Using a Marathon to get ready for a Marathon

I am slated to run the Stillwater (MN) Marathon on May 29^th, three weeks before Grandma's Marathon and use it for training run. I can appreciate that many of you may question this move.

There are currently two schools of thought. One says that there is no need to run more than a 20 miler before running a marathon of 26.2 miles. In training, if a runner can get to the point of a couple of 20 milers, both done two to three weeks apart, with the last one at least three weeks before the marathon, then that is all the training that is needed for the long run(s). This school of thought believes that there are no benefits received from going farther than the 20 miles – physiological, physical or helping a runner develop 'running economy'. Any longer distance can actually hurt the runner when it comes time to run the marathon.

The second school, usually Galloway followers, believes in actually running the distance of the marathon three weeks before the marathon, and up to 28-30 miles if the runner wants to run the marathon with a time goal, say trying to qualify for Boston or breaking a 3, 4 or 5 hour time goal. They believe that once the 'wall' [which usually shows up between Mile 18 to 21] is broken in practice, it won't show up at the marathon. Since the runner knows for sure that he/she can go the distance, they have a mental and physical advantage in completing the marathon.

So, which school of thought is right?

Well, actually, it's both. Let me explain.

I've trained for marathons using both methods. The first has a runner running those 20 milers at or near the speed of the time splits at which they will run the marathon. Let's take the runner trying to break 4 hours in the marathon. He or she will try to do their 20 miler in 3 to 3-1/2 hours. This projects out to 9-9:30 minutes per mile. If they need a 9:09 MPM, this is a good test.

If you follow the Galloway guidelines, yes, you will be running a 28-30 miler three weeks before the marathon. But for a 4 hour marathon goal, he will have you run that in 5 to 5-1/2 hours, at 11 minutes a mile, clearly 2 minutes slower than what you should be able to run that on race day. By running it 2 minutes slower, it will help you recover faster so that in three weeks, you will not only know you can run the marathon distance, but also have recovered from the long 30 miler.

So, when you look at both concepts, they are correct. The 20 miler theory 'programs' your body and stride length to know what it's like to run at a set predictable pace. The Galloway method teaches your body to burn fat as a primary source of fuel, teaching it how to access that fuel and 'expect' a longer distance than what you will do at the marathon.

By now you're wondering 'So why are you choosing to run a marathon distance as a training run'? The answer lies in how my training is going. I've already run a 22 miler at a 9:30 MPM pace. So I know that I should be able to keep that pace for the marathon. But I'm not sure that my body has been accessing fat as a primary fuel during my run. I noticed the last two to three miles of that 22 miler, my minutes per mile started creeping up. So I want to teach my body to go to my fat reserves for fuel, hence, incorporating the Galloway theory. So, I will be forcing myself to run the Stillwater Marathon at a pace two minutes slower than I know I'm capable of.

But I'll be honest, training for the marathon is a crap shoot, it's not like any other distance. Lots of theory and practice go into trying to find the "Marathon Holy Grail". In a month, I will be able to tell you whether I found it or not.

Follow up to Nano Story

I wrote about having the Nano go through the wash machine. Thanks to readers that offered me their many suggestions. Long story, short, the Nano came back to the point of giving me the Apple Logo but nothing more.

But much to my surprise, I went into the Apple Store, and after verifying that the water indicator was triggered (red), they replaced it. I had to wait two days for the replacement but who's complaining?

Kudos to Apple for this type of service. I have had other Nanos replaced but taking this back with a full replacement shows why they have a great following. This is customer service to the nth degree!

VO2 Max Testing

I've written about getting your VO2 max tested as well as finding your maximum and minimum heart rate values to follow my heart rate training. But I wanted to send out a warning that you need to have it tested by reputable facility sites.

This became apparent to me when I had a reading done at my LifeTime Fitness health club this past Monday morning. First, I want to say I love my LTF health club. I've got no complaints on any of the services I've used in the past and think they do a great job of keeping their facilities updated and clean. But when it comes to VO2 max testing… ummm… not so much.

He performed the test in record time, 10 minutes. Not that I don't think you can get a good VO2 Max test done in that time, but I don't think you can when 6 of the 10 minutes are done in warming up and cooling down.

The readings he got were very bad. For instance, I got off the machine not even feeling like I broke a sweat. I don't think these tests need to kill anyone but they also shouldn't give anyone a pass. He had my VO2 max or anabolic threshold at 153 beats per minute. Since I completed a 22.2 mile run 9 days before this at a 155 BPM average, this is physically impossible.

It was useful telling me how much fat I burned at the different zones, everyone should know this. But I did question those numbers when the others were in question. I'm sure that LTF has to be careful in giving tests like these to the general population. They have to deal with folks with varying degrees of fitness like those just starting out, triathletes, marathon runners, treadmill walkers and the weekend warriors. But then they should have different levels of testing for those wanting exact readings when they are counting on these numbers for a goal such as a 5K or 10K race, or as in my case, a marathon.

If you are looking for this type of precision from a testing center, I would recommend going on-line to http://bit.ly/iEYgSC . If there isn't one listed in your state, ask some of the top finishers in your next race where they have gone for their test.

