Training Plan - Week 8

Monday: rest
Tuesday: 3 mile run
Wednseday: 6 mile run
Thursday: 3 mile run
Friday: rest
Saturday: 13 mile run
Sunday: cross-train (~60 min.)

Monday: Rest day. You'll need it, because the mileage continues to climb this week--subtly, though inexorably. You have seven weeks behind you; you have 11 weeks ahead of you. Your total mileage this week is 25, just short of the distance you'll cover in the marathon itself. Your long run will be 13 miles, half the distance of the marathon. Looking ahead, you may wonder: Will I really be able to accomplish what I set out to do? Yes, you will. Look back at where you were when you started this program. Think of all the progress you've made so far.

Tuesday: Three miles at your usual comfortable pace. On these midweek workouts, run at a time convenient for you, a time when you will feel comfortable running.

Wednesday: Six miles. If so, you might want to run a nudge faster this day. Don't push too hard at the start, but see if you can pick up the pace the last mile or two. The fact that you're moving at a slightly faster pace over a slightly longer distance doesn't mean you can't hold a conversation with a partner while running, but allow yourself the luxury of getting slightly out of breath. Important to success in any sport is a distance base, and that is one of the purposes for running a bit longer today.

Thursday: Another 3-miler. Comfortable pace. You may get a bit bored running the same, or near-same, distances day after day, week after week after week. There are a lot of short runs of 3 to 5 miles in this program. If it's an out-and-back course, your options are limited, but if it's a so-called "loop" course that goes in a circle, running it in the opposite direction will result in a needed change of scenery. Use the opportunity to do something different, when it suits your purpose, and don't be afraid to jump in a car occasionally and pick some scenic route you never have run before as a mood booster.

Friday: Preparing for the weekend's double-pronged endurance activities, claim a day of rest. Let's talk a bit about food... Frequently, when people become runners or run more, they find that they begin to eat differently. This is partly conscious and partly subconscious and reflects the fact that carbohydrates are the most efficient form of energy. People who embrace fitness routines discover this through their reading, but often it happens naturally. Runners crave carbs; their bodies tell them that breads and grains and fruits and vegetables are the best foods for fitness and for good health. You'll often find us in an Italian restaurant the night before long workouts or marathons.

Saturday: Run 13 miles, a significant distance, since it is half the distance you need to run in the marathon itself. You may finish this workout wondering how you'll ever be able to run twice as far. Trust me! You're not yet halfway through your training program. In another ten weeks, you'll be standing on the starting line at NMC well-trained and ready to roll. Use these long runs to practice your race strategy. You should begin to think about what shoes you'll wear on race day and also what outfit to wear: shorts, singlet and a cap to keep the sun off your head. Don't leave anything to chance. And continue to practice drinking as well, both water and the replacement drink you plan to encounter in the marathon.

Sunday: Cross-training. An hour of aerobic training. Don't push yourself too hard the day after your longest run so far. Go for a walk. Smell the flowers...er...snow. Listen to the birds..er..wind howling :). Take a bike ride. Swimming is a particularly effective way of loosening your muscles after a long run the day before. Next week is another stepback week, a change to gather your strength. In cross-training, you don't need to limit yourself to a single activity. Think like a triathlete: Combine sports. Follow a half hour on a bike with a dip in the pool. Walk for 45 minutes, then stretch for 15. Innovate. The most important point of cross-training on Sundays is that you not only train easy to recover from the long run the day before, but also you prepare for more of the same in the coming week. If you cross-train on Saturday before a long run on Sunday, don't train so hard that you compromise your long run.

Tip of the Week: To improve your ability to concentrate, visualize your race during workouts, particularly during marathon pace runs. "Put yourself into an emotional marathon mode," says Bob Williams, a coach from Portland. Oregon. "Picture different parts of the course." One workout, practice cruising miles 8-12; the next, rehearse miles 12-14. If you're running a hometown marathon, run specific portions of the course during practice for familiarization. If it's an out-of-town course, and you've run it before, replay the memory. Running Boston: Is there a hill similar to Heartbreak Hill near where you live? "Training on terrain similar to that on which you plan to race is essential," emphasizes Williams.