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There is no better
feeling in the world of competitive sports than the feeling you get from
crossing the finish line of a marathon or triathlon. Actually, there is a
better feeling, and that is when you train and compete for a cause such as
the Team in Training, which helps raise money for leukemia research. No
matter what your current fitness level or experience with marathons or
triathlons, there is a charity fitness event for you. To find one in your
area, check out
theSCHEDULE.com, a website that lists thousands of events.
Preparing for a
Marathon
This two-part series will
take you from the beginning of your training right to the finish line, and
you will not need to become a full time runner/triathlete. Let’s start with
the marathon. Contrary to what many people believe, it really is not that
difficult.
As a general rule of
thumb, it is recommended that you start your training sixteen weeks prior to
the date of competition. Does that mean that you can’t do the marathon if
the race is 3 months away? No. It’s just that you will be better prepared
for the race the longer you train for it.
The Long Run
The three biggest and
most important parts of your training will be your long run, walking breaks,
and consistency. Let’s first cover the long run. This is by far the most
important training part to any marathon training plan. This will determine
whether or not you finish the race or “bonk” out at the 20 mile mark. This
is the one day of the week that will get progressively longer and more
difficult as the weeks go on. Typically you should do this run on the same
day each week that the marathon will be on. This means that if your marathon
is on a Sunday, do your long run every Sunday. This just gets you in the
habit and routine of running long on that day. The goal with the long run is
to progressively reach a point where you are doing twenty miles
continuously. Try shooting for two to three twenty mile runs prior to the
marathon. “But how do I run for twenty miles continuously if I’ve never run
more than three or four in my life?” you might ask. Remember, that’s why
it’s ideal to train for sixteen weeks. You need to crawl before you can
walk, right?
Walking Breaks
This is also where the
walking breaks come into play. Let’s say your first week of training your
long run is two miles. Your walking break will occur at the first mile mark
and will last for one minute. So you will have one walking break for one
minute. After a couple of weeks of training let’s say your long run is up to
four miles. You will now have three walking breaks (one after each mile,
without counting the last one since you will be done with the run) that last
for one minute each for a total of three minutes walking. You might say to
yourself, “Well that means that I will be walking for a total of 19 minutes
during my long runs of twenty miles, won’t the race take me forever to
finish this way”? Quite the opposite. Since you are “walking”, which by
the way is a fast walk, you are actually resting your body and gearing it up
for the times in between your “walks” that you will be running the
race. Your body will thank you towards the end of the race for taking all of
those walking breaks.
Short Runs
The rest of the week will
consist of much shorter runs that will keep you moving at a faster pace than
your long run. For example, you could go out for three runs in addition to
your long run. This would consist of two shorter runs and one medium
run. During your runs, focus on time and not mileage. You get to the point
where you know what your pace is (eight-minute mile, nine-minute mile, etc.)
and instead of shooting for a specific amount of mileage, you go for a
specific amount of time. So for example, during the first month of
training, a typical week might look like this:
Monday—rest
Tuesday—run for 30 minutes
Wednesday—rest
Thursday—run for 35 minutes
Friday—run for 45 minutes
Saturday—rest
Sunday—run for 50 minutes
During all of your runs
outside of your long run, it is up to you whether or not you take walking
breaks. You might want to get your body used to that as much as possible, in
which case you will take the walking breaks. There are some people who only
do that for the long runs. Let’s say for example that your pace is about an
8:00 minute mile, you would take your walking breaks after every eighth
minute. Now, these are your numbers. Someone else who is a beginner might
not be as fast. That person might do 12:00 minute miles, so their walking
breaks are after every twelfth minute. It’s all relative to the person. The
beauty is that this type of training can be applied to everyone though,
regardless of how fast or slow you are. You have to know what you’re capable
of doing personally.
Be Consistent
Another component to all
of your marathon preparation is consistency, especially with your long
runs. In order to finish the race it is crucial that you do all of your long
runs and to make the most progress, be sure to increase your long runs each
week. In order to avoid overuse or injury, limit the amount of your increase
to 10 percent of the total amount you are running for that week. So whether
you are tracking your progress by mileage or minutes, never make too big of
a jump in your training time/distance. This is another reason why sixteen
weeks of training is a good idea. It is a gradual progression that will not
burn you out yet still have you physically and mentally ready for the big
day!!
So remember: long runs,
walking breaks, and consistency. If you follow all of these and drink lots
of water during your training and during the race, you will finish with a
big smile on your face. Knowing that you are helping others will make it
even sweeter!!
Check back next week for triathlon
training/racing!
Kevin Valluzzi
is a personal trainer and Fitness By Phone coach with his own in-home
personal training business, A & B Fitness. He is also a 5-time marathon
finisher and has completed numerous triathlons including an IRONMAN
triathlon. For more information or if you’d like to ask Kevin a question,
visit his website at
www.thefitnessleader.com or email him at
kevin@thefitnessleader.com |
