Schedule for 2014

Introduction

Figure 1: Lasse Virén getting up during 10,000 m Olympic Final.

According to the legendary and revolutionary distance training coach, Arthur Lydiard, the single most important factor in planning a training schedule is the date of the competition. This is the competition where you want to perform at your best. Everything done (including racing) before this is part of preparation for the Big Event. The best trainee of distance running in his time was my compatriot, Lasse Virén. He probably was not the best athlete in the field, nor the most gifted, nor genetically superior, but he was the best prepared and was performing at his very best when it mattered, when others couldn't. He won twice both the 5,000 m and 10,000 m competitions in the Olympics, consecutively in '72 and '76. He planned his training in four year cycles always performing at his best in the Olympics. He performed quite poorly in the years between the Games, and received a lot of critic for it especially in his home country, only to shine again when the stakes were at the highest.

The inventor, Arthur Lydiard, was a high school drop-out, shoe factory worker from New Zealand, who later revolutionized distance running training, after doing his own experiments of running training. Until then, most of the distance runners trained running too hard and too fast in the practice. Lydiard taught that most of the training is to be aerobic, jogging. To go fast you have to learn to go slow. Since the prime years of Lasse Virén the game has changed, but the principles of Lydiard still apply.


My Season

My season will be divided in to two parts. In the first part, the first 6 months, my goal is to run a decent 10K Road Race in April. In the second part of the season and my primary goal of this season is to be running the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in October. So far I have no goal times, I just plan to improve every aspect of my distance running, and perform in the goal races to my current potential. The Chicago Marathon is known to be on a fast and flat course. Over the years this course has produced four world records. But more important than these competitions and results is to keep on making progress and build up the amount of training that I can take. In the larger picture I am on the Quest to find out my true potential as a distance runner.


Setting Out the Schedule

Figure 2: Plan for the Season 2014.

The frame of my 2014 Schedule and Plan is presented on the left in the Figure 2. I will begin my Season on the 4th of November after having been resting for 3 weeks after my previous Season. Besides the planned 4000 km+ of running next year (or five to six pairs of running shoes), I will be doing cross-training twice a week in the form of circulation practice program called Iron Strength (developed by Dr. Jordan Metzl). Iron Strength program is designed for distance runners. Overall at the hardest part of the training I will be doing 9 practices per week (7 running, 2 cross-training). Cross-training is important to prevent injury while running. Not just that, but I will be stronger and run faster and longer with more strength.

The Season begins with 8 weeks of Base Training: aerobic running 7 times per week. Still trying to avoid monotony and effort. I try to mix it up with longer, shorter, Easy Runs, Recovery Runs, all the possible combinations, maybe throw in an occasional Fartlek practice. The goal is to build up my weekly kilometers during the Base Training, so that I can just add intensity later, but keep the distance the same. One sure recipe for injury is to try to add intensity and distance at the same time. The rule of thumb is first the distance, then the intensity.

I should be able to handle 90 to 100 km kilometers per week by the time I will start with the 16-week 10K Training Program in the New Year 2014. The 10K Program has 4 weeks of Hills Training, during which I plan to run the Hills 3 times per week. Really focusing on building the running strength. The 10K Race Prepararion phase includes Intervals and Time Trial running. The focus is on finding the speed. The last six weeks of the Program I will run Tune-up Races, once a week, leading to the Goal 10K Race. That Goal 10K Race result will be of great importance when I try to estimate my current marathon pace (and goal marathon pace) for the 18-week training leading to the Chicago Marathon in October.

Then back to fully aerobic running (end of April): 6 weeks of Base Training, building up the amount of kilometers I can handle up to 115 to 120 km, before adding intensity in the form of 18-week Marathon Training Program. I will go through the 4 training phases in the Program: Endurance (6 weeks), Lactate Threshold + Endurance (5 weeks), Race Preparation (4 weeks), and Taper (3 weeks). More details and experiences will be revealed later.


Caution

Planning is fine, analyzing is better, changing the plan is the best. The most important thing is to listen to the feedback and signals coming from the body: recovery, sleeping, appetite, aches, moods etc. and react before going too far. The Plan is just ink on the paper (or numbers in a spreadsheet). It's there to push me forward, or to hold me back. It's a simple guide that I believe can take me to another level, but the real deal of training is much more complex. My Plan will live and change, if not, then I am just being STUPID.

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My References:
Base Training - Running to the Top (Arthur Lydiard)
10K Training Program - Running to the Top (Arthur Lydiard)
42K Training Program - Advanced Marathoning (Pete Pfitzinger & Scott Douglas)

2013 Season Recap

Training

The 2012 Season ended up in running my first ever Marathon on 13th of October 2012. After the Race my legs were tired and hurt for three days. After one week of almost complete rest I enrolled to the local gym Mr. Mundo. I started strength training by following a program planned by the Director of the gym, Hernan Brisco. I went to the gym 4 times a week for 5 weeks, a total of 20 practices. Core and legs training is the most important for marathon runner but you can't forget the upper body. The idea of strength training in the gym for a marathoner is not only to get more strength, but to fix imbalancies in the muscle groups to prevent injuries when running. Triathlonists train more hours and get less hurt. Why? Because they have more balanced and versatile training than marathoners. The strength training program needs to be designed in a way that you do not cause more imbalancies but you fix the ones that exist and build strength balanced without building too much muscle.


November to December

Figure 1: 3:30-Program training progress.

19th of November (week 47) I started a 3:30-marathon training program. The Program included running six times per week. After I started to follow the Program I quickly noticed that I was kind of pushing my limit. I did not have energy to go to the gym for strength training anymore. I could follow the Program 4 weeks before I had to quit. In the fourth week my legs felt heavy going in to the practice. I had developed shin splints and my right leg hamstring bothered me as well.

