A number of us regular posters and lurkers are planning to run a Spring marathon. I thought it might be interesting to compare notes on how you are preparing and how things are going. I know I always love learning from you all
FWIW, nothing new for me. I try to keep things simple. No complicated workouts, just four basic elements:
1. LR's gradually increasing to 20-22 miles--typically Sunday
2. tempo runs gradually increasing to 8 miles (PBJ Specials)--Tuesday
3. MP-ish paced ML runs gradually increasing to 12 miles--Thursday
4. Everything else is easy or recovery pace
I'm trying to do a little more core work this cycle, too, though I find that deathly boring and don't always squeeze it in.
By far, my best marathon was last year's National so I'm using that training cycle as a benchmark to monitor my progress. (Am I able to do my tempos at last year's pace? etc) I'm doing National again and feel I'm getting into comparable shape. If conditions are right (they were ideal last year) my "A" goal will be to shoot for a PR (3:25); "B" goal a sub-3:30. Weather will be key, as usual. Our recent big snow interrupted my running and threw off my plans but I'm back in the groove and feeling better now than I was just a couple of weeks ago. Depending on how National goes, I'll come up with a goal/plan for Boston, which is my other Spring marathon.
What about you?
Be safe. Be kind.
I find I spend most of my time the last few weeks doing whatever I can to keep my foot and ankle happy. Trying to train for a marathon while barely out of recovery is hard; always mixing rehab activities into the training. Monday and Friday "recovery runs" are now spent in the pool. Cross training continues as a way to maintain some strength and fitness while slowly building miles.
I've always used an adaptation of the Higdon Intermediate II program. It's worked for me for the past couple of years by adding things specific to the race I'm running. For Equinox, it's major hills. For Boston, it's hills (not so major) later in the long runs. The basic format of his plan works for me with a shorter run (4-6 miles) on Tues/Thursday, MLR on Wednesday with some speed in middle, same distance on Saturday with every other week at MP, long runs on Sunday.
I'm trying to follow the plan I did in 2008 when I had such a wonderful race (PR) at Boston. But it's hard because I was off most of December and the first two weeks of January. Now building back up, but it's not been as fun this time around.
Here's my general pattern:
Mondays -- EASY
Tuesday -- Speed/Tempo
Wednesday -- Medium long (up to 14 miles)
Thursday -- Easy
Friday -- Easy
Saturday -- Speed/Hills
Sunday -- Long (try to do one 20 miler each month - last long run is generally 22 with the last 4 or 5 miles at marathon pace)
And you can quote me as saying I was mis-quoted. Groucho Marx
Rob
I Can Go The Distance
My Spring marathon is the Palos Verdes Marathon on May 15th. Here is my plan, which I am in the middle of:
LR increasing to 20-22 on Sunday. This week I will do 18 miles.
Tempo run increasing to 8 miles on Wednesday. Currently at 4 miles.
16x100m strides on Thursday along with easy 3 miles to warm up.
2LR on Friday of 10-11 miles with some miles run @MP
3 mile recovery run on Monday, easy 5-6 miles on Tuesday, and Saturday.
As I have mentioned before in the dailies, I have not run a marathon in 26 yrs, so I am not sure what my time will be. All the charts (McMillian, Daniels, and Glover) say that based on my 10k race time I should be able to do about 4 hrs. Because the PV marathon course has alot of hills, I am shooting for closer to 4:15.
"Don't give up, don't ever give up." Jim Valvano
Mr. Chip & Mizz Rizzo
My plan is not to run one. So far, it is working out quite well for me!!
Good luck to all of you ..... I'm wishng you all the best!
~Mary
"My sunshine doesn't come from the skies,It comes from the love in my dog's eyes."
~unknown
http:www.rawleypointkennel.com
Renee the dog
Here's my plan:
Yep. That about sums it up. I'm hoping to turn in a 21 miler on Saturday and then taper. Ha ha! Taper from what?
GOALS 2012: UNDECIDED
GOALS 2011: LIVE!!!
My plans vary for each marathon training cycle depending on goals and the course terrain. Like Erika, I have many more hill workouts worked into the overall plan right now to better mimc the Boston Marathon course--downhills and uphills---plus more lunges, weighted squats and hip stability work. I am not a big fan of flat courses and can use hills in a race to get different muscles going. I love the challenge of seeing a hill ahead and powering up and over it. I am loving the plan right now for that even though I am probably less intense this time around----no time with work and family stuff.
