TRAINING PLANS
Jim Finlayson – 2 x Canadian Marathon Champion.
16 Weeks to Your Next Marathon
Training by effort, not pace can produce great results BY JIM FINLAYSON – 2 x Canadian Marathon Champion, Canadian Masters Record Holder, Beer Mile Champion, coach and photographer in Victoria, B.C. FINLAYSONJF
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his is an advanced program for those running about 7.5 – 8 hours per week and six days of running. If this is beyond your current level, reduce volume by dropping one of the easy runs and lowering the volume of some of the easy days. Aim to build your long run to two hours leading up to these final 16 weeks before your marathon. I’ve written workouts to be run by effort rather than pace, as I find this avoids placing undue expectation on any given workout, and also allows for a potential breakthrough. It can take a bit of time to get used to this style if you normally consult a watch for pacing. It will get easier with practice. If you have a time goal for your race, as you close in on race day shift away from effort-based workouts and start dialing in on goal pace. Working with a coach can help you get the most out of your running, but above all I encourage you to listen to your body. Nobody knows you as intimately as you know yourself. Learn to listen to signs your body needs to back off a bit, or is ready for more.
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The Running Issue 2021
' – Minute R – Rest " – Second HM – Half-marathon WU – Warm-up MP – Marathon pace, CD – Cool down running at your goal GP – Goal pace race pace. TT – Total time ME – Marathon effort, running by effort is more like running how you feel adjusting your pace depending on the route you are running. You should be able to comfortably carry on a conversation with gaps between the sentences. It is about a 5 out of 10 effort. It’s a good “recovery pace” between intervals. Strides – Strides are quick (but not all-out) bursts to develop a bit of leg speed and running economy, and to stimulate the central nervous system (often done the day prior to workouts). Tempo – A sustained effort run that builds up your body’s ability to run faster for longer periods of time. Fartlek – Periods of fast running intermixed with periods of slower running [ ] – The square brackets in the plan denote recoveries in all cases, and the recovery (easy or rest) is after each interval (e.g. 1 min at 10k effort, 1 min easy, 1 min 10k effort etc).
IMPACT Magazine
ISAAC LEBLANC
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