I figured out that my Base was not sufficiently good for following this Program. I would have to cut back the intensity and go to low intensity Base Training. I was fine with that. I decided that I would run the Buenos Aires Marathon again in next October, so I had plenty of time to build my Base and then do a marathon specific training program. My progress of key workouts during the first four weeks of the 3:30-program is presented in Figure 1.


Second Off-season

Figure 2: Delicious food at the beach in Cartagena, Colombia.

After I had slightly burned myself out with the 3:30-program, I eased up with the training during our vacations in Cordoba, Argentina (Christmas) and Colombia (New Year). They say holidays are the best time for an athlete to train. But this year I had to make an exception. And I think I made a wise choice of giving up the 3:30-program, slowed down, rested well, both physically and mentally. During the second off-season I ran Recovery Runs and Easy Runs three times a week until the end of the year 2012. I tried twice running at altitude in Bogota, Colombia (2700 m elevation) as an experiment. And took completely off from training the week 2 of 2013. Just laying on the beach and spending quality time with my wife in Cartagena, Colombia. The best thing for me in Colombia is the FOOD! Someday I will return, and just run a lot and eat the healthy, unprocessed, natural food. The colombians are also great cooks. Every restaurant or kiosk I visited, the food was delicious, not to mention the meals that the locals prepare in their homes.

January to April

Base Training. The Summer on the southern hemisphere lasts from December to March. During that time the temperatures in the day are very hot for training. The best time to go out running is early in the morning or late in the evening. I prefer running in the morning.

I got back to training on week 3. I started an experiment in which I tried to add 3 kilometers of running every week. Starting from 37 km, 5 times of running in the first week. Next week I ran 40 km. The intensity level was low, just Recovery and Easy Runs. I was teaching my legs and body to get used to the pounding and weekly distance that would be ahead of me when I would start to train according to a marathon training program. But for now I had 4 months time to slowly build my Base, while trying to stay healthy and uninjured. I added sixth running practice to my weekly schedule and ran uninterrupted and without injury until week 14. At week 13 I already ran 71,9 km. I had added to my weekly schedule Fartlek (Speed play) and Long Runs. My Easy Run pace had increased during the Base Training from about 5:25 min/km to 5:00 min/km at the same effort. I was making great progress while constantly adding my training quantity. I was all the time kind of close to pushing my limit, but still steering clear from injury. "Training, not straining" goes the saying implemented by the late great distance training coach Arthur Lydiard.

Figure 3: Eccentric Achilles Tendon strength training.

But then it hit me on week 14. My right Achilles Tendon got sore, and I could not complete my daily runs without pain. I stopped running and started doing a so called Iron Strength circulation training designed by Dr. Jordan Metzl, who writes a column on Runner's World. Eccentric strength training is vital in treating and preventing the Achilles Tendinitis that causes pain to the Tendon while running. Without proper treatment the Achilles Tendinitis will eventually prevent running. I was less than one month away from starting 3-hour marathon training program and my priority was to get healthy before the program begins. So I took off almost two weeks from running and did a few times the Iron Strength practice and eccentric Achilles Tendon strength training three times per day.

Two weeks before the begin of the marathon training program I got back to running. My Achilles Tendons felt alright again. To treat this kind of injuries, resting is not an option. Resting will take the pain away temporarily, but it will come back when you run again. The key is to change something: get more strength, change the position of the feet, or both. The day before the start of the marathon training program I went out and bought new running shoes, Asics Kayano 19. I was consulted at Club de Corredores that I should go on to get my feet scanned and get me a pair of custom made insoles from a company called Sporthesis. I did and instantly my Achilles Tendon problems were over. I ran 736,4 km in total during the Base Training from January to April while spending 64 and half hours on the Road.


May to October

Marathon Training. I started training specifically for the 2013 Buenos Aires Marathon on week 18, 29th of April. I had 24 weeks to go until the Race. I had built a pretty solid Base during the previous four months. Running up to 72 km per week. Now was the time to add effort and intensity to the training. The first week of the marathon training program I ran six practices with Friday as a Rest day. I totaled 56,5 km running Recovery Runs, Easy Run, Long Run, Marathon Pace Run, Tempo Run and Hills. The frame of training every week is basically the same except some of the training circulate in different cycles. I ran Hills and Intervals every third week. Recovery Runs, Easy Runs, Long Runs, Marathon Pace Runs and Tempo Runs once every week. The most training I did 4 weeks before the Main Event, running 89,9 km, including 8 x 800 m Intervals, 8 km Tempo Run, 14 km Marathon Pace Run, and 32 km Long Hard Run.

Figure 4: Recovery Run progress.

Recovery Runs

Recovery Runs (PK1) are the lowest intensity running practice. The effort level is around 70% of the maximum heart rate. In my case I run the Recovery Runs at about 130 bpm average HR (my max HR is 185). The warm-ups and cool-downs are also included in Recovery Runs category in addition to the easy Monday when I usually ran 6K Recovery Run practice.

The Recovery Run progress is presented in the figure 4. As can be interpreted from the table I increased my Recovery Run pace during the 24 weeks from about 5:25 min/km to 5:10 min/km. Recovery Run is all about low intensity. The closer to 130 avg HR the better the practice!

Easy Runs

Figure 5: Easy Run progress.

