Your Marathon... Part 2 of 3: Marathon Training the Forever Runner Way

This is the second in a 3 part series on marathon training following Forever Runner principals.

Last week, I talked about marathon base training. It was all about running slow with biweekly sprinting and getting real good at 2 hour runs.

Today i’ll go over marathon training plans.

Most marathon training plans are 16 to 18+ weeks long. There are two main problems with most popular training plans out there if you do not want to get injured and want to be totally rested and energized at the start.

1) They have you run too fast.

2)  They include too much speedwork.

But they do provide a proven structured way to gradually increase your weekly mileage and your long runs.

I suggest you pick one you like, and if you are trained up for 2 hour runs, start there in that program, it might be the 2nd or 3rd week.

Here are some suggestions to modify your plan to be less stressful.

•  Do most of your runs at or below your MAF heart rate.

•  Limit the speed or anaerobic sessions to once per week. Most of the time, a tempo run at marathon pace for 6-8 miles will suffice.

•  When you get to the 18-20 mile runs, try bumping the last 4-5 miles up to marathon pace.

•  Many plans have your last long run 2 weeks out. Save your legs and run a 10K instead. You will get a training benefit and recover much faster.

The key to successful marathon preparation is not over training. Be mindful of what your body is telling you. Don’t do a workout if you don’t feel well just because it’s on your plan.

Also, use your long runs to test your fueling. Even though you may be low carb and fat adapted, eating some gels during the race is ok.

If you were able to fully develop your aerobic capacity during your base training, you should be able to comfortably run your marathon at about 20 seconds per mile faster than your MAF training pace. 

Hopefully you can incorporate some or all these tips into your next marathon training.

Next week, I’ll talk about race day.

If you are interested in learning more about the Forever Method, click this link to watch the video:

 Forever Runner Training Center