Spring Marathon season is fast approaching…
It is probably about now you will be looking to ramp up your long run/training. This blog post covers off how we believe you should approach that as well as some useful tips/items to consider now before it’s too late.
At the time of writing this we are 8-9 weeks away from Boston and the London Marathon 2025.
Time based long runs. Forget about distance and trying to hit a certain mileage. Think about time on your feet and how relevant that is to your predicted/goal marathon time. We favour this approach, especially those new to running as a 20mile run can be exhausting/detrimental to many runners. Some examples for new runners:
Marathon Goal sub 4hrs – Longest run 2hrs 30mins
Consecutive Days
Rather than a monster 3hr run on a Sunday. Can you run 2hrs on Saturday and 60-90mins on Sunday? One of these runs can/should have some Tempo or Marathon specific blocks the other can be an Easy run. This tends to yield much better results over time.
Double run days. Again, to avoid 30km+ runs. Can you run 2x15km in one day? This is a really effective way to build volume and reduce overall stress from a standalone run.
All of the above should be taken with the view that for most athletes in the week they are still able to run multiple times and where applicable complete the harder intervals sessions. If your long run is taking you days to recover from and you are then unable to train in the week you should consider reducing the long run duration/intensity and focus more on overall run volume over a 7 day period.
Fuelling and Hydration
With 8 weeks left you really should be starting to practice your fuelling/hydration strategy. We start most runners at 60g an hour and build up from there depending on intensity and tolerance. We also encourage all runners to carry electrolytes or salt tablets, most runners will need to have 750-1000mg an hour.
New Trainers
Two decisions to make here for most runners. As you ramp up the mileage, what do your current trainers look like? Are they well worn and if you ran some big miles in them are you risking a niggle/injury? If so replace them now before it’s too late. Race day shoes…? The big question. Either a fresh pair of the same training shoe or if you were to opt for a carbon plated shoe, pick one which matches the profile of your training shoes in terms of drop/size. We don’t encourage athletes to do a lot of miles in their carbon shoes, just a few specific sessions throughout the build.
Massage
A sports massage is something a lot of runners introduce late in their programme. Rather than chucking one in in your taper. Think about getting one every 2-4weeks. These are very effective at helping you recover and keeping on top of tight spots.
Lastly, in this period try to limit doing new things. That applies to life and training. From our experience most niggles or disruptions to training come from athletes doing something new or novel outside of training. We are not suggesting you need to wrap in cotton wool and don’t leave the house. Just make sensible decisions which complement your training.
Thanks
Ross