Monday: Half way home. You have nine weeks of marathon training behind you and nine more to go. After a stepback week, this is the beginning of another three-week cycle. I have long runs of 17 and 18 miles planned for you over the next two weekends. Your weekly mileage will also increase to 44 miles during this next cycle. As you cross-train today, contemplate the training behind and the training ahead. Are you well-positioned for the next push upward in distance? I certainly hope so.

Tuesday: Four miles followed by strength training. And don't forget to stretch after you run and stretch also between lifts. Warm up is important. Research shows that warm tissues stretch better than cold tissues. Many runners interpret this to mean that you jog 5-10 minutes before stopping to stretch. Robert Forster, however, offers another opinion. "Nobody said you can't stretch cold muscles," says the California physiotherapist, who included Jackie Joyner-Kersee among his clients. "When people are prone to injuries--or if they've been sitting down all day--they need to stretch before exercise as well." Forster recommends that runners develop a routine that begins with some simple pre-workout stretches, then continues after a short jog warms the muscles. Stretching after the workout also is a good time to increase flexibility. "There is no best time to stretch," he concludes. "You need to continually work on your flexibility to achieve success as a runner." 

Wednesday: Eight miles today. Our midweek, sorta long run. This is the peak midweek distance for Intermediate-I runners, but running 8 miles does take time. These longish weekday workouts may be increasingly difficult for those of you with busy work schedules, not because of the extra training load but because of the extra time required. Plan ahead. Make sure you allow yourself ample time for this workout.

Thursday: Four easy miles. Make this an easier workout than usual. While I sometimes suggest that runners move a bit faster on some of the easy days, today is not one of those days. Consider the fact that you completed an 8-miler yesterday and have an 8-miler at marathon pace Saturday followed by a 17-miler on Sunday coming at you the weekend. That's a lot of running. By running easy today and resting tomorrow, you are loading the gun so you are assured of running well on the weekend.

Friday: On this day of rest before a weekend during which you have some of your toughest training scheduled, pause and consider how far you have come since starting your marathon training nine-plus weeks ago. Individuals who have been running for several years or more don't notice improvements as much as beginning runners. You may not have lost nine pounds in the past nine-plus weeks. You may not have discovered muscles you didn't know you had. But you should begin to notice some improvements in your fitness level and, hopefully, some improvement in your overall ability to run fast. This training program is designed to help you to run a better marathon.

Saturday: Eight miles at race pace. Yes, that's also the furthest I'll ask you to run during a Saturday workout. Is there a local 10-K that you could run today as part of your workout (using the warm-up and cool-down to get the extra few miles)? Run it only if you have the discipline to run under control, even though you know you could run faster. This "control" will be essential on race day. Anybody can run the first 6-8 miles of a marathon at a fast pace. The secret is to run the last 6-8 miles of the marathon at that same fast pace. Control and discipline are the essentials of marathon success.

Sunday: Run long: Seventeen miles! That's two-thirds of the distance you'll run in the marathon, and most coaches agree that this is where the true training benefits start to kick in. Now you are teaching your body to burn fat and conserve glycogen. Now you are learning the discipline (see paragraph above) you need for running 26 miles. During this Intermediate-I training program, I'll ask you to run four long runs at this "two-thirds" distance and beyond. (These longest long runs come in Weeks 10,11,13 and 15.) They are very, very important. By now, you should have begun to adapt to the rhythm of these long runs. Don't do them too fast. Take walking breaks if necessary. Drink plenty of water. If you can't find water fountains along your route, consider purchasing a belt for carrying fluids. Yes, you have a right to finish a 17-miler feeling tired, but you should not finish exhausted. Running steady pace will get you to the finish line on time.

 

Tip of the Week: Practice makes perfect. Practice not only running, but everything else related to race day. That includes equipment. Do you know what shoes you'll wear on race day? Buy a new pair now! How about shorts and singlet? Test your clothing in training to make sure nothing chafes or causes a blister. Do you expect hot or cold weather race day? Weather can be unpredictable. Will you be prepared if the temperature suddenly drops (or rises) 30 degrees on race day? Consider every scenario you might encounter.

How to Improve: When you're training for a marathon, the best book to buy is Hal Higdon's Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide. It will help get you to the starting line and, most important, get you to the finish line. To order an autographed copy of this and other books by Runner's World's best writer go to Books by Hal Higdon.

 

Copyright © 2000 by Hal Higdon. All rights reserved.