning, that a little old lady sitting on a bench along the Boardwalk exclaimed “why would anyone want to run a marathon, just look at that man” as I went by. The reason I felt so bad and looked even worse was a serious lack of conditioning, due in part, to a case of Plantar Fasciitis that kept me from doing a proper build-up to the race. I also puked in the trash can behind the race director after I received my medal and proceeded to lie on the boardwalk under a trailer for about 2 hours. While I felt the effort just to complete this race was great, my time was slow and I know I just was not prepared. There are no short cuts — I just was not ready to race and it showed.
I know runners who look for plans to get ready for a marathon in an amazing 12 weeks. While they may complete the race, I don’t see how they will feel good about the effort. Most of us are only racing ourselves and our past times. We run not to just finish but to see if we can improve upon our last race at the same distance. I like to be prepared and then if the wheels come off, so be it. I can live with the results and try to do better next time.
The following schedule is one I follow most of the year:
Monday – Off (usually after a long run)
Tuesday – Easy 5-6 miles
Wednesday – 3 to 12 hills (Hill is a good angle and takes around 3 minutes to climb to the top - I then jog back down for rest) Increase 1 more hill every two weeks to a maximum of 12 around 8 weeks prior to the Marathon then back down by one each week to the race. I will do around 4-5 average when not getting ready for a race just for conditioning purposes.
Thursday – Easy 5-6 miles
Friday – 4-10 x800 yard repeats on the road. Increase 1×800 every two weeks for a maximum of 10 and around 8 weeks prior to the Marathon then back down by one each week to the race. I will do around 4 with a few easy miles thrown in when not getting ready for a race again for conditioning purposes.
Saturday – Easy 5-6 miles
Sunday – Long run minimum of 12 miles with a maximum of 22 miles. I alternate with 12 miles after the week I did 22 and 17 miles comes in between. I chose these distances because they are complete loops from my house and give me the distance year round that I need. 12 -17 miles are my favorite distances to run and so I like to do at least 12 miles a week when not training for a marathon just to keep my conditioning.
I know this workout seems simple but it has worked for me for me since 1991 for racing distances from a 5k to a marathon. I have tried many other variations from this workout but have found that most of them are no better and in some cases less adaptable then this one. The key is to keep your running schedule flexible because we runners have to bend around other priorities and sometimes Mother Nature has a say in whether (or weather) or not we run. Ice, snow, rain and thunder storms not to mention colds and God forbid injuries make keeping on schedule all the time almost impossible. I even take a couple of days off sometimes just because I feel like it.
Once you build-up your endurance, it’s a good idea to maintain at least a healthy measure of your conditioning all the time. I know many runners who stop working out for a long time after a marathon and then pick-up the workouts 3 to 4 months before the next one. This strategy is tough on the body and painful to boot. I have always believed its better just to stay in shape and avoid starting from ground zero. Also, you get all the benefits of being shape. I know that most of you will agree and for those who don’t well do what works for you but don’t complain about the pain of getting back in shape.
Build-up to a better race and enjoy your next run.
See you in the pack.
Filed under: Training | Tagged: conditioning, marathon, runner, running schedule, Training