Easy Runs (PK2) are run with slightly more intensity than the Recovery Runs. The effort is about 75% from the max HR. Still deep in the aerobic effort zone. I ran Easy Runs on Wednesday, which was another easy day of the week. The usual Easy Run practice was 6K. During the training program as I got fitter my Easy Run pace got faster from about 5:00 min/km to 4:40 min/km. The progress is presented on the right in Figure 5. My objective was running about 140 bpm average HR (75%).

Figure 6: Long Run progress.

Long Runs

The cornerstone of marathon training is the weekly Long Run. Long Runs are included in shorter distance training as well but in marathon training they are the single most important weekly practices. Most of the Long Runs I did with constant pace. When I got fitter I included some Long Hard Runs, both the 32 km Long Runs. The one Long Run marked with asterisk (*) is a Half Marathon Race. I did my Long Runs usually on Sunday mornings.

The progress is presented in the Figure 6. During the Long Runs I also practiced drinking while running and tested the sports drinks that they would be okay for me to consume during a race.

Figure 7: Marathon Pace Run progress.

Marathon Pace Runs

Average 3-hour Marathon Pace (VK2) is 4:16 min/km. My primary goal during this year was to be able to run sub-3 hour marathon. In the beginning of the Marathon Training I was not fit enough to keep up that pace without turning the practice in to a Tempo Run practice. Marathon Pace runs should be run under the Lactate Threshold effort level, that way keeping it aerobic, but close to the anaerobic effort level. By experiment and recent experience I have come to a conclusion that my Lactate Threshold is at about 160 bpm HR. Lactate Acid is always formed even at the lightest actions that you do. When the effort level is risen for example from walking to running, more Lactate Acid is created. When the effort is kept under the Lactate Threshold, the body is able to deal with the Lactate Acid without it being accumulated in the muscles. Marathon cruising speed is done at the effort just under the Lactate Threshold.

During the Marathon Training I first had to run slower than my goal pace. Later in the Program I could run at the goal pace and in the latter part I could even go under it without using too much effort. I ran the Marathon Pace Runs on Thursdays or Saturdays, once per week. The progress is presented in the Figure 7, where the one marked with asterisk (*) is the 2013 Buenos Aires Marathon Race.

Figure 8: Tempo Run progress.

Tempo Runs

The Tempo Runs (MK) are run at the Lactacte Threshold and over it. They are tough workouts that provide very efficient training stimulus to the body. The effort level is hard to very hard, almost the maximum that you can get out of the body in practice. But it is still important to remember not to sprint too much at the end. That would just turn the practice in to a Race and it is not a desired effect, because it takes more time to recover from that. That's why the gained benefit from sprinting at the end is lost, and you even risk an injury for no actual gain.

In the beginning I run shorter Tempo Runs starting from 5 km at about 4:00 min/km pace. My Tempo Runs got longer and I got faster at the same time when my fitness improved. The longest Tempo Run was 10 km at 3:48 min/km pace. The Tempo Run progress is presented on the left in the Figure 8. The one marked with asterisk was a 10K Race in Hämeenlinna, Finland. As you can see, you can get a lot more effort out of the "engine" when you have a number on the chest. That's Sports Psychology 101 right there!

Intervals

Figure 9: Intervals progress.

I've heard many marathoners don't like running intervals. Then I must be an exception. I love intervals. They remind me of the old days when I trained for 400 meters. The intervals are the bread and butter of milers and 5K to 10K runners. Interval training improves VO2max (maximal oxygen consumption) which is very important for milers and 5K to 10K runners. Marathoners also benefit from having a high VO2max, but it is not that dominating characteristic.

I haven't tested my VO2max at any training facility. I don't know how accurate the Polar VO2max test is, but the best value I have scored with it was 71 ml/kg/min. That is pretty good result. According to literature a typical elite marathoner has VO2max between 70 and 75 ml/kg/min, so I am right there with my oxygen consumption. That is probably one of the reasons why the interval paces McMillan has calculated are quite easy for me. Especially when I ran the 4 x 400 m intervals during the taper. 

I ran intervals once every third week. My progress was highly visible as can be seen in Figure 9. I was very content when I finished the 8 x 800 m intervals three weeks before the Race. I felt I was in pretty good shape to be able to run strong all of those repeats.

Hills

Figure 10: Hills training.

If you don't want to go to the gym to do strength training for legs, then run Hills! I ran 7 times hills: some of them as intervals, trying to hammer the 100 m hilly sprints repetitions. When I was practicing in Finland I could run hilly routes and hit the uphills hard to make a bit different type of Hills practice. Sometimes my hamstrings reminded me of their existence. The stiffness at my hamstring was the usual reason to cut short the practice before injuring myself. In a way there was no progress in my Hills training, but I am not training to run uphills as fast as possible. It is just a means of adding strength.


Summary

My 2013 Season is presented in numbers in the Figure 10. Compared to the 2012 Season, let it be that was only half year long, I increased significantly the kilometers (from 650 km to about 2600 km) and intensity. I was injured a lot less which is a sign that I did not try to reach too much at once. During the Season my fitness, running economy, speed and endurance all took giant leaps forward. I am looking forward to continue training in 2014 and I sure hope that a similar trend of progress goes on. I also learned what marathon training is about.

Figure 11: 2013 Season in numbers.

