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Marathon training should be heating up

  • Published
  • By Dr. James Schlub
  • Health and Wellness Center
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN) --  By now marathon training should be heating up, both literally and figuratively. Three months remain until the big day, and now the summer sun is beating down.

It's important to keep well-hydrated during regular runs and incorporate a sports drink or other carbohydrate source especially during long runs and after all workouts. This will aid in recovery and replenish vital muscle glycogen levels.

Although runners should try to avoid the heat of the day, getting a small dose of training in the heat is a good idea. Acclimating to the heat will help in the long run. Historically, the Air Force Marathon has been a hot one and although it starts at 7 a.m., most runners will still be trudging along in the noontime sun.

Beginners add more mileage

Novices should have finished the training month exercising three times a week, running a mile then walking a quarter mile and repeating the sequence two more times for a total of 3-3/4 miles each workout.

Now novices should add one repeat sequence every week until the end of June on just one of those runs per week. This will be the long run -- a staple of any marathon training program.

This may be best to do on the weekends when most people have more time to complete it.

This run will then increase 1-1/4 miles in length each week.

This long run will be up to 7-1/2 miles by the third week of June. Keep up the walking during the long run and try to eat and drink during the walking periods.

For the other two workouts each week, try to eliminate one of the walking recovery periods each week until capable of running the entire 3-3/4 miles each time by the end of the month.

Try varying runs from level to hilly routes. The fourth week of the month is the first easy week.  Leave out the long run and replace it with a local 5-kilometer run if you can find one in your area.

This will give new runners a taste of a race and indicate personal progress and keep the motivation going.

Try to set a steady even pace, enjoy the race and don't be carried away and run too fast at the start.

Hard schedule for regular runners

Regular runners finished the month with an easy week -- a long run of seven miles, and just two easy runs of six miles each. However, now they get the first taste of a hard week.

Complete two specialty runs, an easy six-miler and 12-mile long run.

On week two, return to two easy runs of six miles, one specialty run -- no longer than 60 minutes -- and keep the long run at 12 miles.

During the third week, bump up the long run to 13 miles and Week 4 extend it out to 14 miles.

Remember to vary the workouts with the specialty runs. Each week pick a different specialty run to include tempo runs, intervals, hills, etc. This will improve tolerance developed with the tempo runs, the speed and muscle recruitment from the intervals and strength with the hill runs.

If you choose to race one weekend in June, keep it at a 5-10 kilometer distance and replace the early week normal specialty run with the normal long run.

Where's the wear?

Novice and regular runners should take a good look at their equipment -- primarily shoes -- as training progresses.

Do they still feel supportive? Is the heel rubber worn off? Are the sides cracking or does the heel slant badly when looking at them from the back.

Even if the shoes look and feel OK, shoes are often worn out from the inside out after six months or 500 miles of running.

So if you're already running in some older shoes, it's even more important to check them out.

Regular runners are now logging 30 to 35 mile each week, and it will increase to near 50 by late August. Now is a good time to check out the shoes for wear and tear. It can be painful to run a marathon in brand new shoes or 26.2 hard miles in shoes that are worn out.

Alternating new shoes into training with old ones will help ensure both pairs of shoes will be broken in enough but not broken down too much to do the job come race day.

Lastly keep up the once-a-week leg strength training program and twice-a-week upper body strength training program started in May.

(Editor's note: Dr. Schlub is a marathoner with a Ph.D. in exercise physiology.) 

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