Training Plan - Week 3

Monday: rest
Tuesday: 3 mile run
Wednseday: 4 mile run
Thursday: 3 mile run
Friday: rest
Saturday: 5 mile run
Sunday: cross-train

Monday: Today being Monday, it's your rest day after two days of hard work over the weekend. This is an "easy" week in the training program, since you will "only" run 5 miles for your long run, instead of 8 (which would be the progression after 5 and 6.5). You will encounter these "stepback" weeks every third week at the beginning of the program, every other week as we near peak mileage. Most training programs are progressive, meaning you gradually increase mileage over a period of weeks and months. This program is no different, but the progression is not in a straight line, which is one of its unique features.

Tuesday: Run 3 miles at your normal pace. You might also spend another 15-30 minutes doing some stretching and strength training.

Wednesday: Today is a 4-mile run, up from 3 the first two weeks. Your mileage on this midweek "hard" day will continue to build along with your weekend mileage. This is called a "sorta long" run. This sorta long run is positioned in the middle of the week to be more or less equal distant from the weekend long runs. That gives you a chance to recuperate between and rest before.

Thursday: Run 3 miles. This should almost begin to seem like a short distance now. If you bought into my idea Tuesday of doing 15-30 minutes of stretching and strength training after your run, today do the same.

Friday: Your day of rest. As this 18-week program continues, you will continue to rest two days each week, bracketing the weekend of harder training. If the schedule of Monday/Friday rest doesn't always fit your schedule, feel free to adjust the days. Review what you have accomplished so far. Does running seem any easier? Hopefully any sore muscles you may have suffered after your first-week workouts have begun to feel better--and stronger. It may be difficult for you to sense any change from the way you feel today and the way you felt before you began this program, but you gradually will get into marathon shape.

Saturday: Run 5 miles. As mentioned above, we drop back in distance every third week on our long runs to offer you extra rest. Keep an invisible "8" in your mind, since we jump ahead to 9 miles next week. Remember that the long runs--like most runs during the week--should be done at a conversational pace. You may run out of conversation by the last few miles, but not today since you stop early.

Sunday: Cross-training for an hour. Aerobic exercises work best: walking, cycling, swimming. Snowshoeing or cross-country skiing are also great. Since your run yesterday was short, you might even consider doing some jogging as part of your workout. You now have completed three weeks of the 18-week marathon program. You are one-sixth of the way toward completion. Having finished the first stepback week, we're now ready to crank the mileage up in Week 4. Hold onto your hat!