Monday: Following the stepback week, get ready to rumble again. These next three weeks are the ones where you achieve the peak training toward which you've been building. You'll end Week 13 with an 18-miler and Week 15 with a 20-miler (with another stepback week between).

Tuesday: Four miles run comfortably. The pace for a "comfortable" run this day may be faster than the pace you did a "comfortable" run a dozen weeks ago when you began your marathon training. Or it may not. Everybody reacts differently to training. At peak training, fatigue can set in. You may need to remove some of the other stresses from your life. For instance, strength training normally is good for runners, but not toward the end of a marathon buildup. So save your time pumping iron and devote the extra minutes you save to stretching.

Wednesday: Nine miles. Your most difficult task will remain not going the distance--since you can handle this many miles easily now--but rather fitting a run that may last well past an hour into your work week. Can you juggle your work schedule to allow some time off, perhaps a day's vacation the weeks you do these midweek sorta long runs? The same with your social life. Get some more sleep. You really don't need to stay up late to watch that David Letterman rerun, do you?

Thursday: Five easy miles. Eighteen miles in the last three days. After resting tomorrow, you'll face an 18-miler over the weekend to cap the week at 36 total miles. Whew! As we approach the peak of your training, those days when I do allow you to rest (such as tomorrow) become increasingly important.

Friday: A day of rest preparatory to some tough training on the weekend. Get some extra sleep tonight, so you're ready to run long. This is particularly important if you're training through the summer for a fall marathon, since so many of your runs begin in the early morning to avoid the heat that begins to build late-morning. How is your nutrition? This is probably not a day to go out for burgers and beer.

Saturday: Eighteen miles. That's almost 30 kilometers, close to three-fourths of the full marathon distance. (Remember that when you sail past 18 in the race.) But for now, it's the longest run so far in your training program. Do you need to walk a bit to finish this run comfortably. Do so while taking fluids. That's good practice for the race, since you can take more water if you walk through water stops. Experiment also with replacement gels (such as Reload) for extra energy. When you finish today's workout, congratulate yourself for what may be a Personal Best in distance.

Sunday: Cross-training remains an important part of your training. An hour-long spin on a bike might work well today. Notice that we said "spin." Don't train too hard, regardless of which cross-training discipline you select. When you finish today's workout, congratulate yourself for all the training it took to get you this far.

 

Tip of the Week: Stretching is important for marathoners, who risk losing flexibility because of their high-mileage training. Include some stretching in your daily running routine. The best time to stretch is not before you run. Pre-workout muscles may be tight; the risk of injury is increased. Instead, stretch during--or after--your run, when muscles are warmest. Stretching on the off days also makes sense.

How to Improve: Hal Higdon's How To Train offers training schedules and advice on everything from fitness walking to running the marathon. Plus there's information on nutrition and recovering from injuries. Add a copy of this book to your collection. 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.