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A Low Mileage Marathon Training Program

Greetings, my new running friends!  I’m Katherine and I blog about my
running adventures over at Neon Blonde Runner. I’m excited to be featured as today’s Marathons+Moderation guest post as I advocate something people don’t talk about nearly as often as they should: low mileage marathon training.

 

I’m a 3X marathoner with a PR of 3:26, following a fast love affair with running that started in 2010.

I want everyone to know that you do NOT have to do a high mileage program in order to qualify for the Boston Marathon!

I averaged 32 miles per week training for my most recent marathon PR of 3:26.

Here are my keys to marathon success on LOW mileage:

1)  Take rest days.  Your body MUST rest in order to build back muscle.  Do NOT feel guilty about taking a day off when you’re just not feeling it.

2)  Run faster to race faster.  Don’t be afraid to push your speed at least once per week.  I’ve added in a speed session every week or so and I believe that it really makes a difference.  You don’t even need
to do any formal track work if that idea stresses you out– you can just add a couple “fast” 5K or 10K pace miles into your workouts.

 

3)  Run with a training group.  When you don’t feel like getting out of bed for those early morning runs, you’ll be more likely to do it if you have people waiting for you.  Plus, running with a group or buddy will help you push your pace.

 

4)  Set goals.  Studies have shown that people who set goals have more success.  I don’t always set time goals, but I’ll set goals about what sort of effort I want to put in during a race.  For example, I’ll set goals that I want to negative split or run faster than I did last time.  Or you can have a goal of doing a hill workout once per week.

5)  Make time for non-running activities.  I strongly believe that you need to have balance in your life in order to achieve success in running.  Make time for your friends and family– I’ve never regretted doing so and I think it leads me to be more focused when it is time to run.

 

Best of luck to you in your running journey!  Please don’t hesitate to
contact me if you have questions about specific details.

You can find me on…
Twitter @KatherineHopper
Instagram @NeonBlondeRunner
e-mail neonblonderunner@gmail.com

What are you currently training for?  Does your body work better with high or low mileage? I’m going to run a marathon this fall (TBD) and I think my body works best with low mileage…but I’m willing to try increasing the mileage a little to see what effect it has on my running.

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Five Marathon Mistakes

It’s Wednesday which means I only have one more day in my work week! Tomorrow I’m heading out of town on an Amtrak train for a relaxing weekend in Vermont with my family. Other than my long run, which will be one hell of a hilly challenge this week, I have no other plans. I’m looking forward to sipping wine, going on a few hikes, and just enjoying the time with my parents since I haven’t seen them since Hawaii in April! I wish Bo was able to go but unfortunately he’ll be hanging back in NYC due to work. Oh well, I’m sure he and Meg will have a great weekend without me!

Before we get to today’s guest post from Whitney, I want to see who else is heading to BlogHer 12 this year? I am looking forward to the amazing sessions and getting to meet and interact with new bloggers and old friends alike. If you’re attending please leave a note in the comments as I’d like to organize a run or get together of some type!

Now, for some marathon inspiration, here’s this week’s Marathons+Moderation guest post!

Whitney blog’s at LiveRunLoveYoga. Most recently she ran the Boston Marathon with Team in Training and is now working towards becoming a certified yoga instructor. She shares lessons and experiences from years of running and yoga, the foods that fuel her and bits and pieces from a healthy lifestyle!  You can read about her journey with running and yoga at LiveRunLoveYoga and follow her on Twitter too!

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I love marathons; from my very first one I was hooked. I ran the NYC Marathon in 2009 and loved training, the race itself and the lifestyle it created. I had ran cross-country in college and since I had graduated the year earlier I thought I could handle a training plan that had 55-60 mile weeks at the plans peak. I learned through injury, Iliotibial Band Syndrome, and frustration that to “beat” the marathon I had to practice moderation.

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After running the NYC Marathon I took some time off from running to heal and strengthen my IT band. I started running again in the spring of 2010 and took it slow, enjoying races and becoming a stonger runner. After a PR in the half-marathon in the fall of 2010 I knew I was ready for another marathon and decided to sign up for Chicago 2011. In order to accomplish my goal of breaking 4 hours I knew I needed a plan that eliminated the flaws of my first marathon plan and evolved from the mistakes I made in 2009. So here’s a list of 5 marathon mistakes and fixes!

  • Mistake: Due to the high mileage while training for NYC I was often fighting a cold and sick. Instead of taking time off and getting healthy I would rest and then immediately start running high miles again in order to make up for the extra rest days.

Fix: I signed up for the Smart Coach plan on RunnersWorld.com. One feature is that you are able to enter in days or weeks that you are sick, it automatically adjusts and updates your plan to account of the time off. It took the guess work out of it for me.

  • Mistake: Skipping yoga classes to get in more training runs.

Fix: Build in yoga classes to my marathon training schedule. Yoga allows me to stretch my body and strengthen my muscles which in turn helps my runs. I ended up practicing about 3-4 days per week while training.

  • Mistake: Making up for missed runs.

