A few weeks ago my husband and I were talking about the marathon and my training.
“I’m not trying to belittle you past races, but for the first time I actually believe you’ll reach your goal. In the past I always hoped you would, but kind of knew that you wouldn’t. But this time you’ve actually done the training.”
To be honest, it stung a little at first. Prior to Sugarloaf, I had trained for and run seven marathons. There was a lot of work that went into that training: early wake ups, miles and miles some of those miles in hills of New Hampshire some of those miles in desert of Arizona.
My initial impulse was to slap my husband. But I am the kind of person who abhors confrontation in any form, I silently fume. So as I began to work myself up to begin silently fuming at my husband for his inability to recognize my hard work…I realized: HE WAS RIGHT.
“Yeah. I know. You’re right.”
My husband wasn’t criticizing a lack of work ethic, he was being honest about the preparation it takes to run a marathon and run it well. My husband may not be a marathoner but he does know his stuff: despite working in a different field now he maintains his CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) certification-one of the most advance and difficult certifications in the fitness industry. One of the reasons I fell in love (and keep falling in love) with my husband is the fact that he is not afraid to challenge me to be better at in life, in motherhood and in my running. I’m so grateful that he doesn’t let me settle. He helps me be my best.
Up until this year my training had never been adequate for the goals that I had. My goal had always been to run a Boston Marathon Qualifying time, which from 2003-2011 was 3:40 (that decreased to 3:35 in 2012). I followed training plans for those goal times, but realize now that those training plans prepared me to finish a marathon, not necessarily race a marathon.
This training cycle has been radically different in many ways. Here’s what I’ve done differently:
Base: My training cycle this winter and spring was really built upon the work I did last year. In the spring of 2013 I set a big goal: run 1:35 at the CHaD Half Marathon in the fall. My fastest half marathon time was 1:45 (2011) and I’d just run 1:48. It was a big stretch. I may not have achieved the goal or running 1:35 (I ran 1:41 at the CHaD Half and 1:39 two weeks later), but setting such a big goal changed the way I trained. I trained harder, ran more miles and harder workouts than I’d ever run before. Prior to 2013 high mileage for me would have been 40 miles. My mileage peaked in the Spring/Summer at 58 miles/week and in the Fall at 57 miles/week. I consistently ran tempo and interval workouts each week and incorporated a few race pace miles into my long runs. There’s something about setting a really big goal that, even if you don’t achieve it on the first attempt, can bring you to the next level and from there that BIG goal isn’t so much of a stretch. That’s what my big goal last year did, it brought me closer to achieving my marathon goals.
Long Runs: I knew that in order to be prepared to run a marathon well I needed to incorporate at least four runs of 20+ miles into my training cycle. I built my training plans around these long runs: they were the focus. I didn’t want to forsake the long runs for races so I opted not to run a half marathon this spring. Between each long run weekend was a run of 16 miles, so that I wasn’t running 20 milers every single weekend. My long runs for the latter part of my training cycle, up until peak week looked like this:
- 18 miles scheduled-ran 19.23
- 20 miles scheduled-ran 7 in the morning, 5mile race with 1 mile warm up, 7 miles in the afternoon. (The day before this day I ran a 5K, hard effort. I was tired during these runs, but knew that would build endurance. During the marathon when my legs felt fatigued I recalled this day. My legs felt the same at the beginning of my third run on this day as they did in mile 20-23 of the marathon. I knew I could push through and do it.)
- 16 miles scheduled-ran 16
- 20 miles scheduled-ran 20 miles at Eastern States
- 16 miles scheduled-ran 17 miles
- 20 miles scheduled-ran 5 mile race (Decided to run a step back week and move my 20 miler to the following weekend.)
- 16 miles scheduled-ran 20 miles with 5 miles fast finish
- 20 miles scheduled-ran 22 miles
Running four 20 milers made a HUGE difference in how I felt late in the marathon on race day. It gave me the endurance I needed to be able to push at the end. Ive also felt the benefits in my recovery. I’m recovering faster because my body didnt take the beating it has in the past when I’ve run a marathon on 35-40 miles a week.
