Now What / Base Training? (Read 817 times)

I think your basic plan looks sound, assuming you mean the following: base training - putting in mainly Easy/LSD runs, with maybe striders once a week and a fartlek once a week endurance: pretty similar to base training, but start upping the mileage stamina: one quality run focus on longer tempo runs speed: one quality run focused on longer intervls I might reduce the taper to 2 weeks, but that's personal preference really As for your other questions: for base training, I like to throw in striders once a week and a fartlek once a week - they're fun and keep things varied, but all LSD/easy is probably fine too hills: I'd include these in the endurance phase - they're a good transition/ way to build strength for the harder paced workouts to come

do you have the endurance to run 20 miles? Do you have the stamina to run a 6:00 pace for x miles... endurance is the ability to endure something... Stamina is the ability to hold and intensity for a duration...

Buck919: What you have shown in the original post is a very good "text book" schedule. It may or may not work well for you depending on your background of training and current fitness level and the level of performance you are looking at achieving. If you are training for the marathon, which you stated you are, and if you're not necessarily shooting for something like 2:20 range, I'm not quite sure if your having to spend 5 weeks for "speed" right before the actual competition (assuming "Peaking" means when you do run the marathon) would serve you good. Even your question about "only doing easy running" during the so-called build-up would all depend on your strengths and weaknesses. I, for one, am thinking about doing a hill/step session at least once a week during this coming winter simply because I figured I need it. I would also do probably one faster running, either repeat of 3/4 mile on the undulating road circuit or treadmill this winter simply because, once again, I think I need it. Another thing is; even for elite athletes, 33 weeks is a hell of a long time to maintain focus. I always curl my toes when I read somebody who's a 4-hour marathon runner (which, from a little background that you have provided I don't think you are...) talking about 20-week marathon training program... I personally think it's a bit too long. I think most of us start to lose focus after about 10-weeks. It might be better if we kinda sorta build up legs for about a month or two by "playing around" and THEN you start a formal program of about 10~15 weeks. I tend to lean toward 10 to 12 weeks more so than 15 because, if the program is too long, it's probably about 3 to 4 weeks before the actual marathon when you start to "lose it". If this happens, you can only do one of two things; continue to bull through even though you feel mentally drained but hopefully easing up of the taper would fix things up; or you continue to dig down deeper and deeper and find yourself actually running the marathon slower than your long run pace. I see this many times. When you start to taper, things must start to come UP naturally, not down. And this means physically as well as MENTALLY. I'm sort of working on a program for a girl I'm coaching--she'll be running a marathon in August. We are starting a program right now but I loosely sort of divide it in two segments. Well, actually 3 if you include what we call race-week/non-race week which is right now. She just had a few weeks (actually closer to a month) of a break and now getting back in shape. She would "enjoy" races by running through but basically, right now, all she needs to do is to get back on her feet. Comes January, we'll do some serious build-up by incooperating what we call a crash build-up where you push the mileage by almost 30~50% one week followed by very easy week. I need to sit down and study her last year's log but we are definitely looking at getting up to 100+ miles a week. From there on, things might get a bit tricky but I want her to do some shorter races in the spring. She has gone down to 36 minutes for 10k last year (3 minutes improvement from the year before) and I want her to improve her 5k/10k time a bit further. We'll take a brief break followed by another short build-up and I'm thinking about starting a serious marathon preparation probably 10 weeks before the actual marathon. By then, her build-up should have been done and her speed honed. For 10 weeks, I'll have her do more or less long tempo run between 20k~35k. How many sho'd do depends on how well she can recover from each one but I'm looking at anywhere from 5~7 of them. I think what you had described would work very well for shorter distances like 5k or even 10k. But for marathon, you might want to consider something a bit different. Too much speed before the marathon might sharpen you too much and, by the time the race day comes around, you might get off the top. You want to feel somewhat heavy at the start; not light and flying.

Nobby and Spaniel -- Thanks to both of you for taking the time to respond. This is exactly the kind of advice I need at this point...

What you have shown in the original post is a very good "text book" schedule. It may or may not work well for you depending on your background of training and current fitness level and the level of performance you are looking at achieving.

LOL...if it's sounds text book, it's probably because that's mainly where it comes from! I'm a new-ish runner (been running since Jan/07) who has done a lot of reading (Noakes, Daniels, McMillan, Lydiard, Pfitzinger) and designed my own programs based on information I've read. This has served me pretty well, as I have seen my race time imporve dramatically (e.g. 1:51 HM in Oct/07 to a 3:31 Marathon in June/08). I'm a 30 year-old male who is currently in 41:30 10K shape and I'm curently averaging 60-70 MPW. My primary goal for the June marathon is to BQ (3:10) and the secondary goal would be sub-3:00 (if I can get my 10K down to 38:00 or so, I would shoot for 3:00). Given this, do you feel that the template I've got will serve me well, or is there something different I could/should be doing?

Another thing is; even for elite athletes, 33 weeks is a hell of a long time to maintain focus. I always curl my toes when I read somebody who's a 4-hour marathon runner (which, from a little background that you have provided I don't think you are...) talking about 20-week marathon training program... I personally think it's a bit too long.

I agree...when I pulled out the calander and sketched out the phases, I thought 33 weeks is a really long time! That's really the reason I originally posted...I'm trying to figure out if this template is the best for me or if their are better ways of going about hitting my goal.

When you talk about training phases, I would not think about what you will do at the exclusion of other types of training, but in terms of what you will focus on. In other words, I would not EVER focus on all easy running to the complete exclusion of other things. I'd still keep a couple days a week where you do some faster work, it would just be in a format that would not comprimise your ability to run as much as you can each day -- ie fast finishes, fartleks, etc. I do not believe that faster running ruins gains from slower running as some do -- this only happens if your hard runs hinder your ability to get the volume in. In general, you want to first "base-build", ie work on getting your volume up and maintaining it consistently. Get "easy" fast work in a time or two a week so your ability to run faster does not erode. Then I'd shift focus to strength -- "got hills"? For a few weeks. Then shift to stamina/endurance, long runs and longer tempo runs to turn your new strength into something you can use to maintain pace for longer races. Finally, add a speed workout in each week (depending on your ability, around the 4hr mark this could be debated but I'd lean toward it given your current volume). If this doesn't sound good, listen to Nobby.

Yes, Spaniel, I should have clarified that my intention during each phase was not to exclude all other types of running but to focus on that particular type. I'm glad to hear that you feel some faster running should be included during the base phase. I think for my own sanity, I would need to increase the pace every so often. I think at this point I will include some "easy" fast work (longer tempos, MP runs) once a week with striders once or twice a week as well during that phase. So, sounds like, Spaniel, you sort of agrees with the template I've got laid out? And Nobby, you're suggesting something a bit different -- along the lines of a two segemented approach? Does any of the information regarding my current fitness and goal change any of that?