Fix: I now follow the rule that a missed run is a missed run. If I missed my Tuesday night run and could reschedule for Wednesday, I often did while training for Chicago and Boston but if I couldn’t reschedule a run I didn’t worry about it. Marathon training is a culmination of your training and one run won’t make or break your marathon.

  • Mistake: Everyone run must be perfect.

Fix: Not every run is going to be perfect. Some days you’ll be doing speed work and will be 15 seconds faster per mile or half mile and others you’ll be 15 seconds slower. That’s ok. Some long runs you’ll feel like you can run forever and others you’ll struggle to make it through 14 miles when you are supposed to run 20 miles. On those days just embrace that it’s not a good day and be happy with what you did accomplish. If your body is telling you enough is enough, listen and rest!

  • Mistake: Running 5 or 6 days per week.

Fix: Some runners can handle this, others cannot. I am one of those who cannot. While training for Chicago I only ran 3 or 4 days per week and never felt stronger or faster!

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Learning from all of these mistakes really made training for Chicago a breeze. I was able to follow my training plan to a “T” and had a successful marathon, finishing in 3:51.21. I was so energized and motivated that I went on to run the Boston Marathon with Team in Training. I followed a similar training plan and the same “rules” above and was successful yet again! You can read my Chicago Marathon recap and Boston Marathon recap on LiveRunLoveYoga! Marathons do not need to be about high mileage and tough runs, you can be just as successful with moderate mileage and quality runs!

You can read more about my experiences with running, marathons and yoga over at LiveRunLoveYoga!

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Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

Hey Healthy Happier Bear readers! I’m Heidi from Life in Pink. I have a long convoluted history with running. I started running in high school on the track and field team and later the cross country team but was never the fastest runner. Needless to say I didn’t pursue running in college and hardly ran at all except on rare occasion. When I moved to DC after college, eventually I got stuck in an office with no windows and 3 other government relations coordinators at a thankless firm. It was my unhappiness there that inspired me to sign up for my first marathon.

Tough Lesson #1: Train Hard I researched training plans briefly, and just hit the register button when the Marine Corps Marathon opened up. Loving to run sometimes isn’t enough to get you to put one foot in front of the next for 26.2 miles. I didn’t train well for that first marathon. I didn’t train hard. I trained half heartedly. And if there’s one thing you don’t want to do half heartedly friends? It’s train for a marathon. That wall? Instead of mile 20, it comes at mile 15. That bus that picks up stragglers? It’ll be nipping at your heels around mile 18. But I accomplished my goal of simply finishing. Tough Lesson #2:Training Takes Time For my second marathon, I decided to take the time to train properly. Seven am runs to beat the grueling DC summer heat became a well versed habit. I did hill repeats on Capitol Hill and I cross trained with lunch time spin classes. Regardless, committing to my training and giving up those Friday nights out paid off when I shaved over an hour off of my previous marathon time.

Tough Lesson #3: Have A Cheer Squad Not every race goes perfectly. Whether it’s a 5k, a half marathon or a marathon, having family there with band aids when a blister is forming at mile 19, or even just someone to hug you at the end, family and friends make a world of difference. I ran my hometown race in Burlington, VT in 2009 and again in 2010 and set my marathon PR in 2009 with my dad and grandfather cheering me on at the finish. At mile 20, just before running by my grandparent’s house, my aunt texted me and asked where I was. My response? Mile 19, need Band-Aids. Seriously, it was like a race car team changing my tires before I went back out on the course. It was amazing. But seriously? I’ve run races where there’s no one there thanks to my husband’s US Army training, and I’ve run races where I have a whole team of cheerleaders – and having the cheerleaders is always more rewarding.

Tough Lesson #4 It’s All About the Attitude After my amazing PR and the elation that came from that at Vermont City Marathon 2009, I registered for it again. It was a beautiful race, if you’ve never been to Vermont? Go. Visit. Fall in love. Run the Marathon up there – the finish line next to Lake Champlain is one of the most beautiful. I registered for the race after Adam and I moved to CT in Fall 2009. Race day came, and I did not feel confident. I ran the race anyhow. How could I not? No one really wants to DNS an expensive race that you traveled to and took time off of work for. But I used myself as a mental punching bag for a good 15 miles. Everything I could have done wrong, I did. Marathons are not just physically challenging, they’re mental. You can train all you want but if you’re head isn’t in the race? You’re not going to have fun and above everything else, running and racing should be fun.

It’s not about the distance, it’s not about your time. It’s about being mentally strong. It’s about being confident. It’s about the reward – finishing. No matter what distance you run don’t feel like because you’re not running marathons or ultras or triathlons, that you’re not as accomplished as others. Stop comparing yourself and just be proud of yourself. I’ve taken these lessons not just in my running, but in every day life. Because ultimately attitude is everything and having a positive one will not just get you through 26.2 miles, but also through any other situation in life. After my 4th marathon, I took a break. Do I want to run another? Sure. Five is better than four right? But right now, I’m not at a place in my life where I can commit to the training, the long runs, the miles, and the pain in my knees. Knowing that leaves me in a better place to tackle the distance in the future.

Thanks again for the opportunity to share my lessons with your readers! -Heidi

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