My Plan for Following a Marathon Training Plan

Last year when I trained for and eventually completed my first marathon I did not follow any specific marathon training plan. Instead, I chose to stay the course that began the previous November and simply added mileage each month while taking a down week after every three weeks of higher mileage. I did throw in the odd 800m repeats at the track, and I can't really remember doing any tempo work at all. Mostly I just ran slow.

It worked because I finished the race. It failed because I bonked at 32K and struggled the rest of the way. What it all amounted to was me going into the marathon without a clear idea of what my proper pace should have been. In retrospect, I ran too aggressively and paid for it. Being sick as a dog the week of the race didn't help so I might have hit that proverbial "Wall" anyway, but ultimately I was not prepared to run at an appropriate pace commensurate with my fitness level and degree of preparation. My hopes of breaking 3h30m were dashed once my right hamstring cramped up and that was that.

This year I am (hopefully) wiser and have more mileage under my belt as I once again stare down the long barrel of an 18-week marathon training cycle that commences on Monday. Although I'd planned since last year to go for a BQ at the Waterfront Marathon this October the fine folks at the BAA decided to throw a wrench into my plans (and the plans of many others I suspect) by lowering the BQ standard by five minutes. I have no delusions of being able to run a 3h10m marathon this year. Even 3h15m is a stretch based on my Half Marathon result this May (typing that into McMillan's Running calculator renders a marathon finishing time of 3h16m40s). But I do know that as I train using the Pete Pfitzinger 18-55 plan my pacing strategy will come into focus and I will (hopefully) parlay that into a successful race. I will define success not solely on my finishing time, but more so by my ability to execute a race strategy so that I am running across the finish line and not hobbling. I know I've said that my goal is to beat this guy's world record, and that is definitely still on, but if my training dictates that I can run faster I will go for it.

The other variables that Pfitzinger does not consider is hill training and weight training. Although all of the weeks have at least two cross-training days, which I plan to use for leg weights, the others are devoted simply to running. I plan on continuing my upper body weights throughout the work week while completing the prescribed runs. Also, as far as hills go, I plan on finding hilly parts of the city to run on during all of the General Aerobic runs and incorporating hills here and there into all or most of the Medium Long and Long runs. Since my target marathon is not hilly I will do the rest on flatter ground and certainly run the Planned Marathon Pace prep runs that way as well. I'm thinking that training on hills will make a flat marathon that much easier and will serve to strengthen both my legs and my lungs.

We'll see how it goes. I am a bit apprehensive despite the fact that I have more than the requisite base mileage under my belt to start this plan. I'll be going from averaging 56km/week for this year up to almost 72km/week for this 18-week period. Yikes! You can tell why I chose the 18-55 plan and not the 18-70 plan, that's for sure.

In any case, I look forward to having a true guide for this training cycle which comes from something other than my brain. Before I was just concerned with staying healthy. Now that I have some semblance of fitness and confidence in my body's ability to withstand the mileage I am pleased to take my cues from a running expert, even if this expert just comes in book/online form.