Lakefront Marathon - Race Report

Well, I never had any intentions of running the Lakefront Marathon this year.  I had trained all spring and summer to run the Fox Cities Marathon on September 22nd.  As I always do, and so does just about every other single registered participate, I check the weather as soon as it is available.  The weather was never very promising.  From the get go, it was rain, rain and more rain.  The weather here in Wisconsin towards the end of summer was, simply put, wet.  It rained, and rained, and when you thought we were finally going to dry out, it would rain some more.  So, you can see where I'm going with this, but when I woke up on Sunday morning to go to the start line of the Fox Cities Marathon, it was...you guessed it, raining.

If you have read any of my past marathon race reports, you know my primary goal of any marathon was to post a finish time under 3 hours.  That has been at the forefront for me for 1 about 10 years of racing.  So, when I woke up Sunday morning, I honestly was hoping for the race to get cancelled.  Obviously, I didn't want to pony up another $100 race fee.  But I just had a feeling that if the Fox Cities Marathon was run that day, I was going to have a miserable race.  It was just a gut feeling I had.  My mind was not ready to run a 26.2 mile race, but body didn't feel ready, it just wasn't going to be a good day.  But, shortly after arriving to the starting area of the Fox Cities Marathon, we got word that the race was officially cancelled.  We didn't receive much additional information at that time.  I felt bad for most of the runners who trained all summer for that specific event and were unable to register for another event.  But, inside, I was kind of glad.  Even though I was upset at the whole idea of having to adjust my training or pay for another race.  I had mixed emotions.  Mentally I was so ready to be done training and the idea of another several weeks of dedicated training just sounds miserable.  But, obviously, I jumped at the opportunity to register for the Lakefront Marathon when they offered a discounted registration fee specifically for Fox Cities Marathon registrants who lost the opportunity to race this event.  I signed up for this event knowing that I had an additional 2 weeks of training and I would zero support out on the course.  It was going to be just me, myself, and I.  Honestly, I was kind of looking forward to that aspect of it.  I would have no additional concerns out on the course.  I would only have to focus on myself and not when or where I would be seeing my family.

After a successful racing season last year while following the Hanson's Marathon Method, I focused solely on training for the Fox Cities Marathon with this training schedule.  My training went pretty much flawless.  Other than a couple super minor hiccups where I skipped a day or two for minor aches or pains to prevent them from becoming large bigger issues.  I was hitting all my prescribed paces for all the types of workouts and I was feeling pretty good, especially compared to last year.

After finding out that my goal race was now two weeks out from when I had trained for it to be, I just repeated the last two weeks of training, but modified the "Easy Run" days.  Throughout the entire training plan, I added an additional 2 miles to each of these runs to increase my weekly mileage.  But after feeling fatigued and not interested in continuing my training after Fox Cities was cancelled, I figured that I earned the right to decrease my training mileage to make sure I would get to the start line ready to race.

Prerace

I am fortunate that I was able to secure a place to stay the night before the race at my brother-in-law's house, which is literally a 12 minute drive from the finish line of the Lakefront Marathon.  So the day before the race, I left to pick up my race packet at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee campus.  Of it rained the entire drive down to Milwaukee and rained damn near the entire day (and night).  On either the Thursday or Friday before the race, we had received an email about a large amount of standing water on a trail portion of the race course at about mile 25.  The race directors did not want to alter the course as it would remove any of the race certifications of the distance of the race.  So they opted to have runners run through the giant puddle with hopes of it drying out prior to the race.  So, now, back to me driving to Milwaukee in the pouring rain, all I could think about was that there is no way in hell that giant puddle was going to dry out now.  

The race expo was decent.  Pretty much your stereotypical expo, nothing special, nothing terrible.  I got my race bag, bib, and shirt and headed out...in the rain.  After getting to Jake's house, we relaxed for a little while and then went out for dinner.  This past April, when I ran the Brew City Half Marathon, I stayed at his house and went out to dinner to an oriental style restaurant which served various meals including Pad Thai, sushi, and Pho.  I was lucky to win the Brew City Half Marathon after that dinner, so there was no way I wasn't going to eat at the Hungry Sumo.  I ordered the exact same meal, sushi, Pad Thai, and some water.  After getting home it was pretty much to bed with an early wake up call.  