I also try and change up the plan around weaknesses:
Going out too fast-----more focused pace work and holding back in training races in the first miles
Lagging at the finish-----many more fast finish runs
My constants are lots of core work, marathon pace miles, high mileage, and a few sharpening races. It's all about adaptation and coming up with enough variety and new stimuli to break through the plateaus. It also has to be fun, so mixing up paces and trying new drills play a role as well. I am also increasingly lower tech as the years go on. I'll wear a watch on pace workout days, but that's it. No GPS, no HRM, just feeling pace and loving the racing groove again.
Is it going well? I think so and I still look forward to the runs ahead.
I plan to get my long run up to 20 miles and do about 3 of those. I've got three 18 milers in the barn and will do one more before inching up to 20. Been doing the last 3 miles at MP. Yep, usually on Sunday.
I've tried to up my ML run to 9-12 miles this past last month.
Been doing some miles at tempo-mp. Usually 3-6 miles at a time.
Mostly easy.
I will say the 18 milers have become fairly easy. I haven't struggled with them as in the past two training cycles. I'm hoping this means something good.
Prince of Fatness
I don't do spring marathons. I usually like to take it a little easier and recharge over the winter and there is also the risk of weather, etc., interfering with training. This winter has not been good for me, especially since mid January. I've had a couple of bad colds, plus we've had a few snowstorms. My mileage has been OK but it's not where I want it to be. And I haven't really done squat as far as workouts go. Honestly I don't know how some of you have done it this winter.
My target race this spring is a half at the end of April. I have two months so there is still time to get some good workouts in. October will be when I run a marathon this year.
I am going to keep my eye out for a decent used treadmill over the summer. As much as I don't like the treadmill I really could have used one this winter. And if I had one I'd consider a spring marathon, I think.
Not at it at all.
Marathon Maniac #957
Twocat had some great advice a while back about how to get a great deal on a used TM. I seem to remember that he said you can set an EBay search for driving distance from your home, where you could go pick up the TM in person, thereby saving yourself tons of shipping costs.
Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, "Bring it on, darlin', and don't be stingy with the jalapenos."
Trails are hard!
Need a fast half for late fall. Then I need to actually train for it.
Having a TM in the house helps immensely. My training is much more regular, usually 5-7 days/week, as opposed to 3-4 days/week for most of 2009. I've been letting my weight drop gradually, about a lb/week since Thanksgiving, and have about 10-15 lbs to go to hit a good race weight.
I've found that I am good for two hard workouts a week. Lately that has been a long run and a tempo run/mile repeats, but yesterday I did half-mile intervals. It was a good test of my fitness at the faster end, and makes me realize that I'm probably at around 3:25-3:30ish speed right now.
Some interesting posts here.
Erika--I started with a variation of Higdon and really liked his straightforward approach.
hermosaboy--speed/hills the day before a long run? Ouch. But I suppose that's the sort of thing you need to perform at your level.
Nono--
CNY--your post reminded me to work some late hills into my long run last week. You seem to have a very thoughtful approach to each race. Impressive.
MrP--after our unusually snowy winter, i definitely see how access to a TM would be crucial for a Spring marathon for those of you who live in regularly snowy climes.
Karin mentioned lagging late. Fading (collapsing?) during the last 10K is really my issue. I feel like I can go out and do a 20-miler at planned MP pace almost any weekend during the last 1/3 of a training cycle. But hold on to that for the last 10K? That's my problem. Sometimes I think it's fuel related, sometimes undertraining, or both. Next cycle I think I'm going to move my LR to Saturday to be more tired at the start. (I typically rest on Saturday and do my Sunday LR on fresh legs.) Maybe that will help. I need to keep experimenting with fueling, too.
(delurking) Hi Tramps!
Great topic! I'm training for a June 5th marathon. Weather isn't an issue, but I've changed my battle plan after completing too many marathons near the 4:20 mark....need 4:00 to BQ, so I have a long way to go.
My problem is that I get sick near the end of my training cycle, a few weeks before the marathon. I have to be smarter about resting, then.
Mon: rest
Tue: EZ 10-miler
Wed: EZ
Thu: light speedwork
Fri: EZ or rest
Sat: EZ or rest
Sun: long run with at least 5 miles at MP
I'm going to keep the longest long runs at 17 to 19 miles, and just do one 21-miler. It's those long runs over 3 hours that seem to land me in sick bay (and yes, in the past, I have run them slowly with no MP miles).