The 3:30 Marathon - The Plan

Maybe you are already doing 3:00 marathons.  For me, I want to qualify for Boston.  So, I have 12 minutes to take off my last marathon to get to 3:30.  That’s a lot, but I think I can do it with an effective plan, some cooler weather, and the absence of needing to stop for any reason.

I am borrowing my plan mostly from the playbook of Arthur Lydiard.  Lydiard (http://lydiardfoundation.org/) has been somewhat re-discovered.  His training methods stressed high mileage. Some of his ideas are a bit dated and many would disagree with some of his recommendations.  However, there is little doubt his methods work.  Key to the Lydiard method is a combination of volume and intensity while following a set of stages in specific order.  All of these stages lead to the “Big” race.  Here are the stages:

1)       Aerobic Conditioning (10-12 Weeks) – This is the foundation.  Gradually building miles to 100+ per week.  I’m not going to get there, but by upping my schedule to 7 days per week, 3 long runs per week (2 at 90 min. and a long weekend run over 120 min. and 4 – 60 min. runs) my mileage got up to between 60 and 70 without killing me.  It’s now pretty comfortable.  If your body tells you to take a day off now and then, do it.  This period should last 10-12 weeks, but the longer, the better.

2)       Hill and Leg Speed Work (4-6 weeks) – Now it’s time to start building some leg speed and strength.  You still keep your long weekend run at a moderate pace and then alternate hill workouts and leg speed drills.  On the hill workout days, I have a steep, long hill in the neighborhood.  Warm up for 15 minutes before you get to the steep hills.  Going very slowly you spring up the hill.  Knees are high, all the power comes from the back leg which straightens out on the push-off.  The center of gravity goes up and down (your are slowly bouncing up the hill).  The pace is slow, but it is a significant workout.  The as you go down and back for the hill again, 50 meter wind sprints are spaced out in the flatter areas.  After you have been out for about 60 minutes, take a 10-15 minute jog back.  I like to finish with 3-5 stride-outs as I come into home.  Get some good relaxed stretching in after this.  On the alternate days, leg speed work is the task.  This is easier.  After a 15 minute warm up, find a gradual hill and do 10 x 100 yard down-hill runs on 3-4 minute intervals.  The goal of these runs are to develop leg speed.  Moving the legs as fast as possible while still maintaining a relaxed tall running posture.  The slope will help you get your legs going faster, but it should be just a gradual decline.  You weekly mileage will likely drop 5-10 miles as you focus on hills.  This period should last about 4 weeks, but 6 is fine if it works with your schedule toward the big race.  I just completed this stage, and I feel it helped prepare me for the speed work to come.

3)       Anaerobic / Speed Development (4 weeks) – Now we go to the track and work on intervals and other anaerobic speed drills.  Lydiard stresses that you should not get too hung up on the specific number of intervals or distance, only that you should come off the track feeling you could not have done too much more or gone too much faster.  Your total distance of fast running should be no more than about 3 miles. In my case, I will likely do 800 meter repeats with an 800 meter jog in between.  Consider 12 x 400, 6 x 800, or 5 x 1,000.  These are hard workouts and need to be on alternate days due the physiological affects of blood pH.  On the easier alternate days, following a 15 minute warm-up, a series of 10-15 minute drills with 5 minute jogging breaks consisting of: (a) leg stride drills running 70-100 meters exaggerating the length of strides with a 3 minute jog after each, (b) running tall with knees high and on toes over 70-100 meters with a 3 minute jog after each, and (c) leg turn-over drills trying to move the legs as fast as possible over 70-100 meters with a 3 minute jog after each.  The good news is that you max out your anaerobic development after 4 weeks.  From there, it’s just maintenance.

4)       Co-ordination (4 weeks) – This final training phase is about getting used to your race conditions.  If it is a marathon, that means running a few 20-22 miles.  A lot of the training is at marathon pace for the shorter runs (up to 16 miles).  For the longer runs, try breaking the run into a short warm-up (2 miles), 5-6 miles at marathon pace + 40 seconds, 5-6 miles at marathon pace + 20 seconds, and finishing the final 5-6 miles at marathon pace.  The goal is to gradually build the tempo over a 4 week period. 

5)       Freshening Up (last 1 ½ Weeks) – During your last 10 days, lighten the load.  Lydiard says to train every day but at very low efforts.  For me, I will take the Friday before off and just run 2-3 light miles on Saturday before the marathon.