Effective Marathon Training - Minimal Effort, Maximal Results

Building the perfect marathon performance - with minimal effort

This training program is designed to run a marathon in September 2010 under 2:59h with only two weekly running exercises. You can join the plan if you have at least 6 month left until you run the marathon. There are just so many variables that can affect performance and we are limited to two training sessions per week, so really what needed is to narrow down to the focal issues to increase performance.

Long Runs:
The key to an effective marathon program is the long run on weekends, which builds from 15k in the first week to a maximum of 30k. Consistency is most important. You can skip an occasional workout, or juggle the schedule depending on other commitments, but do not cheat on the long runs.  Rest is an important component of any training program. I know this is tough for you. You want to go out on those long runs and BLAST! Don't! Do the long runs slower than the marathon pace. This is very important. Listen to what the Coach is about to tell you! The physiological benefits kick in around 90-120 minutes, no matter how fast you run. You'll burn a few calories and trigger glycogen regenesis, teaching your muscles to conserve fuel. Running too fast defeats this purpose and may unnecessarily tear down your muscles, compromising not only your midweek workouts, but the following week's long run. Save your fast running for the marathon itself. There are plenty of midweek training days when you can run fast. So simply do your long runs at a comfortable pace, one that allows you to converse with your training partners.

Hill Training
Hill training in this program is scheduled for every third midweek training. We alternate hill training with tempo runs and interval training mainly to provide you with some variety in your training. If you want to juggle the workouts for your convenience, feel free to do so. Even though your marathon of choice has a flat course (i.e., Berlin), hill repeats can be an important part of your training, because running hills will strengthen your quadriceps muscles. Also, there is less impact running up a hill than running fast on the flat. If your planned marathon is on a hilly course, you might want to run more than the half dozen hill workouts I've included in the Advanced schedule. Best choice would be to substitute hill repeats for some, if not all, of the interval workouts. And/or do your tempo runs over a hilly course--if one is available to you. The speed benefits of hill training are similar to those for interval training on the track (below). Olympic champion Frank Shorter refers to hill training "as interval training in disguise." Select a hill about a quarter-mile long, but don't worry about the pitch or the exact distance. Run up hard, as hard as you might during a 400 track repeat. Then turn and jog back down, repeating the uphill sprints until finished. If you plan to run a marathon with more downhill than uphill running (such as Boston), do some of your hill repeats down as well as up. This will condition your muscles to absorb the shock of downhill running. But don't overdo it, otherwise you'll increase your risk of injury. When I do hill repeats to get ready for Boston, I generally do two up to one down (2/1), but you might want to begin with 3/1 as your ratio.

Interval Training:
In training for a marathon, long repeats (800, 1600, or even longer) generally work better than short repeats (200, 400). I've prescribed 800 repeats for this program, done every third week on Wednesdays. Run an 800 at faster-than-marathon pace, rest by jogging and/or walking 400, then start again.  you might want to consider running these repeats using the same numbers as your marathon time. In other words, if you run a 3-hour marathon, you do the 800s in 3 minutes. A 3:10 marathoner does 3:10 repeats; 3:20 marathoner, 3:20 repeats.

Tempo Runs:
A tempo run is a continuous run with a buildup in the middle to near 10-K race pace. Notice I said "near" 10-K race pace. The peak pace for tempo runs at the pace you might run if racing flat-out for about an hour. That's fairly fast, particularly if the tempo run is 45 minutes long, but you're only going to be near peak pace for 3-6 minutes in the middle of the run. Here's how to do this workout. A tempo run of 30 to 40 minutes would begin with 10-15 minutes easy running, build to peak speed during the next 10-20 minutes, then finish with 5-10 minutes easy running. The pace buildup should be gradual, not sudden, with peak speed coming about two-thirds into the workout and only for those few minutes mentioned above. You can do tempo runs almost anywhere: on the road, on trails or even on a track. Tempo runs should not be punishing. You should finish refreshed, which will happen if you don't push the pace too hard or too long. It helps also to pick a scenic course for your tempo runs. You can do your tempo run with another runner, but usually it works better to run solo. There's less danger of going too slow or (more the problem) too fast if you choose his pace, not yours.

Races:
A certain amount of racing is good, because it forces you to run at peak speed and provides feedback related to your fitness level. If you know your 10-K time, for instance, you can use one popular formula and multiply that time in minutes by 4.66 and get an estimate of your marathon potential. If you run other distances, you can use various prediction calculators to do the same. My favorite calculator is that offered on McMillanRunning.com.

Easy Runs:
Even though there are just two weekly practice runs sheduled, you can run at a easy pace on days in between. These are days of semi-rest, nevertheless, as the weekend mileage builds, the weekday mileage also builds. Add up the numbers, and you'll see that you run only slightly more miles during the week as you do during long runs on the weekends.

Rest:
Despite listing it at the end, rest is an important component of this or any training program. Scientists will tell you that it is during the rest period (the 24 to 72 hours between hard bouts of exercise) that the muscles actually regenerate and get stronger. Coaches also will tell you that you can't run hard unless you are well rested. And it's the hard running that allows you to improve. If you're constantly fatigued, you will fail to reach your potential. The secret to success in any training program is consistency, so as long as you are consistent with your training during the full 6 month of the program, you can afford--and may benefit from--extra rest.