If you’ve managed to master the beginning and intermediate training schedules that I outlined in the two previous issues of M&B and you’ve been able to maintain this sort of running for a year or two, including the interval, tempo, and fartlek workouts, you are certainly ready to move up to advanced-level marathon training. Indicators that you’re ready to move up are that you are handling your training comfortably and it no longer presents a challenge, your times have stopped improving, and perhaps your running has become boring.

And just to clarify a point of terminology here, you will notice that this article refers to advanced marathoners rather than elite marathoners. I differentiate between these two groups because elite marathoners are generally professional runners, paid and supported through their running career.

Although elite marathoners will find some of the general information that I present here useful, their schedules will be far more sophisticated than the ones I have produced and significantly more rigorous. Elite marathon males also tend to be able to run under 2:22 and women under 2:47 (2008 US Olympic marathon trials qualifying times), performances that manage to elude most of us mortals no matter how hard we train.

So this advice is aimed at the rest of you—Joe and Jane Runner, who have been running marathons for several years. As an advanced marathoner, you may have run the marathon in the 2:30 to 3:00 range (men) or 2:50 to 3:25 range (women). You’re able to spare one to two hours to train most days, you have supportive spouses and families, you are generally healthy, and you can afford a food bill that belies your rather emaciated appearance. And one final important criterion for advanced marathon runners—they race the marathon instead of running just to finish.

The advanced marathon runner’s philosophy You might be expecting me to throw some new training techniques into the mix here, and indeed you will be trying some new training such as hill running, time

trials, and weight training. But before I launch into these techniques, I think now is a good time to point out that moving up to the advanced-marathon level is as much a mental and lifestyle adjustment as it is a physical one.

Due to a variety of physiological factors, our bodies are designed to be able to maintain a high velocity of running for only about 20 miles, which of course leaves us 6.2 miles short of the finish of the marathon. This explains why those final six miles of the marathon are never a pleasant affair and also the old adage that “the marathon doesn’t begin until 20 miles.”

Thus, to get to the finish line requires a rather extraordinary level of mental commitment to push through this physical barrier and complete the full monty. I have known and trained with my fair share of world-class marathon runners in both the USA and New Zealand and have noticed one consistent thing about these marathoners—they are all extremely disciplined and dedicated, to the extent that most have made significant sacrifices to their lifestyle to be the best marathon racers they could be. Some took lower-paying, part-time work to be able to fit in the necessary training, others remained single because they had neither the time nor energy beyond their training to devote to a partner, some relocated to train with other dedicated marathoners or good coaches, and yet others adhered to strict diets and supplementary exercise programs in order to squeeze the most from themselves.

Making lifestyle adjustments for successful marathoning Now, I’m not recommending that you become a hermit or some kind of health-food fanatic to maximize your marathon performance, but I am suggesting that it may take you some serious mental and lifestyle adjustments to step up to advanced marathon training and racing. And it is here that many aspiring and competitive marathoners fall short.

You will know where you can make changes to your lifestyle to facilitate your marathon training better than I. It could be any one of myriad changes ranging from having fewer beers in the weekend to going to bed earlier at night, eating less fast food and concentrating on higher-nutrient dense foods, changing your running shoes more frequently, doing more stretching, scheduling in the occasional massage, ensuring that you are hydrating properly before and after your training sessions, and so forth.

Here is another thing you should consider before stepping up to train at an advanced level. Are you prepared to train year-round to maintain your aerobic fitness? Making this commitment alone will help your marathoning because you won’t have to start all over again every spring to regain your fitness. Just taking this step will get the 2:30 marathoner into the low- to mid-2:20 range.

Focus on your big marathon Another crucial mental step on your path to advanced marathon running is realizing that you will need to focus more on your big marathon without being distracted by racing every 5K, 10K, half-marathon, or marathon that your region has to offer. The racing schedules in most US towns are crammed with shorter fun runs and races, sometimes two or three each day in the weekend, so avoid the temptation to run every Tom, Dick, and Harry race in your town.

