The answer to that question is 'Hal
Higdon'. I'll give you my advice for your marathon training regimen, but to
be honest, I obtained most of my advice from Hal. He is a fantastic
runner/writer, and provides a wealth of advice and training schedules at his
website, halhigdon.com. I mentioned this earlier, but I highly
recommend that you purchase his book, Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide. You'll find a
complete list of his books at Amazon.com.
Basic Plan
For the individual who is serious about
running a marathon, I think that the absolute minimum time needed to get
ready is probably 18 to 20 weeks. You can do it more quickly, but your
chances of becoming injured
are more likely. What you want to do is identify your weekly mileage in
Week One. If you are currently running three mile runs, three times per
week, then your starting mileage is nine miles. Next, you want to slowly
increase that weekly mileage, but no more than 10% increases per week. So,
in Week Two, you'd aim to run 10 miles (maybe runs of 3 miles, 4 miles and 3
miles). Then, in Week Three, you'll aim to run 11 miles. You get the idea.
After four to five weeks, you'll aim to have your mileage up to 15 to
16 miles per week. Now that you have a good base of running, you'll want
to start running a longer run on the day where you have the most time.
Most people do this run on the weekend, when their work routine is less
intense. A good first 'long run' is 6 to 7 miles. Many people find it
easier to do this first run at a local 10K race. Running at a race (no
need to run fast, by the way!) is a great way to tackle longer runs,
because there are a lot of people to pull you along, and they have great
food and beverages along the way.
After 10-12 weeks, you'll be running some fairly serious runs of 10 to
12 miles on the weekend. At this point, you should be taking an easier
week every two to three weeks. So, if you run a total of 18 miles one
week, and 20 miles the next, you may want to take an easier week of 15
miles, before jumping to 22 miles a week later. This helps your body to
recover, and lets you nurse any nagging injuries.
When Am I Ready For The Marathon?
This is the
million dollar question. A quick rule of thumb is that when you can run 20
to 22 miles on your long run without too much stress, then you are probably
ready for your first marathon. You don't really need to put more mileage
than that on, as the raceday festivities will carry you through. Now, you'll
want to taper your training a bit (for 1-2 weeks), start loading up on
carbohydrates for the week before the race, and get ready to go for it!
Copyright
?2002 by Green Parrot Productions and David Schappell.
![[Image of the creator, Dave Schappell]](training_files/DaveOnBoat.jpg)
Copyright
?2002 by Green Parrot Productions and