Racing

Figure 12: After 10K Race in
Hämeenlinna, Finland

I raced only three times during 2013. My first Race was a 10K in Hämeenlinna, Finland on 9th of July. Eleven weeks in to the 24-weeks Marathon Training Program. 42K and 21K Races were ran that day as well, but I took part in the smaller 10K Race. The day was nice, not too hot, temperature maybe 25 C, sunny, no wind, a very nice Finnish summer weather. The route had a couple hills but nothing big. A total of 150 runners finished the 10K Race including all the categories. I did not have any pacing plan, I just went with the flow, letting my brain dictate the pace and enjoying the competition without too much stress about the outcome. I started off too hard, running the first kilometers at about 3:40 min/km pace. I faded in the second part running the slowest kilometer at 4:10 min/km pace. I was 10th in the overall results with a time of 39:51 (average pace 3:59 min/km). There is a special atmosphere in the Races in Finland. Racing is hard, but fair. Giving up is not an option here. I think we, the Finns, are more competitive than the people in most parts of the World and take racing quite serious even though it is just a local competition with a few hundred participants. Or maybe it is just because of that. Anyway I hadn't felt that sensation in 10 years. It was good to be back.

Figure 13: Finishing 21K.

On 8th of September I raced in the Arnet 21K Buenos Aires Half Marathon. That Race was an important part of my marathon training just 5 weeks before the Main Event of the Season. I made my best result of the Season in this Race. I had a pacing plan to run about 1.26 (average pace 4:05 min/km). But I ended up running it 1.23:17 (average pace 3:56 min/km) and finished at position 197 of 14510 total finishers. I lacked discipline and was a bit reckless in the start but luckily it worked out great for me. This was a big confidence boost for me and after the Race I was quickly already eyeing the 42K, eagerly willing to go out and kill it.

The Main Event of the Season was the Personal 42K Buenos Aires Marathon. My Race Recap can be read here.

Special thumbs up to Aki Rissanen (the masseur of Finnish Athletics Team and my old team mate) for massaging my hamstrings and teaching me eccentric hamstring stretches that helped me to get rid of hamstring trouble and allowed me to start sprinting and generally run faster!

Personal Maraton de Buenos Aires Race Report

Introduction

The Buenos Aires Marathon Route (see Figure 1 below) includes very few hills and those few that there are, are not long nor steep. The Race is at sea level. But why this marathon is not the fastest possible is because the air in Buenos Aires is sometimes very humid. The Race is set to run in the Spring (in Octobre), temperatures typically at the start (7:30 am) about 15 to 17 C and during the Race rising over 20 C. It is a nice Route to tackle if you are a Tourist. The Route takes you to many of the most famous sights in this city. And for once the streets are closed and you can enjoy the city without the chaotic traffic. You will see how the rich and the poor are living in this city: the inequality gap and contrast is huge for me (I'm from Finland, one of the countries with the most equality in the World). I think running this marathon is a better way to explore the city than any sightseeing bus, and probably takes less time and effort!

Figure 1: The Route of Marathon of Buenos Aires 2013.

Pacing Plan

Five weeks before the Buenos Aires Marathon (Main Event of the season) I run Arnet 21K Buenos Aires as a very hard practice racing almost all-out. I considered this run as a Very Hard Long Run. My initial plan was to run with an average pace of 4:05 min/km. Instead I started out fast and my plans were thrown out of window. I decided after the first kilometers to just let my subconscious ("Central Governor") do the pacing for me. It worked out very well. I run the whole distance strong, managed to pick up even more pace after 10K mark, and only faded just a little bit in the last 2 to 3 kms. My time (1.23:17) was 3 minutes faster than what I had planned. Average pace was 3:56 min/km. And this race was in the midst of the hardest part of the training. I felt really confident after the 21K race that I could run even faster the marathon than what I had planned in 5 weeks after tapering.

I use Greg McMillan's pace calculators for reference when I try to figure out my practice and racing paces. So far I think the paces in training I have been using have been pretty close to my ability. According to McMillan if you run 21K in 1.23:17 (3:56 min/km), you can expect to run the 42K in 2.55:16 (4:09 min/km), and vice versa. There are a lot of things that the pace calculator obviously can't take into account. I am learning now by trial and error. But my 21K Race 5 weeks before gave me confidence to make a Pacing Plan of 2.55:00 Marathon.

The plan was to start out just a bit slower the first 8 km, running a pace of 4:15 min/km. After 8 km mark the plan was to go for my marathon cruising speed, 4:07 min/km, and hold on until 32 km mark. And then Green Flag for the last 10 kilometers. The average pace of the Race would then be 4:09 min/km in about 2.55 total race time.


Energy Plan

My muscles and liver were charged with glycogen from loading carbohydrates 4 days in to the race. I planned on taking three energy gels with water during the race. 15K, 25K and 35K at the water aid stations. In between the water stations there are Gatorade sports drink aid stations, a total of 7 of those stations.


The Race

The Race day morning was cloudy, temperature at 17 C and very humid 90%. The air was quite heavy to breathe and it would only get worse as the day goes on. But overall the weather and the Route was pretty alright for making a good time.

Figure 2: Waiting for the Bang

I got a good spot to start in the Race near the top. My legs felt good, everything was fine, trying to hold back, but still I run the first kilometer 4:03 min/km. 12 seconds faster than what I had planned. I thought: "OK. Well the Game is not over yet. Remember what happened last time (21K five weeks ago). I have now banked some time and that's it, now just slow down to the pace in the plan." And that, my friends, is the ultimate self lie that your mind feeds you when racing. Happens every time. For some reason there is an in-built need in ourselves that when we make a mistake, we start looking for different angles and point of views that better justify our own actions (and mistakes). It has to be some kind of defense mechanism against discourage and depression. Part of the Game is to have sufficient strong mindset that you don't fall to these temptations and distractions that the race throws at you.

