Thoughts on a training book

Ran a quick 3 miles this morning and meeting Kellie tonight for kickboxing.. probably shouldn't double up like that but tomorrow is a rest day before we do 8 on Saturday. Ordered my Garmin 205 yesterday!!!! $147 from Amazon.. no tax and I qualified for free shipping so I thought that was a deal. Should be here early next week.. just in time to try it out in Indy!

Kevin and I were talking last night about the marathon and I was telling him about the book I just finished : Four Months To A Four Hour Marathon'. It's main goal is 4 hours (Oprah did Chicago in 4 !!!) but also has schedules up to 4:45 hours. Including 4:30.. my goal. HOWEVER
the workouts seem very odd! 3 runs a week. That includes your long run!!! Huh? only 3? One of them is speed work. And I mean speed work! One week is broken down like this:
Run1: 12 X400's at 2:10. Figure that up to 800, you get 8:40.. almost exactly what I ran the sizzling mile in. Could I do 12 times around? DOUBT IT!!?? And that's it for that day. Where's the endurance part?
Run 2: 'jog 20 minutes'.. again, HUH? Endurance anyone? Not one single week do you run more than 30 minutes !!!
Run 3: Saturday long run. OK fine, but my GMP is 10:18... every single long run they have you running 11:30 - 12:00 /mile... Now even I don't run THAT slow!! And the mileage increase is nuts... up to 17 miles at week 7 !! HUH????

So that book I think, was a waste... does not sound logical to me at all.. (At least not for a first time marathoner like me) Where are your longer runs during the week? Where's the gradual buildup to the really long runs? 17 at week 7? doesn't sound gradual to me! And that's starting out week 1 at 6 miles.. 11 mile jump in 7 weeks? INJURIES anyone????? Maybe I don't have a clue as to what I'm talking about because I've never trained for a marathon but everthing else I hear and the little I DO KNOW from training for 1/2's contradict this book.

ALSO I found this review of the book on Amazon and it sums up my thinking:

his program recommends that you run faster during your shorter week day runs, and slow down on the weekend long runs to about 90 seconds slower than what your marathon pace will be. So, if your marathon pace will be just over 9 minutes per mile, your training long runs will be about 10 1/2 minutes per mile. You ask the question I asked. How am I going to run just over 9 minute miles in the marathon when I am training at 10 1/2 minute miles in my training long runs? In theory, the author believes that the week day speed runs, your adrenaline on marathon day, and the fact that your legs and body should be strong and injury free will allow you to run just over 9 minute miles thus achieving your 4 hour marathon goal. Sounds good on paper, but I did not acheive this goal. I ran a personal record of 4:11, but there was no way I was going to run a 4 hour marathon with this program. Granted, I felt healthy and strong, but my legs just did not have it in them to do anywhere near 9 minute miles for 26.2 miles. I believed that I needed to put in more miles during the week to achieve this goal.

Thank goodness I ALSO ordered Hal Higdon's 'MARATHON: The Ultimate Training Guide'.. I'm Using his Novice II program anyway..

So back to my conversation with Kevin he agreed that book didn't seem like something I wanted to do but thought I should try and shave a minute off each mile. Sorry hon but HUH!? LOL right now at that... I definitely (I think!!) can do 10:18 if not a little faster but a whole minute??
Guess I won't know how anything will pan out until I get out there and get going! GMP for sure, maybe a little speedwork and we'll see how it goes.. Maybe I'll surprise myself!

Strength Training

Met with Jeff at FitClub yesterday afternoon and he set me up on what seems to be a decent weight lifting program custom for "long distance runners". Hmmm. ME? A long distance runner? I never saw myself as one before, but 5 half marathons in 12 months? And an upcoming Marathon? Perhaps I should reconsider. I'll add it to the list: 'short, dumpy, goofy, long distance runner'.

So Jeff has me doing low weight (50-60% of max) for high (20) reps. He says that will build 'muscle endurance'. Very much needed for a marathon. Makes sense to me! Heavy weight and low reps is for power, speed and strength, and not necessary for a marathon. That's for shorter, FAST races. Your Billy Owens, Joe Thiel and Bryan Glass types.. the lightening fast runners!!! Core work too, of course is important so doing lots of them. He showed me some, and some were good, but I like the ones from the chart at FitClub better.

So I got a good strength workout in yesterday, one planned for Thursday with running in-between. Nothing major.. just cruising until after Indy.

New blog for marathon training!

Welcome to my new blog.... a space for recording my 18 week journey to completing my first marathon! I'm doing the St. Charles Lewis & Clark marathon 9/14/08. Actual training starts Monday May12 and I'm excited! In the meantime I have 2 weeks left until the Indy 1/2 marathon (May 3rd) which I'm still training for.
Stay Tuned!