Avoiding these shorter races serves a number of purposes: you will be able to do more longer training sessions of two-plus hours; your injury risk will be lower because you’re racing less; and you won’t need to be wasting postrace recovery days until your legs are right again.

Of course, 8Ks, 10Ks, and half-marathons make ideal tempo runs, time trials, and race-pace practice sessions when used judiciously—but the big problem that many keen runners make is forgetting that they’re just training runs. A few minutes into the race, “super competitors” forget that it’s a training session, change into top gear, and blitz the race—they just can’t hold themselves back. So if you’re one of those highly competitive runners who can’t control your pace when the gun goes off, you’re better off sticking to regular solo training when you do tempo runs and time trials.

Avoid all but a few road races within four to six months of your all-out marathon and tie your 8K, 10K, or half-marathon races in with your tempo runs or time trials. Continue your long training runs year-round to the extent that running two-plus hours is common and “easy,” and concentrate on eating well and staying healthy.

Find your running groove But this enhanced mental dedication for training to run competitive marathons needs to be tempered with a softer side. One final thing about your mental (and perhaps spiritual) approach to marathon running that you need to seek is finding your running “groove.” This is not the sort of thing I write about much because it’s so nebulous, but it goes by many names: Zen running, running “in the zone,” running as a spiritual encounter, and others. It’s all about finding that balance between your running, health, and feeling of well-being. If you are healthy and feel good, you should be running close to your best. Finding this balance is critical for marathoners, but because of the volume of training you’re doing, it’s easy to upset the scales and become very, very sick or injured.

One day you’re able to run 10 miles without thinking twice about it and the next you’re in the hospital with pneumonia or mononucleosis or sidelined by a strained Achilles tendon, losing all that hard-earned fitness, in shock at how this all happened so quickly. When you push the training envelope, you need to be aware that you

When you feel pain, take notice • Pain and discomfort at the beginning of the run that becomes worse as you continue to run • Pain that forces you to alter (shorten) your stride or limp • Pain that you feel coming on after a few minutes of running and that

continues at a low, nagging level • Pain that stops your running or walking • Pain that persists after you stop running • Pain that persists during normal daily activities and interferes with them • Pain when you walk up stairs or uphill •

Pain or stiffness, especially in the mornings or after rest • Pain that continues for more than a day or two, worsens, and does not get better • Pain and tenderness in one particular spot on a bone, muscle, or joint

that you can actually feel with your fingertips. You can check this by feeling the same spot on the other side of the body—if no pain there, you probably have an injury • Pain that requires anti-inflammatory or painkilling medications such

as aspirin, ibuprofen, and Tylenol • Pain that is dull and aching or sharp, severe pain that keeps you awake at night • Pain in the joints of ankle, knee, or hip

walk a very fine line between running effortlessly one day and falling over the abyss into ill health and nagging injuries the next day—and it can happen overnight. The reality of such situations is that the signs and symptoms of illness or injury were already there, but you ignored them in your enthusiasm and dedication to your training schedules. Heed these warning signs of impending injury.

Avoiding overtraining One research study found that 64 percent of elite female runners and 66 percent of elite male runners have experienced overtraining in their running careers, and I suspect these figures are higher in the marathon-running population.

We cannot continue to increase the volume and intensity of our training in a linear fashion, and eventually we reach a point of overtraining. As I have explained, proper marathon conditioning requires a balance between overload and recovery—a fine line indeed, as our adaptation to new training loads even varies from day to day.

A problem we face with overtraining is identifying it because many runners consider this excessive ongoing fatigue as part of their normal training effort. And there is no simple blood test or clinical diagnosis. It’s an individual phenomenon where people exhibit different symptoms.

The best we can do is recognize general symptoms earlier and then rest and recover. How do we recognize overtraining? Always be watching out for two or more of the symptoms in the sidebar below.

What to do when these symptoms surface Once overtraining symptoms have set in, time is needed for your body to rebuild. For athletes who have simply overreached their workouts for a few days, a cessation or reduction in training for three to five days may be all that is necessary.

