Marathon Speedwork
This is Part II of a three-part article discussing training for MCRRC's Marathon in the Parks. I am using my own marathon preparation to describe some of the things I consider in putting together a marathon training program for folks whom I coach. In the May Rundown, I wrote about the need to build an aerobic base as the foundation for running the marathon. This is done slowly and involves a gradual increase in weekly mileage and the weekly long run. I can report that I am now running 30-40 miles per week with a long run of 10-12 miles. I have also done the aerobic intervals and steady-state runs at 75-80 percent of maximum heart rate that I described in my May column.
Safely Speed
Once runners have an adequate aerobic base, I start them on anaerobic threshold training (AT). These workouts are run at 80-85 percent effort and equate to roughly your 10-mile race pace. I like to use AT workouts because the biggest danger in doing speedwork during marathon training is overtraining that lead to an injury. During 10K training, a runner can hold or decrease weekly mileage when doing intense speedwork. During marathon training, however, runners are not only doing speedwork but are increasing their weekly mileage and their weekly long run. That is why I am extremely cautious in assigning workouts.
My experience also tells me that most marathoners, myself included, get the biggest benefit from their AT workouts. The workouts that I am using to prepare for Marathon in the Parks are quite simple yet very effective. First, once a week I will go to the track and run three one-mile intervals at AT effort. I will warm up for at least one mile and then run a mile at 80-85 percent effort, jog half a lap on the track until my heart rate drops to 70 percent, run the next mile at 80-85 percent, jog half a lap, and then run a third mile at 80-85 percent. I cool down by running at least a mile at 60-70 percent before ending the workout. I will also stretch after the cool-down. I may add some wrinkles to this AT workout after a few weeks of mile repeats. I won't describe them in this column because I don't want to give away all my secrets.
My other weekly AT workout can be run on the roads or on a treadmill. It is a 20-minute continuous AT run and simply involves warming up for at least one mile at 60-70 percent effort and then picking up the pace until my heart rate reaches 80 percent, whereupon I run for 20 minutes keeping my heart rate at 80-85 percent. I do this by setting my heart rate monitor to beep when I drop below 80 percent or go above 85 percent. After the 20 minutes is over, I cool down for a mile and the workout is over. Of course, one can do additional miles before or after the 20-minute run to log additional mileage.
I will also be increasing my weekly mileage during this AT training phase. I hope to get my mileage up to around 50 miles on my hard weeks. Every other week, coinciding with the week that I extend my long run past 12 miles, I will try to increase my mileage by 2-3 miles. The other week in which my long run is 12 miles the mileage will remain constant, in my case 35-40 miles. There are risks of injury and staleness when increasing one's mileage week after week without a break.
I tell my runners to follow a couple of simple rules during the AT phase of marathon training. They should avoid doing their two AT workouts back-to-back, leaving at least a day between hard workouts. Moreover, an AT workout should never be done the day after the long run because there won't be adequate leg turnover.
You may have noticed that I do not have hill workouts in my schedule. I do run hills in my neighborhood during my easy 60-70 percent days and on my long run, but I don't run them hard. If I were preparing for a hilly marathon such as Boston, I would be more inclined to incorporate them in my program. Also, I might suggest that high-mileage runners (60+ miles per week) run hill repeats as their third hard workout of the week.
Looking Forward
In my September column, I will discuss how to prepare to run a particular goal pace, along with other topics including race strategy, tapering, and post-marathon recovery.
Coach West is a licensed coach, affiliated with MCRRC, and available to coach motivated adult runners. A portion of his coaching fees for MCRRC members is returned to MCRRC. For further information about personal coaching opportunities, contact Coach West at kirtwest@comcast.net.
