Jul
26
Mid-Term Report – Akron Marathon Preparations
With nine weeks down and nine to go in my marathon-training plan for the Road Runner Akron Marathon on September 25, it’s time to assess progress and make any necessary adjustments heading into the homestretch. With only 6 weeks of high-quality workout opportunity ahead of the taper, this is really the last window to make changes that have a meaningful impact. As a quick summary, I would say the results to date have been generally positive, but a few concerns linger.
As a reminder, the goal for Akron is to use it as a practice run for achieving Boston in under 3:00 next year. I have already qualified for Boston (at Cleveland in May), so the pressure is really off for this race. I’d like to see a time of 3:00 – 3:05 to know that the plan is working, but in the worst case there will be plenty of opportunity to make adjustments to the approach in advance of the winter training season for Boston.
I made three adjustments to my previous training plan that got me a 3:08:48 at a pretty flat Cleveland course.
- Added an extra day of running each week (taking it up to six days)
- Integrated hill work to prepare for the back-end hills of Akron and Boston
- Made strength and core training regularly scheduled events
On the first, I have been consistent at running the extra day – Thursday was my previous rest day, but now involves an “easy” 4-5 mile run. Note that “easy” is often the intent, but not the results, as I tend to make these naked lunch runs and, with the high level of energy I often have at that time of day, they come in around the 7:00 – 7:10 pace (even though they feel easy). So mark that as a “B”.
I have built up hill work since the beginning of the program, most recently reaching 6 400m intervals on a hill with 60’ climb (around which I put some other 400 and 1600m intervals). The pace has been steady on these, and I can feel my strength building, so I mark that as an “A”.
I have been doing strength training (surrounded by a warm-up and cool-down run – 7 miles total) on Tuesday’s, and usually (75% of the time) finishing the “easy” run on Thursday with a small core workout. However, I’m not sure that once a week on each is really enough so we’ll call that a “B” for now.
Looking beyond the new objectives, I have two major concerns about my training performance to date. First, the weekly capstone mid-length marathon pace and long runs haven’t been as strong as they were in the last sequence. I’d like to think this is partly related to conditions (it has generally been quite humid of late when attempting those runs), but I know that, at least of the pace runs, it is likely related to the demanding schedule as well. And I’m probably being a bit over-critical about the long run performance, as it was only a single run on a very hilly course in extreme humidity that fell short of my standards.
The second concern is shoe selection. I have been working away from the Nike Air Max Moto 7’s that I used at Cleveland, as I would like to find something a bit lighter and with a better fit. My first shift has been to the Mizuno Wave Rider 13’s (and I describe the shoe-buying experience at Runblogger). While I’ve generally been satisfied, I have some concerns about whether they will be suitable for the long runs and marathon itself, as my legs have been more sore than normal after using them for such purpose. Therefore, I’m likely to give the Brooks Ghost 3, with additional cushioning (at the price of 0.6 oz. of additional weight) during the second half of this program.
I’ve also gotten in a bit of a rut, running at the same time of day (predawn, of course) and with largely the same type of workout on a given day. This has, at times, made running seem like a chore or rote task, and I’d like to rediscover some joy through adding some variety in the second half. That’s going to start on day 1, with a longish 12-mile run after breakfast, incorporating some hills to see if the training has paid off. And I’ll mix back in more lunch runs and maybe even postdusk runs in general, partly to gain back some lost sleep and partly to enjoy the different perspectives you find running at different times of day.
So the approach for the second half is to make sure the long and pace runs are executed on plan, while continuing to build strength through intervals, hills, and strength training. I will extend at least the core strength training to a second day per week and, if I can find the time to do so, I will do the same for the strength training. If the long runs (19 and 20 miles) continue to a challenge over the next two weeks, then I will add an extra rest day before the final two pace / long run combination runs. I may also cut back to one speed-related session in each of those two weeks, if I feel that the rest day isn’t enough. There are still several challenging workouts remaining but, after an extra weekend of rest, I look forward to the challenges – and hopefully some better weather, though we are probably still a month away from that. I hope everyone is seeing their own progress in preparing for fall races, please feel free to share your observations on your training in the comments.
Oh, and I decided to give myself a mid-term exam – a hilly 12 miler at roughly marathon pace. I think I passed (you can see the results here).
Addendum
On September 25, 2010, I completed the Akron Marathon in a time of 3:03:26. While I had set a stretch goal of 3:00 and fell a bit short, the result was well within the range I had initially targeted, and I am comfortable with my progress towards a 3:00 time at Boston.
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