Symptoms of overtraining Muscle/joint tenderness, tiredness, tightness

Decreased performance

Increased rate of overuse injuries

Insomnia/disturbed sleep patterns

Body-weight loss

Nausea

Decreased appetite

Allergic reactions

Elevated heart rate and blood pressure

Head colds/persistent URTI

Training fatigue/lethargy

Higher lactate concentrations at any given workload

Changes in menstrual pattern

Decreased neural initiation of motor movements/decreased coordination

Decreased heart rate at a given level of running intensity (about five beats/minute)

Decreased strength

Decreased maximal heart rate

Decreased muscle-glycogen levels

After several weeks of overtraining, you will need 10 to 14 days of reduced training with a 40 percent reduction of normal training load to bounce back and two to three weeks if you have been chronically overtraining with prolonged, grueling schedules lasting several months.

Know when to rest or cut back, and have the courage to do this I’m introducing a concept here that seems the very antithesis of marathon running—if you are feeling exhausted, sore, or mentally fatigued, then you need to reduce your training until you feel better, regardless of how much you want to follow your training schedules. It’s OK to take some time off running until you have restored yourself.

More and more distance runners are finding out that following their instinct and listening to their body is saving them from being sidelined with illness and injury and improving their performances. Matt Fitzgerald’s recent book, Run: The Mind-Body Method of Running by Feel, describes this better and in far more depth than I have space for here.

Thus, the secret to being a successful marathon runner is maintaining consistent, steady training and finding the right blend of slow-, medium-, and fast-paced running that will have you at your best-ever fitness for 26.2 miles. And all this while staying healthy and injury free without crossing the line into overtraining territory—a tall order indeed!

Many runners find out the hard way that their physiological weaknesses— whether they are faulty biomechanics such as severe pronation or injury-prone hips or knees—are what eventually grind them to a halt. But these sorts of problems are not insurmountable. You can get well-tailored orthotics and shoes to compensate for biomechanical problems. You can do a strengthening program with weights for those weak areas. You can incorporate elliptical training, stationary cycling, swimming, or other cross-training into your training regimen to reduce the wear and tear on your legs and hips. Being proactive with these sorts of things will ensure that those chinks and weaknesses in your running armor will not prevail. Run on soft surfaces Another way you can reduce the pounding on your hip, knee, and ankle joints is by running on soft surfaces. Grass fields and sawdust or dirt trails greatly reduce our impact with the ground. This impact, known as ground reactive force (GRF), is one of the most pernicious side effects of our sport.

The high GRF from running on roads causes far more muscle soreness and inflammation than trail running. A survey (Beckstead et al. 2005) given to trail runners on their training habits and surfaces was most revealing. A typical comment from ultra trail runners in the survey was that their legs are not nearly as sore after a 50-mile trail race compared with running a marathon on the road.

The ultrarunners also reported that their body recovered slower after a marathon. Electron microscope photos of muscle biopsies taken from the legs of marathon road runners look horrendous. Postmarathon muscle tissue is a war zone: widespread disruption to the muscle sarcomere, breached cell membranes that allow the contents and intracellular proteins to spill out into interstitial spaces and the bloodstream, swollen muscle fibers, and damage to the actin-myosin coupling mechanism in the muscle fibers themselves. Plan some trail or field running into your schedules, even if only on your short-run days.

The nuts and bolts of advanced marathon running Now that I’ve dealt with the lifestyle, mental, spiritual, and injury-prevention aspects of advanced marathoning, let’s move on to the actual training you will need to do. Let’s recap my approach to beginning- and intermediate-level marathon training as the foundation before progressing to the advanced techniques.

A recap of my beginning marathon training article In “Marathon Training for Beginners” in the September/October 2011 issue, I mentioned the importance of being able to complete a half-marathon before moving up to the marathon and the necessity of packing in as many miles as you can comfortably handle, between 50 and 75 miles per week if you can handle it. This running should be done at a steady pace, and the beginner should avoid fancy, high-intensity training when starting out—these workouts often cause injuries.

