Understanding Your Marathon Training (Part 3)

Well, here I am bouncing down the highway heading to Kentucky for this weekend's trail marathon (more on that in a later post). I promised this final post midweek, so I thought I would get this out to you on the drive. 

This post will cover the remaining types of workouts you are likely to see in an advanced marathon training program. If you have not read the previous two posts of the series, you may want to see Part 1 or Part 2. This post focuses on  interval training, marathon paced runs, and strides.

Interval Training:  Most intermediate and advanced marathon trainings, in addition to the lactate threshold workouts, include some type of interval training. Interval training works on developing your maximum aerobic capacity, the VO2 max.

Interval training involves a period of fast running followed by a period of recovery. The speed, distance, and amount of recovery will vary by program and workout. This is what most runners would think of as a typical "track" workout, but intervals can be run on almost any flat course.  A measured course is best, but you can really do them anywhere with today's GPS technology on our wrists.

Many runners mistake this type of training for running "all out." This often leads to running the interval workouts too hard, which besides not training the appropriate systems also greatly increases the chances of injury. Going "all out,"will exceed your maximum aerobic capacity and push you into an anaerobic state. That is too be avoided.

According to Pete Pfitzinger, the correct pace for running the interval workouts for marathon training is 3k to 5k race pace. However, since most of us don't run 3k races, it is best to run these at about your current 5k race pace. Pfitzinger and Daniels disagree slightly on the optimal time for the duration of the faster runs, with Pfitzinger saying 2 to 6 minutes is optimal and Daniels saying that the optimal duration is 3 to 5 minutes, but the difference is probably not that significant.

What is significant to note is the distance that these time frames permit. Although mile repeats are often a part of marathon programs, unless your current 5k pace is a sub 6 minute mile, you will be running for too long according to either of the two recommendations for optimal training.  Daniels and Pfitzinger both recommend that the distances be between 400 and 1200 meters for the fast running portions of these workouts, depending on your current running speed.  

One of the drawbacks of working with a predetermined program rather than having a coach is that you, as a self-coach, need to think about these things and adjust the program so that what you are doing is optimal training for you. If your 5k pace is slower than 6 min/mile, you should not be doing mile repeats as part of the marathon program, according to  both of the experts. If your program calls for mile repeats, you may want to adjust it down to 800/1000/1200 meters instead to stay within what most experts agree is optimal.

The rest between these bouts of faster running can also vary. The idea is to recover enough so that you can maintain your effort for the next one and also be able to complete the required number of repetitions in the workout.  Daniels recommends that recovery time be "equal to or a little less than" the bout of faster running. Generally your program will specify the recovery time.

Most marathon programs put a small number of these workouts into the program, often in the last several weeks before the taper. Too much of this type of workout can take a toll on your body and increase your risk of injury. Be very conservative with your interval workouts.  It is much better to be conservative with the pace and number and make it to the starting line, than it is too push too hard and be injured and on the sidelines for your intended marathon.

I may not make any friends with this one, but I want to warn you against group speed work. Many marathoners decide they need to run some intervals in their program, so they jump in with a local track club or other speed group. Often these groups are primarily 5k runners working on their 5k speed rather than marathoners. The tendency in these types of workouts is to run them too fast and to not run the type of intervals that are optimal for marathon training.  In addition, most group speed sessions have a predetermined workout that is not what your marathon program called for that day.  

Often these forays into group speed work in the midst of a marathon training program bring a rush of immediate satisfaction as the runner gets the boost in speed that these workouts do tend to impart, but then a few weeks later they often find themselves injured from the stress of running these too fast and intense speed workouts and then trying to also handle the stress of the mileage of the marathon training. If you are marathon training, do yourself a favor and follow your plan. Save those group speed work sessions for when pushing back your 5k PR is your primary goal.

Marathon Pace Runs: Many intermediate or advanced marathon programs will include some workouts, especially in the later stages, that are marathon paced runs. These are runs at your goal marathon pace to get you used to running comfortably at that pace. These are also an opportunity to work on your pacing. These runs actually should require more mental than physical effort, as your marathon pace should be one that you can sustain comfortably, literally for hours.