Higher Mileage: The long runs were the center point of my training plan, but high weekly mileage was close second. My general guideline was to run the following weekly miles in the following months:
- January-40’s
- February-50’s
- March-60’s
- April-70’s
My goal was to peak somewhere in the 70’s. Here are my actual weekly miles:
Weeks 5-9 in the 40’s. Weeks 10-12 in the 50’s. Weeks 13-16 in the 60’s with one step back week of 39. Week 17 was peak week at 71. Week 18-20 Taper, culminating in the marathon in week 20.
For the most part I followed my initial guidelines while also listening to my body. There were some weeks where I was sick, the kids were sick or the week my husband had his appendix out or our polar vortex winter thwarted my running plans. Life happens and your training has to bend and flex with its demands. I tried to follow my training plan as much as possible, while still remaining flexible.
Tempo and Interval Training: I think these are keys to a strong marathon training plan. I only did a handful of tempo runs this training cycle. It wasn’t my focus. The long runs and weekly mileage were. I probably did a total of 3 or 4 tempo runs and none of them were longer than three miles. I think tempo runs can hone your ability to run goal race pace and really race the marathon. I was able to maintain my interval training through the winter with indoor track workouts at the University of New Hampshire. I didn’t make it every week, so the weeks when I couldn’t get there due to snow or scheduling conflicts I’d run an interval workout on the treadmill. When a track isn’t accessible timed intervals are a great way to get in speed work. For example 3 minutes hard, 2 minutes easy or 1 minute hard, 1 minute easy or 7 minutes hard, 3 minutes easy. The possibilities are endless and it is slightly easier than trying to calculate 800’s or 400’s on the road. Here are a few key track workouts I ran:
1Kx3 with three minutes rest
2K, 2x1K, 2K with three min rest after 2K and 1 min rest after 1K
400, 600, 800, 1600, 1600, 800, 600, 400 with 400 rest
6×800 on three minute cycles, 5×200
10×800 with 400m rest
Core and Hip Strength: You’ll notice that three “empty weeks” (49-51) in December I took three weeks off-no running. At the time I was dealing with what I believed to be high hamstring tendonosis/tendinitis. I had a few PT appointments and resolved to be more dedicated to strengthening my hips and core during this training cycle. If you’re currently dealing with a nagging injury and you’re reluctant to take time off because you’re afraid you’ll lose fitness, I would encourage you to take the time off. Taking time to heal and strengthen areas of your body that are weak will only make you stronger in the end. During this training cycle I took barre classes on a weekly basis and tried to do my PT exercises at least three times a week (probably ended up more being more like once or twice a week). If I couldn’t make it to barre, I would substitute with a Jillian Michael’s DVD 30 minute workout. I believe that having a stronger core played a huge part in being able to maintain high mileage without breaking down and becoming injured.
The Little Things: When your body is fatigued at towards the end of marathon it is the little things you’ve done in your training that make the difference between falling apart and finishing strong. Some of the little things I did:
- Dynamic Stretching: I stretch dynamically before every.single.run. I think it is important and it makes a difference in the way I feel during and after the run. Here’s a helpful video.
- Post Run Stretching and Foam rolling: I have a stretching routine I do post run and hit the major muscle groups, but especially the hip flexors and glute medius. And I tried to spend my evenings rolling on my trusty PVC pipe and Lacrosse ball.
- Drills: Form and foot drills were a big part of my routine during this training cycle. I tired to do them at least once or twice a week. Form drills: high knees, butt kicks and toe taps. And the six foot drills found HERE.
- Massage and Chiropractic Care: I get regular massages. Every other week in the 60-70 mile weeks. This helps keep tightness at bay. I also see a chiropractor regularly to keep everything in balance, to get a little ART (Active Release Therapy).
- Sleep: Sleep is so important for recovery. I was up at 5am to run most mornings so around 8:30 I’d start to feel like I need to go to bed. I was probably in bed most nights around 8:45 or 9pm.
- Nutrition: I feel like I could devote an entire post to this, but the big things that I did differently this training cycle were some fasted (glycogen depletion) long runs and I incorporated a recovery drink (Vega Recovery Accelerator) after hard efforts and long runs. I also started using Generation UCAN as a preface fuel.
