Two Steps Forward One Step Back: Marching To Marathon Success

The 10% rule of limiting weekly increases in mileage to no more than ten percent is widely quoted as the sin qua non of incremental training. In many cases even this may be too much. An invariably rising load of 10 percent each week may not give your body time to recover from the stresses of running.

In marathon training, I believe that for beginners, the long run is the key to successful completion of the marathon. Many years ago, in a very early survey, it was found that if an individual had completed 3 long runs of  18 miles or more (for example two 18 mile runs and one 20 mile run) the chances of completing the marathon were well over 90 percent.

Good questions are: 1) how to get to those long distances and 2) how long should your longest run be. The reason we ask these questions are to both be successful in completing the marathon and to limit injuries and enhance recovery.

I like what I call a “two steps forward, one step back” approach. I recommend this as a guide to the long run, up to about 17 or 18 miles. What this means is that you move up gently in your long distance running mileage for two weeks, than have a considerably easier and shorter long run. Once you have reached a long run of about 18 miles, you take two easier weeks to allow your body a good recovery.  And the long run only has to top out at about 20 miles for a successful completion of the marathon. Two to three other days of running and one to two days of cross training would work well with this approach to the long run. There are some programs that advocate an approach like this, while a good many just keep moving up the mileage. For beginners, I favor this gentle approach with recovery that is built into the schedule.

Weeks until Marathon : Long Run Distance

19: 8

18: 9

17: 10

16: 6

15: 12

14: 13

13: 8

12: 15

11: 16

10: 10

9: 18

8: 10

7: 12

6: 18

5: 10

4: 12

3: 20

2: 12

1:  8

Marathon: 26

The road to improvement, like any journey begins with your first steps.  And it really happens by examining your last few steps. You have to know where you are to know what you have to do next to improve. Slow, gentle beginnings and graduated additions to that will get you in shape and prepared to do more so that you can  become the best you are capable of at that moment.

This post is for Jason who asked about improving Max VO2.

So, in following the road to improving your aerobic capacity. It does depend on what shape you are in when you start. Simplifying things just a bit: For some, exercising at 65%-85% of your maximum heart rate for 30 – 40 minutes is a good place to start. And if you need to build up to that.

For others interval work will be helpful. Mile repeats, 800’s, 400’s, 200’s all have a role to play. Fartlek or hills should likely come before the interval work. The aerobic distance running build up for competitive runners, even those doing 10Ks, will include runs of 10-12 or more miles. But of course everything depends on your goals and the distance you plan to compete at.

Getting out of your comfort zone, and avoiding injury while doing so are the two most important components to raising your VO2 max to the highest level it can be for you. The goal is also to improve your ability to expand your aerobic limits so that you can run faster and longer before reaching your lactate threshold and running in an anaerobic zone.

Generalized, a tad over simplified, and quickly written down and with great respect to the grand daddy of all coaches, Arthur Lydiard. Here is the outline of a plan ( perhaps clearer than macrocycles and microcycles). And for those looking to excel, a personal coach may be extremely helpful.

Outline Of The Road To Improvement

First phase -Long Distance build up

Second phase – Fartlek, Hills (preparation for intervals)

Third phase – Intervals, Lactate Threshold Runs

Fourth phase – Specialty runs for your distance
- over distance for shorter/mid distance track runs (= other speedwork)
- long runs for the marathon, with appropriate rest between long runs (and Yasso 800’s)

Fifth phase – taper for race or race season

For Runners:

1. Remember that stretching is not a warm up.
2. Don’t stretch before you’ve moved. Warm up gently first with movement and slow running with short strides. There is no evidence that stretching before exercise is helpful to prevent injury, but it might be useful at the end of a run. Specific injuries or susceptibility to specific injury may make certain stretches particularly useful. (In conjunction with appropriate strengthening exercises for any muscle imbalances.) An example would be gentle calf stretching after 10 minutes of gentle running for those with a tendency towards Achilles tendinopathy.  Empirically this is often helpful.
3. Stretch gently after exercise. Use stretching as part of your cool down after running. And for most people finishing your run with a sprint is probably not wise. A cool down, of continuing to move while going slower at the end of a run helps get your body gently adapted to having a slower pumping heart. This can help lessen the chance of a heart arrhythmia during the immediate post exercise period and blood pressure dropping in those susceptible to such problems.
4. Don’t over-stretch. Overstretching is likely worse than no stretching.
5. Stretch gently for an intermediate length of time, not too long and not too short. 10 Seconds x 10 is a good example of an intermediate time and repetition number.
6. Focus on the posterior leg muscles if you are a runner. The calf muscles and hamstrings are usually tight. For runners, there is only rarely a need to stretch the quads.  Those performing other sports, including strength training, can stretch the quads (and much more) gently. Walking lunges can serve the purpose of stretching the quads.
7. Don’t forget other forms of exercise. Strength training and cardio will help you reach a balance, and a healthy diet will put the topping on your search for fitness. And of course core strengthening is helpful in many ways. So that means we’ll need to have a blog up on a 5 minute Runner’s Core Workout soon.