Second kilometer 4:08 min/km, third kilometer 4:08 min/km. Still banking time, and running feels so light and easy. "Maybe if I just keep on this pace until 32 km I will be alright?" I ended up running the first 8 km with an average pace of 4:09 min/km. My 10K split was 41:30. I was running strong, without nuisances, still feeling optimistic about my chances. Sandra was cheering for me at 11K. I felt great. From 10K to 15K I run couple of kilometers too fast. Kilometer 14 was 3:58. In my original plan my pace was 4:07 min/km until 32K. I did not run another kilometer in the Race under 4:10 min/km after 15K mark. At about kilometer 19 I started to feel it in my guts that I had gone out too fast. My 21K split was 1.27:39, average pace so far 4:09 min/km. I was right on time to run a 2.55 marathon. But my legs were quickly becoming really heavy. "This is how you are supposed to feel at 35K, not 22K." I would have to put in more effort to maintain my pace. And I was very far away from the Finish Line. I had to drop down pace or I would crash in no time.

I set out that morning to break the 3-hours. My legs gave in at about 21K mark and soon after the half way mark I was running 4:25 min/km pace and slowing down constantly and inevitably. There was nothing wrong with my energy levels or hydration, there was nothing that I could try to fix. I just plain and simple had gone out too fast and trashed my legs during the first part of the Race. The last two kilometers before I retired from the Race were 4:30 min/km and 4:40 min/km, over 30 seconds slower than what I had intended. I pulled out of the Race at 26.5 km. I felt a bit angry and disappointed at myself, but there was nothing to do to pick up the pace anymore. I decided not to try to jog to the Finish Line. This Race was not a once in a lifetime opportunity. Just one tough day in a Runner's life. A regular Sunday.

Figure 3: Heart Rate (Red Line), Running Speed (Grey Line)

My Polar Race Data from the Race is presented in Figure 3. The static in the grey line is caused by distractions to the GPS by the tall buildings in the center of the city.

Result: DNF, withdrew from race at 26.5 km after running 1.53.


The Lesson

It is NOT invaluable to race and have to pull out. On the contrary, I obtained good data for my Polar. You have to run too fast in a Race to learn about your limits and restrictions. You can learn a lot about your capabilities when you exceed them. Sometimes you run (like my first Marathon) a "perfect" race without actually knowing how you did it. It might feel that you executed everything brilliantly and achieved the best possible result. How would you know that it was a perfect race if you don't have something that really has gone over the limit to compare to? That "perfect" race that you did might not be that perfect if you only knew better your capabilities. Once you find out how to run a perfect race by testing and investigating your running, all you have to do is try to repeat it. Until then, experiment! Don't run around brainlessly. In shorter distance racing testing your capability by running different strategies is easier because you can run them more often. But marathon is special in a way, that if you aim to run the best possible time and result at your current fitness level, you don't have much CONFIRMED information about your marathon capability at your disposal. You can try to estimate your current marathon running capability but you really learn about the limits and capabilities by trial and error.

This week I confirmed myself that I have more fast twitch muscle fibers than what I expected when I decided on my marathon pacing. I run faster shorter distances (5K, 10K, 21K) than what I am capable of running the full 42K marathon according to many tables that try to estimate marathon finishing times. I have to take this in to account when I plan my pacing for the next marathon. Five days prior to the race I run 4 x 400 m intervals: the imaginary typical 2.55-marathon runner's 400 m interval pace was very easy for me. That, my recent marathon performance, and knowing that my marathon training was in balance convinced me that I have more fast twitch muscle fibers (and other characteristics that make me relatively faster at shorter distances) than the imaginary runner in the McMillan Pace Calculation Tables. In the future I have to adjust the paces accordingly.

2013 Marathon Training

Training Program Structure

After studying literature about marathon specific training from books and internet sites I decided to go with the 3-hour marathon 24-week training program from Finnish Marathon Runners website as the frame to learn how to train for a marathon. For my first marathon my Base was so weak that I could only include in my training program Recovery Runs, Easy Runs, slow Long Runs and a bit of Tempo Run, nothing more. This time my Base was a lot better and I could do way more kilometers since the beginning and higher intensity training.

Table 1: Training Program structure

The 3-hour Marathon Training Program structure is presented in the Table 1 above. The acronyms in the table are RR (Recovery Run), ER (Easy Run), MP (Marathon Pace Run), and LR (Long Run).

This training program includes 6 days of running per week, once a day. Fridays are completely off from training, Rest days. Every Monday I run 6 km Recovery Run. On Tuesdays I have either Tempo Run, Hills, or Intervals, a very high intensity day. On Wednesdays I run 6 km Easy Run. Thursdays is either Marathon Pace Run or Tempo Run. Fridays are Rest day. For me it is very important that I rest one day per week physically and mentally. On Saturdays I run Marathon Pace or every third week a Recovery Run. Sundays is the Long Run.

As you can see, this program is constructed in a way that every other day is hard practice and every other is easy practice. There is also difference in the weekly work loads. Two weeks harder, one week easier, more or less. This is crucial so that you don't burn out.

When you are out there doing the practice, concentrate and stay focused. Whatever the practice, do it well but stay relaxed. It's not serious, it's FUN. The practice is the best part of my day. The heart rate monitor is a very useful tool to control the effort. Without a heart rate monitor runners tend to run the easy practice with too high intensity and then the hard practice with too low intensity. The idea is to use the whole spectrum of the effort level. The training program has 7 different type of running practice. When learning to train running, one important thing to learn right away is to distinguish and feel the difference between different type of the practices. One should understand how and why each practice is done.

All of those 7 running practices ultimately aim to make you a faster marathon runner. The marathon cruising speed is constructed of lots of pieces. More than just these 7 running practices. Marathon is NOT just endurance. You need sufficient endurance to be able to run 42 km, but the faster you aim to run the marathon, the more speed and strength you need to go with the endurance. I think the best word to describe the combination of speed, strength, and endurance is stamina.