I didn’t set out to run a 23 minute PR. I set out to finish the marathon feeling triumphant. And that is exactly what happened, due in large part to my training. Good training can give you a quiet confidence and strength, so that on race day all you have to do is execute. When I ran the Sugarloaf Marathon I was ready to execute. There are somethings you can’t control: the clock, the weather, certain Subaru drivers, but I could control the training I put into this cycle. And when race day came I knew I could trust my training.
Have you had a similar revelation about your training? Ever taken you training to the next level and seen huge results? Any questions about my training?
During this training cycle I was self-coached. I used my knowledge as a USTAF Level 1 Coach and my past experience to build my training plan. Every person is different and I think it is probably possible to run an equally fast marathon on lower miles. I needed to run higher miles, to build endurance and to probably counterbalance some inefficiency due to poor running form etc. Sometimes it takes time to figure all of this out, but hopefully this post will help you find what works for you.
-Sarah
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Bekah says
My husband said something similar to me- I think not until after Providence though. Basically suggesting that it was always unrealistic for me to think that I could hit my goal given the hurdles I had in my training. I’m glad he didn’t say it before in some ways because I had enough self-doubt myself that didn’t help me out.
I’m definitely going to kick my training up a notch once I start the cycle for a fall marathon. I’ve been doing the ‘intermediate’ plan but if I want to run to race and not just finish I don’t think that’s enough. I’ll come back to look at this post again too.
Awesome post, Sarah! Thanks for sharing what worked for you. I’m excited to up my mileage for my Chicago Marathon training cycle and see how my body responds. So proud of all your hard work! What a payoff! Dare I even ask what’s next
Thank you for sharing all of your great training tips! It’s good for me to see that higher weekly mileage & more 20+ milers made such a huge difference for you. Thinking about my past training I know that is where I lack. (40 miles/week peak and only 2 20 milers) Once I read how great you felt at the end of the race, I wondered HOW! I have only run 2 marathons, and the first was awful because of tummy trouble, but my legs/hips just felt terrible the last 5 miles. The 2nd went a lot better, but I still fell apart the last few miles. My legs felt terrible. I still got a PR and a reached my goal of getting a BQ(3:31), but I know I could do better and had I not had to walk a bit in the last couple miles I also would have been under 3:30. I know I would certainly love to finish the race feeling the way you did, even if it wasn’t a PR. I think you made a great move by aiming to finish triumphant, instead of putting a number on it. You definitely put in the work! Congrats again on an amazing race, and giving some great insight on the changes you made to do it!
I really love your advice and this is such a helpful post. I’m not planning on training for any marathons anytime soon, but I plan to incorporate a lot of that into the next race I train for, maybe a half. I do agree that nutrition like a recovery drink helps too, I just started doing that and could tell a difference with my runs the next day.
I do agree mileage is huge. I didn’t run anywhere close to enough mileage for my first marathon. I ran 35-40 miles per week… in fact I still run that NOW… and I train for 5Ks. If I ever decide to do another marathon I will at least up it to 45-50 per week and maybe top out a little over that. My body seems to break down over 40 though, hopefully a few more years of running and doing more easy runs on the high weeks will help that.
I’ve been waiting for this post!!
LOVE IT. It really follows almost exactly what I WANT from my next training cycle (high volume-but I think I babbled about that in my last email) so I was excited to read it! It really jives with what I want to do. When I cut 21 min off my marathon (3:56 to 3:35) it was due to an increase in mileage… so naturally, I feel like another little bump will push me past my plateau. I’ve toyed with creating my own plan but I’m not sure I trust myself to be patient and slow about it and not just start hammering crazy workouts. LOVE IT!!!
I think higher mileage is a huge part of becoming a stronger, faster marathoner. But you have to take easy training days easy and go hard only when you have to: tempo, interval and races. I think sometimes we’re afraid to run slow when we are pushing for a big PR, we think it is a sign of weakness or not making big enough gains. Let your intervals and your races be signs of improvement…not your easy and long runs.
