Note that this is in no way, shape, or form an official training plan sanctioned by anyone with any level of expertise to do so. This is simply my record of what I did and my reflection on what worked for me and what didn't. I personally like to look to real life experiences of other runners when I'm training,
Although this was my fifth marathon, it was the first time I attempted a strict time goal. My goals for my first two (my first marathon and then my dad's first marathon, which I ran with him) were just to finish. For my third, it was to PR, but by how much? My marathon PR at the time (from my first) was 4:48, but I had run multiple sub-2 halfs since then, so I knew I could probably knock off a good chunk of time. I had some time goals for that one, but ultimately I wouldn't say that I trained or raced for a specific time, and I ended up just under 4:18, with a 31-minute PR. And of course, I ran marathon #4 after 2.4 miles of swimming and 56 miles of biking, so even though I had some PR dreams, my goal was to run the best of my ability at that point - whether that meant a 4-hour marathon or a 5-hour marathon (it turned out to be just under 4:30, so I guess it all worked out).
So I entered marathon #5 training with my nearly two-year-old 4:17:50 PR still intact, and for the first time since I started marathoning, I took the leap of establishing a time goal. A big time goal: under 4 hours. Although I've felt for a while that I had a faster marathon in me than my PR showed, a sub-4 wasn't high on my priority list...until it was. After I finished my first Ironman(ish) last October, I was ready for a new challenge and to focus on running for the first time in nearly two years. Trying to get under 4 hours in the marathon felt like a natural progression in my journey that I was finally ready for.
Training
I stuck with a tried and true source for my training plan (Hal Higdon), although I modified the Intermediate 2 plan by decreasing the number of runnings days to 4, including the workouts from the Advanced 1 plan, and of course adding in swimming and biking since I had a half Ironman coming up 8 weeks after my marathon. Generally, my plan included the following every week:
- 4 runs (1 easy, 1 moderate, 1 workout, 1 long)
- 1-2 trainer rides/spin classes (with a handful longer rides up to 2.5 hours throughout training)
- 1 swim
- 1-2 strength training sessions
Or at least that was the goal. I definitely did not hit 100% of those workouts, although I did make sure to make my runs a priority, and only missed two of them: one long run early in training due to shin pain and one mid-distance weekday run about 6 weeks before the race due to sickness. For those interested in exactly what I did, this is my Shamrock Marathon training log:
Incorporated easy runs. Before this training cycle, I essentially had one running pace: as fast as I could run, taking into consideration the number of miles I had on my plan and how I was feeling that day. Some days I did speed workouts, other days I felt slow as molasses, but I always operated under the assumption that a little faster than I might have wanted was better than a little slower than I might have wanted. This is the first training cycle where I really made a concerted effort to force myself to slow down and, honestly, it was tough. I had a really hard time keeping my ego in check and there were definitely times I still ran faster than I should have even on easy days.
I might not have been running my easy days quite as slowly as I should have been, but I still ran them easier than I would have in the past, and I think it saved me in the long run (pun intended). My average pace for all of the miles of this marathon training cycle was probably slower than for my last marathon training cycle I finally understand the concept of a recovery run! I think it also helped me mentally break up my training - it was nice to a low-stress, easy run day where it was okay if I felt tired or crappy and didn't have to worry about going fast, but just going.
I might not have been running my easy days quite as slowly as I should have been, but I still ran them easier than I would have in the past, and I think it saved me in the long run (pun intended). My average pace for all of the miles of this marathon training cycle was probably slower than for my last marathon training cycle I finally understand the concept of a recovery run! I think it also helped me mentally break up my training - it was nice to a low-stress, easy run day where it was okay if I felt tired or crappy and didn't have to worry about going fast, but just going.
I learned to love the treadmill. A year ago, I could have counted the number of times I'd run on a treadmill on one hand. I didn't have a reason for avoiding the treadmill, other than that I much prefer running outside and will run outside in just about any weather (unsafe conditions like icy roads or lightning being pretty much the only exceptions). This training cycle was my first time training for a marathon while living in the city and having to be out of the house during daylight hours in the winter, and that was the reason I started running on the treadmill in the first place.
