It’s here, finally, after some time waiting for it to be here. It being of course Marathon Training!
It is about a month and a half now since I knew I was going to be doing the TCS New York Marathon in November, and there have been a series of weeks whereby I’ve effectively been biding time for it to start. ‘Biding time’ of course, still has to involve doing around 20 miles a week, on the simple basis that you can’t (or really really shouldn’t!) go from nothing to 27 miles in your first week of a training programme. I know that from very bitter experience having overtrained for the Great North Run a few years ago with very unfortunate consequences…..
But now, as of this very day (15th July 2019) begins Day One of a 16 Week Training Programme which culminates on the 3rd November in the New York Marathon. Week One, of ‘just’ 27 miles, is the shortest week of the whole programme, and it goes up to around 50 miles by Week 11. It will also be up to 40 miles by Week 4, so there is a steep ramp in fact. The programme was recommended to me by a five time marathon runner, and is from Runner’s World, so it is a tried and tested routine.
I am intending on sticking to it to the absolute letter if I can, injuries and unforeseen circumstances notwithstanding. There is for me otherwise no excuse, as I simply wouldn’t forgive myself if I got to the starting line or half way round in New York and couldn’t run the race because I hadn’t completed the programme. This remember is unchartered territory for me, and I didn’t (and in fact still don’t) know if my body will carry me around 26.2 miles. It is getting therefore my full attention.
My Training Programme (downloaded from Runner’s World):
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| Week 1 | Rest or 4M easy | 4M steady with a few strides | 4M easy | 5M – run to a hill, then 8 x 30 secs uphill, jog down | Rest | 5M steady, cross-country or parkrun | 9M slow |
| (27-31M) | |||||||
| Week 2 (31-35M) | Rest or 4M easy | 5M – warm up, then 3M at a brisk pace, timed. Warm down. | 5M steady | 5M – warm up, then 8 x 90 secs fast, 90 secs slow | Rest | 5M steady, cross-country or parkrun | 11M slow |
| Week 3 (34-38M) | Rest or 4M easy | 5M – run to a hill, then 8 x 30 secs uphill, jogging back down | 6M easy | 5M – warm up, then 5 x 3 mins fast, 2 mins slow (or 5 x 800m on track, with 400m jog recoveries) | Rest | 5M steady, cross-country or parkrun | 13M slow |
| Week 4 (39-43M) | Rest or 4M easy | 6M – warm up, then 3M at a brisk pace, timed. Warm down. | 7M steady. | 6M – warm up, then 3 x 6 mins (or mile on track) with 2 min recoveries. | Rest | 5M easy | 15M slow with 5M in middle at marathon pace |
| Week 5 (38-42M) | Rest or 4M easy | 6M – run to a hill, then 10 x 30 secs uphill, jogging back down | 8M easy | 6M – warm up, then 9 x 90 secs fast (or 400m) with 90 secs (or 200m) slow | Rest | 4M jog with strides | Half-marathon or 10k race or timetrial |
| Week 6 (43-47M) | Rest or 4M easy | 6M easy | 9M steady | 6M – warm up, then 6 x 3 mins fast, 2 mins slow (or 6 x 800m on track, with 400m jog recoveries) | Rest | 5M easy | 17M slow with 5M in middle at marathon pace |
| Week 7 (43-47M) | Rest or 4M easy | 6M – hill running: 11 x 30 secs, or fartlek with 12-15 30-sec bursts | 6M easy | 7M – warm up, then 4 x 6 mins (or mile) with 2 mins rest between each. Time them. | Rest | 4M slow | 20M slow |
| Week 8 (37-41M) | Rest or 4M easy | 6M easy | 7M steady | 6M fartlek, inc bursts of 200-400m | Rest | 4M jog with strides | Half-marathon race or timetrial |
| Week 9 (44-48M) | Rest or 4M easy | 6M fartlek, inc sustained bursts of up to 400m | 8M steady – start slowly, finish fast | 6M – warm up, then 10 x 90 secs fast (or 400m) with 90 secs (or 200m) slow | Rest | 4M easy with strides or parkrun | 20M slow |
| Week 10 (42-46M) | Rest or 4M easy | 7M steady, starting slowly | 9M steady | 7M – warm up, then 7 x 3 mins fast, 2 mins slow (or 7 x 800m on track, with 400m jog recoveries) | Rest | 4M easy | 15M steady, including 5M at marathon pace |
| Week 11 (47-51M) | Rest or 4M easy | 6M – hill running, 12 x 30 secs | 10M steady – start slowly, finish fast | 7M – warm up, then 5 x 6 mins (or mile) with 2 mins rest between each. | Rest | 4M easy, with a few strides or parkrun | 20M slow |
| Week 12 (43-47M) | Rest or 4M easy | 6M fartlek, inc sustained bursts of up to 400m | 9M steady | 7M – warm up, then 18 x 45 secs fast (or 200m), with 60 secs (or 200m) slow | Rest | 4M easy, with a few strides or parkrun | 17M easy with 5M at marathon pace |
| Week 13 (46-50M) | Rest or 4M easy | 6M – hill running, 12 x 30 secs | 8M steady | 6M – warm up, then 12 x 90 secs fast (or 400m), with 90 secs (or 200m) slow) | Rest | 4M easy | 21M slow |
| Week 14 (38-42M) | Rest or 4M easy | 6M fartlek, inc sustained bursts of up to 400m | 7M easy | 6M – warm up, then 5 x 3 mins fast, 2 mins slow (or 5 x 800m on track, with 400m jog recoveries) | Rest | 4M easy, with a few strides or parkrun | 15M steady, or half-marathon race |
| Week 15 (30-34M) | Rest or 4M easy | 5M – hill running, 10 x 30 secs | 6M steady | 5M with middle 3M at marathon pace | Rest | 4M easy, with a few strides or parkrun | 10M steady |
| Week 16 (39M) | Rest | 4M – warm up, then 1M at race pace plus 5 x 200m. Warm down | 4M easy, with a few strides | 3M easy | Rest | 2M easy, with easy strides | RACE DAY |
The full programme is around 625 miles over the period, so around 40 miles a week on average. The schedule is up on the wall of my kitchen as a daily reminder of what is in front of me. And today being Day One it is actually a Rest Day (as although there is an option above of Rest or 4 miles, I’m taking the former every time!).
My partner in crime (or partner in running!), Melanie, who I’m doing the run with, is doing the exact same programme as me too. More on her, and my, progress as we go along, and a weekly update will appear right here – watch this space……..
To Kilimanjaro (and beyond?) 
Bravo. I ran ‘only’ 450 miles in 20 weeks training for the Rotterdam Marathon in April. 625 in 16 weeks is a very impressive target – best of luck.