The beginner should aim to run between 20 and 22 miles at least a couple of times before the first marathon, backed by a respectable number of 15-plus-mile runs. Beginner’s training runs should be done at a slow pace but will gradually speed up as the runner gets fitter. The conditioning phase for the marathon can last 16 to 20 weeks of gradually and progressively increasing distance or time run.

I outlined a 23-week beginning marathon-training program that allows for two rest days each week and two short running sessions each week. The remaining three workouts are all long-distance sessions. You will also notice that these schedules are laid out by time rather than by miles.

The beginner should do a low-mileage week every three weeks to allow the body to recover from the previous long training sessions. This practice of using shorter adaptation weeks with lower distance is called periodization. I also mentioned that introducing one or two days a week of cross-training on the elliptical trainer or stationary bicycle or the occasional swimming workout make good substitute workouts for the shorter training runs on the schedules.

I also recommend a basic strength-training program if you have been doing weight training previously. I discussed the importance of tapering and carbohydrate

loading for your first marathon and how critical it is for you to get your early pace right.

A recap of my intermediate marathon training article In “Intermediate-Level Marathoning” in the November/December 2011 issue, I listed the criteria for advancing to this level, which includes running for two to three years and completing at least one marathon. I emphasized the importance of continuing to do some long runs each week.

I recommended the use of periodization with intermediate-level marathon training schedules. This simply means cutting back your training runs every third week by 20 to 30 minutes to allow your body to adapt to the overload you are putting it through. You should bounce back from these easy weeks with renewed energy and feeling mentally refreshed.

In my intermediate-level article, I introduced some high-intensity training into the schedules: tempo running, interval training, and fartlek, with sample workouts and schedules for you to follow. When doing speed training, exercise caution and follow the guidelines that I list, as it is easy to overdo it and get sick or injured.

I outlined a 16-week training program leading up to the big marathon, including long runs of up to 190 minutes and a maximum weekly accumulation of 490 minutes of running—both substantial chunks of running, time, and energy. It will not be necessary to increase your total running past this amount to squeeze your best-ever marathon running out of yourself.

Finally, I listed a simple formula for predicting your marathon time based on your current-best 10K race times.

What about the other marathon training schedules out there? One other thing about advanced marathon training programs: the Internet and bookstore shelves are loaded with information and programs about advanced marathon running. Google “advanced marathon training programs” and you will see what I mean.

When you look at these books and websites, you will find dozens of marathon training schedules, some of which seem similar while others look very different. Some of these schedules are offered for free, while others can be downloaded after paying a fee. You will find tremendous variation in the recommended number of days you should run each week, how long you should be running, what your weekly mileage should be, how many rest days you need each week, and so forth. And the question you ask is, “Which of these schedules are ‘right’ and which ones are ‘wrong’?”

I’ve reviewed dozens of these schedules and have concluded that the vast majority of them are on the right track and will help you improve your marathon running, some perhaps more than others. In other words, most of them will work.

How can schedules be so different and yet still help runners improve their marathon performance? The coaches who have created these schedules have simply written down what has worked for their runners. To help you be more discerning of these training programs, here are some things to look for in the coaches who write these schedules and books: previous experience coaching marathoners with good results, a background in exercise science, and many years of marathon-running experience (although not necessarily at elite level).

The important point to remember is that when you select a marathon-training schedule, stick with it. Marathon fitness is earned over several months and not over a few frenetic weeks of training, so you have to give the schedules a chance to “take” in your body.

My schedules are found toward the end of this article. Will they work for you? Probably! They are aggressive with their mileage yet have planned recovery weeks, so you should not have any problems when following them, provided you listen to your body.

Here, then, is my take on how to plan your advanced marathon-training program.

