Marathon Training Guide

Marathon Training Guide

Week # 4

Steve:  veteran - 57 marathons

This weekly marathon guide is designed for marathon runners from the beginner to experienced levels.

Mike - marathon runner & author

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?

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.
 

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.

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.

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.

Experienced Program

Week 4:

 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.

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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