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Devising a 30-day schedule
Settling on a marathon goal pace was not the most straightforward thing in the world to do. Her current 5K time was 21:30, which represented an average pace of about 6:56 per mile. Using that as the basic indicator of her fitness, I reckoned she could run a 10K at about 7:12 per mile (16 seconds per mile slower than her 5K speed). That meant that her half-marathon tempo would be 7:28 per mile, and her predicted marathon speed would be 7:44. Still, her marathon preparations had been less than perfect, so I conservatively suggested we aim for 7:50 pace, which would bring her home with a nice PB of 3:25:09, and she agreed

I then created her 30-day schedule, as follows (the marathon was to be held on the 31st day):
Day 1: 2-mile warm-up, and then a 'Speed-Strength Circuit' designed by Walt Reynolds, which proceeds as follows:
1) Run 400 metres in 1:44 (her 5K pace)
2) Complete 12 squat thrusts with jumps (burpees)
3) Do 3 chin-ups
4) Perform 12 press-ups
5) Do 30 ab crunches
6) Complete 24 body-weight squats
7) Run 400 metres in 1:44 again
8) Do 10 squat and dumbbell presses with 10-pound dumbbells
9) Perform 8 feet-elevated press-ups
10) Complete 12 bench dips
11) Do 30 low-back extensions
12) Complete 15 lunges with each leg
13) Run 400 meters in 1:44
14) Repeat steps 2-13 one more time (for two circuits in all), and then cool down with 2 miles of light jogging (for 5.25 total miles of running)
Why do this workout at all - and why 'lead' with it with only 30 days left before the marathon? Because it includes 10 different whole-body exercises, the session is excellent for building general strength, which is important for the marathon. In addition, the 400-metre intervals at 5K pace are great for increasing VO2max. Research also reveals (and logic suggests) that circuit training is good for lifting lactate threshold, aka LT (logic suggests that LT improves because workouts which build general strength should enhance stability and coordination while running, which therefore decreases the energy cost of running, diminishes carbohydrate 'burning', and therefore lowers lactate output). And there's one final bonus: by doing the circuits, one is forced to run at a quality pace in spite of the fatigue produced by the back-to-back exercises, mimicking the situation which prevails in a marathon, when one must tick off mile after mile at quality speed despite increasing weariness

Day 2: 4 miles of easy running, to permit recovery from the previous day's circuit (indeed, the runner was - to her surprise - quite sore after the exercises and 400-metre intervals)
Day 3: a modified MP session, which consisted of 7 miles of easy running, followed by 3 miles at goal pace (7:50 per mile), and then 2 easy miles

Of course, one of the merits of this workout is that it includes a nice chunk of marathon-pace running, which improves efficiency and mental comfort at goal marathon speed. Placing the three marathon-paced miles after seven preceding miles also gets a runner used to running at marathon pace while somewhat tired. And a 12-miler is a decent long run, yet it is not so prolonged that it produces extraordinary stress on the leg muscles during the 30 days before a marathon. Only a portion (in this case 25 per cent) of the workout is actually conducted at goal pace (that's why it's called a 'modified' MP session) - in order to keep the lid on leg-muscle wear and tear

Day 4: 4 miles easily (to recover from the previous day's modified MP session)
Day 5: Speed-Strength Circuit (merely a repeat of the workout from Day 1; the rationale for this workout is explained above). Repeating this kind of workout fairly frequently is absolutely necessary to significantly expand strength and bolster LT

Day 6: 6 miles of easy running
Day 7: Modified MP again, but this time with 7 easy miles, followed by 4 miles at 7:50 per mile (goal-marathon) pace, and then 3 easy miles (14 miles in all). The rationale here was to continue to boost her confidence in her ability to manage 7:50 pace (and also improve her economy at that speed). After completing this workout, she felt strongly that she could maintain goal pace even after running a significant number of miles


Not as gruelling as it looks
That may appear to be a pretty tough week! After all, she completed four quality workouts, which seems like a lot for a so-called recovery period. However, none of the four workouts was debilitating; in fact, the quality running in this quartet added up to just 9.5 miles (quality miles are defined as those completed at marathon pace or faster), or 19 percent of the 50.5 total miles she ran during the week. The 50.5 miles were relatively easy for her to handle, because of her previous experience with 50-mile weeks. In addition, I didn't wish to drastically curtail her mileage because she had already trained lightly during the two preceding weeks. Meanwhile, the two strength-circuit workouts gave her a great start on her general-strength development. By the end of the week, she was already feeling stronger - and confident about her 7:50 goal pace (both MP sessions had gone well). Things were off to a great start!
Here's how the rest of her training went:
Day 8: Rest day with no training at all (she was definitely ready to take a day off). Ordinarily, it's best to have at least one rest day within every seven-day training period, but she was able to wait a bit longer because of the holiday she took prior to embarking on this regime. The positioning of this rest day was ideal, because she really needed to recover after her 14-mile jaunt on day 7

Day 9: 5-mile easy run (continuing her recovery from the 14-mile effort)
Day 10: A progressed Speed-Strength Circuit Workout. With circuit workouts, progression means increasing the total number of circuits, expanding the number of reps of the exercises, and/or elongating the lengths of the running intervals. For this session, I chose to advance the running intervals from 400 to 600 metres, which forced her to run further at good speed in the face of mounting fatigue and also increased the VO2max benefits accruing from the session (reps of the exercises remained the same, as did the total number of circuits). Shifting to 600-metre intervals expanded the total miles covered during the workout from 5.25 to 5.875, with 100 per cent of this increase consisting of quality running at 5K pace