Most marathon training programs that include these will have you work up to 10 to 15 miles at marathon pace. Sometimes these are done on the down weekends between stretching out the long runs. Other programs may incorporate marathon paced segments at the end of the long run. Still others may call for a midweek medium distance run at marathon pace. What these all have in common is that they give you a chance to be comfortable with your marathon pace and practice the pacing. Resist the temptation to run these faster, even if you feel really, really good.

These marathon runs can also help you understand if you have picked a reasonable goal pace for your marathon. If you are struggling to complete a 12 mile run at marathon pace and the workout leaves you wiped out, then you may have chosen a goal pace that you are not yet ready for. These runs can help you figure out what is really doable and allow you to make adjustments.

Strides or Stride Outs: Most intermediate to advanced marathon programs will include strides. Strides are short (usually 100 meter or about 30 seconds) segments where your goal is to run quick but relaxed. You should be concentrating on quick strides and turnover.  Strides are a neuromuscular workout that help with running economy, stride rate, and running form. Be sure that you are sufficiently warmed up before doing these.

My first coach used to have me do these strides barefoot to work on form and to build the muscles in my feet and lower legs. I don't know if it is because I learned that way, but that is still my favorite way to do strides. I have also done strides in my socks and in aqua socks. One of the happiest part of spring running for me is when I can get out on the grass in my bare feet to do some strides.

This is a rather simplified explanation of the typical runs that are most often included in intermediate and advanced programs. If you are the type of person who is really not interested in an in-depth discussion, this may be enough for you to understand your program a bit more or to choose a program from those available that is based on sound principles. If you are the type who would like to read more, there are several good training books. The two I recommended in the previous post, Daniels' Running Formula and Advanced Marathoning by Pfitzinger and Douglas are two of the bests in my opinion. With that said, I will tell you that I prefer Pfitzinger and Douglas. 

This may seem like a lot to have gone through, but I think the more a runner knows about what he/she is doing, the more successful he/she is likely to be. Hopefully some of this information can help you as you move on to your next marathon success!! 


Now that we have talked a little about the programs, I'd love to hear from you. Are you training for a marathon or have you in the past? What program are you using (or did you use)?  What do you think of it? 

Understanding Your Marathon Training Program (Part 2: The Intermediate and Advanced Programs)

Part 1 of this two part post discussed beginner marathon training programs and the elements typically included in them. This post will cover the types of workouts usually seen in intermediate or advanced marathon programs (in addition to the previous types of workouts, which are still a backbone of the training schedule).

Where the goal in beginner programs is usually to get a runner through the experience comfortably and successfully, the goal in more advanced marathon programs is usually to improve upon a previous marathon performance. The runner does not just want to finish; he or she wants to finish faster. Therefore, the new addition in these programs is workouts meant to improve pace. These workouts generally are worked into the schedule by replacing some of the easy aerobic days and/or replacing a cross training day with a running day.

There are two main types of workouts meant to help runners improve their performances relative to marathon pace. These are lactate threshold workouts and interval workouts. Each works to improve different aspects of a runner's speed.

A Little Physiology: It is not my purpose to go deeply into physiology in this post, but you do need to understand a bit about how the body produces energy while running to understand the two types of speed work. This is a very simplified version of the explanation, but hopefully it will be enough. If you want a deeper explanation, two good training books to look at are Daniels' Running Formula or Advanced Marathoning by Pfitzinger and Douglas. These are two training books that intermediate and advanced marathoners should consider reading. They both contain excellent training plans for more advanced marathoning, and much of the information in this post is based on information from these two books.

When the body is doing activity, it has two ways to produce energy at the cellular level to move muscles, aerobically (with oxygen) and anaerobically (without oxygen). Aerobic energy production is going on constantly in our body and is what you are using when you are running your marathon and doing your marathon training.  

Both of these types of energy production create waste products called lactate in the cells and bloodstream that the body has to dispose of. In low intensity aerobic activity your body can dispose of these waste products faster than you are creating them, so these wastes do not inhibit your ability to continue running. If you are running aerobically at an easy pace you can literally run for hours and hours without these wastes becoming a limiting factor in your performance, which is exactly what we strive for in our marathons.

