So, this is what recovery looks like:
Not much, but it’s a mile, it’s almost running (Not quite 9 min/mile), and I didn’t die.
I’m about a week out from finishing the course of Lyme antibiotics, and the swelling in my knee is getting back to being manageable. I think the body is almost willing; now to get the mind there.
On a completely other note, a friend is looking to run a marathon sometime next year. My advice was to do it. He’s in decent shape, and I think he’ll crush it. But, his question made me think: When I do go back into shape, how am I going to train?
Base Period
My first suggestion was emphasizing the importance of the base period – one of the things I’ve failed to do, and hope to do better, is to keep a good base. My ideal base, I think, would look like:
| Mon | Tues | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-5 miles | Cross | 3-5 miles | Cross | 3-5 miles | 8-12 miles | Rest |
| Tempo | Cross | Speed Work | Cross | Race Pace | Long, Slow Distance | Rest |
The base appeals to me – it’s about 15-25 miles a week, 30-45 minutes on work days, and less than 2 miles on weekends. Very manageable, very doable, but a solid base.
Build
From my experience and from most of what I’ve read, there are three fundamental principles for a build period:
- Periodization This is where you build for 3 weeks, and then cutback on the 4th week.
- 10-15% build on the long run only Only adding about 10-15% more mileage every week.
- Three 20 milers 20 miles is a funny distance. It’s a long, long way to run. But, it’s not so long that it destroys you like the marathon will.
Most marathon plans add mileage to the workweek runs. I’ve always had a hard spot with this, since, even as my training requirements grow, my work, sleep, and family requirements don’t shrink, especially on week days. I’ll fudge on this a little bit; move from 5K at lunch to 4-5 miles, but that’s adding 15-20 minutes/day instead of another half hour or more for the plans that go to 6-8 miles on weekdays.
So, rather than focus on whole weeks, I focus on the weekend mileage. My plan looks roughly like this:
| Weeks to Go | Distance | Theme | Weeks to go | Distance | Theme | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 26.2 | MARATHON! | 14 | 15 | Build | |
| 1 | 8 | Taper | 15 | 14 | Build | |
| 2 | 13 | Half/Race | 16 | 8 | Recovery | |
| 3 | 20 | LONG | 17 | 14 | Build | |
| 4 | 13 | Recovery | 18 | 13 | Build | |
| 5 | 20 | LONG | 19 | 12 | Build | |
| 6 | 13 | Recovery | 20 | 8 | Recovery | |
| 7 | 20 | LONG | 21 | 12 | Build | |
| 8 | 13 | Recovery | 22 | 11 | Build | |
| 9 | 18 | Build | 23 | 10 | Build | |
| 10 | 17 | Build | 24 | 6 | Recovery | |
| 11 | 16 | Build | 25 | 10 | Build/Base | |
| 12 | 10 | Recovery | 26 | 9 | Build/Base | |
| 13 | 16 | Build | 27 | 8 | Build/Base |
So, that’s about it. Need to set about getting back in shape, which means I need to set about getting disciplined again.
Everyone running in the fall – best wishes; can’t wait to be toeing the line again.