Marathon Training: The Speculative Edition

I wish that I could say I had all the answers for marathon training.  I wish I could say that I had any answers for marathon training. But the truth of the matter is that I have not had much luck with the marathon distance to date.  I have only survived one.  I won't say that I ran it, because a lot of it was a painful shuffle that surprised me with its intensity.  This photo says it best:

Me near mile 20 in the Portland Marathon, 2007

I've finally mustered enough courage to try another one.  And because I had such a tough first experience, I have a few ideas about what I'm going to differently that I hope will help.  

For my first try, I knew the marathon was going to be tough.  Duh.  But I had no idea that the training would be tough as well.  The first 16 miler I did was my last.  I just couldn't get it together to go out and run any further.   I hit the training wall.  I did one more 13 miler, and that was it.  No more running.  I had a 3 week taper of no running.  Not once.  Probably not the best plan for maximum performance.

And now I know that if I don't keep running, the walking is going to hurt just as bad as the running.  That was another big surprise for me.  Once your legs are cooked, they're cooked.  For any type of movement.  So you might as well train and suffer for less time just because you are moving faster.  Now that I know that training will be tough, I've got a few ideas about how to keep me going:

1.  I've enlisted friends.

Having company for the long run is key.  This was made all too clear to me last Saturday when I had to do a 14 miler by myself, since my friends were all running a 1/2 marathon the next day.  I had so much anxiety about that run; I could hardly sleep.  But if I'm getting up to meet my friends for an 18 miler, I don't even think about what I'm going to be doing.  I'm just excited to catch up with them and drink coffee afterwards.  I feel the run, but it isn't the same.

2. I've given myself enough time.

Part of my problem with Portland, is that I decided to go for it in July.  The marathon is in October, and between that time was a relay race that I couldn't give up.  I only had time to do maybe one 20 miler if I stuck to my plan, and really, the more of those you can do, the better off you're going to be.  Many plans recommend 4 prior to the race week.  When you factor in the ramping up you need to do to get there (no more than a 10% increase on your long run mileage if you're going to be really cautious), it takes a long time.  I will have about 24 weeks of training with the marathon in mind by the time I get there. 

3. I've got longer runs in mind.

I've got this crazy idea that I should try an ultra - a race longer than the marathon.  Because I'm thinking that way, I'm rethinking my goals for the marathon.  An ultra is about going the distance more than the speed with which you cover it, and when I start thinking that way, spending a couple of hours running changes in my mind.  I have a real issue with wanting to go too fast, which leads to injury in my case, and so with this subtle shift, I may have found the key to being able to go long.  I went out pretty fast in my first marathon, and I know I burnt myself out by not pacing well.  If I can find my rhythm - my long pace - I can run a better race for the entire distance.  I hope.

4. I'm finding inspiration from long runners.

There's nothing like reading about ultramarathoners to give you a quick shot of humility.  As I whined my way through my 14 miler the other day, I was thinking about the H.U.R.T. 100 in Hawaii - 14 miles is just a warm up in that race.  And not only is it 100 miles long, it's on hilly, bumpy, root covered terrain in the warm rainforest of Oahu.  I was only chugging up a mild incline on a smooth sidewalk in 40º weather.  What did I have to whine about?

There are some really interesting books out there by these runners.  When I'm recovering from a long run, it's a nice way to recharge my engine and give me the boost I need to face the next week in running.

And so there you have it.  The things I'm going to try this time around to see if I can have more success in the marathon distance.  You can bet I'll be reading all the great advice on TiART this week!