The Lakefront Marathon's course is a point to point race starting in Grafton and running basically straight south along the Lake Michigan lake shore, ending in the Summerfest Concert Grounds in downtown Milwaukee.  They offer busing from the finish line to the Grafton starting at 5:15.  My goal was getting on the fist bus out of Milwaukee.  I ended up getting on the second bus out of Milwaukee and made our way to Grafton High School.  After getting to the school I found a quiet corner in a hall and just relaxed and listened to music as I normally do for big races.  I then got my warm up in, which was basically a mile jog with some dynamic stretching worked into it.  As it got closer to 7:30 (race start time), I made my way to the start line and was honestly feeling pretty damn good and I was optimistic.

Nutrition Plan

My plan for this race was a little different from past marathons.  I have always felt that I took in too many calories too early in races which left my stomach just not sitting right.  Not that I ever had digestion issues, but I always felt like by the end of races, I was never able to take calories in.  Most of the time I would literally force myself to take in calories even though I felt like I didn't need them.  The thing is, there are certain recommendation for calories to be consumed in races to maintain performance.  I was already near the lower end of the recommendations, so I reached out to my friends at Hammer Nutrition to discuss a customized nutrition plan for me.  I spoke with Anastasia who was super helpful.  We decided that If I take in some light calories 3 hours before race time and then push out gels until later in the race and then take one other gel if needed in the later stages of the race.  Also during the race, I would take a couple of capsules of Race Cap Supreme along with a couple Endurolytes to maintain my electrolyte balance.  One hour before the race, I took a couple of capsules of Race Cap Supreme, two capsules of Endurance BCAA+ along with a couple Endurolytes.  Also, about 15 minutes or so before the start of the race, I took a dose of Fully Charged.

Miles 0-13.1

My plan for this race was to divide the race into three sections; the first 10 miles, the second 10 miles, and then the final 6.2 (10k).  My plan was to run the first ten miles slower than my goal pace of 6:45-6:50.  During the second 10 miles, I wanted to be at my goal pace.  Then for the final 10k, my plan was to pull out all stops and just finish strong.  As I began ticking off miles, I was feeling really good.  I didn't want to think it, but I felt as though it was easy.  I took a gel around mile 8 to get some calories in.  My plan was to take my only other gel at around mile 16.  I crossed the half way point in 1:29:16.  This was basically right where I wanted to be, which was about a 6:49/mile pace.  

Miles 13.1-20

As I continued throughout the race course, the weather remained damn near perfect.  Maybe a little too cold and I wouldn't have minded a couple more degrees warmer, but I left my arm sleeves and gloves on for a while.  I still continued to feel like my effort was easy.  I wasn't sure if this was fools gold or if I was setting myself up for failure for the later stages of the race.  But I just kept chugging along.  I really didn't adjust my pace too much since all my mile times were in the 6:45-6:50 range.  I figured that my number one goal was to finish under 3 hours.  It wasn't necessarily to finish in 2:55 or 2:57.  I wanted the clock to start with a 2 when I finished.  That was it.  So I just told myself to maintain this pace and then if I'm still feeling good around mile 22 or 23, then that would be the time to pick up the intensity.  I crossed mile 20 in 2:16:00, which was now averaging a 6:48/mile pace.  