Additional Information:

More on Stretching

Running Injuries

Running hills has been used for many years as an intermediate step in building strength and endurance on the way to speed work and later racing. Arthur Lydiard included hills as an integral part of his training program.

Long distance training came first. Hills followed. And later speed work was undertaken before peeking for the racing season.
Hills can be begun after you’ve done some distance runs. Ease into them. They shouldn’t start off too steep or too long. A good distance is between 200 and 300 meters. We’ll let you select what slope to run since your choices are likely limited.

Don’t charge up the hill. Move up it steadily. The uphill run is when gains are made. Use the down slope for recovery. People have used a variety of mental imagery to help on the way up long hills. Some have even thought of  “the little engine that could” saying “I think I can, I think I can”.  Whatever it takes is fine.

Don’t run back down the hill. Running down will place unnecessary stress on your knees.

Remember to just start with a few hill repeats. Two to three is fine and every one or two weeks can you add on one more repeat. Work your way up to 6 hill repeats. If you are just starting your marathon distance training now, it is probably not the correct time to start hill work. That time will come a few months from now for the runner who is competitive and fit to do so.

Hills are not for everyone. Be sure you are cleared by your physician for an exercise program and particularly for a vigorous exercise program before undertaking new forms of exercise.

Enjoy, have fun. Start off slow and easy. Build up gently. Avoid injury.

Don’t get the Summertime Blues. You can avoid them by paying your dues. Plan those long runs. Build up, drop back. Let your body adapt to the stresses and strains of going long. Then you’ll be ready to do your fall marathon.

The long run is still the cornerstone of marathon training. If you complete  3 runs of 18 – 22 miles during the 8 weeks prior to the marathon you’ll have a very high likelihood of being able to complete the marathon . The long run is also an important element for middle distance runners. The 10K runner will benefit from runs of 8 miles, 10 miles and even up to 14 miles or more. A 5K runner will benefit from runs of 6 miles, 8 miles and up to 12 miles or so. This isn’t needed by everyone, but by those who are trying to excel. Slower 5K and 10K runners spend enough time on the roads and do not have a need to do 12 – 14 mile runs just to complete a 5 or 10K.

The long run has been emphasized as the building block of training for over 30 years. Arthur Lydiard and many others have made it the base component of training programs for distance runners. All of today’s programs including Hal Higdon’s and Jeff Galloway’s highlight the importance of the long run. Just what magic does the long run do? Long distance aerobic running lays the strength and ground work on which everything else will be built. Lactate threshold training, speed work, and stamina will all come later, but the ability to run long has many benefits.

VO2 max will increase from running within your aerobic training range. Capillaries will grow, enhancing the blood supply to the muscle fibers. Training increases the number and size of mitochondria. The mitochondria are the aerobic powerhouses of the cell. A variety of key aerobic enzymes will also increase. More myoglobin will be found in the skeletal muscle fibers. The significance of the increase in capillaries and myoglobin are the assistance that this will provide to the part of the VO2 equation specifying the difference in concentration of oxygen in arterial and venous blood, these changes facilitate oxygen transfer into the muscles.

We’ll have an updated area on the long run on the running injuries website shortly. In the meantime, here is a rough outline of a beginning to intermediate schedule of long runs. We call this the two steps forward, one step back approach to the long run.

Beginning Marathon Long Run

Weeks to Go/ Distance

19: 8
18: 9
17: 10
16: 6
15: 12
14: 13
13: 8
12: 15
11: 16
10: 10
9: 18
8: 10
7: 12
6: 18
5: 10
4: 12
3: 20
2: 12
1: 8
Marathon: 26

Summertime Blues