Week Twelve in Half Marathon Training Plan

You have finally made it to the final week of training for the Half Marathon. This last week will seem almost pedestrian after the last 11 weeks that you've put in. But cutting back this week is the most important thing you can do. In fact, you can pick out one of the four days of running I have listed below and take that off if you are not feeling strong throughout the week (which you should be).

Week Twelve program:

Sunday, Friday - off
Monday, 4 mile Easy Run (under 70% HRM)
Tuesday, 4 miles easy (under 70% HRM)
Wednesday - 5 miles Tempo (80-88% HRM) This you will do by warming up one mile under 70% MHR, then alternate between 2 minutes under 70% HRM and 10 minutes 80-88%, then again between 2 minutes under 70% HRM and 10 minutes 80-88%of your HRM, etc., to a distance of 4.5 miles and then a half mile cool down.

Thursday - 4 miles easy (under 70% HRM)

Saturday – Half Marathon Race Day!

I will have some last minute race tips for you before Saturday in my updates. For now, just remember to drink at least 64 ounces of water each day throughout the week. Don't worry that it's putting water weight on your body frame; you have more risk of dehydration than being water-logged for a race. Remember this especially if your race in going to be in weather that the predicted temperature is 60 degrees or above (like 90 plus percent of races this time of year).

Earth Day Running Tip 5: Run Away From Home

Happy Earth Day [and Good Friday to all my Christian followers]!

I hope that there isn't any teen age runners following my blog, read the title, and think that I'm giving them sage advice on leaving home. Today's Earth Day's Tip is referencing where you run when you do run. Think about making your home your starting point of your week day run, and run from home.

Many of us check the weather map and start weighing the 50/50 odds of the weather turning south and end up going to the club to run on a treadmill. There are also those of us that have a favorite 10 mile route that is part of the [fill in the missing blank: New York City/Chicago/Twin Cities/Houston/etc.] Marathon. Some of us just enjoy going to a wooded trail that runs next to the lake or river in a nearby town.

I don't want to spoil anyone favorite running haunt, but when possible, run leaving your driveway. If you haven't explored a running trail a mile or two away – run there from home, figure out a circuit, and then bring yourself on that route back home. If you do feel the need to run at a starting point away from home, car pool with a running friend instead of meeting them there. It saves both of you gas money, gives you companionship, and an opportunity to multi-task – catching up on the past week with a friend and a coffee/lunch on the way home. This is also true of any races that you plan – do it with a friend and car pool.

If you are interested in making it fun, take the distance that you plan on running and see if you can't challenge yourself to see if you can get to a certain spot and back. If the weather holds up tomorrow, I am going to try to run from my doorstep to the doorstep of Mall of America and back [approx. 20 miles as the crow flies]. You don't need to try that kind of distance but planning and preparing for any distance can be fun especially if it's not something you've run before. One note of caution for anyone trying this, don't forget to bring a cellphone to call for rescue, planned water stops to refill your reusable water bottle, and a GPS [if you have a smart phone] wouldn't be a bad idea.

Again, Happy Earth Day! Get out there and celebrate it on your favorite running trail!

Earth Day Running Tip 4: Before you shower each day, run.

I will admit this tip could be hard for all runners. But for those of you where this can work, do it. I am fortunate to be in a job where I work from home. So I can plan my day so that if I have a meeting later in the day, I can get my breakfast in, run in, prep work done and shower before I have to run into a soul. But when you think of your water use from taking two showers each day [when it begins and later after your run] there's a lot of water being heated and used. Two biggest energy uses in a home are furnace/air conditioner and hot water heater.

I realize this is asking some runners to become early morning runners, so I understand that this tip doesn't work for everyone. But if you do work from home, you can make this practice a habit regardless of when you run in the day. So when feasible, wait for that shower until after you run.

Earth Day Running Tip 3: Recycle Your Shoes… more than once.

I know that many of you probably follow this practice, but if not, why not? I have a phasing out of my running shoes. I go through shoes on a quarterly basis. When you are putting in 30 plus running miles a week, it doesn't take long for your shoes to break down. And at my weight, 500 miles is usually the breaking point. But I recycle my shoes three times. The first use of my shoes is for 3 months. During the next three months, after I am running with next pair of new shoes, I wear the prior pair for that same three months – only not in a running situation. Around work, around home, for walks, they become my casual shoe. I actually put in marker on the tongue of the shoe, the month and year that I wore the shoes as running shoes. I am currently wearing "11 10" shoes. This means I started wearing them in November 2010. When I started running in my new shoes "02 11", these became my new casual shoe. The shoes I wear for cutting the grass are "08 10" (August 2010) shoes. Thus, the shoes for cutting the grass are my second recycling of the shoes.

So every three months, the shoes all move on to a new phrase. Next month, May 2011, (or "05 11" for those of you following along), my 08 10 shoes will finally be brought to a race or church drive to be recycled. By then I'm estimating they will probably have 1000 miles on them but I'm sure still enough wear for anyone that has either no shoes at all or in need of any shoes because of the charity they receive them from. I'm guessing those shoes that aren't selected are recycled from what I'm told at race shoe drives, but I'm not counting that as the fourth recycling since I'm not totally sure if they are.

As you can probably tell, I go through a lot of shoes, but you must admit, I do get a lot of use out of them. And except for the winter, at work and maybe the beach, you won't see me in anything but running shoes. I think they are more comfortable than most shoes, and for the most part, keep my legs fresher than shoes that put form before function.