Advanced marathon training Strength training If you haven’t done strength training before, now is the time to start. Just doing a couple of sessions a week of basic strength training will take minutes off your marathon time. Exercise scientists no longer believe that running alone is adequate conditioning for the marathon. Running is hard work. The essence of resistance training is to train your muscle groups to deliver more force, or power, with each stride, by overcoming the resistance more efficiently. The stronger your muscles, the larger the range (or reserve) will be between your cruising and maximal efforts when running your marathon, which translates into cruising at a lower percentage of your maximum effort for a longer time.

The physiological benefits of resistance training for marathoners include increasing the size of your fast-twitch muscle fibers and motor units, improving neuromuscular coordination and thus better muscle-fiber recruitment, having greater resistance to muscular fatigue, boosting your intramuscular energy stores such as glycogen and creatine phosphate, and reducing your risk of injury.

Many runners shy away from weight training because they perceive that it will cost them many hours in the gym—time they could be out running. Weight-training workouts need not be extended training sessions, where you lift tons of heavy

weights. Nor do you need to do multiple sets of each exercise. Two workouts each week will suffice, and they shouldn’t last more than 30 to 45 minutes plus a few minutes for warm-up and cool-down. I recommend one workout for the legs and core and one for the upper body and core. Have a personal trainer choose six to eight exercises for each region and show you how to do them properly. You need to do only one set of each exercise. A sample weight-training schedule follows.

If you have never done weight training before, take this workout with you and show it to your personal trainer to use as a starting point. But make sure you explain that you want to spend only 45 minutes doing weights and that you will not be doing multiple sets of each exercise.

Hill running Given the often-hilly nature of marathons, becoming proficient on any uphill grade or slope is always an advantage. Being able to run up hills without falling apart is an indispensable weapon in the marathoner’s armory. A study of Swiss orienteers (see references) who did a large percentage of their running uphill on

Sample weight-training schedule WORKOUT #1 Legs and core Leg extension

Adjust seat so knees are aligned with axis of machine. Lean back against pad, extend legs straight out to full extension, and slowly return.

Leg curl

Lie facedown on bench with knee joints aligned with axis of machine. Adjust leg pad so that it is on lower part of calf. Hold handles securely and flex knees as far back as comfortable. Return slowly to straight-leg position.

Leg press

Adjust back pad for comfort. Lean back on machine with back firmly against pad. With legs shoulder width apart and ankles, knees, and hips aligned, slowly straighten legs. Do not lock out your knees. Press heels against the platform through full range.

Lunge

Stand upright with feet together, holding two dumbbells at your sides in overhand grip. Slowly take a large

step forward with one leg, bending both knees. Your rear knee should come close to the floor. Using your extended leg, push yourself back to the starting position, reversing the movement. Advanced lunge: keep

moving forward with each step instead of returning to your original standing position. Flat-bench Sit on the end of a flat bench, hands just behind the knee-ups buttocks, gripping the bench. From a straight-leg posi

tion, flex knees in front of you as high as they can go and then return to straight-leg position. If this is too difficult, do standard sit-ups. WORKOUT #2 Upper body and core Back extension Adjust back-extension machine so you can fully flex

your torso below it. With hands crossed in front of your chest, slowly straighten your back while breathing out. Straighten back to 180 degrees and then slowly lower torso while breathing out. Cable seated lat pull-downs

Sit at lat pull-down machine with back straight. Lean backward a few inches with feet on floor. Hold bar with both hands, slightly wider than shoulder width apart, hands in overhand grip. Bend at elbows while pulling the bar down to the top of your chest. Squeeze shoulder blades together. Slowly control the bar back to its highest position so that your arms are straight. Keep your shoulders locked in their joints throughout the entire movement.

Barbell chest press

Plant feet firmly on floor with buttocks, head and shoulders on bench. Grip bar so that your hands are above your elbows to start. Pull shoulder blades together and hold them there while lowering arms so that upper arms are parallel with floor. Do not lower any farther than this. Push arms straight up, above elbows. Reverse this action slowly and repeat.

