SPRINGBOARD TRAINING

A runner recently sent a question to the Ask The Expert column I write for Runner's World on America Online. He had enjoyed completing his first marathon last November in Philadelphia, where he lived. He took several months off from hard training to rest, maintaining his fitness over the winter by working out on a cross-country ski machine. "I want to start training for another marathon this fall," he asked. "What sort of miles should I be putting in this spring?"

That's a common question asked by runners: What do they do between marathons? Is there some different kind of training that will allow them to stay in shape, or improve fitness, without getting overtrained? And how prepared should new runners be before jumping into a marathon program?

Just as baseball players use spring training to get ready for the season, runners need a form of springboard training to get ready to run marathons.

Bill Fitzgerald, co-leader of the CARA Chicago Marathon Training Class, suggests that runners enrolled in that class should have reached a level where they can run 15 to 25 miles a week without undue stress. They should be capable of running 4 to 6 miles in a single workout at least once a week. They should have run at least one or two 5-K or 10-K races just to get a feel of the racing scene.

"If they're not at that level," says Fitzgerald, "they're going to have a hard time maintaining the mileage buildup leading to marathon success."

The CARA Chicago Marathon Training Class begins the week of June 8-14 and continues 18 weeks to the marathon. Weekly mileage for novices starts at 20 miles and builds to 40. Weekend long runs build from 6 to 20 miles. Intermediate and advanced runners do somewhat more. "Each year we have enthusiastic people who join our class, but drop out because they're not prepared to make that commitment," says Fitzgerald.

The answer is springboard training. If you're like that runner from Philadelphia, you need to get out of the Health Club and start running outdoors at least three to four days a week. You don't need to run far, and you don't need to run long. Twenty or 30 minutes (two or three miles daily) will get you in shape. That's 10 miles running a week in March, half the commitment you'll need to make to start marathon training three months from now in June, or 18 weeks before your marathon of choice.

You don't need a fancy training schedule; just head out the door and run. Go about a half hour. And if you're coming from a background of near-zero fitness, you don't even need to run that full half hour. Begin by walking. Gradually include some jogging-jog, walk, jog, walk-until you can run for the full half hour. That becomes your springboard to marathon training.

As the months pass from March to April to May to June, gradually increase your mileage. If you start from a base of 10 weekly miles in March, all you need to do is add a mile a week for 10 weeks to reach the base point for marathon training. Here's a training program for beginning runners:

Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: Saturday: Sunday:

Rest 20-30 minutes running Easy walking or rest 20-30 minutes running Rest 20-40 minutes running Easy walking or rest

As your fitness improves go from the low numbers (20) to the high numbers (30 or 40) on the appropriate days. Fill in some of the gaps, adding run workouts on the easy days of Wednesday and/or Sunday. By summer, you'll be ready to start your program to get ready to run a marathon, whether Chicago or another fal race.

Here's a program for people like that runner in Philadelphia who have run previous marathons, or shorter-distance races, and are coming from a higher base:

Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: Saturday: Sunday:

Rest 30-45 minutes running Speed training or res 30-45 minutes running Easy run or rest 30-60 minutes running Cross-training

As the beginning runner continues to improve, time spent on the run will increase to the level suggested for experienced runners, above. Experienced runners should focus more on improving the quality on their training, rather than the quantity. We'll talk more about quality, including speed training, in my next column.

Copyright © 1998 by Hal Higdon. All rights reserved.