SIMPLIFYING THE MARATHON

Last winter I was searching for the one plan that would lead me to my marathon PR. An article in your November/December 1997 issue by British coach Frank Horwill offered the most logical, credible, and easy-to-understand plan that I could find. Simply put, Horwill stresses practicing what you will do on the day of your marathon, that is, marathon pace running. Approximately three times per month the plan has you train at your marathon race pace. You increase a mile each session until you reach 18 miles at marathon pace. Horwill’s key to success is so simple many runners dismiss it for more outlandish workouts. But on raceday I knew what to expect. I simply did the same workout I had done nine times in the preceding 12 weeks and let adrenaline take care of the rest. The result was a personal best by 10 minutes (2:37:41) and a fourth-place finish in the Lake County Marathon in April. Part of the credit goes to Horwill, part to my hard work, but a portion needs to go to M&B for including authors who are tops in their field. That makes MAB stand out in the sea of running information. It is current, reliable, and, frankly, it works! Mike Mallon Rantoul, Ill.

WESTERN STATES

Our copies of the May/June issue arrived today, and we are thrilled with the results. The articles, layout, photo coverage—everything—is truly wonderful. We know how hard you had to work to produce the issue. Thanks again for doing such a great job. Norman Klein Western States Endurance Run

Race Director Rancho Cordova, Calif.

Here’s a quick recap of events from the 1998 Western States Run (info via Norman Klein): After an initial climb of 2,550 feet in the first 4.5 miles, runners hit severe ice conditions for the next 19 miles. Considerable slipping and falling during this stretch drained runners’ energies, but they all got through injury-free. Snow in the high country made miles 24 to 43 inaccessible, so runners were diverted to Mosquito Ridge. After mile 43, however, conditions were excellent, especially due to lower than usual temperatures, which never exceeded 90 degrees. Ann Trason finished 4″ in 18:44:16 to capture an unprecedented 10′-consecutive women’s title. Tim Twietmeyer won his fifth title in 17:51:20. Both runners came from behind for the wins. For the first time ever, not one but three 70-year-old runners completed Western States: Ray Piva, Link Lindquist, and Beacham Toler. There were 396 starters and 257 finishers (221 under 30 hours, and 36 between 30:01 and 32 hours). The official cut-off time was extended by two hours because of the snow in the high country.

Send your letters to Marathon & Beyond