Miles 20-26.2

As I continued on, I was feeling good.  But then mile 21 happened.  I began getting side stitches (cramps, or whatever you want to call them).  I was having a hard time breathing.  My legs began to ache and cramp.  I began wonder what the hell was happening.  It is so hard to explain.  It's lie this shit just comes out of no where and hits me like a freight train.  I can't explain it.  I have no idea why it happens.  This has been the reason why for 10 years I have struggled to finish a sub three hour marathon.  During mile 21, I took a super short walking break just to catch my breath and hopefully get back into a grove.  I started running again and was feeling okay, definitely not great.  My pace for mile 21 was 7:01.  Then after I was running for a little bit, all those feelings came right back.  I thought, "Oh great, my day is done and maybe I just wasn't meant to run a sub 3."  I began walking again, but then some complete stranger passed me and said, "C'mon man, you can't quit now."  I'll never forget it.  I have no idea who said it, but that statement struck me.  I told myself that I didn't sacrifice countless hours this past summer for training to walk and finish with another shitty race.  I didn't drive down to Milwaukee to quit on my dream at mile 22 of 26.  I sucked up any bit of strength I had and just began to run.  I kept telling myself one foot in front of the other.  Just keep moving forward.  My time for mile 22 was 7:27.  The remaining 4 miles all averaged under a 7 minute mile.  As I hit mile 26, I knew it was going to be damn close to 3 hours and I decided to lay it all out on the course for the final 0.2 miles.  As I came down the final stretch, I saw the clock read 2:59 and a low number.  I knew I was going to finally do it.  I crossed the finish line in 2:59:45.  15 seconds to spare! 

Post Race

After crossing the finish line, I was in rough shape for a little while.  I needed to get some fluid in me and just sat on a bench and drank some Gatorade until my stomach felt a little better.  I then went to get my gear bag right away to call Sarah.  I'll be honest, I cried (only a teeny tiny bit) when talking to Sarah.  She had been just as invested in my pursuit of running a sub 3 marathon as I was.  Plus she knew how much it meant to me.  We were both pretty happy.  She was bummed she wasn't able to share in the moment together, but she was happy for me.  I also called my dad about it.  It was a cool moment.  I then enjoyed my traditional post race beer from Lakefront Brewery and then it was time to head home!  I did make a short stop at a nearby brewery.  I stopped in at Broken Bat Brewery for one more additional pint before finally heading home.

What's on Tap?

As of typing this, the race is now over a month in my rear view mirror.  We have since moved into our new house, which was my personal big project.  That occupied pretty much all my free time after the race and allowed me some time away from running.  Now that I have finally run a sub three hour marathon, I honestly have NO clue what my personal goals or aspirations are.  I have no current plans for a race in 2020 of any distance.  I'm sure I'll run some race or even races, but I have no clue what ones or what distances they will be.  And honestly, I'm pretty content about that.

Thanks for sharing this journey with me!

Fox Cities Marathon - Race Report

The Fox Cities Marathon is one of my favorite races.  It is organized, it runs through my hometown and the entire fox valley, and it's run in the late summer/early fall, which is my favorite time of year.  It's been 8 years since I've last run the Fox Cities Marathon.  The Fox Cities Marathon was my first ever marathon back in 2007 and it is also the course I've run my marathon PR on, in 2010 of 3:03:46.  For all of these reasons, the Fox Cities Marathon holds a special place in my heart.  Coming off of a 3:04:58 marathon at the Oshkosh Marathon this past spring, I wanted to push all my hypothetical chips into the middle of the table and work my ass off and finally break the 3 hour threshold.

After recovering from the Oshkosh Marathon someone recommended I check out the Hanson's Marathon Method.  After they read my Race Report from the Oshkosh Marathon and heard me describe my late race struggles of feeling weak and drained the final 10k, he felt I could benefit from the Hanson's Marathon Method.  I figured I really had nothing to lose and could possibly benefit from a change in my training strategies.  So I purchased the Hanson's Marathon Method book and followed the Advance Plan while running an additional 2 miles for each scheduled "easy" training run.  The book recommended upping weekly mileage by running these additional 2 miles if you were looking to run a marathon under 3 hours.  Below are my print offs of my training schedule I followed leading up to the marathon.  The only changes I made, were instead of having my off day scheduled on Wednesdays, I bumped Friday's easy training run to Wednesday and bumped Saturday and Sunday's run to Friday and Saturday, then had my off days on Sundays.  This just made my life easier for family and personal reasons.  Essentially my week was broken down as follows:

• Monday: Easy
• Tuesday: Speed/Strength Day
• Wednesday: Easy
• Thursday: Tempo
• Friday: Easy
• Saturday: Easy/Long Run
• Sunday: Off

  

Prerace

Heading into race week, I was skeptical and had no real idea how the race was going to go for me.  Since June, I had been struggling with some achilles tendonitis and a soft tissue injury to my hip.  I was pretty sure I would be able to push through the full race, but truly didn't know.  I modified the training schedule the final week, to include 3 total off days, opposed to the scheduled one day off the training plan called for.  Weather-wise, you couldn't ask for a better forecast.  At race time the forecasted temperatures were in the middle-to-upper 40's increasing into the upper 50's by 10:00am.  I chose to wear a new pair of shorts I bought at the race expo, which I know is a text book no-no, but I felt comfortable with the shorts and myself that it wouldn't be an issue.