Anaerobic metabolism is not as efficient as aerobic metabolism and creates larger amounts of waste products, more than the body can eliminate efficiently. Therefore, when you are working anaerobically, you are on a very short time clock. Eventually, depending on how much of your energy production is being done anaerobically, the waste products will accumulate in the cell which will inhibit the function. The maximum amount of time a body can work with most of its energy coming from anaerobic sources is about four minutes, so anaerobic metabolism is not usually a factor in distance running (although you may dip into the anaerobic system in a finishing kick in a distance run).

Marathoners want to train their aerobic system without moving into anaerobic metabolism. Every runner's body has a maximum limit of how much energy can be produced by their aerobic system. This upper limit in the body's ability to produce, transport, and use this energy is called the VO2 max, and this is what runners train in interval workouts. You never actually use this pace in marathon running, but by pushing back this upper end, the pace at which you can run comfortably also gets faster. It shifts the whole range of paces that are comfortable for you to run.

As you speed up from an easy aerobic pace but before you reach maximum production, you will eventually get to the tipping point in waste removal, where you are producing more waste than you can remove. Once you get past this pace, you will eventually limit your ability to continue when you have collected too much waste to clear effectively, and you will have to slow down to allow the bodies waste disposal to catch up.  This tipping point is called the lactate threshold. However, the good news is that this process can also be improved with training so that runners can push back the pace at which the lactate threshold occurs. That is the goal of lactate threshold training.

Now that you understand the basic physiology, let's look at how these get worked into marathon training.

Lactate threshold (LT) workouts: Almost all intermediate and advanced marathon programs (and even some beginner programs) will include this type of workout. Pfitzinger and Douglas call this "the most important physiological variable for endurance athletes."   In these types of workouts you are meant to run at a pace that is just under the lactate threshold for a particular period of time. Stimulating the body in this way causes the body to adapt to make this level of effort easier and more efficient, which pushes back the pace at which the lactate threshold occurs.

The key component of this type of training is not to run too fast. If you run faster than your current lactate threshold, then you will not produce the desired adaptations. The tricky thing with this type of training is determining that pace. It can be done scientifically in an exercise lab by taking blood samples, but most runners don't determine it that way. Most programs that include threshold training will either include a chart by which you determine your threshold workout pace based on a previous race effort, such as Daniels' VDOT charts.  Others will tell you to run it at a pace that is roughly equivalent to your 15k race pace or that you could sustain for an hour without slowing down. For me this pace tends to come out to about 15 seconds per mile slower than my half marathon race pace.

The lactate threshold runs in your marathon program will usually be of one of two types. The most common is usually called a "tempo run" and involves up to 20 minutes of continuous running at LT pace. These should be done over fairly flat courses, and your goal should be to hold steady at your LT pace. In these workouts, it is better to go a little under the goal LT pace than it is to go too fast. This pace should be comfortably hard but sustainable. Besides the physiological training, they also train you to focus and develop self-discipline in pacing. You should not have to slow down toward the end of these workouts. If you do, you went too fast.

 

The second type of LT run that may be included is called "cruise intervals." These were popularized by Jack Daniels and have been incorporated into many marathon programs. These are shorter periods of tempo running, such as 5-15 minutes, with a short rest, usually one minute, in between. These workouts allow runners to spend more time running at threshold pace because of the short breaks that allow runners a bit of physical and mental recovery.

Many intermediate programs include LT workouts either every week or every other week. These are my favorite workouts, and I look forward to them. I always feel fantastic after these workouts, and you should too if you don't run them too fast. These workouts have a big payoff with a very low risk of injury. If you have not been doing these type of workouts in training, you will see improvements in your racing times at all distances by adding these in.  

Oh geez, although I originally thought that this information on marathon training would be a two part post, I can tell from the length of this, that I am going to need a Part 3. This was already a lot to take in. I am going to stop now. The next post will cover the second and more demanding type of speed work, interval training. It will also mention other miscellaneous types of workouts that may pop up in your marathon program, such as marathon paced runs and strides. I hope you will come back midweek for the final post inthe marathon training series.