Sensei Sid - 5 Guidelines for Marathon Training

1.     The Long Run, which is your longest run on the week, normally on a Saturday or Sunday, is, pace wise, classified as a recovery run. 

      In and of itself, a long run of 12 miles or more should also be considered one of your three weekly effort runs due to the distance, and due to the time on your legs. Don’t overlook the fact a long run, at any pace, is affected by your workouts earlier in the week, and will have a direct effect on your runs of the following week. A long run can be the building block of a great foundation for your training, or, if not monitored with diligence, it can become the straw that will break the camels’ back. Long runs build your foundation when you train at a pace that won’t leave you feeling like you couldn’t run another step. Enjoy what you have worked up to during the week by making your long run more pleasant than painful, and leave the heavy breathing for your two other effort days.

2.      Earn your training paces.

      You are where you are, and training at too fast of a pace, whether it be on an easy day or at the track doing intervals, does nothing but set you up for reaching a plateau instead of a peak, or worse yet, incurring an injury. Establish your training paces for the coming months by using recent racing times or time-trials, and err on the side of slower pacing. Once you have set your pace times, do not run your workouts faster until you have re-established training paces with results from at least two recent races. Most distance runners feel they can run faster in training, and many feel they must. However, maximizing yourself too frequently over a 12 to 18 week training season will leave you flat and unfulfilled during your racing season. Just when you need to really sharpen your fitness level, you’ll be as dull as a chewed up number 2 pencil, and all the grinding you try will not get you to your potential.

3.      Rest and recovery must be included in every training program.

      Training is an awesome adventure. Once you have reached a decent fitness level, you begin to relish a great workout to see what you can do. You push, you compete, you push some more. There are two important points to consider while in the midst of a training season. A: Don’t leave your best efforts in workouts…save something for race day. B: Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should…feeling good three days in a row doesn’t mean you should burn the workout. Both of these points provide insight into how easy it is to overdo training, and be left behind the following weeks when everyone else is stepping up to the next level. Rest and recovery for some may be three days off a week, for others it may be an easy run in the morning, with no days off during the week. Find your balance and allow yourself the important elements of rest and recovery, each and every week.

4.      Think in terms of months and years, not weeks and months. 

      Just like the quick fix of losing ten pounds in two weeks won’t last, using a 12 week marathon training program will deter many from trying one again. For a beginner, depending on age and current fitness level, a two year minimum is suggested to properly run a marathon. Even for veteran marathoners, running two quality races a year is about max. Between the base building, hill training, tempo and speed workouts, and post-race recovery, a proper program can take six months. Sure, someone in shape can ramp up their distance training 12 weeks out and compete in a marathon, but even they are looking long term in training. Foundations of running fitness are layered, season upon season, year upon year, decade upon decade. New runners get excited and schedule races like they are setting up appointments at work. It takes a few years, but if a runner continues to train, they see that a year is broken up into cycles, and you can’t race and improve without down times and off-seasons. The classic line is, “I’ve been running three marathons a year for the past two years, and I can’t get my times down.” Well, maybe if you didn’t run three marathons a year, your body would perform better. It’s a long run, and with the proper respect for the distance you can age and improve!

5.   Patience. Trust. Fortitude. Courage. 

      These are the four parts of any distance race, especially a marathon. First, you must have the Patience of a Tibetan Buddhist working on a mandala sand painting to hold back during the first five to seven miles of the race. Your body and mind will tell you to run like the wind from the second you cross the starting line, “You feel great, go for it! Today is your day!” You cannot give in to this temptation. Rather, you must Trust your training and “Stick to the Plan!” You’ve put the miles into the bank, and today you must withdraw your hard work according to your pre-race plan. Cash in too early and you’ll gain no dividends at the finish line. Come crunch time, when everyone around you seems to look like zombies, wandering aimlessly across the road, and I’m not talking about the spectators here, you’ll be glad you held back and trusted in your plan. Now, of course, it’s time to put on your game face and call up all the Fortitude you can muster to maintain pace for the toughest part of the race. It’s usually miles 15 to 21 when you need to fight the urge to give in or dial back your efforts, but you must keep focused and battle through. Once you have a 10k or less to go, you'll know when it’s go time. You may now allow yourself the Courage it takes to succeed. Yes, it’s not easy to handle success, especially when you have put yourself out in front of family and friends, and have committed time and sweat into making this race count. Courage, it’s about finding your path to break through barriers that have held you back in the past, and gaining new experiences for the future. Let go and discover not only how fast you can run, but how brave you are willing to let yourself be!

    
     Sensei Sid...2.19.2017