Saturday night was a relaxing evening, and had a filet of Ahi tuna, some wild rice, and a sweat potato.  Sarah and I dropped the girls off at my parents house for the night as Sarah was running the half marathon on Sunday too.  We got to bed early and eventually woke up at 4:15am.  We picked up Tessa and my dad and parked our vehicle in Neenah near the finish line and took a bus to the start line.  We got to the start line about an hour before race start.  I took care of some business and started warming up around 6:30.  Throughout my training, I had been experimenting with Rock Tape and used Rock Tape on both calves with hope that it would help prevent any potential issues throughout the race.

Nutrition Plan

If you have read any of my past race reports, you'd know I like to keep things consistent and simple.  So, with about an hour to go before the race, I took a couple Tissue Rejuvenator capsules, Mito Caps, and Race Caps Supreme.  Normally, I also take a couple Anti-Fatigue Caps, but because I was a total procrastinator, I never ordered a new bottle after running out.  With about 15 minutes to go until race time, I took a serving of Hammer Fully Charged, which is a phenomenal preworkout booster which I don't ever go without.  During the race, I planned on taking a Hammer Gel about every 6 miles with the first at about mile 8, and then miles 14 and 20 respectively. 

Miles 0-13.1

This entire season, I bought into the Hanson's Marathon Method.  With that being said, part of their philosophy is to race with even splits.  So that was my goal.  I trained all summer to race at a 6:40/mile pace.  I know that a 2:59:59 marathon equates to a 6:52/mile pace.  Knowing this, my strategy throughout the race was to have every mile fall between a 6:40-6:50 split.  As the race started I really wanted to judge how things were going to play out throughout the first 10k.  Everything was feeling pretty good after the first few miles.  My calves were feeling good, my hip was a non-issue, and simply put, I felt good.  Then, around mile 5 or so, I started to notice a pain on the outside of my left foot.  It felt like a shoe issue and was debating changing shoes when I next saw my mom.  As I continued, the pain slowly just went away.  It was weird and hard to describe, but like I said, it felt like a shoe issue, but just disappeared later on as I continued running.  I continued pushing forward and feeling good.  I crossed the half way point at about 1:28, which was basically right on track for what I had hoped.

Miles 13.1-20

It was around miles 15 or so, where I started to get some minor side stitches.  I got really concerned and worried that my day was going to completely become unraveled.  Throughout my training, following the Hanson's Marathon Method, I never ran further than 16 miles in a single training run.  Typically, I go at least 20 miles, multiple times, if not up to 22 or 24 miles.  I started wondering if my training was failing me and I was just going to fall apart by the time I hit mile 18+.  I knew that I had a couple of options, one, I could worry about my training and the side stitches, or I could focus on what I can control and just keep pushing forward.  Eventually, the side stitches went away, and I was right back to turning out splits all within my goal target range of 6:40-6:50.

Miles 20-26.2

As soon as I hit the 20 mile mark, I checked my watch to see how things were going and what the chances were of my FINALLY getting my sub 3 hour marathon.  At mile 20, I was at 2:15:05, so I knew all I had to do was run 7:00 miles for the final 10k and I would be right were I needed to be to set myself up for success.  Only problem was, I was hurting.  I kept pushing hard, knowing that I had a chance.  Around miles 23/24, my hamstrings started cramping.  I knew that if I just kept pushing they would lock up on me good, so I took short stretching breaks to loosen up my hamstrings.  I did my best to do this while continuing to move forward.  I ended up coming down the homestretch and saw the race clock just break 3:00:00.  I pushed as hard as I could to try and put up a 3:00:XX finish time.  I crossed the finish line in 3:01:05, missing my ultimate goal by 66 seconds.  66 F#*king seconds.  Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled to set a new PR.  A PR that has been in place for 8 years.  It leaves me motivated for next year and excited to have a great race.  It also confirms that the Hanson's Marathon Method is legit and without a doubt, I will be following their training plan next year with the goal of again, a sub 3 hour marathon.

