2009 First Time Marathon Training Program
Andy Steinfeld, coach Lori Kaleikau, coach |
Goals and Purpose of the Program
The Montgomery County Road Runners Club (MCRRC) offers a structured, coached, group-oriented program for people training to run their first marathon (26.2 miles). The program also benefits those runners who have run one or more marathons seeking training partners and coaching to improve their running performance. The FTM program is six months long, beginning in April, with the goal of completing the running of the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC, October 25, 2009. However, this training program is applicable to other fall marathons, such as Chicago, New York, Baltimore, Steamtown, Philadelphia, or Richmond.. It should be noted MCRRC also has an Experienced Marathon Program starting in July.
Criteria for Participation
This program is open to any healthy adult. That said, we do not think a marathon should be the first race for a beginning runner. The marathon is a difficult athletic event, so to ensure that participants are properly prepared prior to enrolling in the program, we have the following criteria: 1) be averaging at least 15 miles per week running for the last three months; 2) run about 3 times per week; 3) most importantly, be able to run six miles at one time without stopping. Given the physical stress associated with training for a marathon, if you have not run a marathon it is strongly recommended that you consult your physician prior to entering this program. There is no speed requirement. We train runners at all ability levels.
Note: The program directors reserve the right to refuse to coach individuals whom they believe are unsuited for running a marathon, or who may be disruptive to other program participants. Those individuals may be denied entry into the program. The program may be capped at the 250 person limit, and no one will be allowed to join after July 1.
The Price is Right
The FTM program costs $100 for MCRRC members and $150 for non-members. THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE COST OF ENTRY INTO THE MARINE CORPS OR OTHER MARATHON, WHICH IS A SEPARATE FEE .There may also be other races that we suggest that you register for that are an optional part of the training program and those costs are also not covered by the program. If you are not a club member, you may join the MCRRC by clicking on the link below. Registration is online for the FTM program. The link is also located below. The money goes directly to the MCRRC (a non-profit organization) to cover program administrative costs and fund other club programs. All of the coaches in this program are unpaid volunteers. Sorry, but there will be no refunds, regardless of the reason.
Orientation
An Orientation Meeting will be held on Saturday, April 11, 2009, 10:30 a.m. at the Montgomery County Parks - Sligo-Dennis Recreation Building (on Sligo, north of Dennis at 10200 Sligo Creek Parkway, Silver Spring, MD). Details about the program will be discussed, and you can meet the program staff.
Schedule
There are two coached, group workouts held every week. We meet Sunday morning, primarily at Ken-Gar Palisades Park (Beach Dr. north of Knowles in Kensington, MD) and every Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m. at the Montgomery College track (off Rockville Pike [Rt. 355] north of downtown Rockville, MD) or another track location. The Sunday morning workouts are long, slow runs along the Rock Creek bike path and other venues. The Wednesday evening workouts are intervals on the track or on the millennium trail. You are expected to run one to four other times during the week on your own in order to meet the weekly mileage goals. We will provide you with a monthly schedule, which gives weekly mileage goals and outlines the group workouts.
While attendance is not required for all the group workouts, (we understand you will have occasional scheduling conflicts), people who show up on a regular basis usually run better marathons. Later in the Program, we will begin to do long runs (sometimes called a point-to-point run) extending from about 14 miles to 20 miles. These long point-to-point runs are an essential part of your training. There will also be a few short lectures scheduled.
April Event You Should Participate In: (Your race time will help us to determine your pace group.)- Pike's Peek 10K - Sunday, April 26, 2009 8am
Etiquette Reminder
Safety first! We share the bike path with cyclists and walkers, and the track with other runners. Be aware of their presence. We ask that all be courteous and conscientious. On the track, do your fast intervals in lanes 2 and 3, leaving lane 1 (closest to the infield) open for faster runners, and do your slower recovery laps in lanes 4 and 5 (furthest to the outside). On the bike path run ONLY 2 abreast behind the coach/pace leader, and call out if runners or bikers are approaching. As our group has become quite large it’s important to follow these guidelines for your own safety and the safety of others.
Note On Weather
We are like mail carriers - neither rain nor sleet nor snow… We will run regardless of the weather. Besides, it may rain or be hot on marathon day, so it’s helpful to have trained in adverse conditions. However, we cancel workouts if there is lightning. If the weather is terrible on your solo training days, you can substitute treadmill running for road running. It’s common to have a short thunderstorm at the end of the day in the spring and summer. Don’t cancel your track plans too soon if this happens. Many times the storm has passed by the time you arrive at the track.
Note On Parking
The parking lot at Ken-Gar fills up quickly on weekend mornings. Do not park along Beach Drive, except on the gravel portion. Instead, go to the first street north of Ken-Gar and park in the residential neighborhood and jog to our meeting spot. Additional parking is located south of Ken-Gar at several pull-outs along Beach, and about 1/2 mile north at the next recreation center. Parking at the Montgomery College Track is free.
Volunteers Needed
We will need volunteers from the group to bring bananas and juice and water and cups to the weekend morning workouts. The club will provide cups, and will reimburse the volunteers for the cost of the bananas and juice.
