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Contents: 
Week 1 - Jan 4-10, 16 weeks to go Tip: Specificity of training is the most important thing that will help you have a good marathon experience. Building up your LR in excess of two hours is essential. Three hours is even better. The LR workout is the core to your entire program. Use RWI if this helps you build up to the desired distance. Training: 1 hr -1 hr 30:00 (7m) LR; 20-30:00 SRR; 45-60:00 MRR; 20-30:00 SRR Quote: "Listen to my body? If I was listening to my body right now I would be home in bed eating a Danish rolls and reading the funnies." - Overheard at the 1991 San Antonio Marathon Week 2 - Jan 11-17, 15 weeks to go Tip: Endurance activities need a diet rich in carbohydrates. About 55% of your meals should consist of carbohydrates. To speed up recovery after long runs drink or eat carbohydrates immediately after and up to 2 hours after the run. Training: 65:00-1hr 40min. (8m) LR; 20-30:00 SRR; 45-60:00 MRR; GPR of 5 miles; 20-30:0 SRR Quote: "The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." - Juma Ikangaa, Tanzania Week 3 - Jan 18-24, 14 weeks to go Tip: We will meet our fair share of hills on the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon course and we want to be ready for them. Select a hill that will take about two-three minutes to climb. Walk portions of it if necessary. Training: 70:00- 1hr 50:00 min. (9m) LR; 20-30:00 SRR; 45-60:00 MRR with 2 times HC included; 20-30:00 SRR Quote: "Hills are speed work in disguise." - Frank Shorter Week 4 - Jan 25-Jan 31, 13 weeks to go Tip: There is a Kenyan saying that says, "Eat to run well, not to lose weight." Your body is an engine that requires fuel. The main fuel is carbohydrate. What we eat and drink becomes more important as we progress to runs of 1 hour and longer. Training: 75:00 - 2 hours (10m) LR; 20-30:00 SRR; 45-60:00 MRR with 2 times HC; GPR of 6 miles; 20-30:00 SRR Quote: "I like hills because you can see the top. I know that sounds glib, but you know that the hill is not going to keep appearing; it's there and once you get to the top it's behind you, and you feel as though you have conquered something." - Rob de Castella Week 5 - Feb 1-7, 12 weeks to go Tip: Listen to your breathing as you climb hills. Slow down when your breathing becomes too labored. The time gained trying to speed up a hill is not commensurate with the effort expended. Training: 75:00 - 2 hour (10m) LR; 20-30:00 SRR; 45-60:00 MRR with 4 times 2:00 HC; 20-30:00 SRR Quote: "Running hills breaks up your rhythm and forces your muscles to adapt to new stresses. The result? You become stronger." - Eamonn Coghlan Week 6 - Feb 8-14, 11 weeks to go Tip: An impressive training log will not guarantee marathon success. Push the effort when you feel good, and back off when you feel fatigue. The habit of recording your heart rate (HR) upon awakening each day shows a pattern. A 10% HR elevation or a sudden drop in weight may be an early indication of too much stress. Training: 90:00-2 hr 25:00 (12m) LR; 20-30:00 SRR; 45-60:00 MRR with 4 times 2:00 HC; GPR of 7 miles; 20-30:00 SRR Quote: "During the hard training phase never be afraid to take a day off. If your legs are feeling unduly stiff and sore, rest; if you are at all sluggish, rest; in fact, if in doubt, rest." - Bruce Fordyce Week 7 - Feb 15-21, 10 weeks to go Tip: Train under a variety of conditions. Who knows what Marathon Day will bring? Prepare for all types of weather. Training: 75:00 - 2 hour (10m) LR; 20-30:00 SRR; 45-60:00 MRR with 6 times HC; 20-30:00 SRR Quote: "There is a great advantage in training under unfavorable conditions. It is better to train under bad conditions, for the difference is then a tremendous relief in a race." - Emil Zatopek Week 8 - Feb 22-28, 9 weeks to go Tip: GPR follow the principle of specificity. Even though you may not have gone the entire 26.2 miles at your desired pace, the "magic of the event" will help you to new heights. Training: 1 hr 45 - 2 hr 50 (14m) LR; 20-30:00 SRR; 45-60:00 MRR with 6 times HC; GPR of 8 miles; 60:00 MRR; 20-30:00 SRR Quote: "Everyone is an athlete. The only difference is that some of us are in training, and some are not." - Dr. George Sheehan Week 9 - Mar 1-7, 8 weeks to go Tip: Proper hydration and carbohydrate intake become especially critical as you extend your long runs. I recommend consuming 12-16 ounces of fluid 15-30 minutes before long runs and 6-8 ounces each fifteen minutes thereafter. A gel pack every 1/2-hour along with water during and after the run not only makes your run