As we’re about 6 months out from the fall marathons, I thought this may be a good time to talk about marathon training. I’ve run 4 marathons with a PR of 4:18:37 (Chicago, 2014). There’s no use sugarcoating it, the training is a lot, but the high upon finishing is totally worth it!
While there are a hundred training plans online, I don’t and never have religiously followed any of them. I took the pieces of advice that were common to most plans and incorporated them with what I thought I needed. For instance, I know I can’t run more than 4 days a week on a regular basis. It’s too much with my work schedule and other responsibilities, so I don’t do it. I was also careful to heed the 10% rule (don’t increase your weekly mileage by more than 10%), which I’ve found helps keep me from pushing it and getting injured.
I usually spend 2-2.5 months working my base mileage up to 32 miles per week. That breaks down to 20 miles over 3 runs during the work week and a 12-mile run on the weekend. Once I’m 14 weeks out from the race, I increase my long run to 13 miles and then increase the long run by 2 miles every other week until I hit 23 miles. I decided to max out at 23 miles because I know even on my worst day, I can push through 3 miles. The psychology of training is as important as the mileage itself.
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
Week 1 | 6 miles | 8 miles | Yoga | 6 miles | Yoga | 13 miles | Off |
Week 2 | 6 miles | 8 miles | Yoga | 6 miles | Yoga | 12 miles & yoga | Off |
Week 3 | 6 miles | 8 miles | Yoga | 6 miles | Yoga | 15 miles | Off |
Week 4 | 6 miles | 8 miles | Yoga | 6 miles | Yoga | 12 miles & yoga | Off |
Week 5 | 6 miles | 8 miles | Yoga | 6 miles | Yoga | 17 miles | Off |
Week 6 | 6 miles | 8 miles | Yoga | 6 miles | Yoga | 12 miles & yoga | Off |
Week 7 | 6 miles | 8 miles | Yoga | 6 miles | Yoga | 19 miles | Off |
Week 8 | 6 miles | 8 miles | Yoga | 6 miles | Yoga | 12 miles & yoga | Off |
Week 9 | 6 miles | 8 miles | Yoga | 6 miles | Yoga | 21 miles | Off |
Week 10 | 6 miles | 8 miles | Yoga | 6 miles | Yoga | 12 miles & yoga | Off |
Week 11 | 6 miles | 8 miles | Yoga | 6 miles | Yoga | 23 miles | Off |
Week 12 | 6 miles | 6 miles | Yoga | 6 miles | Yoga | 12 miles & yoga | Off |
Week 13 | 6 miles | 6 miles | Yoga | 4 miles | Yoga | 8 miles & yoga | Off |
Week 14 | 4 miles | Off | 2 miles | Off | 2 miles | Off | RACE DAY!! |
In addition to the mileage and yoga on the chart, I also incorporate 15 minutes of strength training focused on my hips and glutes 3 days per week. My routine includes side-lying leg lifts, side-lying clam exercises, straight-leg lifts, and squats – generally 3 sets of 15 on each side.
My training plan may not work for you and I’d advise anyone considering a marathon to talk to a doctor and/or trainer before starting a training regimen. But regardless of anything else, listen to your body – that’s the best piece of advice I can give any runner!