First Marathon...

I came late in life to running (I am a Covid lockdown runner!) and so it was that I was 62 years old when I decided to put a little under 12 months work into training for and then running my first full Marathon late in 2024. I am not completelywithout competition experience having run a 10K and a Half Marathon under racing conditions.

I am aware that I am embarking on a journey that will take considerable thought and a great deal of hard work. And, Gentle Reader, I will present it all live on these pages, writing it up as I go, as I carefully and rigorously prepare for the Sydney Marathon in September 2024. Perhaps this will be useful for you, or perhaps even just a little entertaining? If so please let me know...

12 month plan...

I have divided the upcoming year into roughly four preparation stages that come close enough to a full 12 months of preparation:

1. Base Training (3 months): A solid training period that aims to establish a really good, strong, base from which to run the upcoming two long races of 2024.
2. Half Marathon Prep (3 months): In this period I will improve on the preparation I did for my last Half Marathon race with careful use of speed work and longer long runs. And this time following a formal plan from a runner I respect.
3. Rest (1 month): One full week of zero running and then another 3 weeks of coming back to a normal (pre Half Marathon race) training load.
4. Marathon Prep (4 months): 16 weeks of formal preparation for my first full Marathon! Once again using a purchased plan.

I would really have preferred a longer 'rest' period between the Half Marathon race and the Marathon preparation but these are the two big races I want in 2024 so I will just have to carefully fit both races in! And then after the Marathon who knows what my goal will be for 2025 when I will have turned 64...

Base Training...

12 weeks of solid base training formed a really good basis for all of my work in 2024. This plan went from November 2023 through to January 2024, so over the long, hot and humid Australian summer. The plan was:

Some notes...

Some notes on the schedule that I have given above:

• Strength, Stability and Flexibility Training: A core part of my training has been strength and stability sessions suggested by my Physiotherapist Mark Green. I have incorporated plyometrics, stability training and a kettlebell routine specifically designed for runners. The third arm of this training, flexibility, is well covered by my ongoing Yoga sadhana.
• Rolling: Another regular practice which is a foundational part of my running is a solid session after every run with a long foam roller, spiky massage ball and BakBalls. Can be painful but it has been an important strategy in avoiding the build up of muscular tightness and subsequent injury. I would swap it all for a few good sessions of remedial massage but remedial massage has sadly become way beyond my retirement budget. Sigh...
• Nutrition: I follow a plant based diet and have done so now for 13 years. Newer for me has been Intermittent Fasting which I have been following for 12 months (18:6). During this training block I have not only tightened up my fast timing, which has tended to sag towards 16:8 at times, but I have made a deliberate effort to get enough water in during the day. During the next training block I will make a deliberate effort to move towards more whole foods...
• And on the 5th day...: Looking forward to my next block of training I could see that I was going to move from 4 days per week running to 5. So this would be accomplished cleanly and without injury I introduced this 5th day in the last couple of weeks of the base training block. This way I knew I would be better prepared for the half marathon training block.

I had a sub-goal in this time period as well which was to run my 100th ParkRun. I really wanted that cool 100 run shirt!! That goal was accomplished on a steamy day at Lawson (Blue Mountains) ParkRun: mission accomplished!!

So: a highly successful base training period that has laid a truly solid foundation for my half and full marathon preparation!

Half Marathon Preparation...

Next I have planned 12 weeks of training for my second ever half marathon, the Runaway Sydney Half Marathon, running through the beautiful Sydney CBD early in Autumn: Sunday May 5th 2024. This is in part intended as a preparation race for the full Marathon but I also have a goal: to complete the half marathon in under 2 hours.

In a pretty major change for my running I have signed up with an online running community that is run and facilitated by my Physio, and elite runner, Mark Green. The plan I give below does not give all of the details of his plan for the half marathon, as it is a commercial plan, but it gives an idea of the general direction of the plan:

Some notes...

Some explanatory and additional notes on the schedule that I have given above:

• Running 5 days per week: This represents a major change in my training, I have sacrificed a swimming session to make room for the extra run. I have made this sacrifice less because of the half marathon preparation but more so because of the marathon training that I will be undertaking in the second half of the year.
• Sleep: I have spent some time with the book 'Why we sleep, unlocking the power of sleep and dreams...' by Matthew Walker and in this training block I am implementing many of the recommendations from that book into my life. Not just better training but also better overall health. Bear in mind that this book has had some pretty major backlash so be aware...
• Strength, Stability and Flexibility Training: I am continuing to work on a twice a week session of kettlebell and plyometric work while also absorbing much of Mark's stability and balance work into either my Yoga Sadhana or my warm up and cool down routines. Still working on getting this all working together...
• Rest Days and Recovery Weeks: My big take away knowledge from this training block was finally understanding the importance of rest. This program asks for one full day of complete rest as well as a recovery week every fourth week where both mileage and intensity are dialled back. Importantly the sessions in a 'build' week also have harder and easier sessions interleaved; thus there are only ever two heavy sessions per week. A huge focus on rest and recovery which is all new to me...
• Yoga Nidra: After a very long break from the quiet, peaceful practice of Yoga Nidra (following the disgrace and fall of my home Ashram) I have returned to this beautiful practice. It is now part of my own Yoga Sadhana as well as an essential part of the mental work behind running training and race preparation.

Following the Half Marathon race I will have only 4 weeks until I restart preparation: not ideal. I am planning on a one week complete rest from running and then increase distance over a three week period with no speed work, hills etc. And then finally to the main event for 2024...

Marathon Preparation...

Now for 16 weeks preparation for my first Marathon! Right now I am really, really excited with the thought of being completely ready for this race, the 2024 Sydney Marathon. Plenty of really hard work ahead...

Results and what now?

And in conclusion...

This document will be in production for 12 months, writing it up as I go: as a 63 year old man prepares for, and runs, his first ever Marathon. I hope such an approach will be useful to you, it is certainly has been a very useful tool for me to organise my own thoughts and work out the optimal training. If this approach has been at all helpful to you please let me know...