The first time this training cycle that I decided to take my run to the treadmill was when I had worked late and I was feeling unusually paranoid about running in the dark for my hill repeats (I had just read about a girl being attacked while running a block away from the park where I was planning to go - it was a year and a half ago, but still). So I reluctantly headed downstairs to the gym (another driving force for using the treadmill is that I don't even have to leave my building) armed with a hill workout I had found online, worried that the run wasn't going to "count" since it was on the treadmill. The joke ended up being on me, as I think that treadmill workout was actually harder than it would have been outside!
My training plan called for one workout run per week, cycling between speed, hill, and tempo workouts. From then on, I did nearly all of my workout runs on the treadmill. It was especially helpful for the speed and tempo runs since, living in the city, I have to stop at so many lights and dodge pedestrians that it's not really possible to focus on running a consistent pace for a solid interval. In the end, my treadmill workouts actually ended up being some of my favorites of the whole training cycle!
Started taking vitamins/supplements. About a third of the way through my training, I started feeling like I was dragging more and more. I was tired for workouts, tired at work, and just...tired all the time, really. I was getting plenty of sleep so that wasn't the issue. And yes, my training was increasing, but it felt like something more. I've had low iron in the past and have taken iron supplements off and on for many years, but not recently. That's usually my go-to when I'm feeling inexplicably tired and run down, so I started taking them again and it really did the trick! In just a week I was feeling much more like myself, and it really helped me run my training again instead of my training running me.
I've also been taking probiotics for about 6 months now, since my coach suggested it when I was training for IMNC. While I didn't start taking them for this particular training cycle, I definitely think it made a huge difference not only in training but on race day as well. This may be a bit TMI, but for a long time, digestive issues have been my biggest concern in running and racing. It's been a lot of trial and error with what I eat, when I eat, and how often I eat, and probiotics certainly weren't a quick fix, but my issues have mostly resolved I started taking them.
Practiced race pace (especially on long runs). If I had to pick one aspect of training that I think was most beneficial, this would be it. My goal race pace was 9:00 min/mi, give or take, which is a pace that's felt comfortable for me for quite a while now. Truthfully, given that fact, and that I've run up to a half marathon much faster than that, I initially didn't think running a sub-4 marathon (which comes out to a 9:09 pace) would be that hard - but it turns out the joke was on me. Maintaining that pace - both when I had lots of energy and wanted to run faster than that and when I was tired and wanted to run slower than that - for 26.2 miles was something I had to teach myself how to do. My long 15+ mile runs ranged from 8:28-9:12 average pace, with the majority of them in the 8:50s. By the time race day rolled around, I was so dialed into running this pace that I really felt like my legs were on autopilot.
Worked smarter, not harder. In a lot of ways, I trained for this race the same way I have trained for every other race: I ran 4 days a week, my weekly mileage was the same as usual, and I kept a consistent schedule and didn't miss runs. Instead of doing more than I've done before, I altered my training as needed to make sure that I was getting the most out of my workouts. For the first time, rather than every workout's purpose being just to get me to the finish line, every workout had a different, specific purpose.
Practiced race pace (especially on long runs). If I had to pick one aspect of training that I think was most beneficial, this would be it. My goal race pace was 9:00 min/mi, give or take, which is a pace that's felt comfortable for me for quite a while now. Truthfully, given that fact, and that I've run up to a half marathon much faster than that, I initially didn't think running a sub-4 marathon (which comes out to a 9:09 pace) would be that hard - but it turns out the joke was on me. Maintaining that pace - both when I had lots of energy and wanted to run faster than that and when I was tired and wanted to run slower than that - for 26.2 miles was something I had to teach myself how to do. My long 15+ mile runs ranged from 8:28-9:12 average pace, with the majority of them in the 8:50s. By the time race day rolled around, I was so dialed into running this pace that I really felt like my legs were on autopilot.
Worked smarter, not harder. In a lot of ways, I trained for this race the same way I have trained for every other race: I ran 4 days a week, my weekly mileage was the same as usual, and I kept a consistent schedule and didn't miss runs. Instead of doing more than I've done before, I altered my training as needed to make sure that I was getting the most out of my workouts. For the first time, rather than every workout's purpose being just to get me to the finish line, every workout had a different, specific purpose.