Thanks for sharing! WTG on such dedication to a great plan! I finished my 2nd full marathon last weekend and I feel that for #3 I need to have more of a plan!! Thx again!
Even though I had a “plan” I didn’t have every single workout spelled out in advance…in fact the only things I had planned out in January when I started were the long runs and races I wanted to do. Every other run I planned the Sunday night before the coming week. That helped keep it fresh and reduced the monotony and maybe some of the anxiety that sometimes comes from having your whole marathon training planned out.
I loved reading this right before my fall marathon training begins. Congratulations on your huge PR and for working so hard during your training. Thank you for sharing all your tips on how you made it happen!
Thank you so much! Glad it was helpful!
Amanda Naro (@amandanaro) says
Thanks for sharing you plan and thoughts on your training. While I don’t plan on training for a marathon anytime soon, my husband is currently planning to run one in July after a disappointing finish at Boston this year. I’ll have to share it with him as even though he trained great for Boston - he did not race well and was left wanting vengeance (hence why he signed up for the July marathon the same week).
I think you’re right though about training to run the distance and training to RACE the distance. When I did my (first) half in March - it was purely about finishing the distance. But with that base and more training under my belt I was able to do much better and strategically race Big Lake Half earlier this month. I think I’ll have to try the form drills from your previous post - I know my form tends to suffer at the end of longer runs or hard runs.
Is he running Around the Lake?? I ran that last year…not my favorite course, but a simple race which is kind of nice. Fatigue always affects form, I think those drills help build our “form muscles” so that when we are tired not everything breaks down and falls apart. Good luck to your husband in July!
Yup, that’s the one!
Thanks for sharing Sarah!!! I am learning from your posts, can’t wait to feel awesome after my next marathon!
So glad it was helpful for yoU!
This post is so helpful. Did you find that adding in the higher mileage was tough on your body? I wonder I my training mileage has been too low this spring. I definitely did not feel as strong coming into Boston this year as I did last year. Do you think you will follow a similar training plan for Boston next year? I am so impressed by your finish and would love to talk more in person at some point about your training and everything. We need to have a meet up of NH runbloggers at some point. Perhaps this summer! Congrats again and hope your recovery is going well!
I think I added mileage slowly enough that it was OK. But I was definitely tired and a bit run down on those higher mileage week. I think the key to not burning out was having that 39 mile step back week. It wasn’t planned but it was exactly what I needed. I think longer weekday runs was also a big factor. THere were some weeks where I took two days off but still ran in the 50’s because I was running 10,12 and 13 milers during the week. I know it’s hard for some with kids/schedules etc…I did have a few 4:30am wake ups during those weeks. Love the idea of NH Runbloggers meetup!!
Caroline Luft says
Dear Sarah,
Thank you for sharing the details of your training. Congratulations on the triumphant race at Sugarloaf! I looked forward to and relished the recap, and in spite of never commenting have been following your training regularly for the better part of the past year. Great work — across divergent distances (great recent 5K, great marathon)!
It’s very helpful to hear about specific goals and the steps you have taken to achieve them. I have been injured for the larger part of the past year, so I look eagerly ahead to trying to implement similar specificity (and preventive strengthening measures) in my own training.
Keep running happily and healthily,
Best wishes,
Carrie
Carrie, thanks so much for your comment! I’m so glad you’ve found my training log and recaps helpful-that’s my goal:) I think the more you can do now to strengthen the better off you will be when you actually start training. Injuries are no fun, but if you can really take care of things now, you’ll be a stronger runner for it!
I have so much appreciation for all the time it must have taken to put this post together. Blog posts like this take forever to create—but you include so much helpful info! Thanks so much, and congrats again!
Aww thanks! I wanted to write this one more than the recap cause training info is the stuff I eat up! The science of it is fascinating to me! So glad it was helpful for yoU!
anyonecanrun says
Thanks for the tips. I’m setting out to qualify for Boston late fall/winter and am busting my tail right now. This gives me added assurance that I’m taking the right steps. Also, my husband is my biggest fan, but he gives me a kick in the pants when I need it. That sounds exactly like something mine would say to me.
