Monday: Run 4 miles at an easy pace to recover from yesterday's 20-miler. This is our fourth stepback week featuring reduced mileage. It is also the end of our fourth three-week cycle, featuring two "hard" weeks followed by one "easy" one. You are about to shift to two-week cycles to make certain not to push too far too fast. The past weekend featured the longest run in the program: 20 miles. That's a bit of distance. That's serious training. You may need some extra recovery time. In keeping with the stepback theme of this week, do a little bit less than you otherwise might do. This may mean cutting back on some of the workouts I've prescribed--even taking an extra day of rest--if that's what your body tells you to do.

Tuesday: The Tuesday sorta-long run drops to only 6 miles, shorter than 10 miles last week and 10 miles next week. Make this a "listen-to-your-body" workout. Run as you feel. If you feel like running a little faster (no particular pace), do it. If you feel like really taking it easy (even including some walking breaks or stops for water), do that. Training schedules should not be inflexible. This is the week where I count on you to strike a sensible balance between undertraining and overtraining.

Wednesday: Five miles at your normal pace followed by strength training--and don't forget to stretch. "There is little doubt that some form of resistance training is beneficial to all runners," says exercise physiologist and Olympic champion Peter Snell, Ph.D. "Weight training is not likely to produce further increases in maximum oxygen uptake in runners, but may improve muscle endurance." Nevertheless, with the mileage now up there in the stratosphere, consider cutting back somewhat on your strength training. Less weight, fewer repetitions will allow you to conserve energy and also reduce the risk of an overuse injury.

Thursday: Track workout: 7 x 800 meters, jogging or walking 2-3 minutes between. Continue to run the 800s at about 5-K pace. One way to benefit from your speed sessions is to pace yourself so that you finish each workout faster than you began. Coach Robert Vaughan of Dallas, Texas suggests that in a workout featuring 400-meter repeats, run the first 200 meters of each 400 four or five seconds slower than the concluding 200 meters. "You shift gears in the middle," instructs Vaughan. "You kick at the end of each rep." You can apply this to 800 repeats by running the first 400-600 meters at pace, then shifting gears. Sometimes Vaughan has his runners start their kicks 100 meters out--or 300 meters out. "Our runners seem to enjoy the pace changes," he says. "It provides an adrenaline rush, both in races and in workouts. Their bodies adapt to quick shifts, and they learn that they can go fast at the end of a race."

Friday: Savor this day of rest. Once this stepback week is past, we move back to a week with a 20-miler at the end of the tunnel. Are you suffering any aches and pains? This is not an easy training program. No marathon training program is, because of the necessity to log lots of miles to get runners ready to finish 26 miles 385 yards. If you have any nagging injuries, but have been postponing seeing a sports medicine professional, maybe now is the time to schedule an appointment. Prevention is sometimes the best therapy.

Saturday: Six miles at marathon pace. Let me suggest a little test for you. Cruise the first several miles right on race pace, then run the next mile slightly slower. Get back on pace for the next mile, then run the next mile slightly faster. Then back to race pace the final mile. During the marathon itself, you won’t be able to achieve a "perfect" pace. For instance, walking through water stops may slow you in certain miles. You need to learn how to make subtle shifts in pace to achieve your time goal. Try also to visualize yourself running the last 6 miles of the race. If the marathon you're planning to run is in your home town, consider the possibility of running the exact 6 miles you will be running on race day. This may take some planning and require recruiting a friend to drop you along the course, but this marathon is important to you.

Sunday: This might best be described as a "rest" weekend. Run a dozen miles. The first of your three 20-milers was last Sunday. The second will be next Sunday. In order to get full benefit from running three 20-milers within a five-week period, you need to cut mileage between. If you want a test race, this might be a good weekend for it. A half marathon would fit perfectly into the training plan, since today's workout is 12 miles. If you choose this option, skip Saturday's planned workout and either rest or jog easily. You also have the leeway to juggle weeks to accommodate the local racing calendar. But do not overplay the racing card: Doing so can compromise your ability to do the necessary long runs in this program.

 

Tip of the Week: There is no such thing as "bad food," only bad choices. There's even a place for burgers, fries and shakes in your diet. You just need to balance everything you eat. If you eat a well-balanced diet, that includes ample fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains, you can avoid expensive supplements. Tape these words to your refrigerator: "Eat a wide variety of lightly processed foods."

How to Improve: Planning to run a marathon? You won't find a better training schedule than the 18-week program available on this web site. But sometimes it's a bother to go on-line to check your training plan. (Paper still does serve a purpose.) Consider ordering a copy of Hal Higdon's Marathon Training Guide. It's a simple and convenient, 48-page booklet that reprints my on-line weekly advice for novice runners. There's also a training log plus additional schedules for runners at different levels. It costs only $4.50, or you can obtain a free copy by ordering Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide. To order an autographed copy of these and other of my books, go to Books by Hal Higdon.

 

Copyright © 2001 by Hal Higdon. All rights reserved.