Week 2 Training Plan

Monday: rest
Tuesday: 3 mile run
Wednseday: 3 mile run
Thursday: 3 mile run
Friday: rest
Saturday: 6.5 mile run
Sunday: cross-train


Monday: Rest. While taking the day off, evaluate how you felt after your first week of marathon training. You'll probably notice that there's a difference between "training" and simply "running" or "jogging." A lot of people play at running, going out for an occasional run on weekends, if the weather is good. Sometimes they'll run three or four days in a row--then skip several weeks before running again. But that's not training. Training is when you follow a schedule, such as this one, where each day has a purpose. If the weather is bad, you still run. If you have important business, you simply rise an hour early to run. Why? Because I told you to! :) And if Bro Bro tells you to rest, you rest. Follow my directions, and I'll get you to the finish line 17 weeks from today. That's a promise!

Tuesday: Today's workout is a run of 3 miles at a comfortable pace, the same as last week on Tuesday and the same as next week on Tuesday. Don't worry about yor pace for right now. Just get the mileage in.

Wednesday: Another 3-miler. This is your "hard" day of the week. If you want to run a bit faster than yesterday, do so. Today's 3-miler is also the same as last week's Tuesday workout, but next week you move up to 4 miles. As the program continues, the Wednesday mileage will increase 1 mile every second week. It's all part of my "Grand Vision" to get you in shape for the marathon. And trust me: You will do it!

Thursday: Still another 3-miler! It seems like we're in a rut, but don't worry: Next week the midweek workouts take a slight bump upwards in distance. Most of the mileage changes from week to week in this program are "slight." Slight changes will gradually get you in shape--and that's the best way. Slight changes will do it, but for the time being, be content with your third 3-miler in 3 days. The simplest and easiest way to accomplish a 3-mile workout is to run the same measured course each time. But consider having separate Tuesday and Thursday courses. Particularly as the program continues, you may want to bring some variety to your workouts.

Friday: This is a day of rest. Seemingly, you don't need a rest day now, but wait until your weekend runs start getting longer. If you're looking for something to do with your extra time while not running today (yeah right...I know, I know) jump in the car and go out and measure a series of courses from 3 miles up. You'll use them during the remaining weeks of this marathon training program.

Saturday: Run 6.5 miles. In your second week, you now have gone from 5 to 6.5 miles for your long run. This doesn't seem like much of a jump, but steady increases in distance will help prepare you for the stress of running 26 miles. Don't worry too much about how fast you run in these early weeks. Just run at a pace that will allow you to cover the 6.5-mile distance easily. Feel free to take some walking breaks in the middle of your run. And remind yourself: You're doing great! Today you've finished your second week of marathon training.

Sunday: Take an hour and go for a walk, or bike ride, or do some swimming. This is your cross-training day, and it's here for two purposes. One, you want to train for about an hour to improve your aerobic base. Two, you want to exercise differently to both loosen your running muscles and allow them to recover. Don't underestimate the value of this second weekend workout. It's important!