Training Progress And Experiences

Recovery Runs

Every Monday I run 6 km Recovery Run. Warm-ups and Cool-downs are run at Recovery Run effort which is about 70% (130) from max HR (185). Recovery Runs are very easy. At the start of the Program my Recovery Run pace was around 5:25 min/km, and in the end of the program I run 5:10 min/km pace with the same effort.

Easy Runs

Easy Runs are just a notch harder than Recovery Runs, about 75% (140) from max HR (185). On Wednesdays I run my weekly Easy Run. In the early part of the Program I run my Easy Runs with pace around 5:00 min/km and in the end as my fitness improved I run them around 4:40 min/km pace.

In my experience the heart rate monitor is very useful in Recovery and Easy Runs to monitor that the effort is not too hard. Not once did I have problem running with enough effort, it was always that I had to hold back. The heart rate monitor does a good job at that. It is very important to run slow enough.

Long Runs

The Long Runs are the cornerstone of any Marathon Training Program. I run my Long Runs on Sundays. Most of the Long Runs, I run with the traditional approach: I run with quite low effort (75% from max HR) and try to teach the body to use fat as fuel. The ratio of carbohydrates and fat used as fuel changes along with the effort. The more intense the effort, the less fat the body uses. One key aspect of running a fast marathon is to be able to use fat as fuel while running fast and with pretty high intensity. The body learns by practice.

Figure 1: Racing As Key Practice.
Arnet 21K Buenos Aires, 8th Sept. 2013

For the Long Runs I used a combination of heart rate and pace monitoring. I would start out running and monitor my heart rate. When I reached about 75% (140) effort level (after running 2 to 3 kms) I would check my pace (5:00 to 5:10 min/km). From then on I would monitor both my heart rate and pace trying to keep them steady. In the latter part of the Long Run practice I would ignore the heart rate and just concentrate keeping the pace steady. The heart rate starts to rise when the fatigue starts to take effect. I would finish the Long Run at comfortably tired state. What a dose of endorphin!

When I was more fit in the latter part of the Training Program, I would run a couple so-called Long Hard Runs (LHR). Both of the longest Long Runs in the program (32 km) I run with LHR pacing. A 32 km Long Hard Run is devided in to two parts: the first two kilometers is a warm-up, then the 30 km is run at pace about 15 to 20 seconds slower than the estimated marathon race pace. In my case my estimated marathon at that time was 4:10 to 4:15 min/km. I run the LHR at 4:30 to 4:35 min/km average pace. It's a pretty tough practice, but nowhere near an all-out. The Training Program included three 32 km Long Runs, but one of them I changed to a Half Marathon Race, more on that later.

Marathon Pace Runs

Marathon Pace Runs are my favorite practice. Once a week I got to run this practice. It feels like you are running quite fast, but you don't have to push like in Tempo Run. The idea is to run the estimated marathon pace, get used to the pace and how it feels. In the beginning of the program I did not quite get up there because I wasn't fit enough. I run at about 4:25 min/km pace. If I would stubbornly just push my pace to the 3-hour marathon pace (4:16 min/km) I would have turned my Marathon Pace Runs in to Tempo Runs. Yes, it is about to get used to the actual race pace, but it is also about getting practice done with the 80 to 85% effort level. Running the marathon pace teaches you to run more relaxed and economic near the Lactate Threshold, but still under it. As I got fitter my Marathon Pace Runs got faster. In the end I run about 4:10 min/km Marathon Pace Runs, up to 14 km.

Tempo Runs

Tempo Run is probably the toughest practice in the program. But one gets used to hard runs and actually you can enjoy them. Reminder: Tempo Run is NOT a race. The idea is not to push too much. Just push a little bit. Train to run smart. Try to finish strong without dropping the initial pace. The first Tempo Runs in the program are 5 km and the longest in the latter part was 10 km. The effort level is nearly maximum that you can get out in practice. Up to the red zone, over 90% heart rate. Tempo Runs are scheduled once per week in the Training Program. The Tempo Run pace is good indicator what your actual marathon running potential is. In my case, I believe, because I have the marathon training balanced (I haven't skipped Long Runs, for example) with a 6 to 8 km Tempo Run pace of about 3:45 min/km, I can expect to be able to keep up 4:10 min/km marathon pace in an actual Marathon Race. That is 0:25 min/km slower.

Hills

Running the Hills is very useful in running practice. Running uphill trains strength in the legs. And when this strength is then brought back to running flat like a typical marathon course the legs are strong and your running speed is increased. One can also do uphill jumping. The longer the hill, the more cardiovascular the practice. If you want to make the Hills practice more of a strength practice run shorter and steeper hill with more intensity.

One of the problems I have encountered with training in Buenos Aires is that there are very few (if any) hills. Topografically it is one big pancake the whole city and its surroundings. I have thought about it and one way to solve the problem would be running stairways of tall buildings, or run the treadmill inclined in the gym. Running does not require very steep or large hills, and I had never come across with this dilemma in Finland. But luckily I found out (accidentally) that some of the very few hills in this city are quite close to where I live. The hills are not long or steep, but they are sufficient for short and fast hills running. Way better than nothing!

The Tuesday practice in the program varies between Hills, Tempo Run and Intervals. So every third week I had Hills training. I run 7 times Hills during the 24-week training program. Twice I run in Finland where I could get in different type of Hills practice. I could run hilly routes in Finland and just hit the uphills hard and controlled with good running posture.