Day 11: 6 miles of easy running
Day 12: 6 miles of easy running, plus 2 sets of the entire array of exercises included within the circuit session. The idea here was of course to continue with strength development, but there were no running intervals because I wanted her to complete some 'pure' lactate-threshold (LT) workouts, in addition to her LT-boosting circuits. The 'straight' LT session was planned for the following day, so the running on this day had to be pretty easy

Day 13: An LT session, consisting of 2 easy miles, 3 'tempo' miles in 22:15 (7:25 pace), and then 2 light miles. Actual LT pace is usually about 10 to 15 seconds per mile slower than 10K pace, which we estimated to be 7:12 per mile, so this session - at very close to LT speed - should have been very good for LT advancement. In addition, covering 3 miles continuously at 25 seconds per mile faster than marathon pace makes marathon tempo feel easier

Day 14: Modified MP - 9 miles at easy pace, 3 miles at MP, and 2 miles easily (to give her experience running at MP after an even larger amount of preceding running; the previous modified-MP session had included only 7 pre-MP miles)

Increasing the quality
This second week added up to 43.875 miles, as her total mileage began to wind down. These 43.875 miles included 7.875 miles of quality effort, or 18 per cent of the total, about the same as the previous week (the percentage of quality work would increase in the next two weeks as the marathon drew closer)

Day 15: Rest Day
Day 16: Speed-Strength Circuit (just like day 11's session, with 600-metre repeats and two circuits overall), but with about a 10-per cent increase in the number of reps of the exercises)
Day 17: 6 miles very easily
Day 18: Speed-Strength Circuit, but with 800-metre reps at 5K pace, rather than 600-metre intervals, and a slightly increased number of exercise reps (the total number of circuits remained at two). Obviously, I was depending heavily on the circuits to augment her strength, VO2max, and LT simultaneously - and quickly. The circuits are great for that, and post-circuit recovery is quick (because there is not a voluminous amount of running involved). Note, however, that with five running intervals per circuit workout (three during the first circuit and two on the second), the quality running per session has increased from 1.25 to 2.5 miles since day 1

Day 19: 6 miles easily
Day 20: modified MP again, but this time with just 4 easy miles, 3 MP miles, and 1 cool-down mile. The total quantity of training is decreasing; this is simply a 'reminder' workout, as described earlier

Day 21: Speed-Strength Circuit again (basically the same session as on day 18, with 800-metre intervals)

Lowering mileage, upping intensity
This third week consisted of only 38.875 total miles, with 9.875 quality miles, the highest amount of quality work so far, and of course the highest percentage of total (25 per cent). Three of these quality miles were reminder miles at marathon pace; the rest were very high-quality exertions at 5-K velocity. As total mileage declines, and intense running climbs, the mix of better recovery and intensity allowed this runner to begin approaching her peak of fitness. Here's how the rest of the training went:
Day 22: Rest Day
Day 23: MP session, consisting of a 2-mile warm-up and then 5 miles at goal-marathon (7:50) pace, followed by a 2-mile cool-down. She also practised the optimal sports-drink-intake pattern (10 ounces 10 minutes before running, five to six ounces every 15 minutes while running) during this workout

Day 24: 6-mile easy run, again practising the optimal sports-drink pattern
Day 25: 1 hour of easy bicycling to further promote recovery, again using the sports-drink pattern
Day 26: Speed-Strength Circuit (back to two circuits using 400-metre running intervals rather than 800s, to promote recovery)
Day 27: 5 miles of easy running while practising sports-drink intake
Day 28: 2-mile warm-up, just 3 x 800 in about 3:20 each (which I estimated would be her new 5K pace if she chose to run a 5K instead of the marathon), with just 2-minute jog recoveries after the first two 800s and a 1-mile cool-down at the end. The purpose of this workout - pure and simple - was to use intensity to spike fitness, while keeping the overall workout abbreviated to further maximize recovery

Now there is a recovery week! There were just 30.25 total miles, with 7.75 (26 per cent) of those miles being quality. She was beginning to feel really strong - and ready to 'Rock'n Roll'. Day 29 was a day of total rest, and day 30 (the day before the marathon) consisted of a 2-mile warm-up, 1 reminder mile at marathon pace, and a 1-mile cool-down. Overall, she ran just 9 miles during the three days leading up to the marathon


The result
Is this programme unconventional? Yes; there wasn't a single run over 14 miles during the month, and the mileage levels were relatively low. Was the programme productive? Also yes, because the circuit workouts advanced her strength, VO2max, and LT, the MP sessions heightened her efficiency and confidence, and the tempo runs and 5K intervals helped her 'peak'. Although the start of the San Diego Marathon was delayed by 40 minutes and unusually warm temperatures prevailed during the race, she managed to finish the marathon in 3:25:07, a new PB by 12 minutes. Note, too, that 3:25:07 represents an average pace of 7:50 per mile - her exact goal pace. She had successfully carried out her race plan!
She was so excited with her results, especially given the limited training time, that she immediately reserved a place in this autumn's Chicago Marathon. Her goal for that race will be 3:12, and her ultimate target is 2:59 at the Boston Marathon next spring. What amazed her the most was her ability to handle the last six miles of the marathon without problems, despite her lack of long runs (this was due to her upgraded strength and fitness) - and also her quick recovery following the race (she had only a tinge of post-marathon soreness, also because of her enhanced strength)

Back in March and April, this runner had completed long runs of 20, 18, and 16 miles, but in the last seven weeks before her PB, she completed nothing over 14 miles. She worried considerably about this, especially since 'experts' call for long running as little as two weeks before the big race, but she learned a key lesson: high fitness - not a ton of long running - is what produces marathon success.
Owen Anderson

marathon training schedules

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