Howdy, Stranger!
Categories
Options
Marathon training with Mike Gratton
The materials in this website are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor, qualified personal trainer, therapist, dietitian or nutritionist Runners's World, Part of the Hearst UK well-being network © Copyright 2017
Comments
The beginners schedules take a different approach to getting you to the kind of fitness you need to run the marathon - it's a different set of questions to those being asked so far and I'm happy to advise you all.
Cheers for your time mate ;-)
Pug
Another way is, like you say you did, to enter lots of low key races where we can each run at our appropriate racing / hard training paces.
I completed FLM 2006 in 4.43 and have continued training throughout 2006. Completed the Glasgow half in 1.59 in Sept 2006. I have been following the RW 4hr schedule and completed 19 miles last week in 3.06 and felt really good. Struggling to know what schedule to stick to till FLM this year, i.e - how many more 19, 21, milers should i do and how often, or have i or will i peak too early. Really want to achieve around 4hr mark this year.
Thanks in sdvance for your advice.
I've skimmed the thread, and thanks for all the ideas and help you're giving us.
My problem is a bit different, after a 4 year lay off (young children, busy job etc)I started running again last year. I've joined a running club and entered my target race (Grizzly, 22+ miles off-road 8 weeks away). I've been trying to use a marathon plan but work and family commitments keep getting in the way of planned training.
Is there any plan that would let me do a few lunchtime runs (max 45/50 minutes) with an hour or so one evening a week and a long run at the weekend? Would I be best doing speedwork on one lunchtime session and hills on another, with an 8 miler midweek with the club and building up my long run gradually?
I got out for the first time in a week this evening and ran 14 miles, but started to feel it in my legs after about 12 miles.
Thanks in advance, Nigel.
Having completed 5 marathons last year with a PB of 4.33 and being too tired to do well with my last marathon. I would like to concentrate on getting a sub 4.30 marathon this year. I am find the sub 4.30 RW or even the sub 4 hour RW does seem to concentrate on those who aren't experienced marathon runners and am struggling to find a suitable marathon training program for me.
Last year I sort of followed this schedule:
Mon: Rest if raced on Sunday or 45-60mins hilly run.
Tues: 8-12 miles steady.
Wed: x-training with 4-5 miles steady.
Thurs: Club speedwork session. example sessions are 5 x1000m with 2 mins recovery, or 12 x 400m with 100m recovery.
Fri: Core stability work with PT. and 30mins x-training.
Sat: LSR up to 21 miles. Managed 5 20 milers or 3.30 hour runs. or rest if racing next day.
Sun: Rest or race.
Have been doing lower mileage recently to ensure full recovery from Dublin Marathon, now training for FLM.
Sorry for the long post. Any advise on how to improve and I thought of following Half Higdons Advanced 1 plan but it does have fairly low mileage at the start and not sure now.
Thanks.
Firstly may i thank you on behalf of everyone for providing this very helpful forum thread. I look forward to meeting you on the Algarve training camp this year, which i hope will help me really push myself to a new marathon P.B!!
My question is this:
I am following the 3hr15min training schedule but due to a severe calf strain/tear during the late autumn and having, up til recently, a lot of physio on it i do not feel 100% confident in tackling the speedwork sessions that start this week.
At the moment i do not feel that the quick bursts of hard pace are appropriate as i build up the strength in my leg again, but i am confident with running at a consistent pace. Therefore, can you suggest what type of session (i.e. time/pace) i could substitute these speedwork sessions for whilst enabling me to stay on track for circa 3:15 pace? (this is just a temporary measure until injury feels 100% healed)
Thank you in advance for any advice.
Neil
Sorry if this seems a daft question, but I'm a real novice!
I've been running (aka "slow jog"!) for about 18 months or so. Over the last 4 - 6 weeks I have got up to 2 x 5/6m & 1 x 15m per week in anticipation of the FLM.
Of the back of 3 consecutive weeks of 15 mile long runs, I now feel absolutely shattered. Have I done too much? Do I need to ease back?
If I follow the RW plan, then my long mileage will be a lot lower than 15 miles for a few weeks. I am worried that this is a retrograde step. Somehow I feel like I'm starting again!
I want to finish sub 4-30 and my current pace is around 9.50 - 10.00 min / mile.
Thanks
I would really welcome your advice.
just a quick one. i'm following the 55-75 mile marathon schedule from your 2:09 site.
having never run a marathon before i dont really know what time i should be aiming for. my pbs are
10k 38:50
half 1:25:00
should i go for a sub 3 or will that be pushing it?
thanks for your time
I have progressed from a 3 days a week runner who does a few local road races (30 min 5M/38 min 10k) up to 6 days week running over the last couple of months, with a target of London Marathon. At the start of this build up I did a ½ Mar in 1h 26m (furthest I had ever run). I have done 6/7 days per week for the last 4 weeks with a total of 50-60 mpw.
I noticed the points you made to Blisters in the Hard Training thread about one paced running. I am now running 45 – 75 mins per day in the week/Saturday and a 2 hr long run on Sundays.
I measure a few of my runs, and reckon that I run about 7.5 to 8.5 miles in the 60 mins in the week (depending upon terrain) and 15-16 miles in the 2hr runs. Which makes me all a bit one paced.
At this stage I have no target pace or time in place, but am running the Bramley 20 at the end of Feb.
I am going to switch over to your 55-75 mpw schedule. Is there anything you feel that you need to add at this stage?
Wrinkley Smurf, Looks like a perfect plan to me - I wouldn't change anything.