Intervals

Every third week on Tuesdays I had the Intervals practice. I have done a lot of track/interval practice in my past and it was kind of nostalgic to run again the intervals. I don't have a running track at my disposal in Buenos Aires, so I run the intervals on the pavement measuring the distance with my Polar GPS. But I got to run the Intervals practice three times on brick-dust track in Helsinki, Finland. A total of 7 times 800 m Intervals. In the beginning of the Training Program I run 4 x 800m and at the toughest part of the Training Program I run 8 x 800 m. In between the Intervals I would jog slowly 400 m. My heart rate slows down to about 130 bpm (70%). My average running pace improved from 3:38 min/km (4 x 800m) to 3:25 min/km (8 x 800m).

Racing As Key Practice

I followed the Training Program fairly accurately whenever I did not have injury. But I made two major enhancements. Week 11 I run a 10K (39:50) race in Hämeenlinna, Finland and week 19 a 21K (1.23:17) race in Buenos Aires. Not only were they test runs to see where I was with my fitness, but racing can indeed serve as a very good hard work-out as well. As long as you don't taper too much and peak out in middle of training program. The 10K race fit my plans very well, because I had to take a couple of days easier anyway before the race because of traveling. The 10K replaced a Tempo Run and lifted my training load level back to where it is supposed to be during training. I got valuable information about my fitness at that moment so I could adjust correctly my training paces. The 21K I run better than I expected in the midst of heavy training. That gives me confidence to plan my pacing a bit faster in the upcoming marathon. Half marathon gives you a very good indication about your ability to run the full marathon. The 21K served as a very Hard Long Run when the training load was at highest 5 weeks before the marathon. I still managed to pull out a surprisingly good effort and that really gives me confidence to the actual race that I am preparing for.

Training Load

The Polar heart rate monitor software has a feature called Training Load. Running practice is cumulative. Training is not about one or two practices, but training continuously keeping a load on the body and mind with constant training. But one has to make sure not to load the body with too much training. Resting is as important as the training itself. As you get fitter you recover faster, and you can do more training with less rest. The so-called overtraining state is reached when you train too much with too little rest. The Polar Training Load helps you to track where you are at with your training load.

Notice that overtraining state is not easily reached. But if you don't ever reach the overtraining state in your running career, then you have never trained as hard as you could. So far I have never been there. A full blown overtraining state takes you out of running for months, even up to a year. The key is to learn to listen and respect the signals coming from the body and rest a day or two when the body is asking for it. It is important not to follow too rigid the training programs. The Training Plan is just a guideline. Once again the body does not care what you have planned on paper. The body cares what you actually do and how much recovery you allow before the next practice.

Figure 2: Planned (grey) and Actual (red) Training Load 29.4.-13.10.2013.

My Training Load during the 24-week 3-hour Marathon Training Program is presented in Figure 2. As you can see I did not miss a lot of practice during the training program.

Outroduction

I have now reached the present day in my blog. I wanted to give you readers the chance to join my journey of running starting from the very first track practice so you would have more perspective to understand better my philosophy and decisions in running and training. Tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM I start my Main Event of this season: Personal 42K Maraton de Buenos Aires. Race and Season Recaps will follow.

Thanks to everyone who's been reading this blog and for your precious feedback. I love running and analyzing it because it is not an exact science, but it can be measured and analyzed in great detail. The greatest prize that I have won so far has been when someone around me has become interested in running by seeing me run. I don't know of a better gift to give to anyone than running. It's very simple but at the same time complex and very challenging.

Shoes And Feet

Shoes And Feet

One of the things to realize before going out to buy running shoes is that if you'd run without shoes, your feet could compensate very well for the so-called pronation and supination of the feet. Westerners are not used to run or walk outside without shoes. I am no exception. The idea of running on the asphalt or dirt roads and dodging all the trash on the streets makes me shiver. That is why I use running shoes, I want to protect my feet. Running on the beach or grass is fine barefoot. A fact is that shoes cause lots of problems to the feet. Think about it, everyone has their unique body structure including their legs and feet, but we are all sold the same shoes, and there is not so much to select from (except all the wonderful colors). The shoes are the most important piece of equipment for a runner. If you walk or run just a little you don't notice how vital is the correct positioning of the feet. I see people walking on the streets with very strong pronation but they don't complain, as long as they don't start to run, that's when it will hit them. Some people have naturally very nicely aligned legs and feet and they almost never suffer from problems on their feet. And then there are the rest (the majority) of us. Meet Lasse, a pronator.

Figure 1: Footscan

First thing to do is to find someone who can scan your feet to find out what type of feet you have. If there are no scanners in town then ask your friend or the shoe salesman to look from behind when you jog. I am a pronator which means my ankles turn inward when I walk or run. Last time I got new running shoes ten years ago the arc of my foot was higher and I did not pronate that much. Nowadays I am so-called flat footed. I need support to the arcs of my feet to adjust them outward to a more aligned position.

When you try on the running shoes, try them on properly: make sure your heel is as far back as possible. You can then try with your fingers that there is space between the toes and front of the shoe, at least 1 cm. If you have your own insoles, use them when you try on the shoes. I buy at least one shoe size bigger running shoes than I buy normal daily use shoes. I haven't lost many toe nails so far. If the shoe does not feel comfortable when you first put it on, don't take it, things won't get better when you start running with the shoe. One tip: don't lace the shoes too tight or too loose. Especially when running long the feet will swell sideways and you can end up even with a broken metatarsal by lacing too tight.

