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Welcome to
Mike & Steve's
Marathon
Training Guide
Week # 4 |
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Steve: veteran
- 57 marathons |
This weekly
marathon guide
is designed for
marathon runners
from the beginner to
experienced
levels. |
Mike - marathon
runner & author |
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Introduction
Our marathon
training guide covers an 18 week period,
including the marathon week and the post race
recovery week, to help you prepare for your
next marathon. Each week we will publish a new
chapter. If you missed out earlier,
previous chapters are available.
Click here
if this is
your first time to this page.
Click here
for information about using the marathon
training schedules
Click here
for our Marathon Training Guide FAQ
Click here
for
stretching
and cross
training
information
Marathon
Training
Guide:
Week
4
After
four
weeks
you
should
be
settling
into
the
routine
of
regular
training.
This
is
also
a
good
time
to
assess
your
progress.
If
you
have
selected
the
right
training
level,
and
have
the
the
appropriate
running
base,
then
you
should
be
comfortable
with
the
demands
of
the
schedule.
Your
biggest
problem
might
be
in
finding
the
time
for
your
training
runs! |
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Beginner
Program:
Week 4:
Yet another
cornerstone of
your training
involves your
personal safety
on the road. We
cannot emphasis
this aspect too much because
bikes, cars,
trucks and other
assorted
conveyances will
not only hurt
you but ruin
your marathon
training.
We will mention
several
'no-brainers' just
to give you some
food for
thought:
-
Always
run facing
traffic;
-
Wear a
reflective
safety vest
after dusk and
before dawn;
-
Always give
bikes and
vehicles the
right of way
even if it is
yours;
-
In cold
freezing weather
run into the
wind at the
beginning of
your run
-
Always hydrate
before, during
and after a
run.
There are
many more of
these little
bits of wisdom,
but you get the
idea, right?
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Beginner
Level: Week
4 Mileage
Chart
|
Day
1 |
Day
2 |
Day
3 |
Day
4 |
Day
5 |
Day
6 |
Day
7 |
Mileage
Goal: |
|
5 |
E |
6 |
HD |
Rest |
6 |
E |
Rest |
10 |
L |
Rest |
27 |
E = Easy
Pace; HD=Hard
Pace; HL =
Hills; L=Long
Slow Run; M =
Marathon
Pace; T=Tempo
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Daily
Training
schedule
The beginner schedules follow
the hard day /
easy day
approach. if you
have to modify
this week's
training for any
reason, try to
stick to this
basic principle.
Day 1:
Start the week
with another
Easy 5 miles.
Day 2:
This is your
fourth week of
training, time
for a Hard 6
miler. The pace
should be such
that you are
fatigued by the
last half of the
run. You will be
breathing
heavily by the
time you begin
your cool down
during the last
mile. Do some
light stretching
after.
Day 3:
Rest day. An
easy walk and
some stretching.
Day 4:
An
easy 6 miles
today.
Day 5:
Rest day again.
You will need
it.
Day 6:
LSD
run of 10
miles. This is
your longest run
to date, keep it
slow.
Day 7:
Rest day. Try an
easy workout on
an exercise bike to get the
lactic acid out
of your body and
get ready to
bump up your
training to 5
days a week.
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Marathon Guide's
Training Tips:
-
Get enough
sleep!
You body
re-generates
itself
during
sleep, so
you need to
make sure
you are
getting your
full
quotient
while you
are
training. Do
not cut back
on your
sleep to
squeeze an
extra hour
into the
day, as this
will catch
up to you as
the time
goes by.
-
Cross
training and
weight
lifting help
to
counteract
the
imbalance in
your
muscular
development
that comes
from doing
only
running. If
you are
cutting back
on your
mileage due
to a minor
injury, add
a bike ride
to your
schedule.
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Intermediate
Program |
Week 4:
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When you are
running a lot of
miles, sometimes
you tend to get
a bit
complacent.