Philosophy
The program's philosophy is simple, we believe that any healthy adult can complete a marathon if: 1) they have the desire; and 2) they train properly by following the program. The program should provide participants with the physiological and mental toughness necessary to go 26.2 miles. The marathon should be an enjoyable experience (although not an easy task). By following the training program, it should be possible to run the marathon in relative comfort, without hitting "the wall."
The program gradually builds up your average weekly miles from a minimum of about 15 miles a week at the start in April to about 40+ miles a week just before the event in October. We want you to average at least 35 miles per week running for three months before the marathon to be in the proper shape. If you come to the group workouts on a regular basis, follow the monthly schedule, run the average weekly miles prescribed, and do all the scheduled long runs; you will be able to finish a marathon by the end of the program. Over the last ten years the program has had virtually a 100% completion rate for those who finished the program.
This is not a “walk-run” program as you would find in the Galloway training program. We run our workouts (except for water stops), and our program participants run the entire marathon. Also, we will not ask you to raise money for a charity.
You do not have to be a fast runner to do our program or complete a marathon. We will put people of similar abilities together in pace groups, based on 10K (10,000 meters = 6.2) race times and other criteria. Pace groups typically range from abut 8:30min/mile to 13:00 min/mile for their long slow-distance training.
This program was created by Paul Friedman in 1995, based on his experience running many marathons, conversations with world-class runners he has trained with in the past, and ideas he picked up from other coaches through a variety of sources. It is similar to the program developed by Benji Durden (published in Runners World in August 1993). Like Benji's program, the long, slow run is emphasized as the central theme for marathon training. According to Benji, you should be able to go for about 2 hours without stopping during your long run about three months before the marathon, and gradually increase your long run to about 3 to 4 hours in duration. We have also borrowed workout ideas from coaches Owen Anderson, Jack Daniel, and Roy Benson. From 2002 - 2005, the program was led by John Noble, a senior coach with the program since its inception. John has completed 55 marathons and continues to participate and provide valuable guidance and support. In 2007 Andy Steinfeld (RRCA certified coach who has run 15 marathons and 4 JFK 50 milers) and Lori Kaleikau (RRCA certified coach who has run 12 marathons and the JFK 50 miler) took over the reigns as co-directors.
Key Training Elements
There are three main ingredients to marathon training: 1) base miles; 2) long slow runs; and 3) quality workouts. There is a time and place for speed during the quality workouts but for most marathon training; speed kills.
1. Base Miles
In order to build up the endurance necessary to complete a marathon, you have to increase your average weekly mileage, or base. You must be able to average at least 35 miles a week for about three months prior to the marathon to prepare your body properly. At 40 miles per week, the marathon could be done in the comfort zone. However, you do not need to average more than 50 miles a week to have success in the marathon. You can increase your average weekly mileage about 10% per week, but no more than 15% to avoid injury. For example, if you are currently running 20 miles a week, your next four weeks could build progressively from 22, 25, 27, to 30 miles. This would give you an average of 26 miles per week for the month. The monthly schedules should help you achieve your average weekly goals.
2. Long Runs
The cornerstone of the program is long slow distance (lsd). Your long runs should be done at an easy, conversational pace, or about 1:15 to 1:45 minutes a mile slower than your average 10K race pace. Therefore, if you can currently race a 10K averaging 9:00/mile (55 minutes for 10K), your long run pace should be about 10:15 to 10:45 minutes per mile. You have to do your long runs slowly to extend your time running, teaching your body to burn fat, while lessening your chances for injury. If you feel that you are running too slowly on the long runs then you are probably in the right pace group. If you feel that you are running too fast then you are in the wrong pace group and you will want to talk to us. Andy Steinfeld ran a 3:30 marathon (8 minute pace) while doing all of the long runs in the 9:15-9:30 range. Lori Kaleikau ran a 3:58 marathon (9 minute pace) while doing all of the long runs in the 10:15 – 10:30 range.
Like your weekly averages, your long run distances should not jump up too dramatically. Also the distance on the long run should not exceed 40-45% of you weekly mileage. During the weekend runs, your distance will gradually build from 8 miles to 10 to 12 miles. In addition, we will have longer runs covering distances extending from 14 to 20 miles (at the end of the program). No less an authority than coach, Jack Daniel argues against doing more than 20 miles while training for a marathon. To quote Dr. Daniel, "the race should be the real challenge, not the training" (Runners World, December 1996, p. 26). Benji Durden also says you do not need to run longer than 3-4 hours during marathon training, to avoid injury. When Paul ran his PR of 3:02, no training runs exceeded 18 miles. John Noble's PR is 2:52 and he has run a 7:43 JFK 50-miler, and no training run for him has exceeded 20 miles. We think it is better to come into the marathon with "fresh" legs and not to miss it completely due to injury.
3. Quality Workouts
You do not need speed work to finish a marathon. However, incorporating some quality work into your training will make you a better runner. Becoming a better runner could make the marathon a little easier. Speed work teaches you to vary your pace, will improve your running efficiency, and improve your level of fitness. Quality workouts come in a variety of packages, including intervals on the track, fartlek (speed-play on the roads), tempo or threshold runs, hill repeats, and road races.
