18 Week 2018 Marathon Training Log - Brian Siddons - CELEBRATE BOSTON/ RACE FARGO

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After ten years of beating myself up working toward a Boston Marathon Qualifier that would get me into the most famous marathon in the world, I was finally able to run the 122nd Annual Boston Marathon in April of 2018.

While Boston was a great accomplishment, I was hungry to reach for more of my potential. I marked the 2018 Fargo Marathon as my day to go after a faster time then the one I had hit back in 2012 for my first BQ, and subsequent missing of the final cut.

I felt a little crazy to have Fargo scheduled just five weeks after Boston, and yet I was mentally preparing for the post Boston recovery and final build-up to Fargo as if it was something I had planned. I had not.

Working with my older brother Al, as well as my running buddies Stan and Dave, I knew a tweak of my training program was in order. I was, according to the charts from McMillan Running ( McMillan Running) and Jack Daniels training ( Run Smart Project Calculator), fast enough for my goal of 3:36.30. What I was lacking was the endurance for the final 8 miles.

I added more miles to my effort and pace run days, and cut back on my distance runs. For all of these days I infused more quality. This was the key, for me, to running my fastest marathon since 1987!

At age 60 I ran 3:35.41 at Fargo, nearly three minutes faster than my first BQ in 2012, and nearly 9 minutes faster than my BQ in 2016 for Boston 2018.

I now have committed to a goal of 3:29.59 for Boston 2019. It's a stretch, but at this point that's exactly what I want. More goals, less attainments!

The link below is my 2018 training log for Fargo, which includes the Boston Marathon as part of the training. I have highlighted hard days in red, and key days in green. Feel free to download and customize to your needs. For me, this training session had fewer miles, more rest and more quality than my previous attempts.

I hope something in this program helps you attain your goals! I would be glad to discuss any of the aspects of the training. Good luck!


18 Week Marathon Training Program Brian Siddons Boston/Fargo

BrianJSiddons@gmail.com

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