Fast Running Blog

Hello all,

You all are a great source of inspiration and information. I'm relatively new here and was wondering if you all could give me a little guidance. Here's where I'm at and where I'm trying to go :) I'm listening to my body to let me know when it's time to increase.

• I'm currently running 4 miles/day, six days/week
• I'm gradually working myself up to ~10 miles/day, six days/week
• After I get there, I'd like to increase the distance of my Saturday run (gradually working up to 20 miles)
• I'd like to run the White Rock Marathon (in December 2009). This would be my first marathon. My goal is to just finish with the best time possible.
• My last half marathon time was 2:13:21. I'd like to get faster, eventually qualifying for Boston. But that's a long term goal. Really, my main focus is to just live as healthy as I can for myself and my family.
  

OK, now for my questions:

• Should I do my daily run miles all at once, or is it OK to break my daily runs throughout the day (e.g., five miles in the morning and five at lunch)
• What is y'all's philosophy about running say a couple weeks before and after a marathon?
• Are there any good marathon's in Utah you'd recommend? I'm close enough (here in Texas) that I might have to try one someday out there

I thank you all in advance. If you have any other suggestions or pearls of wisdom I'm all ears.

Sincerely,
Chris

Chris- sounds like you have a good, conservative plan.  My comments:

As you increase mileage, don't be afraid to vary your mileage a bit day-to-day.  For example, 7 miles one day, 12 the next, etc.  But 60 miles/week is a great base, and if you want to do it 10 miles/day, that is fine.  For your long run, that is one of the most important things for your marathon, so getting as many 17-22 mile runs is important.  And you don't necessarily have to wait till you hit 10 mpd before building your long run- you can start now.  You could do something like 6-6-6-6-4-10.  Your long run can be up to 30% of your total mileage, so you could do a 16 mile long run once your daily run is 7-8 miles.

To address your questions-
For doubles, they can help once your mileage gets high enough.  I don't think it's worth the time to do less than 4-6 miles/run, though, so I wouldn't start doubles until you hit 8+ miles/day.  And doing some days of doubles and some of longer runs (i.e. 8-10 miles) is good.  Read these posts:

http://fastrunningblog.com/forum/index.php/topic,228.0.html
http://fastrunningblog.com/forum/index.php/topic,793.0.html

Running before/after marathon:  Everyone has their own tapering philosophy, with general consensus of no more than 3 weeks taper.  I've found I run best with about a 10 day taper, slowly reducing miles until my last 3-5 days pre-marathon are pretty easy.  You do want to keep running, though- no running will lead to sluggishness and loss of fitness.  But everyone is different and you have to learn what works for you.  It is better to be rested/healthy than worn down, though.  If you are up to 60-70 miles/week before the marathon, you could do a 3 week taper of 55 miles, 40-50 miles, and 20-35 miles pre-marathon, depending how you feel.  After the marathon, take some time off if you want.  You're much more likely to get injured/sick by running, and have little to gain.  It's not uncommon to take 1-2 weeks completely off, or very easy running/crosstraining.  You can be back up to full mileage in about 4 weeks.

Good Utah marathons- sure.  I'd say all are pretty good.  My favorite is Top of Utah, though I don't think any are bad.  But I'm also a fan of doing marathons close to home (no travel, cheap, sleep in my own bed, train on the course).  Get through your first marathon first, then start looking at others.  If I personally travel to a marathon, I make sure it's a great one, like Boston, Maui, etc.

The hulkster pretty much said all you need to know. Just be sure to build gradually.