Race Day
Chose a familiar course. I ran a course that I knew. Some runners like running a new route on race day, and some prefer familiar scenery. I like both, depending on the race, but for longer and/or goal races, I (usually inadvertently) tend to stick to what I know. Because I'd run the first half of the Shamrock full course 2 times before, the second half 5 times, and various portions of the course in training or other races more times than I can count, I knew exactly what to anticipate for every section of the race. I knew all the landmarks. I knew where all the mile markers would be. I knew where there would be crowd support. I could visualize exactly where the aid stations would be and how they would be set up. I knew all the turns (or, really, on this course, lack thereof). Knowing the course like the back of my hand was especially beneficial given the weather that we had - especially since I've run half of this course in the same weather we had this year. I knew where the wind and the rain would be the strongest, where we'd get some relief from it, and where it would work in our favor and we'd get a tailwind. I had originally chosen a different, completely new-to-me race to attempt my sub-4 and wasn't planning on running the Shamrock full for quite a while, but now I can't imagine running such a successful race anywhere else. I don't think that running a familiar course is a foolproof way to have a good race, nor does it mean you can't be successful running somewhere new and exciting, but it was definitely a key to success for me.
Ate a big(ish) pre-race breakfast. Like I mentioned above, getting my digestive system on board with my running has been a long struggle for me, and I've never quite nailed down race morning breakfast. I used to really stress out about it, but now that a lot of those issues have subsided, it's become less and less of a focus in my race prep. In fact, this year I thought about it so little that I didn't even bring anything with me to eat for breakfast. For a while I've been eating two scrambled eggs before runs, so I decided I'd order some from the hotel room service the morning of the race. I was worried I'd get too hungry, though, so I did something I started doing only recently, and decided to have half a bagel with it as well. That's a lot for me to eat before a run so it was a little bit of a gamble, but it ended up being perfect. I was never hungry at all during the race (actually I didn't eat anything during the race other than a few raisins...which I don't recommend, for the record, but I'm weird and don't consume even close to the number of calories you're "supposed" to consume during a race), and I also never stopped for the bathroom.
On another, related note: staying in a hotel near the start line was hugely beneficial for my pre-race meal, as it allowed me to eat breakfast at the same time I'd normally eat breakfast (about an hour and a half before the run). The hardest part of race morning for me is the timing. Normally I have to leave for races at least an hour before the start time, which means I have to eat breakfast earlier than I'd like in order to have time for it to digest and, you know, take care of business before leaving the house. So I usually end up eating too early and then being hungry by the time the race starts. This year was perfect since I got to eat breakfast at exactly my preferred time (not to mention have a slow, stress-free race morning...I was still in bed sipping coffee in my PJs 30 minutes before the race started!).
Started out slow. I trained with and ran the race with my friend Carl, and leading up to the race we had a lot of talks about our pacing strategy. I've historically not been a great marathoner and based on my prior marathons, when I've run the second half anywhere from 10 to 40 minutes slower than the first half, I originally planned to run the first half around 1:55 and the second half in 2:05 in order to finish in 4 hours. Somehow Carl convinced me to start out slower than we planned and then speed up in the second half, which I'm still in shock he got me to agree to. I was so skeptical, but I put my faith in our training and our dedication to this goal, and to my great surprise, it worked. We kept a more consistent pace through the whole race than I ever have before, and on top of it we negative split the back half (~2:00 for the first half and ~1:58 for the second half). I still can't believe it, but miles 19-23 were some of our fastest of the entire day, and I have to believe it's because we made it a point to conserve energy in the beginning.
Stuck with a pace group. If I had to pick the one thing I did on race day that was most beneficial, this would be it. I'd never run with a pace group before and, again, this was Carl's idea that I can't believe he got me to agree to. I've been near the 2-hour pace group in half marathons a few times, and one time in particular I remember them keeping up with me for the first 4 miles of a half marathon that I ran in 1:49, which I thought was way too fast! If I had been training for and shooting for a sub-2 (9:09 average) that day I would have crashed and burned after those first few miles at 8:30-8:45, and not that I had really considered it anyway, but that experience really turned me off from ever trying to stick with a pace group.
Stuck with a pace group. If I had to pick the one thing I did on race day that was most beneficial, this would be it. I'd never run with a pace group before and, again, this was Carl's idea that I can't believe he got me to agree to. I've been near the 2-hour pace group in half marathons a few times, and one time in particular I remember them keeping up with me for the first 4 miles of a half marathon that I ran in 1:49, which I thought was way too fast! If I had been training for and shooting for a sub-2 (9:09 average) that day I would have crashed and burned after those first few miles at 8:30-8:45, and not that I had really considered it anyway, but that experience really turned me off from ever trying to stick with a pace group.
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