Post Race

I finished the race in 8th place and 1st in my age group (technically 2nd, but the 1st overall finisher was also in my age group).  I am thrilled with my race and my time, I am also bummed to come so close to the goal I have been chasing for over 8 years.  After the race, I hung out with Sarah, my dad, and my kids.  It was an awesome day.  A damn near perfect day for a marathon.  After taking in some water and moving around to loosen up, I got to ring my first ever PR bell.  I have never gotten to ring a PR bell, since there never really was a "PR bell" when I set my last PR 8 years ago.  We then let the girls play on the playground while we all waited for Tessa to cross the finish line after her first ever marathon.

What's on Tap

Since finishing the Fox Cities Marathon, I haven't even run a single mile...and quite honestly, it's been pretty nice.  I worked my ass of the past 4 months training for this race.  I have run the most miles throughout those 4 miles ever during training and made a lot of sacrifices throughout those months.  Mentally and physically, I just need a break from training.  My achilles need to heal up and so does my hip.  Also, I mentioned the pain I felt in my left foot early on in the race that eventually just went away.  Turns out that after the race, later in the day, I started feeling a tingly pain every time my foot plants.  It's strange.  It's not painful, but just a weird sensation in my feet.  It has now been a couple weeks since the race, and I'm still dealing with the apparent nerve issue.  I'm hoping the issue eventually goes away, but we'll have to wait and see.  I have also been working on a new table and bench set for our house which has taken up pretty much all my free time the past couple weeks.  I'll get a blog post up soon about that build later on.

As always, thanks for reading and Cheers!

Going Sub 3

Everyone knows that running a 26.2 miles is hard, regardless of how long it takes you.  It takes hours of training, dedication, and determination.  Running a marathon under 3 hours increases the difficulty exponentially.  It turns the already challenging task of completing a marathon into a rare accomplishment.  How rare?  According to Runner's World, only 2% of all marathon finishers completed 26.2 miles in under 3:00:00 in 2011.  Running a sub 3 hour marathon is the ultimate goal for many marathoners.  It's a time that differentiates the good from the elite.  It may only be a second or two, but the difference between 3:00:01 and 2:59:59 is huge.  I have been shooting for a sub 3 hour marathon for the past 3 years now.  In 2010 I ran a 3:03:46 at the Fox Cities Marathon, so I know I have the ability to do it.  Since then, I have had 2:59:59 in my sights.  Unfortunately, I haven't really come that close.  Since my 3:03 performance, I have run (in chronological order) 3:17:44, 3:12:23, and 3:10:32.  I guess if you wanted to look on the bright side of those times, I'm trending in the right direction, but still a ways off.  I don't want to sound like I am making excuses as to why I haven't been able to finish in under 3 but here are my top 3 hypotheses.

1. I have not devoted the necessary time to training specifically for a sub 3 marathon.

The past 3 seasons (especially 2013) I have focused on a balanced approach to the sport of triathlon.  I have run at least one marathon each year, but have always included triathlon races as part of my training program and trained relatively hard in both swimming and cycling.  

2. I have not stayed committed to a regimented diet since 2010 and have progressively gained unnecessary weight.

In 2010 when I ran a 3:03 my body weight was in the 155-160 range.  I raced IM Wisconsin at 175, about 20 pounds heavier.  You don't think it makes a difference?  Strap on a 20lb vest and go for a short run and see how it effects your times.  Now consider running a full 26.2 miles with that same vest on!

3. My weekly mileage has not been as high as it should be for a sub 3 training plan.

This one could probably be grouped in with #1, seeing how the main reason I never allowed my mileage to get over 30-40 miles per week is to allow time and recovery for all the other workouts I was completing during the week.