Cable seated lat row

Plant feet firmly against the foot platform, legs slightly bent and trunk vertically straight at 90 degrees to the bench. Place pulley handle on the cable socket. Grip handles with wrists facing down or inward depending on your handle. With elbows facing down or outward, slowly pull the handle straight back toward your stomach. Keep your shoulder blades squeezed together through this action. Slowly return to start position without bending forward.

Standing dumbbell biceps curl

Stand with legs shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent. Tuck elbows into sides and aligned under shoulders. With dumbbells in hand, forearms facing forward, slowly contract biceps and pull dumbbells up as far as they will go. Slowly return to starting position.

Dumbbell shoulder press

Sit on bench with bench back pulled up to support your back, feet flat on floor and a dumbbell in each hand out to your sides. Push dumbbells directly up over your elbows and pull them in toward each other. Slowly lower dumbbells so that your upper arms are parallel to the floor and raise again.

Triceps extension (pull down) on machine

Stand facing cable machine with legs shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent. Adjust cable so that it is at highest setting. Set a curved triceps bar about 18 inches long on cable. Grip curved bar with hands sloping down to the sides. Slowly push bar down to full arm extension. Slowly return to start position.

cross-country courses showed that they performed better in tests up a 22 percent incline than runners who train mainly on the flat. Here are three simple hill-running workouts for you to throw into your training mix. Hill workout #1: Run the hills faster. When you come to hills on your training routes, accelerate up them gradually, maintaining a submaximal pace that is just below your maximal threshold—that is, run just below the point where, if you speed up any more, you will end up walking or slowing down a lot.

Concentrate on driving your arms harder and lifting your knees a little higher but still striving to hold your form. Your aim is to become smoother while running faster on the upgrade. Hill workout #2: Uphill repeats. These are like track intervals. Select a steady uphill slope up to 5 percent but no steeper than an 8 percent grade (it doesn’t need to be really steep). Do a 15-minute jog and then run a few hundred yards up the hill for your warm-up. Then do a number of repeats up the hill. Start with four fast uphill bursts of 100 to 200 meters, which will take you from 30 to 90 seconds, depending on your fitness. Use a sprinting action. Lean forward and pump your arms strongly. These repeats should be at about 85 percent effort, or close to your VO2 max. Walk or jog slowly back down to the start. No hurry here, as you don’t want to jar your legs too much from the downhill running. On subsequent sessions, increase your repetitions to six, then to eight, and then finally to 10. Hill workout #3: Advanced hill repeats. Lengthen the distance of your uphill bursts to 300 yards, 400 yards, or more as you adjust to them. These longer repeats should take two to five minutes each. Progressively increase the length, grade, speed, and number of repeats.

Time trials These hard-effort runs replace the long tempo runs in my previous intermediatetraining schedules. Time trials benefit marathoners in several ways. First, you become used to pushing yourself over the entire race distance so that when you toe the start line, your body and (just as important) your mind are used to pushing hard over that distance.

Second, after doing time trials in training, you will find that toward the end of your marathon, when people are flagging and starting to slow down, you will be maintaining your pace or speeding up. Either way, you’re pulling ahead of your competitors. My schedules allow plenty of recovery time (three weeks) between time trials for both mental and physical recuperation. You can substitute local road races for the time trials by swapping the Wednesday time trial with your long Saturday run.

Here is how to do time trials: Choose a flat, measured distance on a road or track and warm up with 10 to 15 minutes of slow jogging followed by a few stride-outs over 50 meters to get your legs turning over faster. Then push yourself over 8K, 10K, or 10 miles at just below anaerobic threshold (AT) pace. This is the point where you are accumulating significant amounts of lactic acid and other fatiguing metabolic byproducts.

This pace equates to about 25 to 30 seconds per mile slower than your current 5K racing pace, or just a gear or two below all-out 10K racing pace. You

will know you’re at AT because if you go just a little faster you will have to slow down dramatically. For most fit runners, AT is somewhere between 75 percent and 88 percent of VO2 max, depending on the fitness of the runner. This roughly correlates to between 80 percent and 90 percent of maximal heart rate if you are wearing a heart rate monitor. In other words, you will be working very hard.

