I can’t believe we’re already into week two of training for the Boston Marathon! It seemed so far away and now it’s here. Crazy! This definitely isn’t how I thought I’d kick-off my training. I’m still nursing a cranky Achilles and my running is limited. Hopefully taking it easy now will make for some great Boston training and an even better race!
I was reading the Runners Connect Blog and started thinking about my goals. This is such a monumental race and it could be a once in a lifetime opportunity for me.
Am I going to run hard and see what I’m capable of? OR Should I run for fun and try to take it all in?
As I get back to full health, here are some of the key elements in my marathon training.
Long Runs: This Spring, I am pacing a Country Music Marathon training group for Fleet Feet. My group is training for a 4:00 hour marathon. Our long runs are at a 9:30 pace. I’ll be pacing their miles, and then I plan to add a few more miles before and after the group run.
Speed Work: I run track on Tuesdays with my Speed Session group. We base line our workouts with a 2 mile time trial. Then the rest of our group workouts will be geared toward marathon preparation with lots of mile repeats, 800’s, etc…
Mid-Week Long Run: I like to do a Wednesday “longish” run….usually 10-12 miles. I include 6×20 second surges.
Tempo Runs: My tempo runs are usually 2 mile warm-up, 5 miles at tempo, and 2 mile cool down. (To determine your tempo pace: Add 30 seconds to your 5K pace.)
Steady State: These are usually 1-2 mile warm-up, 10 miles (20-30 seconds slower than my tempo pace), 1-2 mile cool down.
Fast Finish: I will incorporate fast finish runs into my group long runs. I’ll finish the group run and add on an additional 3-5 miles at my steady state pace.
Cross training: PiYO for low impact days, weight lifting, Orange Theory Fitness, TRX, nightly core work before bed, and I just got a YMCA membership so I can try some of their classes.
Foam Rolling and Stretching: Dealing with my Achilles problem has really reminded me to roll and stretch. Seriously, I can’t stress it enough!
Mark Hadley at Maximum Performance Running has created the training plans for my last 4 marathons. He does an amazing job at customizing the above workouts to help me meet my goals!
Conclusion…I might not have a race day game plan yet, but this is what my training will look like. My goal for now is to recover, focus on quality training miles, and then decide. Either way, I am STOKED to run this race!!!
Check out this Podcast on Setting up for Success; Boston Marathon Race Director, Dave McGillivray
And, I LOVED playing around with this Boston Marathon Pace Calculator!
Boston Advice: Would you run hard or have fun?
What’s your favorite type of training run? I love long runs!
Least Favorite? Tempo runs are always tough for me.
Do you have a Spring “Goal” Race? Have you started training? How’s it going?
#choosejoy