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.