Besides a weekly long run, we recommend at least one other quality run a week, but no more than two. The most basic form of speed work is intervals on the track. We meet each Wednesday night at Montgomery College track (or other track) with the MCRRC for intervals. We share the track with the ½ Marathon training program and will alternate between track and road workouts each week.
In the beginning, the track intervals are based on your projected marathon pace or your projected anaerobic or lactic threshold. This is the theoretical line where breathing becomes difficult, and your muscles begin to produce lactic acid as a waste product, which slows you down. The concept of threshold training is that by running at that pace you will teach your body to handle lactic acid and improve your breathing. A non-scientific way to find the threshold is to assume it is approximately your 10-mile race pace. If you race a 10K averaging 8:00/mile (50 minutes for 10K), your threshold pace is about 8:15/mile. Of course as you train regularly at threshold pace or below, your threshold level goes down.
Tempo runs are longer intervals at threshold pace (done on either a measured course on the roads or on the track). So for example, one way to do a tempo run is to warm up with a slow 2 miles, run the next 2 miles at threshold pace (8:15/mile for a person who averages 8:00/mile racing a 10K), then do a slow 2 mile cool-down. Your slow miles should be done at least 1-1:30 minutes/mile slower than 10K race pace (9:30/mile for an 8:00/mile 10Kracer).
4. Easy Runs
Some people call them "junk miles;" These runs are meant to be both short and slow (3 to 6 miles at a comfortable pace. Easy days are necessary so your body can recover from hard workouts. You need at least 36 hours to properly recover from a quality workout. You may choose to substitute total rest (no running) or cross-training for the easy days. Cross-training means weights, cycling, rowing or swimming; do not do aerobics, treadmill or stair master or other exercises which stress your legs by bouncing or replicate running. Easy runs can be used as filler, to reach your weekly goals and increase your base. Combined with the other elements of this program, the easy miles will help improve your endurance and fitness level. Even world class marathoners do some slow, short runs.
Equipment
Let's start with shoes. A decent pair of running shoes costs between $85 and $125. Running shoe technology has greatly improved over the last 20 years, and most of the major manufacturers (Adidas, Asics, Brooks, New Balance, Nike, Reebok, Saucony, etc.) make shoes of similar quality. Runners World magazine has a yearly shoe guide if you want to know about the differences between various brands. You should consider fit and comfort in picking out shoes. Do not get shoes made for other sports (tennis, basketball, cross-trainers, etc.). If you need to cut corners pick another area, not this one. A trip to a specialty running store is recommended as they can determine what type of shoe would be best for your specific needs.
Your running clothes and socks should be constructed of synthetic materials, which help wick moisture (sweat) away from your skin. Basic running clothing for hot weather consists of shorts and a singlet (tank top) and running bra for women. Avoid as it has a tendency to absorb water from sweat, leading to heavy weight and chaffing. Sport specific fabrics on the market include "cool-max," "supplex" and the like. These materials do a great job of wicking sweat away from your body to the exterior of the clothing where it evaporates, keeping you drier.
You will also need a running watch. We suggest you get a watch that can keep at least 30 splits (remember there are 26 mile splits in a marathon). Timex makes a 100 split watch for about $50.
A Word On Pacing
Your coaches will lead the pace for the group runs. You will run behind them so as not to “push the pace”. On the long runs the pace could vary between a few seconds faster to a few seconds slower per mile than the assigned pace. Coaches may also choose to slow down the pace at their discretion if they notice that the group is struggling. (Hot weather, hard work-out week etc.). It is common to ease into a long run by running the first mile a little slower. If you are struggling on a long run, let your coach know so that he/she can arrange to have someone stay with you or arrange for you to run with a slower pace group. No-one should run alone.
Nutrition
The best diet for runners would be high in complex carbohydrates and low in fats. Don't radically change your diet for this program (unless you are living on junk food). A general rule of thumb is "everything in moderation." You don't have to "carbo-load" to run a marathon. You don't have to be a vegetarian either. Given how many calories you will be burning while training for a marathon, be careful not to under-eat. There is a very good book on nutrition for active people called; Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook.
During the marathon you will benefit by taking in some form of fuel. This can be crackers, pretzels, gummy bears, a PB&J or the Gels, GUs and energy bars that are sold that are made specifically for refueling athletes. You will want to practice taking some form of fuel on the long runs so that you can get used to it before marathon day. Some things that work well for one runner do not work well for another so try various things during your long runs to see what works for you.
Everyone should carry water on long runs and therefore you may want some type of waist pack or backpack that holds water. Some people use the handheld type carriers as well. On warm/hot days or on very long runs you will loose a significant amount of electrolytes (salts) thru your sweat. In order to replace the electrolytes lost and be able to continue running strong you will want to drink an electrolyte replacement type drink such as Gatorade, Accellerade, Endurox, Propel etc.
Still have questions?
If you have questions, concerns or want advice, e-mail both co-directors Andy Steinfeld at Andy_Steinfeld@syntelic.com and Lori Kaleikau at Kaleikau2@Comcast.net and either one or both of us will get back to you.