The marathon training program, Part II

This is the second of three articles written for the marathoner who would like their next 26.2-mile effort to be a personal best. I took the ideas presented from training programs advocated and used by Arthur Lydiard, Bill Dellinger, Bill Rodgers, Ron Daws and Benji Durden. Their running schedules were rigorous and helped U.S. athletes rise to the top of the world distance runners' rankings in the 1970s and early 1980s.

In Part I, I outlined a training program that features a long run, a hill workout and a session of fast running each week. Let's look at these workouts in more detail.

This is the most critical part of your training. To run efficiently for 26.2 miles, the body needs to make adjustments. Through weekly long runs, gradually increasing to 20 miles, leg muscles are strengthened, the cardiovascular system developed, and the body becomes adept at effectively metabolizing glycogen and fats - your stored energy fuel for running. In addition, when you extend your running time to two to three hours, it can become mentally challenging. As fatigue increases, the temptation is to slow down or even take a walk break. If your muscles are genuinely fatigued, you can't help but slow down. However, the problem may be all in your head. In that case, summon the determination to continue at the same pace. That's why just running a single 20 miler is not enough. It usually takes three to five 20-mile runs to prepare you mentally and physically to race a fast marathon.

Pace is critical when racing, so it needs to be practiced. Your race day plan should be to run even splits or negative splits (when the second half of your race is faster than the first half). So time your runs. This will give you an idea of your level of fitness. Run at a pace that is slightly faster than your comfort level but not as tiring as your race pace.

I train using the same course that has the first six miles marked and every third mile thereafter. I note the split times as I pass these markers. Each mile should be completed in about the same time. When my split times begin to fall off, I know where my training is at that point. The following week I will try to hold my even pacing a mile or two longer. If later in the run, my pace dramatically slows, I know I started out too fast.

My goal is to run each long run at a progressively faster average pace. These runs are tiring. But if I do them correctly, they leave me fresh and ready to run hard again in a couple days.

At some point do a long run at the exact time of day that the race starts to give you an idea what it feels like to run at that time of day.

Your long runs will be the best predictor of your finish time. Most marathon training programs recommend you do long runs one to two minutes slower than the goal pace for your race. I feel the pace should be closer to 45 seconds per mile slower than your goal race pace. This pace will give your body a hard workout but still allow recovery so hard training can resume two days later. You may slow down some to accommodate bad footing, rugged terrain, as well as inclement or hot weather. However, your practice runs should never be at race pace or even within a half-minute of it.

Predicting finish times is not an exact science. Ideally you have run previous marathons and by comparing training logs you can begin to predict, based on past workouts and races, what will be your next goal.

Keep a detailed running log, noting the specifics of your workouts: times, distance, weather, etc.

In the later stages of training, you might try running a practice marathon. Start with three easy warm up miles then do your 20 miler and finish with three easy cool down miles. If your goal is run a 3:30 marathon, your race pace is 8:00, your 20-miler pace is about 8:45, and your warm up and cool down miles are done at 9:15 to 9:30.

For speedwork, I like to do half-mile or one mile repeats at race pace or slightly faster. At your training peak you should total 20-30 minutes of fast running. (Example: 6 X 3:30 minute 800s equals 21 minutes of fast running). A more grueling variation is to run a 1-2-3-4-5 then 5-4-3-2-1 like this: Begin with a minute of fast running, jog until your wind comes back, then run fast for two minutes, then jog and so forth until you run five minutes fast. Now do another 5-minute run and work your way back down to one minute. That's 30 minutes of speed and a very challenging workout. In all workouts, never take a walking break. Jog between intervals. Speedwork can also be done effectively on a treadmill.

Running up hills strengthens legs muscles, increases stamina and builds mental toughness. Even if you will be racing on a flat course, hills are still essential. Running over rolling terrain is fine but I prefer to do repeats on a hill about 400 yards high and steep enough to be challenging but not agonizing. Start with four to six repetitions. Over time, try to get up to 10-12 repetitions, charging uphill then turning and going swiftly downhill.

As you descend, try to lean forward. You can't really lean forward, but you want to avoid leaning backward and slamming your feet. Arrive at the bottom ready to race uphill again. If you are still exhausted when you reach the bottom, take the descent more slowly. Gradually increase the number of hills you run until you are doing 20-30 minutes of uphill in a workout. If hill running is new to your training, you will feel stiff after your initial workouts. You will adapt.

If you have knee problems or there are no hills available, substitute hill running with rigorous fartlek runs. A fartlek is a tempo run interspersed with fast surges lasting from a few seconds to a couple of minutes.

That's your training program. Each week a long run, some speedwork, a hill or fartlek session and several easy runs.

A quick note on easy runs: these are for recovery. No fast running, no extra effort expended. Most folks run their easy runs too fast. If you are trying to run a marathon at an eight minute per mile pace, your easy miles should be around 9:45 to 10:00.

In Part III of this series of marathon training articles, the focus will be on the 10 days leading up to the race and strategies for race day.