Your goal is to maintain a strong, steady pace all the way and aim to finish at the same pace you started, hence the importance of checking your pace every mile. Note your finishing time, and try to better it slightly on every subsequent time trial. Ideal time-trial distances for marathoners are 8K, 10K, and 10 miles. You can rotate these each time you do a time trial. Allow at least two weeks between time trials.

You should be left with some reserves when you finish your time trials and not be completely exhausted.

Sample training schedule HT = Hill training ITL = Interval training (long distance) TT = Time trial FTLK = Fartlek session

Week Day 1 Day 2

Day 3

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

ITL TT 5K FTLK HT TT 10K FTLK ITL HT FTLK TT 10 Miles HT FTLK ITL TT 5K FTLK 30

35 40 30 45 45 30 50 50 30 45 45 30 30 40 30 20

Rest Rest Rest Rest Rest Rest Rest Rest Rest Rest Rest Rest Res Rest Rest Rest

Day 4 35 35 30 40 45 35 45 45 40 45 45 40 40 30 30 Rest

Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Total Rest 100 60 Rest 110 65 Rest 70 50 Rest 120 70 Rest 130 75 Rest 80 60 Rest 140 80 Rest 150 90 Rest 90 70 Rest 160 90 Rest 190 90 Rest 90 77 Rest 90 75 Rest 50 30 Rest 40 30 Rest Marathon

230 250 180 275 295 205 315 335 230 340 370 235 235 150 130

Note: Numbers represent minutes. Weekly total does not include Day 3 fast workout.

Conclusion This is the third in a three-part series for beginning, intermediate, and advanced marathon training aimed at having you at your fittest and ready to run your best times at these three levels. The emphasis for advanced marathon running is on a high-quality, fast session in midweek with two longer runs on the weekends. You will notice that the weekly running total is lower than in the beginner’s schedules. This is because when you introduce high-intensity workouts, you have to lower the overall mileage to allow for proper recovery.

My advice is sprinkled with fail-safe methods for cutting back if things go wrong or if you are sick, exhausted, or feel an injury starting to rear its ugly head. Never be afraid to cut back temporarily when these things happen. Having faith that cutting back for a few days is a short-term sacrifice for long-term gains in your marathon running is, to me, one of the signs of a mature, advanced marathon runner.

Last, I remind you that you can follow these schedules, become super fit, and still blow your big marathon by not tapering your training properly, using faulty pace judgment, neglecting to carbohydrate load, or failing to hydrate properly before and during your marathon. Rather than repeat my advice on these important aspects of marathon preparation and racing, I’ll refer you to my previous articles on these topics in M&B, which cover them far more comprehensively than I have space for here. And a scan through my article on advanced training techniques for the marathon would also be a good review. See the bibliography for the back issues.

Bibliography Beckstead B., K. H. Harper, and K. G. Harper. 2005. Trail runner survey and injured runner survey given to runners at Runner’s Corner running shoe store in Orem, Utah. No further details available. Survey quoted in K. G. Harper paper below. Fitzgerald, Matt. 2010. Run: The Mind-Body Method of Running by Feel. Boulder, CO: Velo Press. Harper, K. G. 2005. Creating a better environment for exercise: Reducing injuries, pro

moting health, and enhancing enjoyment by engineering natural surfaces. Brigham Young University. Unpublished master’s thesis. Swiss Uphill Running Test for Runners and Orienteers. Sports specific performance testing

for uphill running. Swiss Sportkommission Paper. 2008. Stevenson, Roy. 2009. Running the perfect marathon. Marathon & Beyond 13(1):123135. Stevenson, Roy. 2009. Advanced training techniques for the marathon. Marathon &

Beyond 13(5):16-29. Stevenson, Roy. 2010. The double demons of heat and dehydration. Marathon & Beyond 14(3):96-110. Stevenson, Roy. 2010. The science and art of peaking and tapering for your best marathon. Marathon & Beyond 14(6):90-107.