Happycat, I think you're in the same position as JR3. As mentioned by some of the others here, I have mileage based schedules on my website at www.209events.com. They are one day out as I haven't yet updated them from FLM last year, but they may be more suited to you.
SoSloSi, You may be running too quickly at this stage. The long runs should be at a pace where you could easily keep a conversation going. This means you are adapting to and burning fat for energy rather than glycogen, which is used up quickly if you go too fast.
Blue Finch, There is probably going to be a lag between your potential marathon ability in 16 weeks time and what you are capable of now. Your current half time indicates 3hrs is possible, but if all goes well by March you should improve that time and have more of a margin. I would train based on your projected time rather than your current ability.
I've two pairs of running shoes - ASICs Gel (for treadmill) & Saucony XT600 (done about 100 miles outdoor). Both are reasonably comfortable & cheapish - about £40 each. On both I have noticed that the heel is wearing away first on the outside back quarter. Can you advise what sort of running step this indicates please i.e. over pronation, etc and what shoes you would recommend as I build up the miles for the FLM - also do you recommned I buy two pairs the same (i.e. one for indoor & one for outdooor)?
Thanks
Robert
Question is, will this ruin my training?
It is worth having a couple of pairs of shoes on the go as it will help prevent over use injuries, also try to buy them before the old pair is worn out so you can phase them in.
Thanks for advice re shoes. Just wanted to check I'm following the right training plan at 3.45min. I'm 44, started jooging last year, first race the Woburn 10k. I did the St Neots half marathin in Dec 1.52min and the Buningford 10m in Dec in 1.25min. I'm ok with the training plan longer runs so far(did 8 miles today in 72min), but found the 3 x 1.5M in 12 mins a struggle on Saturday - I had to do the second a 0.5kph slower and the third at another 0.5kph slower - having said that this is the first time I have done this sort of training and felt the speed benefit on the 8 mile run today. You will note I am mixing up the training schedules to fit in with time avialability - but will follw the schedule weekly, if not daily.
My target is to beat 4 hours at the end of the race - will I be held up for about 15 mins crssing the start - I put 3.59 on the application - running on a charity place.
Cheers
Rob
I'll do hills or speedwork Tues lunchtime, then club Weds (1hr 7:45 to 8:00 min/mile pace), then other of hills/speed on Friday lunchtime and a long run on Sunday (8:30 min/mile).
As I said before I'll just try to steadily increase my time/distance on the long run from last weeks longest 14 miles/1:55 up to at least 22 miles/3 hours. With a taper a couple of weeks before the race.
I expect my race time to be nearer 3:45, and given half a chance will do as much as possible off-road and beach running to get ready for the real terrain. Is this reasonable given my recent times of 1:42 Half Marathon, 45:00 10k for road races and 11 miles off-road of 1:31?
I've got a couple of off-road races planned where I'll probably push a bit too hard, but they'll help me work out the best tactics for the race day. Next weekend 10+ miles hilly & muddy, & 2 weeks later another muddy/hilly 13.1 miles.
I'm just about to finish a 12 hour night shift and have been reading all these threads with great interest. I have been running for about a year and a half and in that time, have done 2 marathons (FLM 3:32 and Abingdon 3:29). Both times I followed the sub 3:30 programme. This time I wanted a bit of a change so decided to start the sub 3:15 programme and just do all the runs a bit slower.
I have 2 questions (if that's allowed?!):
1) Since running Abingdon in Oct '06 I have managed to keep up my long runs and eventually built them back up to 18 miles (on new years eve). Now, however, having started the sub 3:15 RW programme last week I seem to be going backwards in terms of my long runs. What should I do? Should I stick with the programme and shorten the long runs for a bit or just continue with 20 and 18 milers?
2)My 2nd question kind of links in with the 1st. Since Abingdon, I have also started a new job, which involves working nights for about a week every month - 6 weeks. From the way I am feeling right now, I know that I will really struggle to keep up my training when I'm on nights. I have started the sub 3:15 programme at week 3, in anticipation of a couple of weeks loss during night shifts. Should I try and do some short runs or do you think it might actually be detrimental after a long night shift? Help!
Thanks a lot.
Thanks for the response.
As I said earlier I have come from a 3 days a week running (of between 30 and 60 min) background for the last few years, which has given me times of (30min/5M, 38min 10k), I have now built up to 6/7 days over the last couple of months. At the start of this I did a ½ Mar in 1h 26m. I would like to think that I will have greatly improved by April, do you think that Sub 3 is on the cards? I would like to think so. The ½ Mar was my longest ever run, and I could probably have run faster –I ran it at a steady pace that I thought I could sustain.
Wrinkly, It's hard to give a realistic target for an off road event because it will dpend so much on conditions on the day, but your training plan looks sound.
Charlie Girl, Keep the long runs up and ignor what the schedules say in this respect as they have to assume people are starting from a low base. When you are working nights I think it would be wise to play it as it comes and don't flog yourself if you are generally tired. You can build those weeks in as rest or recovery weeks.
Kevin, Go for variety of paces on your quality sessions, even mix up the pace in the same session by doing fartlek (run fast bursts as you please). At this stage you should be working in the marathon to half marathon pace range for your speed work. In March increase the range to include 10km pace and even 5km pace work.
TR, Given the improvement you will make, I think sub-3 is not an unreasonable target.
Thanks for the response.
Nearer the time I will have to decide if sub 3 is achievable (and risk a possible crash and burn) or play safe for a more easily achievable target. The result of the Bramley 20 will help with the decision.
I've made lots of alterations to the training plan to fit in with what I normally do & clubs runs etc but the main basis of it is still there.
Set up all my speed & hill session & can't wait to start using them :-)