The running shoes last from 600 km up to 1000 km running. After that they can be used for walking or gym practice, but don't run with them anymore. The midsole of the shoe can endure a certain amount of use until it eventually droops down and loses it's supporting characteristics. If you run with worn-out shoes you will just risk injuring yourself.

Figure 2: I will run more than 2000 km with these bad boys.

My choice of shoe for marathon practice and racing has been Asics Kayano. My shoe philosophy is that a lighter shoe does not make me faster, but a shoe (whatever the weight) that allows me to train without injury will make me faster. Asics Kayano is no miracle shoe for me: to be able to run with them I need orthotics (custom made insoles) in the shoe to compensate some problems that arise from the relation with the shoe and my feet.


Orthotics

I had problems with my Achilles Tendons until I first made myself supports under my heels, then I moved on to gel supports. They eased the pain but did not cure me. Since the day I got my first custom made insoles I have run without pain on my Achilles Tendons. The custom made insoles support my arc of the foot and turn the foot outward in a way that the Achilles Tendon is aligned straight when I run. My insoles are made at Sporthesis, a biodynamics solutions company in Buenos Aires. They use Footscan system that analyzes the mechanics of your feet when walking and running. Based on your stride they make you personalized insoles. The perfect insole for everyone is different and in time the feet will change as well. I am still looking for the perfect insole + shoe combination. My insoles have been modified various times when I have come across nuisances. For example I developed huge blisters on my feet when I was running Intervals or Tempo Run. That issue got taken care by making the insoles wider. I still get blisters on my feet, but I have come across with a trick for that: When I am going to run long or fast I cover my feet on vaseline before I put the socks on. Works like a charm. In the newest version of my insoles I have also a 5 mm support under my left heel to compensate 1 cm difference in the length of my legs.

Figure 3: Orthotics. Custom made insoles.

Take Care of your Feet

The cold water baths that I take after running is not only to treat my ankles, Achilles Tendons, calves, or to prevent Shin Splints. The cold water baths take care of my feet as well. I think cold bath is better than icing. I use icing for hamstrings etc. parts of my body that are not accessible for cold water treatment in my bath tub. When running in nature one of the best things to do is when you finish your run to go stand in a lake or river and let the nature heal you. Using frequent cold baths has also decreased my need for anti-inflammatory medicine, like ibuprofen. Cold water is the nature's own anti-inflammatory. Another thing is to keep the nails short, and please do! I know many of you runners and non-runners don't!! A distance runner's feet are a bit disgusting (sometimes even disturbing) even if you do clip the nails frequently. There is no need to get banned from public swimming pools. Blisters are also very problematic for some people. But since I have been using vaseline when running long or hard I have not suffered from blisters anymore. That is one trick really worth a try. Oh, and another cool trick (heard from a pro) is to use clean socks every time you run. Runner's feet have a hard time, so the least you can do is to treat them well when you are not running. Talk to them as you put cream on them. If you don't believe me ask Lieutenant Dan: "Change socks every time we stop or the Mekong will eat your feet."

My Running Philosophy

Introduction

The sole idea of marathon training is to improve performance at marathon cruising speed. Your heart (your motor) does not care what is your running velocity. A Cooper test is a fair test for every heart. The slower runners' heart has to work the same time as faster runners' heart. But a Marathon Race is not like a Cooper test. Marathon is about how fast you can run 42 195 meters (or 26.22 miles). No more, no less. For the fastest runners this means less than 2 hours and 10 minutes. For the average runner maybe 4 to 5 hours. And the slowest run it in about 6 to 7 hours. The intensity at which you are able to run the marathon depends on how many hours you are going to spend running it. The fastest runners can run it at much higher intensity because they only have to keep it up for bit over 2 hours. The average runner spends twice that the time on the course and simply for that reason can not run at same intensity level.

The marathon cruising speed is close to the lactate threshold (but under it). The less time you spend running the marathon the closer to the lactate threshold you can run (still considered cruising). I am no medical doctor, but the lactate threshold is basically the point where the effort level changes from aerobic (oxygen is present) to anaerobic (oxygen is not present). The body can't take in sufficient oxygen and starts to ”cheat”. The result is the accumulation of lactic acid in the system. A marathon runner's target in training is to be able to run as fast as possible staying under the lactate threshold. This performance can be estimated quite accurately without running an actual marathon. It is not even necessary to run the predicted Marathon Pace to be able to estimated a marathon finishing time. One way to do it is with the help of a heart rate monitor and Tempo Run practice. You can quite accurately estimate your marathon running potential (if the rest of the training is balanced). But I am not going to those details at this point.

”Listen to everyone, follow no-one”

Neither do I want to start making a comparison between elite runners and average Joe runners. We are all a unique combination of qualities and flaws. Some of it is suitable for running, some of it is not. To become a champion runner the best thing you can do is to select your parents well. And the champions are what the public usually is interested in. But that is just so-called result oriented thinking that will kill the FUN and in many cases is not even close to optimal if one is interested in finding and fulfilling his own potential. My point is that one has to look around what is going on, be aware, listen and learn from others, educate one self, experiment, compete against one self, and most of all learn to enjoy every day what you are doing. Learn to LOVE RUNNING. It is not just about the results or records. They say a healthy mind lives in a healthy body. I need the racing to bring out the best in me. I am very competitive, I have always been. I have punched a 30 cm taller player in the face in a basketball game in the closing seconds because I was frustrated of losing. But since then, I have learned not to ruin my days by thinking about what others are doing. And when you train and practice as hard as you can, the results will be gratifying and you will be proud of your work. This applies to every day life.

Figure 1: Rocky

Next post I will show and discuss my experiences of how I managed (if I did) to execute the 24-week 3-hour marathon training program.