Sounds like you’re doing a great job! I felt like I was busting butt too and during the winter some days it was a huge battle, but I kept thinking about the fact that if I put in the work now it would pay off later. That’s what I told myself when I was waking up at 4am to go run 16 miles on the treadmill because of a snowstorm…Hopefully the summer won’t throw to many heat waves your way!You’re hubs sounds like a great guy.
Great post. I am trying to PR in my fall marathon and your tips are very helpful. Unfortunately, there is no way I can peak in the 70’s due to time constraints with childcare etc. But I can still finds things that will help me.
I’m glad you found it helpful! Finding the time to run 70 miles a week is a challenge. There are a few tricks I used like meal planning and grocery shopping for two weeks at a time, gave me an extra weekend morning. Running twice a day once on my own and once with the stroller. Thankfully my husband doesn’t leave for work until 7:30/8. So I could wake up early 4:30/5 and be home by 7. I know other’s don’t have such flexible schedules, so I’m lucky in that regard.
I love this and SO PROUD of you!! I have been floundering a bit lately, always looking for the next gimmick to push me over the edge. But the truth is you just have to put in the work. I just wrote a post about refocusing and just doing what I need to do without being a crazy person haha
Aww thanks Krysten! I think that is what I realized too. I had these big goals and kept attempting to reach them and I had a strong work ethic, but I don’t think I had the knowledge. This fall I realized that my training has to be at another level if I want to achieve what I dream of.
Abby Ecker says
This post as perfect timing! I am creating a training plan to run a 22-minute marathon PR as we speak (My BQ time is 3:35 and I ran my previous marathon at 3:57). I know I have a lot of work to do but this really excited me to do it!
anyonecanrun says
I’m planning to go from a 4:02 to under 3:45 and it scares me. Lots of work, but I’m hopeful too! Keep at it!
Hard work and keeping up with the little things. You can do it!
As long as you put in the work and do the little things it is totally doable! Keep that dream alive, even on the days when it feels too impossible!
Fabulous post!!! I appreciate your husbands honesty, I think mine has probably felt that exact same way. great details on your process and training!
Thanks for the comment Amanda. I think hearing that from my husband was actually a boost in confidence for me because i know he knows and I knew he believed I could do it and he was there cheering the whole way, which was awesome! Telling me I looked “Strong as hell!” haha!
Elsa H says
I’ve come back to this post so many times in the last few days. I’m planning on doing my first marathon in September at the Sydney marathon. There is so much good advice here - thanks for sharing!
Jennifer Boudreau says
Thank you for sharing!!!!! I’ve been curious about your training cycle!!! Love it! and noting everything for my fall marathon.
I’m so glad it was helpful! Just remember that training load(weekly mileage) is very individualized so you really have to play around and find out what works best for you.
Thank you for sharing this. I am trying to get my mileage up this time around. I am not a high mileage runner but I am trying to ease myself into it because I think it will make a difference. 23 minute PR…just amazing!
Thanks so much! Definitely ease into that higher mileage. Training load can be so specific to each individual so you really have to figure out what works for you.
Great post. Thanks for sharing!!
Not sure why I am just now seeing this, but glad I’m here. First off congratulations on such an amazing race and pr! It was exciting to read about your race, and now to know what you did different and how it worked for you.
Thanks so much Lisa! I approached everything differently and it seemed to work! I hope I get a chance to try again in the fall. We’ll see not sure what’s up with my knee.
Thanks for sharing what you learned about getting faster in the marathon! Congrats on your huge PR!
Hi there! Thank you so much for sharing your training plans. I have hopes of following what you’ve provided as a guide to set a new PR (hopefully a BQ!) One quick question: Do your weekly milage step-back weeks correspond to the step-back long runs? For example, if you planned to do 50+ miles per week in Feb., was the week you stepped down to 45 miles also a week where you ran 16 miles for a long run instead of 18? Thanks!
Stephanie
Yes. Step back weeks usually corresponded with step back long runs. Good luck!!
Stephanie Seymour Swenson says
Thank you!!
I enjoyed reading this as I plan on grabbing a BQ time in April this time! Thank you for sharing.
and congrats on a huge PR!
So glad you found it helpful! Good luck as you train for that BQ!