much easier but also assists in the recovery after its conclusion. Training: 75:00 - 2 hour (10m) LR; 20-30:00 SRR; 4x Y800; 20-30:00 SRR Quote: "The long run is what puts the tiger in the cat." - Bill Squires Week 10 - Mar 8-14, 7 weeks to go Tip: Quality training runs help prepare you for the rigors of the actual marathon distance. Training: 2 hr - 3 hr 15 min (16m) LR; 20-30:00 SRR; 5x Y800; 45-60:00 MRR; GPR of 9 miles; 20-30:00 SR Quote: "The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy... It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed." - Jacqueline Gareau, 1980 Boston Marathon champ Week 11 - Mar 15-21, 6 weeks to go Tip: As your mileage buildup extends beyond the 3-hour mark, you should be gradually adapting to this distance. Training: 75:00 - 2 hrs (10m) LR; 20-30:00 SRR; 6x Y800; 20-30:00 SRR Quote: "Bid me run, and I will strive with things impossible." - Shakespeare, "Julius Caesar" Week 12 - Mar 22-28, 5 weeks to go Tip: Bilateral aches or pains, e.g., both calves, result from an unaccustomed overuse. Your body wants a "time out". Take a few easy days and it generally heals itself. Pain isolated on one side or the other is of more concern. Monitor this. Running through pains of this nature is not a good idea. Take a couple of recovery days prior to the Heart Mini-Marathon Training: 2 hr 30 - 3 hr 30 (18m); 20-30:00 SRR; 7x Y800; 45-60:00 MRR; 20-30:00 SRR, 2 blocks of VAP Quote: "A runner's creed: I will win; if I cannot win, I shall be second; if I cannot be second, I shall be third; if I cannot place at all, I shall still do my best." - Ken Doherty Week 13 - Mar 29 - Apr 4, 4 weeks to go Tip: Many people come down with aches if they return too quickly to hard training after this race-pace run. Give yourself a break this week and only take one run before your long weekend run. Training: Heart Mini-Marathon 15K @ GP; 20-30:00 SRR; 8x Y800; 45-60 MRR; 20-30:00 SRR, 2 blocks of VAP Quote: "Yet that man is happy and poets sing of him who conquers with hand and swift foot and strength." - Pindar, Greek poet, 500 BC Week 14 - Apr 5-11, 3 weeks to go Tip: People of all shapes and persuasions now run marathons. As long as you adequately prepare, you can complete it. Training: 2 hr 45 - 4 hr (20m) LR; 20-30:00 SRR; 9x Y800; 45-60:00 MRR; 20-30:00 SRR, 2 blocks of VAP Quote: "Some might say that it's easier to be the runner than the runner's family." - Rob de Castella Taper Period Week 15 - Apr 12-18, 2 weeks to go Tip: This week begins your taper. You have been accumulating miles and readying yourself for the marathon distance. Volume diminishes. You need to recover from the 3-4 hour LR and start resting up for the big event. Many individuals think they will lose their "conditioning" if they back off ever so slightly. If they do not taper they may start the marathon fatigued and lack the opportunity to perform at their best. Training: 75:00- 2 hours (10m) LR; 20-30:00 SRR with 3 blocks of VAP; 10x Y800; 45-60:00 MRR; 20-30:00 SRR Quote: "I thought about how many preconceived prejudices would crumble when I trotted right along for 26 miles." - Roberta Gibb, sculptor, and the first woman to finish the Boston Marathon Week 16 - Apr 19-25, 1 week to go Tip: Hold yourself back. With the decrease in mileage you may have extra energy. Do not dissipate it by running too fast this week. Look at the pace that you were able to sustain for the Y800. Use that as a guide for your GP in the ½ Marathon. Stay within this pace. Save the full effort for the marathon. Consider the ½ Marathon as a Test Run. If you can easily maintain your GP in the ½ Marathon you may try this pace at the Flying Pig Marathon. Training: April 19, 13.1m @ GPR; 20-30:00 SRR; 45-60:00 MRR with 3 blocks of VAP; 45-60:00 MRR Quote: "Big occasions and races which have been eagerly anticipated almost to the point of dread, are where great deeds can be accomplished." - Jack Lovelock Week 17 - Apr 26-May 2, last week Tip: There is little you can do now to improve your condition. Do not ruin your marathon performance during the week preceding the marathon. Too much running squanders your energy. Remember the delayed training effect principle. It takes 10-14 days before any actual workout results in improved performance. You are within that time frame now. Take it easy. Training: 45-60:00 MRR with 2 blocks of VAP; 20-30:00 SRR; 20-30:00 SRR with 2 blocks of VAP; 20:00 SR Quote: "My life is a gift to me from my Creator. What I do with my life is my gift back to the creator." - Billy Mills |
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