Monday: Your cross-training day. Swimming is an excellent cross-training sport, particularly the day after a long run in hot weather (yesterday's 13-miler). Relax in the pool and let the water both support and massage your muscles. When I go to a pool to cross-train, I avoid doing kick turns, and I never count laps. I stop at the end of each length of the pool and catch my breath for a few seconds before heading back. I'll check the clock every few laps to see how long I've been swimming, but never to see how fast I've been swimming. Remember: Cross-training days are planned as easy days. Also, if you haven't already done so, now is the time to evaluate your equipment, beginning with your footwear. Consider your running shoes. Are they worn? Are they comfortable? Will they carry you through 26 miles 385 yards? It may be time to purchase a new pair--in fact several pair so you can alternate shoes from day to day. This allows them to dry out and rebound, meaning they will offer more protection.

Tuesday: Run an easy 3 miles today at your usual comfortable pace. Don't be embarrassed to walk a short portion of the distance. Sure, I know you're an Intermediate-II runner, supposedly above such behavior, but I often walk in marathons, particularly when taking a drink. And I walk in training, particularly if it's an out-and-back course, even for a distance as "short" as 3 miles. That's the distance between my house and my son Kevin's house. So I'll run to Kevin's mainly as a point of reference, walk briefly, turn around, then run back feeling refreshed after taking even this short a break. And this may sound silly to you, but you can injure yourself if you hit that 180-degree turn too fast running. Maybe not this early in the program, but as the mileage builds, the stress levels build too. Don't take any chances. Make no quick moves, only slow and steady ones. Slow and steady guarantees a Personal Record, if that is your goal.

Wednesday: Seven miles. Don't worry about the pace. Just cover the distance. It's sometimes a good idea to do these midweek semi-long runs in scenic locales, just to break the monotony. If running on unmeasured trails, use your watch as guide to tell you approximately how far you've gone. If you're somewhat short or long, don't sweat the small details. Most important is overall consistency in all your workouts.

Thursday: Three miles today, the same as Tuesday. Comfortable pace. Keeping the theme of running equipment begun on Monday, while shoes are the most important item of equipment a runner can own, comfortable clothing also is a must. If it's cold when you run, particularly in the early morning, you will want to layer on levels of clothing as the best approach to coping with varying temperature levels. And while you want to stay warm, the worst sin is to overdress so that you finish soaked with sweat. More a problem is coping with heat, since there is only so much clothing you can shed without getting arrested. Keep experimenting with different clothing variations. Wicking fabrics work better than the cotton T-shirt you might have won in your last 10-K race.

Friday: This is your day of rest, a very important component of your weekly training. By now, maybe it also has begun to sink in that you don't want to stay out too late either Friday or Saturday evenings if you have a hard or long workout scheduled for the next day. Today being a rest day, maybe this is a day to head to that running store to purchase some of the items of clothing discussed earlier in the week. And make sure it is a running store. While you might be able to find better "bargains" at chain stores in the mall, it's better to shop in a specialty store owned by runners who understand our sport.

Saturday: Seven miles for today's workout. Since this is not a "pace" workout, you don't have to worry as much about running on a precisely measured course. There are times in your marathon training when you need to be precise about what you do; this is not one of those times. The two most important factors for improvement, claims Coach Jack Daniels, are consistency and moderation. Consistency means identifying long-range goals to work toward while achieving short-range goals. If you allow enough time for your long-range goals, you can employ moderation. You won't need to overtrain. "Doing unbelievably strenuous workouts in order to get in shape fast doesn't work," says Daniels.

Sunday: Run 14 miles. This is more than half the distance that you will cover in the marathon itself. Fourteen miles is the peak run in the second 3-week segment of your training. Does this workout seem too easy for you in your advanced state of condition? I'll give you permission to convert this into a 3/1 workout. That is: run the first 3/4 of the workout at your normal, hopefully comfortable, long-run pace. Then over the final 1/4 of the distance, pick up the pace by about 15-30 seconds--not all the way to marathon pace, but somewhat close. How does it feel? If you can finish these long runs feeling and looking good, it will be a big boost to your confidence. That is one reason to run the early part of the workout somewhat slower and in control. You will need this ability to control your pace when you go 26-385 on race day. So finish strong, knowing that next week is another "stepback" week.

Tip of the Week: Runners sometimes find it difficult doing the long runs, particularly on hot days. One secret is to stop frequently to walk, even if not forced to do so. Walk, grab something to drink, then resume running again. It will make the miles seem much easier plus you'll train yourself to go from running to walking to running during the race. Drinking is important too.

How to Improve: Run Fast is one of Hal Higdon's most popular books, a best-seller with 75,000 copies in print. It is designed to help runners improve their speed at basic distances like the 5-K to the half marathon, but the information you'll find in this handy book can help you with all of your training, including the marathon. 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.