A Long Run
Time on your feet is very important for
any marathoner. HOWEVER, I don't see
the need for more than a 2:30 long run
for a 3:00 marathon. For me, because I
run so many marathons, I tend not to run
longer than 2 hours in a training run, but
I do this run on a pretty tough 16.5 mile
trail and at a good clip. If I'm consistently
under 2 hours, I'm in sub three shape, so
find a 16 to 17 mile rolling terrain course
and get to work. One time doesn't count;
this is something you need to be able to
do almost any day of the week.
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A Medium Long Run
A 12 to 14 mile mid-week run is always a good base
booster, but can you make time for it? Great if you can,
but if not, it may mean a Saturday/Sunday that's 3.5
hours and 30 miles. That's OK, in fact it's better than OK;
I do it all the time. You need this medium long run for
marathon strength so don't skip it! You're getting into
sub three hour shape if you can do this workout at 7:00
pace and it doesn't zap your legs the next day. Breaking
it into two runs is OK, but if so, one run really needs to
incorporate some good turnover.
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Mile Repeats
Mile repeats build speed and stamina
and I can't make this one any simpler.
Run a mile every 7 minutes whether you
want to or not. These are a must for
consistent sub three marathoning. I like
doing at least 5 at roughly 6 minute
pace, which allows for a one minute rest.
I'm not a fan of the slow jog in between
because I don't want my legs to forget
the turnover they just had, but do what
you want as long as you're back up to
speed every 7 minutes. The key to
marathon-based mile repeats is not the
speed of the interval but the restriction of
rest. With this workout, even when
you're not as fast as you need to be (6
minute pace), you're working your way
there by having less than a minute to
rest. And if you don't have a track, find a
quiet road. This is a non-track repeat
workout on a point to point 1.25 mile
rolling road. I did 4 repeats, one every
8:30 minutes, each 5 to 10 seconds
faster than the previous...the way you
want to do repeats. Once your speed
starts to suffer, call it a day...you didn't
come to the track to run at training pace.
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Balanced Pick-Ups
I don't believe much in 800 meter repeats for
marathoning. They don't provide enough consistent leg
fatigue (unless you barely rest) and to me they make mile
repeat workouts harder to complete because your brain
starts liking two less laps. That doesn't mean I don't
believe in faster-than-mile-pace running; I just prefer
doing it on a road or a trail. Set your interval timer on 2
minutes 30 seconds, skip the first beep (so you'll get a 5
minute warm-up), then hit the pace hard (90% of max) at
the next beep....then easy for 2:30...then hard. A rolling
terrain course means you can't control the timing of the
pick-up...fun huh?! I like doing the same amount of rest
as acceleration...it's easy to set your watch for and if you
do 2:30s, you'll know there's a hard one every 5. One
hour = 11 fast ones.
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3N5s
This is not a track workout; it's a long marathon pace type
tempo run, but requires a track. I started using this one
when I got banged up doing non-marathon training. If
your 6 minute miles are a bit slow, hit the track with the
goal of running 3 laps in 5 minutes. The math is 1:40/lap,
6:40/mile and a 2:55 marathon...but only focus on 3
lap/5:00. My norm is 3N5X8 (or 6 miles in 40:00...again
with no stops...it's a long tempo run). I've gone as long
as 3N5X16 (12 miles in 1:20).
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