Now that I have successfully crossed off completing an Ironman from my bucket list, I am going to focus my efforts toward a new goal - Running a sub 3 hour marathon.  How do I plan on doing it?  What are going to be my key workouts?  What will my training plan look like?  How many miles will I run in a week?  

First, I want to explain how I planned my 2014 race schedule.  I scheduled a spring marathon that I am familiar with on May 18th, being the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon.  This will allow me to focus 100% of my attention on running throughout the winter and spring.  After the marathon, I will cut back on running and focus majority of my attention toward cycling and swimming for the heart of the triathlon season, June through July.  After two months of focused triathlon racing, I will change gears once again and focus again on running to finish my first ultramarathon.  I am eyeing up Door County's Fall 50 on October 25th.  It all fits rather nicely into a logical annual plan broken down into three phases; marathon specific work early, triathlon specific with a focus on cycling and swimming in the middle, and finish with a pure aerobic phase at the end of the year.

I won't dive into how I structured my entire 2014 annual training plan, but want to focus solely on how I plan on training for a sub 3 hour Cellcom Green Bay Marathon.  This spring, I plan on training like a marathoner, not a triathlete.  Unlike past years, when I trained for a marathon all while training for triathlons, I will focus my efforts on running, and use swimming and cycling as recovery workouts, as opposed to key midweek workouts.  My plan actually began this week, on Monday December 16th.  I have it broken down into two unique phases.  First, I built a full 12 week base building phase which will end on March 9th.  The last week of that phase is an unloading week to allow for some recovery.  Yes, I do have mid-cycle recovery weeks built in, but week 12 has a very significant decrease in mileage compared to any other previous week.  After my recovery week, I will begin an 8 week build phase with very specific workouts focused on strict pace work.  I will then unload again during a 2 week taper before toeing the start line in Green Bay on May 18th.  So let's dive into the plan...

Base Building (12 Weeks)

This phase is about as simple as it gets.  The main objective of this 12 week phase is to build my aerobic engine.  I want to make my body as aerobically efficient as possible.  In order to do this, I will do all my run workouts in a specific heart rate range.  I plan on using a MAF heart rate range of 145-155 bpm.  I won't dive into specifics on MAF Training, but if you would like to find out more, check out this website: MAF 180 Heart Rate Training.  Basically, you take 180 and subtract your age and depending on your current fitness level you adjust this number either up or down (see the article).  Therefore, being 30, I am left with 150, but due to several years of endurance training, I get to add 5 beats to this number.  Then I simply create a 10 beat range with 155 being my max, leaving me with a range of 145-155.  I will train strictly in the heart rate range while increasing my weekly mileage to a range that is suggested for elite marathoning.  I have done some general research on training plans for elite age group marathoners and have found that, although many of the individual workouts vary greatly, one thing seems to remain constant, a high weekly training mileage.  Most training plans I have found have a weekly training mileage of 50 up to 100+.  In the past, my peak weeks were 35-50 at best, mainly due to devoting time to swimming and cycling.  With this training plan I start out in December with 36 mile week and build up to a 56 mile week.  My biggest individual day is centered around my 30th birthday on March 2nd, when I will run 30 miles to commemorate turning 30.  The weekly breakdown is simple.  I will run every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Each Tuesday and Saturday will be a shorter distance long run, with longer runs falling on Thursdays and Sundays.  The Sunday long run will be the longest of runs within each week.  Mondays will be a recovery swim workout, which will be technique based and Wednesdays will be a medium duration bike day.  

This will be the first ever 7 day training plan I will follow since starting with Winnebago County and working a 9 day shift rotation.  This will require some long runs after a night of work, but I want to reap the benefits of more frequent long runs.

Peak Marathon Phase (8 Weeks)

During this phase is when I do a complete 180 in the type of workouts I will do.  There will be no more heart rate based training.  Over the next 8 weeks following a long base building phase, I will begin very specific workouts geared towards training my body to be able to hold sub 3 hour marathon pace for 26.2 miles.  During this phase, I will base all my workouts on a specific pace.  To determine appropriate paces for each individual workout, I used the McMillan Running Calculator at www.mcmillanrunning.com.  I entered in a goal race time of 2:59:00 for a marathon and was provided a very specific pace range for a variety of distances and run types (long run, tempo, speed, etc).  In my peak phase I will increase the number of weekly runs from 4 to 5.  My weekly schedule will consist of a rotation of either mile repeats or hill repeats on Monday.  Tuesdays and Wednesdays will be moderate distance runs.  On Saturday, I scheduled various sets of long intervals.  I will complete traditional long and easy runs on Sunday.  Below is a description of each of the different types of workouts I will complete during this phase.

