First Marathon...
I came late in life to running and so it was only when I was 62 years old that I decided to put a little under 12 months work into training for and then running my first full Marathon in 2024. I am not without competition experience having run a 10K and a Half Marathon under racing conditions.
However I am fully 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.
12 month plan...
I had a small detour early in my initial preparation so that I could run the Panorama Punish; a bit of fun that is a great challenge in a shorter race. Despite this little fudge I have divided the upcoming year into four preparation stages that come close enough to a full 12 months:
- Base Training (3 months): A solid training period that aims to establish a really good base from which to run the upcoming two long races of 2024.
- 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.
- 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.
- Marathon Prep (4 months): 16 weeks of formal preparation for my first full Marathon!
That is the 2023-2024 plan; I would really have preferred a longer 'rest' period between the Half Marathon race and Marathon preparation but these are the two big races I want in 2024 so I will carefully fit both races in! And then after the Marathon who knows what my next goal will be...
Base Training...
12 weeks of solid base training which aims to form a really good basis for all of my work in 2024. This plan goes from November 2023 through to January 2024, so over the long and hot Australian summer. The plan is:
| Day... | Program... | Comments... |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Long Run (LSD) + Strength Training | This 'Long Slow Distance' Run should be 12-15kms at an easy pace. Run with a metronome, aiming for 180spm cadence. |
| Tuesday | Swim (Recovery Day) | 2.8kms for this session, almost exclusively working the upper body. Lots of paddles and pull buoy work. |
| Wednesday | 10km Easy run | Again run with a metronome, working an 180spm cadence. |
| Thursday | Speed work + Strength Training | Alternate weeks: Hill Repeats and Mona Fartlek. |
| Friday | Swim (Recovery Day) | 2.8kms for this session, almost exclusively working the upper body. Lots of paddles and pull buoy work. |
| Saturday | ParkRun + Strength Training | Running ParkRun at a tempo pace: hard but not too hard! |
| Sunday | Rest Day | No running, no swimming, no weights + a sleep in! |
| Total weekly distance run should be 40-45kms... | ||
Some notes...
I have a few short, explanatory notes on the schedule that I have given above:
- Strength Training: I have done some form of strength training for many, many years. The session I use for running, which I have been using for over a year now, is based on a short kettlebell session designed by my Physiotherapist Mark Green: TBM Locker Room 10 Minute Kettlebell Workout For Runners. It targets runner specifically and works primarily on single leg strength, balance and core strength. I have also added in some plyometric work to this shorter sesion.
- Rolling: Another regular practice I use is a solid session after every run with a long foam roller, spiky massage ball and BakBalls (yes, that is what they are called!). 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...
I have a sub-goal in this time period as well which is to run my 100th ParkRun. I really want that cool 100 run shirt!! If all is well I will accomplish this sometime in January 2024 and maybe also run an all time PB at this time or before, at my home parkrun of Lawson in the Blue Mountains of Australia. I find that I always need a goal of some sort to work towards, even in a base training period...
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 4th 2024. This is in part intended as a preparation race for the full Marathon but I am also have a goal: to go under 2 hours. Preparation will be:
| Day... | Program... | Comments... |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Long Run (LSD) + Weights | This 'Long Slow Distance' Run should be 15-20kms at an easy pace. |
| Tuesday | Swim (Recovery Day) | 2.8kms for this session, almost exclusively working the upper body. Lots of paddles and pull buoy work. |
| Wednesday | Easy run | Usually I will run this with a metronome, working an 180spm cadence. |
| Thursday | Speed work + Weights | Alternate Hill Repeats with 800 metre intervals (aiming for 6) at just below half marathon pace. |
| Friday | Swim (Recovery Day) | 2.8kms for this session, almost exclusively working the upper body. Lots of paddles and pull buoy work. |
| Saturday | ParkRun | Running ParkRun at a tempo pace: hard but not too hard! |
| Sunday | Rest Day | No running, no swimming, no weights + a sleep in! |
| Total weekly distance run should be 45-50kms... | ||
There are two major differences with this plan from my previous 'Base' plan: I have dropped strength training back to twice a week and I have increased the total weekly kilometres by 5-10kms.
Rest...
My plan in the future for this rest period is to take a full week off with zero running and then spend three weeks moving back up to the previous total distance.
Marathon Preparation...
And finally for 16 weeks preparation for my first Marathon! I am writing this in October 2023 so I am not completely sure the structure of this plan but right now I am really, really excited with the thought of being completely ready for this race!
| Day... | Program... | Comments... |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Long Run (LSD) + Weights | This 'Long Slow Distance' Run should be 20-30kms at an easy pace. |
| Tuesday | Swim (Recovery Day) | 2.8kms for this session, almost exclusively working the upper body. |
| Wednesday | Easy run | Usually I will run this with a metronome, working an 180spm cadence. |
| Thursday | Speed work + Weights | Alternate Hill Repeats with 800 metre intervals (aiming for 10) for this session. |
| Friday | Swim (Recovery Day) | 2.8kms for this session, almost exclusively working the upper body. Lots of paddles and pull buoy work. |
| Saturday | ParkRun | Running ParkRun twice to make up about 10kms at tempo pace. |
| Sunday | Rest Day | No running, no swimming, no weights + a sleep in! |
| Total weekly distance run should be 50-60kms... | ||
The above plan is very sketchy and will doubtless change as I get a little closer to the main event...
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...