studies included a good representation of males and females, young and old, and a wide range of running experience (see summary table).

In each study, all runners completed laboratory assessments, including hydrostatic weighing to estimate body composition and a progressive, maximal treadmill running test to determine maximal oxygen consumption and lactate threshold, both before and after training.

After the results of the laboratory pretest were evaluated, individually tailored workouts for the 16-week training program were developed. Each week included three key runs to be performed on nonconsecutive days. The distance and pace of the individually prescribed workouts were based on the initial laboratory assessment and the subject’s most recent race time or track performance.

All study participants reported to us weekly their run results (time, distance, and the perceived difficulty of each workout). We responded to each report and advised the runner about any needed changes in his or her training program. Additionally, in the 2003 and 2004 studies, the FIRST staff met with the subjects at the end of each month to receive and give feedback about the training program. Because the participants in the 2005 study were from 11 different states, it was not logistically possible to meet during the 16-week period.

Following the posttest laboratory assessments, the pre- and posttraining measures of the three variables were compared to determine the effects of the 16-week training program on VO,max, running speed at lactate threshold, and running speed at peak VO,.

As a group in all three studies, the runners showed improvement over the 16 weeks of training on all three variables related to running performance, all statistically significant. Individually, all runners improved on at least one of the running performance variables. More important, in the 2004 and 2005 studies, the runners showed significant improvements in their marathon performances. The results are displayed in the summary table.

In summary, running only three days a week, veteran marathoners who were accustomed to training five or six days a week improved their physiological profiles from the laboratory assessment and also improved their marathon performances. These FIRST running studies indicate that the FIRST Training with Purpose a approach is an efficient and effective way to get fitter and faster.

Note: The FIRST 3plus2 training program will be available in detail in a forthcoming book, Runner’s World Run Less, Run Faster, scheduled to be published in the summer of 2007.

SPORTSMED SPECIAL SECTION

A Successful Marathon Training Program Has Three Basic Workouts.

hether you are a lawyer, a soccer mom or dad, or a professional runner, you want to make the best use of your training time. Although it may take around 100 miles of running per week to reach your full potential as a marathoner, you probably lack the time or the inclination to run that much. So, how can you make your workouts more efficient and obtain the greatest benefit in the least amount of time?

If you have time for only a few runs per week, five or six miles at an intensity easy enough to let you sing along with your iPod isn’t going to cut it. The fewer workouts you do, the greater the importance of each workout. Below are the most effective workouts for improving your marathon performance.

WORKOUT #1—LONG RUNS

The staple of marathon training, long runs are significantly longer than any of your other daily runs. Since your body has a much better concept of time than of distance, the amount of time spent on your feet is more important than the number of miles you cover.

It has been known since the 1960s that the ability to perform prolonged endurance exercise is strongly influenced by the amount of carbohydrates stored in skeletal muscles (glycogen), with fatigue coinciding with glycogen depletion. To the marathoner’s benefit, the human body responds rather elegantly to situations that threaten or deplete its supply of fuel. When glycogen is depleted by running, muscles respond by synthesizing and storing more than was previously present. Empty a full glass and you get a refilled larger glass in its place. The more glycogen you have packed into your muscles, the greater your ability to hold your marathon pace to the finish.