About taking your time
I think it’s obvious at this point I have never really had the desire to impose my thoughts about running on people. I have certain firm views on good practice and I have some decent experience on what doesn't tend to work but I still think the key to improving one’s performance has to come from within.
No coach, parent, teacher, or educator of any kind can impose knowledge and interest. They can share and lead in a way that is attractive and makes it easier for others to receive and comprehend but in the end, in this case, it’s the athlete who has to be keen and find the right motivators to get them going.
On that note, I always feel that the ultimate goal in running is getting to know yourself, your body and have a good range of tools to help you make the right decisions at the right time. Inevitably that will mean different approaches or different stimulus for different athletes. And of course it can also mean similar results following similar training structures.
After this preview I could really take this post anywhere I’d want, but in this instance I want to reflect on why it takes ME the time it takes me to get marathon ready.
Most marathon plans are 12 to 16 weeks. Some assume the athlete already has a good base and they are not starting from scratch but plenty of times all prefabricated plans don’t really specify what a good base really needs to be. In fact most plans just exist and service multiple athletes. Who hasn't googled sub3 marathon plan? What happens if you’re only ready for a 3.08? Should you start running 15 seconds per km faster than you should every session and burn out or get injured? What happens if you’ve got a 3.02 and think you’re ready to make another small jump in performance but you’re used to running 75km a week and the plan says you must now start running 105km per week?
We’re all different. And to that point it’s interesting how I tend to get the same reaction from people when I share that I need 6 to 9 months to get marathon ready.
I am a very strong believer in specificity. At any level. A great miler would not do very well at the marathon unless they trained for the distance, no matter how fast they are at the mile. And the most specific concept for the longest distance (ultras are a different universe altogether) is distance.
I need my body to really get used to everything I will find on the day. And that’s a slow process that can’t be rushed. If I consider the fact that most years I tend to take a break from the high miles it only makes more sense when I need to start again.
If we simplify the key stages for preparing a marathon according to Arthur Lydiard we see that his first training phase is base conditioning. This particular phase is not necessarily unique to marathon distance. Any endurance based sport will require a phase specifically to build a base. What is marathon specific is perhaps the time recommended time spent building that base, in this case he talks about 4 months.
- Phase 1: Base Conditioning/Aerobic Training — 4 months
- Phase 2: Hill Training/Speed Development — 1 month
- Phase 3: Sharpening — 3 months
- Phase 4: Tapering and Rest — 2-3 weeks
My view on this is that most runners who might look at this and try to use the concepts to match their reality will not be able to dedicate 9 months to preparing 1 race. For whatever reason… no patience, time not available, lack of dedication, not at the right level to withstand the effort required, etc.
Structuring any marathon training plan, however long, should really, in one way or another, cover certain minimums to put yourself in a good position to run the distance well, and those minimums can be based on those phases, only adjusting the time spent at each phase.
In my case I strongly believe in building a very strong base before even attempting to construct anything on top of it. How do I know what that is? I personally look at getting close to my best 10k on base building alone. From unstructured mileage. There might be patterns in my running that might help that base building along (such as steady runs on hilly courses or occasional threshold runs limited in time (per run) so not to break whilst still building, but the overall objective of the phase is to lose weight, accumulate mileage, improve my heart rate and get stronger.
I often start with 3–4 months as a rough plan but can stretch it or shorten it at any point depending on my progress.
Anyone coming to me for marathon plans or advice on training for a marathon will know that I will always start with a number of weeks of boring easy mileage on hilly routes.
I recognise Lydiard advocated for a range of efforts within this phase to go from 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and 7/8 to distinguish the efforts, so in fact most of this phase is spent running at some intensity and not just easy miles. For a well trained and adapted athlete this is great but when looking at inexperienced runners I certainly make sure the efforts match the reality of the runner so easy miles with the occasional workout or steady/progression run may suffice.
Once I have gained enough fitness (weight, mileage, heart rate and strength) I move into a second phase of training where I focus on speed development.
This phase is quite straight forward. Hill reps, short reps, the occasional longer interval based session, core and other strength work. I certainly don’t spend a month doing hill reps and hill circuits. As an individual athlete and qualified coach I take the liberty to use Lydiard’s concepts to suit my characteristics as a runner.
I do find that 4–6 weeks working on speed development where the focus is on strength, running technique, bio-mechanics, leg speed, agility and overall coordination can be plenty. This, for me, is one of the toughest phases of marathon training. The sessions can be short but quite painful.
In the way of understanding progress I find that testing yourself in a 3000 or 5000 time trial can often show real improvements to close that phase off.
I don’t necessarily like the idea of generalising in terms of number of weeks or type of session but there is a reason why 4–6 weeks is a good starting point. It enables the necessary adaptations in the body. Trying to rush this work cramming several sessions in a 2–3 week period might end up being counterproductive.
I find I don’t feel very comfortable starting to work on the marathon distance until I’ve set myself up with those basic requirements. Base and speed.
At that point I will spend a few weeks (around 12) working on stretching that speed. Speed endurance, heavy threshold work, faster than marathon pace sessions, runs targeting energy efficiency, etc.
I consider that the fun phase since at that point I tend to feel quite fit. They are gruelling sessions but the body can take it. And it’s fun because they are challenging but very rewarding sessions specially designed to tackle race day.
The main test when going through this phase is the feeling of excitement. When I finish each session I look at my progression, my pace. I analyse my feelings, energy levels,… And I dream a little about what I could do on the day. Positive ambitions.
Of course I also monitor progress based on pace, heart rate, recovery periods, back to back loads, etc but if I feel good I’m doing well!
I’ll get into tapering some other time. Perhaps will even expand on the sharpening or marathon specific phase when I find myself in the middle of it.
For now, good luck and enjoy the ride to those of you (some of my runners) about to start their specific phase!
Happy running!!