Mile Repeats

Running short sprint repeats are not truly necessary for marathon training, but some form of speed work is necessary.  Sprint intervals of 400-800m are nearly too short to elicit a beneficial training response specific to the marathon.  However, longer high speed workouts can be beneficial for increasing your lactate threshold and your overall efficiency.  In the past I have run mile repeats with a 3 minute recovery period.  This year, I am trying a shorter recovery period.  I found a unique style of mile repeats while researching training plans for my training plan.  I found a style of mile repeats that copies a popular interval style from lap swimming.  Instead of having a set recovery period, I will begin a mile interval every 7 minutes.  If I run my first interval in 5:30, I will get 1:30 to recovery before the next rep.  On the 2nd interval, I finish in 5:45, I get 1:15 to recovery before the next.  It's that simple.  I have a predetermined number of reps during each session and then set a daily mileage goal for that day.  So for instance, on April 1st, I am scheduled to run 4x1 mile with a total distance of 7 miles.  On this day, I will run a 1.5-2 mile warm up and finish with a 1-1.5 mile cool down with the 4, mile repeats to reach a total of 7 miles.  

Hill Repeats

On scheduled hill repeat days, I will not follow a strict workout.  I have access to a few decent sized hills near my home.  First, there is the well known hill at High Cliff State Park.  Then there is the hill near Thousand Island's Nature Preserve.  Closest to my house is a shorter hill which is about 3/4 of a mile from home.  Depending on my work schedule and other possible commitments, I will determine where I will complete my hill repeats.  On that day, I will judge how I feel and either do shorter duration, higher intensity hill sprints, or do longer duration, lower intensity intervals up the hill.  On the short end I am looking at a total duration of about 20-30 seconds of up hill running, while on the longer end of the spectrum I will aim at about a 45-60 second set.  Running up hills not only improves your overall running efficiency, but also increases your overall running specific strength.  Hill repeats are found in just about every elite marathon training plan.  The only thing I found consistent with hill repeats in all the training plans I read, was that there were no two plans with the same philosophy for how to complete hill repeats.  Because of this, I will play each scheduled hill repeat by ear and vary the style of how I complete my repeats.

Midweek Long Run

These are my Wednesday and Thursday runs.  The main goal of these runs are to boost my aerobic capacity and to add to my weekly mileage.  These runs are done at a comfortable zone 2-3 pace, just above a recovery pace.  On my training plan you will see that I have quite a wide range of paces (from 6:50 to 7:50).  That is done on purpose.  I want to have the ability to take it easy on days I feel a little beaten up while on other days when I am feeling fresh, I don't want to have to force myself to hold back.

Long Intervals

The purpose of long intervals is to train your body to learn to run at your desired race pace.  They also allow you to get more total time at a higher speed then doing just one tempo run at a set distance.  During the main sets of these long intervals, I will aim at holding a steady pace at or slightly below my goal marathon pace of 6:45/mile.  My first long interval workout is relatively short with 2x3 miles and each week builds from that with a variety of combinations to peak with a 2x6 at race pace just before I begin my 2 week taper.  This final long interval set will be slightly different from all the prior sets.  During this set, I am going to try something completely different that I read makes this workout very specific to the later stages of the marathon.  During this workout, I will run the first 6 miles at my goal race pace, immediately upon completing this set, I will sit and do nothing for about 10-15 minutes.  This will allow proper recovery, but also allow my legs to begin to recover.  I will then go back out for the second 6 miles and do my best to hang on at my goal pace.  I've heard that this is a great workout to let you know if you have a realistic goal time or not.  From what I understand, if you are able to maintain a consistent pace during that second 6 miles, you should be good to go for your marathon.  As for all the prior long interval sessions, my recovery will be in the ball park of 2-5 minutes, depending on the duration of the set and the number of sets.  The sole reason my rest interval is so long on my final session is to elicit the feeling of "heavy legs" which is so typical of the final 10k of a marathon.