Your safety is
one of those
very important
items that you
must pay
attention to
because if you
do not, the
consequences may
be severe, To
repeat, run
facing traffic
if at all
possible and
wear clothing
that will make
you visible at
all times and
try not to “zone
out” during any
of your runs. |
Intermediate
Level: Week
4 Mileage
Chart
|
Day
1 |
Day
2 |
Day
3 |
Day
4 |
Day
5 |
Day
6 |
Day
7 |
Mileage
Goal: |
|
5 |
E |
Rest |
5 |
T |
6 |
M |
Rest |
12 |
L |
4 |
E |
32 |
E = Easy
Pace; HD=Hard
Pace; HL =
Hills; L=Long
Slow Run; M =
Marathon
Pace; T=Tempo
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Daily
Training
schedule
These
schedules follow
the hard day /
easy day
approach. if you
have to modify
this week's
training for any
reason, try to
stick to this
basic principle.
Day 1;
An easy 5 miles
today and of
course some
light stretching
after.
Day 2:
Rest day. Cross
train on the
exercise bike or
in the pool.
Day 3:
Five mile tempo
run scheduled.
Day 4:
A
marathon pace
run of 6 miles.
Feel free to
interchange day
3 and day 4.
Day 5:
Rest day. Use it
wisely.
Day 6:
This LSD run is
up to 12 miles
and should be
treated with
respect.
Day 7:
Recovery day is
here once again
with another 4
miler. |
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Marathon Guide's
Training Tips:
-
Watch those aches and pains!
Pay
attention to new aches that will come up as
you increase your mileage. If you ignore
these, they could become more serious, and
prevent you from running altogether. It’s
better to take a couple of days off and
recover, than to try and keep on schedule.
Put an ice pack on any sore spots after your
run. This helps the recovery and healing
process. Running shorter distances on flat,
softer surfaces also helps.
-
Make sure
you start your training runs slowly, before
you get to your intended pace. This is
especially true during marathon training
when you are doing a lot of miles each week,
without a whole lot of rest days. It is
especially important to warm up gradually in
cold weather.
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Experienced
Program |
Week 4: |
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This week the
mileage will
rise to 45 as
you get into the
meat of the
training.
Another
cornerstone to
consider is
injury
avoidance/management.
With the
upcoming heavier
efforts,
injuries will
begin to show
up. Pay
attention to
your body and be
prepared to deal
with theses
issues. |
Experienced
Level: Week
4 Mileage
Chart
|
Day
1 |
Day
2 |
Day
3 |
Day
4 |
Day
5 |
Day
6 |
Day
7 |
Mileage
Goal: |
|
7 |
T |
5 |
S |
7 |
HL |
8 |
E |
Rest |
13 |
L |
5 |
E |
45 |
E = Easy
Pace; HD=Hard
Pace; HL =
Hills; L=Long
Slow Run;
M =
Marathon
Pace; S =
Speed-work;
T=Tempo
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Daily
Training
schedule
If you
have to modify
this week's
training for any
reason, try to
work in some
quality
workouts,
especially the
long run.
Day 1:
Seven miles of
tempo running to
start the week.
Day 2:
Your second
speed workout is
at the same
level. A total
of 5 miles.
Day 3:
Hills are on the
agenda for
today. This is a
7 mile workout.
You may wish to
switch it to day
four.
Day 4:
This is an easy
8 miles. See day
three.
Day 5:
Finally a rest
day. Stretching
and maybe an
easy workout on
the exercise bike or other
non-weight
bearing activity
will help
mitigate the
stress on your
legs.
Day 6:
LSD of 13 miles,
just a half
marathon today.
Day 7:
Five easy miles
of recovery,
followed by
light stretching
as usual.
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Marathon Guide's
Training Tips:
-
Find the
training balance that works for you. We have
under-trained and over-trained for
marathons, with poor results either way.
Train too little and you’ll have a hard
injury-prone race. Train too much and you’ll
leave your best marathon time on the
training roads because on race day your body
will not be up to it.
-
If you
are following this training schedule closely, but feel
you are struggling to keep up, it’s best to
pull back, and modify your marathon goal if
necessary.
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If
You Like
The
Marathon
Training
Guide...
Please Tell
A Friend!
We value your privacy -
this email is not retained! |
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Useful Links & Info
|
Track your marathon training with a customized training logbook.
www.personallogs.com
Includes a day-by-day marathon training schedule specific to the
marathon date you select. |
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