Time Improvement
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Marathon Training for Time Improvement |
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Once you have the first marathon under your belt, you can begin to think about speed. So many of the popular training programs out there currently are designed just to get you to survive the race and finish. Improvements in your marathon times can result from small changes in how you train for the race. The basic difference between the beginners schedule and that of those seeking to improve is one of pace. Those seeking improvements will be doing a greater volume of mileage but not overly so. The speed sessions will be more structured to improve your speed-endurance, ie: the ability to maintain a pace closer to your ultimate speed - for longer. Otherwise all the elements of the beginners schedule remain.
As in any schedule there will be recovery days and one rest day in every week is recommended. Vary your training by running a number of different routes. At the weekend make the most of the time available by planning your long runs to be as enjoyable as possible (see Training for Beginners). Avoid divorce proceedings by involving your partner as much as you can - or at least for as much as they can take. The schedules at the end of this section should be tailored by you to suit your needs and could involve a weekly mileage of 40 to 60 miles. Find a compatible running companion. If possible have somebody to supply you with drinks on route; athletic clubs, in the more rural areas, often designate one of their members to leave water bottles at strategic points of the Sunday run. The schedules are divided into four main sections: long runs, pace runs, speed training and recovery runs. Long Runs Ease into your long run and establish a pace that will carry you to the end without taking its toll on your legs. Experiment with eating and drinking - how much and how close to training - and practice taking drinks during the run. Pace Runs A good paced run over six miles. This is aimed at raising your speed-endurance threshold - just as in the speed sessions - but with the emphasis on endurance and economy of effort. Just because your recovery runs are a similar distance, do not be drawn into doing a pace run on a recovery night, even if you feel good. A 10K race could take the place of your pace session but always follow this with a recovery day even if you normally do a long run that day. Be flexible. Speed Training Some runners swear by Fartlek - with its emphasis on using found variations in the terrain - while others prefer a pre-knowledge of what they are expected to achieve and opt for repetition or interval training. Repetition training consists of repeated runs of, for instance, half or one mile, with a good recovery. This session is best done on grass but, if for any reason this is impossible, a track is next best with road last. This is to avoid unnecessary pounding on your legs. Occasionally substitute a fartlek session. Interval training consists of fast bursts of 100 to 400 metres with a partial recovery of 60 seconds or a one hundred metre jog. Attempt six, improve up to eight and then move on to ten fast intervals. Hill training can come under either of these categories but basically it takes the form of repeated efforts up hill with an easy run down. Do not select a hill that is too steep - you should be able to run up showing good form with high knee lift. If possible, find a small loop with a gentle slope down to the beginning of uphill section. This same circuit could be used for the odd pace run session, ie: 3 x 2 mile reps. Recovery Runs These are exactly what they say. No more than six miles or 40-50 minutes in duration, these runs should be taken very easily. Never be tempted to use them to make up for missed training during the previous week. A heart-rate monitor is a useful tool for gauging the pace of these recovery runs. So now we have the four elements to build a schedule that aims at peaking on the 21st April. If you are running six days a week, three of these should be used for hard training, each followed by a recovery day. Initially the schedules show one speed training day and one pace run per week; as the marathon gets closer the pace day is replaced by a second day of speed training. In the week following a race - or following a week of increased training - drop one of the main training days. In the week after a long preparation race also reduce your training and do not attempt any quality running until at least Thursday.
* Suggestions only, substitute your own variations - Tuesday for long reps with full recovery, Thursday for interval training with partial recovery
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