Long Run

These weekly runs fall on Sundays, the very next day following my long interval sessions.  I did this for a couple reasons.  First, I want to run these on somewhat tired legs.  I figure if I can run effectively on tired legs, I theoretically should be able to run that much better on fresh legs.  Secondly, I want to have a day with a specific workout designated towards recovery.  You will notice this run has the slowest pace range, at 7:00-8:00.  These runs will range from 12 miles up to 22 miles and will all be done at a relaxed pace.  These runs will also incorporate a few minor walk breaks to properly fuel and hydrate.  The number one goal of the weekly long run is to maintain and grow your aerobic engine, to ultimately turn your body into an efficient fat burning machine!  I have read several articles and reports about NOT running longer than 16 miles or 2-2.5 hours.  I buy this to an extent.  I think I can see this method being beneficial if you are running more than 2 marathons in a calendar year, you have been running consistently and regimented for at least 5 years, and/or you are naturally a gifted runner and find yourself getting injured when you run long.  If you don't find yourself falling into one of those categories, I think you need the long run, it will only help.  At a minimum it will at least give you the mental confidence to go that far, especially if this is going to be your first marathon.  There is no way I would ever recommend a first timer to peak at only 16 miles in their training plan.  That would simply be setting that person up for failure.

Taper (2 Weeks)

The taper phase is just that.  A gradual tapering of weekly mileage to elicit an overcompensation effect in your overall fitness.  It also allows ample time for your body to fully recover to allow you to get to the start line at 100%, so to speak.  The duration of your taper phase depends on several things, your overall fitness level, your experience level, and how hard you trained.  At the absolute high end, a taper phase would last no more than 4 weeks and a minimum of 2 weeks.  A typical taper will begin immediately following your highest volume week (your peak week).  From there you cut your mileage about 25% and then an additional 25-50% the next week.  The percentages that you cut your mileage down to depends on the total duration of your taper phase.  Throughout your taper you are cutting your VOLUME, but NOT your INTENSITIES.  You should still maintain your intensities throughout your taper.  Typically, I schedule one final short race pace tempo run on the Monday or Tuesday of race week as one final "tune-up."  From there you get to plug runs into your schedule as you see fit.  At a minimum you should do your last run on Thursday, if the race in on a Sunday allowing two full days for recovery.  However, if you feel confident it won't leave you mentally fatigued, some people will run a short (1-2 miles) the day before the race.  Which ever you chose, keep in mind that you should be taking it easy and stressing recovery throughout your entire taper phase.  If you are scheduled for a rest day, REST.  Get an extra hour of sleep, stretch, get a massage, etc.

So there you have it, my plan to finally break the 3 hour mark in the marathon.  The only topic I did not cover was my diet as I mentioned the effect that my current body weight had on my ability to maintain proper pacing in the marathon to finish in under 3 hours.  I know I have said on here countless times, that I need to regain the self control I had a few years back to better gain control of my body composition.  I recall specifically laying out my wanting to jump on board with a ketogenic diet a month or two ago.  Honestly, I was jumping into something I do not think I was totally prepared for, especially being the head chef for my family.  So, where do I go from here, how do I get back down to a reasonable running/racing weight?  First, I want to get past the holiday season.  Let's all be honest, this is no time to start a strict, relatively uncommon (at least in America) diet.  As soon as I get past Christmas and all of it's indulgences, I will start eating more simply.  Sounds easy, right?  Just three words: EAT. REAL. FOOD.  No processed junk.  Nothing artificial.  No refined sugars.  Just whole, real, fresh, nutritious, food.  I figure this is a simply diet and will be easy to follow even with preparing meals for the entire family.  With that being said, all that's left to do is the work!  Wish me luck!  And if you are reading this to assist you with preparing your training plan, best of luck to you - and please do not hesitate to email me or message me on Twitter @IrondadTri, or on Facebook with any specific questions you may have.

As always ~ Be fast, be strong, & carry on!