2010 NYC Marathon Plan

Probably got your attention with that title … Ha!  I will admit early on that I’m not sharing the training plan in its entirety in this post.  If that’s what you are looking for … sorry.  A few reasons:

1. Once you know what I’m doing, then much of the surprise goes away and I like lots of visitors to the blog.  Not really the reason, although I do like lots of visitors.
2. I’m not running New York.  This has all been a giant head fake.  Hardly.
3. The training plan is a guide only and will be adjusted on a constant basis.  Ding. Ding. Ding.

The last point is a bit misleading.  I do have a plan … a very detailed plan and it is adopted from a credible source:

AM came highly recommended from the sub-3:00 faction of our club.  That’s enough praise for me.  Also, without even asking my coach, I can tell many of his philosophies are consistent with the principles in AM.  What I can share (and hopefully it is helpful) is the broad parameters of the plan.  As a first time marathoner with a base that is probably ahead of most first timers, but until you do 26.2, you are a rookie.  I decided upon the full 18 week plan. For about 10 minutes I contemplated a 12 week plan, but after a few conversations with teammates, I concluded that I would benefit from the full 18 weeks.  Also, regardless of what happens on 11.7.2010, I want to know I’ve done everything I can to sufficiently prepare. Belt, suspenders, Super Glue, etc.  So training length is done.

Next up for consideration is mileage per week.  AM offers plans based on peak mpw … not every week is the same.  Build, recover, build more, recover, build even more, recover and then taper.  With a few exceptions, for most of the past 10 months I’ve hovered in the 30-40 mpw area depending on upcoming races, etc. In early June, I pushed up to the mid 40s for a couple of weeks and felt good.  For ME (and me alone) to do well at the marathon, I don’t think I can I achieve my goals with mileage in the 40s.  Therefore, I tossed in a little more mileage in last week (53) as a test.  Granted, half of the miles were in near zero humidity, but it was by far the best week I’ve ever had.  I’ll do similar mileage this week to confirm, but unless something changes (and it very well might), I’m signing up for the 18 week / up to 70 mpw plan.  While that number gives me the shakes today, the first 4 weeks are all in the mid- to upper- 50s and by and large mirror what I’m already doing, save for adding 3-4 miles on the long run.  Recovery runs are very defined … 5 miles max (early on).

Now to the guidance point … two running days a week are locked in with team commitments … Tuesday speed and Thursday tempo/lactate threshold.  Monday is the rest day.  Those won’t change at all.  The plan calls for speed and lactate threshold runs each week and generally mirror CPTC workouts.  Therefore, I’ll back fill the rest of the week based on the plan with Sunday’s being the dedicated long run.  I’ll need to adjust based on how I’m feeling (I got no problem backing off the prescribed mileage), work (gotta pay bills) and vacation (have not had one in a LONG time and will still be able to run just as much in a different location).

To Ian’s point, I have a ton of knowledge folks already in my ear about easing into training, the process, nutrition, health, etc.  I’m a marathon rookie, but I do have precedent for the experience … law school / bar exam.  An entire body of work / months of study with only one test at the end.  It’s been awhile, but I remember living in the moment and letting the material wash over me.  Never thinking about the result.  Never thinking about the journey.  Only thinking about the task at hand for that 1+ hours on that day.   Imagine a horse with blinders.  That’s me starting July 5^th.  Day 1.

My goal is to get thru the training.  If I can do that and get to the starting line healthy, then 11.7.2010 should be a big party for 3 hours and 21 minutes (or less)   BQ

Essential Reading for Runners by Me, But Fitter

[Ed. - The following post is brought to you courtesy of Me, But Fitter]

I’ve been a runner, with a few injury breaks, for about 22 years now. This year I’ve also started to get more involved in the ‘dark art’ of triathlon, but I’ve always been faithful to my running roots and am certain the sport will be something that I will always be happy that I have in my life. Over this period of time I have collected lots of useful information about many aspects of the sport, but significantly the majority of it has come from only a few specific sources. In this spot that Elgin has been very kind to let me fill, I’ll be passing these key titles on. Most of these things I have found out for myself, or been lucky enough to read about or be told about by friends, but if you pick up any of these and find them as useful as I have over the years, you’ll be a better runner for it and hopefully get that little extra from the sport and see an increase in your performance that I know I have. It would also be great if you could add your own favourite source of information in the comments below so that everyone here can give something new a try…

Runners World (magazine monthly, online, and forums) Anyone who starts to run and does not come to use the solid and dependable information resource that is RW is truly missing out. Your first year in the sport should be full of it, and all the basics you need to know about training, kit, nutrition, racing, recovery, stretching, and much, much more will be there for you. After a year or so the information starts to become a little repetitive as is the way with this type of resource, but I find I dip in and out of its pages and the online resources every now and again for a new insight or method, or a product review, for example. Pass it by at your peril.

Lore of Running – Tim Noakes MD In my opinion this is the runner’s bible. Every aspect of racing and training is looked at in fabulous detail for the geeks among us, and Noakes’s own insights from his training days and experiences add to the value that this book brings. It’s a big one, but the type of book you can revisit again and again and find something that will set you on a new path or make you look at your running in a new light. The three main sections – Physiology, Training, and Health and Medical Considerations – tell you all you need to get to know your body better, to train efficiently and effectively, and to make the best of your training and racing. There are few books that I would call a ‘must have’ for a runner, but this is definitely one of them.

The Mental Game Plan: Getting Psyched For Sport  – Stephen J. Bull Your brain needs as much exercise as your body and yet we do nothing, or very little at least in most cases, about training it. This book steps up and does a fantastic job of building a set of skills to get the most out of the physical effort we all put in, and ensures that our race day performance has every chance of being the best it can be and specific training aims are met in as many sessions as is possible. Very basic principles are discussed but the application of these is hugely powerful, and made a massive difference to the way I approached my training, and also in many ways my entire life. Making the difference is all in the application and with any book such as this there is a lot of work to be done as you go along with the reading but the payoff is indeed well worth the effort.

It’s Not About The Bike: My Journey Back To Life – Lance Armstrong I read this book at a time when my own confidence was sky high and I felt pretty damn invincible when it came to sport. It’s not a book about running but the basic principles can be applied to anyone with a competitive muscle in their body so I feel I can put it in this list. This book rocked me, shocked me, and made me see how humility and understanding of those in a worse place than ourselves, and with less opportunities than ourselves, can help us to grow and become simply better human beings. Everyone by now knows the story of Lance but the details as described in this book of his own fight against an extremely aggressive form of cancer followed by his achievements in one of the toughest sports there is – competitive road cycling – makes for a brilliant story. He has his doubters and detractors and it is clear why based upon the issues that cycling faces as a sport with regard to drugs, but his recovery from his illness and his battle back to the top of his sport is extremely inspiring when viewed as the battle of one human against very short odds. Try it out and see what feelings you have after reading it.
–
Ian Mountford

mountford.ian@gmail.com
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