Cavedog Running

Marathon training in June?? Yep, today is the first day of training for the Spacecoast Marathon November 28th in Cocoa. But the race is six months away, why are you starting training so far out. Well, to be the most effective, this gives me the most amount of time to build up a larger aerobic base that will help me go faster for longer. I use the timeless training of Arthur Lydiard who coached several New Zealand athletes to Olympic medals and several world records. You can download an overview of Lydiard training by clicking HERE. This training will have you running a lot of miles but under the motto of "Train, don't strain". After using and reading several "run less, run faster" programs, I have found there is no shortcut in Marathon training. You have to build your aerobic base to run faster and longer.

Here is what I will be doing for the next three months:

Conditioning (As long as possible) 2 week cycles. Builds an aerobic base.

Monday: Aerobic running 1 hour.
Tuesday: Aerobic running 1.5 hours.
Wednesday: Run hilly course 1 hour.
Thursday: Aerobic running 1.5 hours.
Friday: Jog 1 hour.
Saturday: Run hilly course 1 hour.
Sunday: Aerobic running 2 hours.

Monday: Run hilly course 1 hour.
Tuesday: Aerobic running 1.5 hours.
Wednesday: Time trial 3000 or 5000 meters.
Thursday: Aerobic running 1.5 hours.
Friday: Jog 1 hour.
Saturday: Relaxed striding of 4 to 8 times 200 meters.
Sunday: Aerobic running 2 hours or more.

You can be flexible with this schedule based on how you feel. Weeks when I have a race will be a little different cutting the Friday run to 2-3 miles or no running. Will take a day off when needed.

This schedule basically will have me running 50-70 miles per week. I am hoping I can start waking up a little earlier in the morning to run some extra miles and get extra stretching and massage with my Stick (you can purchase one by clicking on the link on the right side of this page).

So, what is an aerobic base and how do you build it? Basically, the larger your base of miles run at an aerobic pace, the more efficient your body will be at burning fat for fuel instead of precious glycogen.

So how do I know I am running aerobically? an unscientific way of knowing you are running aerobically is by using the talk test. If you can easily carry on a conversation with somebody, you are running aerobically. You should not be huffing and puffing during these runs. At the end of the run, you should feel "pleasantly tired".

Another and more scientific way is by using a heart rate monitor (how I do it). First, you have to calculate your resting and maximum heart rate then your target heart rate. You figure out your resting heart rate by taking your pulse first thing in the morning when you wake up immediately after you open your eyes and before you even get out of bed. Your maximum heart rate is best done by taking taking a stress test at the cardiologist's office. Make sure you find one who does tests for runners or knows your purpose. Another easy, but slightly less accurate way is by using the target heart rate calculator found HERE. I use this calculator and it has worked OK for me. The calculator will show you your heart rate percentages. For aerobic running, you should be around 70% of your heart rate reserve. Even if you have to walk up a hill, don't let your heart rate get much above 70%.

This period of aerobic base building lasts as long as possible. After base building, you do four weeks of hill work followed by four weeks of speed work before tapering for the marathon.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment.