Marathon Training - A New Level Of Confidence And Power

(Yes, I am a Pantera fan!)

I haven't updated the blog in a while. Slogging in the heat has not been inspiring. But with my next marathon less than 4 months away, I thought I'd post about, specifically, marathon training.

Are You Ready... (Korn reference) ...For a Marathon?

You may be ready for a marathon if:
-you've been walking regularly for at least a year
-you are comfortable walking at least 10 miles
-you've done at least one half marathon
-you are injury-free and have a good plan to stay that way
-you want a REAL challenge

The marathon is not just double the half marathon. It is at least 5 times the effort and pain. Doubling the miles exponentially increases the recovery time and the mental and physical stamina required. Your refueling strategy must be ON POINT. That said, the personal rewards and satisfaction from finishing a marathon are far beyond that of a half. In reasonably good shape, you could probably get through 26.2 miles, as long as you don't mind limping a lot. You get out of the marathon what you put into the training.

Base-Building For a Marathon

One must have a proper base of training for a marathon, meaning you must start off in shape. If you aren't in shape to begin these proceedings, you will just wear your body down more and more. A proper marathon base is similar to peak half marathon training, which is why many people train for a marathon right after finishing a half. Generally speaking, you will want to be walking 3-4 times a week, including one long workout of 10 miles. Your shorter workouts should be no shorter than 4 miles. If you aren't there yet, get there, then return to this blog post. Shortcutting your marathon base build is the quickest way to InjuryTown.

Training For a Marathon - It's All About The Long Workout

Marathon training is simple: build your long workout. The more time you have before your race, the more time you can take building it up. Generally, though, you will want to do each distance two to four times before moving up. Count the number of weeks that you have back from race day, and plan accordingly.

Marathon training should start with long walks of 12 miles (remember, you have a proper base!). If you do these on the weekends, you should think about doing 3 weeks or so of 12 milers before moving up to 14. Then do 3 weeks at 14 before moving up to 16. Etc, until you get to 20 miles. After 2-3 20 milers, you will taper for a couple of weeks. Some people choose to taper longer, like 4-5 weeks. I do not advise this for walkers, because hip rotation and flexibility is so easily lost. Your injury potential is not as great as runners, so you can do a shorter taper. I do only one weekend between my last 20 and race day, and that weekend I still do, like, 14 miles or something.

If you are an "advanced marathoner," by which I mean you are going for a PR and not just a finish, you will want to add a mid-week 10-miler to your training. The mid-week 10-miler is CRITICAL for a personal record, in my opinion. As you get in better shape, you will see how fast these 10-milers can actually get. It is extremely fun and inspiring. Also continue to do your 2-3 shorter walks of 4-6 miles per week. Your peak marathon weekly mileage might hover around 40-50, and that's really all you need to be very well-trained. Good luck and godspeed!