Tips for a new marathoner

(This will be the last post in this blog that mentions Lance Armstrong, I promise...)

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"I think I bit off more than I could chew, I thought the marathon would be easier [...] it's the hardest physical thing I have ever done [...] I don't know how these guys do it."

Dear Lance,

I'm sure you hear this from everyone, but count me as another of your fans who has tremendous admiration for your accomplishments on and off the bike, and for the spirit of persistence and determination that helped you fight cancer, and return to professional cycling. I'm sure it was that same spirit that helped you finish your first marathon in under three hours. I think it's great that you are still looking for challenges like these.

I know that you said after the race that you weren't planning on running another marathon, but I want you to know that if you do, I'd be happy to help with a few training tips. I know that sounds kind of strange -- I mean you're surrounded by the best sports scientists in the world, not to mention Salazar, Samuelson, and El Gerrouj -- I guess you have access to pretty good information as it is! On the other hand, I think any one of the guys in my running club would have been able to tell you that the last six miles of a marathon can be pretty rough, even for a seven-time winner of the Tour.

Some people say that at 35, you're too old to run a competitive marathon. Don't believe them! I was almost exactly your age when I ran Boston in 1994. In fact, maybe it would help if I shared a little of my training leading up to that race. I mean, I wasn't any Alberto Salazar -- just a 35-year-old nobody with two kids and a full-time job and a nutty desire to run 26.2 miles -- but who knows, maybe there's something you can use if you decide to try the distance again.

First of all -- you gotta do more long runs. As I go back through my training log, I see that I started doing long runs a full three months before the 1994 race. After many months of averaging 50-55 miles per week, in January I started adding a long run almost every weekend. On January 22nd (my birthday!) I did my first long run of 15 miles. Actually, I had planned to do more, but the ice and snow made the footing pretty treacherous. I guess you don't have much ice and snow in Texas.

The next several weekends I ran 18, 18, and 20 miles. On Tuesdays, I was heading over to the indoor track at Harvard and running long interval workouts. I see that on January 25th, I ran 2 x 800, 2 x 1000, 2 x 1200 all at about 4:55 mile pace. You need these long intervals, even for marathon running, to help boost your VO2 max -- but I'm sure you know all about V02 Max from cycling. Anyway, long runs on the weekends, track workouts on Tuesday, oh and long hill repeats on Thursdays. You need those hill workouts if you're gonna run Boston. The rest of the week, you can do whatever you want as long as you have 60-70 miles at the end of the week.

(I know some people do a lot more, but remember, I had a job that required about 45-50 hours a week every week. You probably have the same problem, with all your obligations and work on behalf of the Livestrong foundation. The truth is, you don't need mega-mileage, but you need the key workouts.)

Well, in February I had a setback. I got sick, as I always do when I undertake this kind of training with two young kids around. I missed a couple of days, and I cut short my long run that weekend, only getting in 14 miles. Actually, I might have cut it short anyway because we were having a big storm, and there was about 4 inches of snow on the ground. My wife thought I was insane.

Now here is the most important part -- in March I started racing. I think you need races to get your body used to performing at a higher level for an extended period of time. You just can't get that with long slow distance, no matter how much you do. I think I might have overdone it a little because I raced a 30K on March 6th, then did a 22-mile long run six days later, and then raced a half-marathon on March 20th (1:11:52). But I'm telling you, if you don't get injured, this really helps you develop the ability to hold a pretty hot pace for a pretty long time. If I were doing it all again, I think I might have skipped the 30K in favor of something shorter, but hey -- I was young, only 36 at the time. I would never try that stuff now.

Ok, into the final stretch, here are the key workouts:

March 24   Ten mile run with middle six @ 5:50 pace
...
March 26   21 mile long run @2:27 (7:00 pace)
...
March 29   2 x 2M @10:10 (5 min rest in between)
...
April 2    2M warmup, 10M tempo run at 56:30, 2M cooldown
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April 5    3 x 1.5M alternating 74/84s per lap
...
April 10   10K race

Then an easy week of 4-6 mile runs, culminating in...

April 17   26.2M in 2:31:45

To be fair, in the race itself, I had it easy compared to you. I didn't have a camera in my face the entire way, and I wasn't being distracted by Alberto, Joan, and Hicham -- I'm sure that didn't help. No, I was able to run with no pressure in perfect anonymity, and focus on the race itself. Plus it was a very good day for running, with a nice tailwind for much of the race. That 2:31 basically ran itself.

So to sum it all up: do plenty of long runs (2 hours or more), weekly track workouts of long intervals, hill repeats, tempo runs, and races. Also, try to limit your travel and media obligations. And no celebrities along for the ride. That's the key.

If you do decide to run another marathon, give me a call.

- Your fan, Jon