The Qwer Old Fella's Marathon Method

8:00 a.m. Cheekly little 17 miler to start the day before the marathon, which starts in 7 mins. Should be a cracker. Just about to put the feet up and tuck into a Bam-bar...

6:30 p.m. 4 miles canter. Enjoyed the marathon and thought Meb ran an excellent and intelligent race. The 14:(11?) 5k that shook things up looked like a killer. But it was odd to see the 'gods' of the marathon reduced to mortals in a 'slowish' race.

7:30 a.m. 8 miles easy. Yesterday's long run on the hills of the Tralee Marathon course didn't batter my legs as much as I thought it might, which is great. So long as I don't end up with DOMS tomorrow, I should be able to put in a decent workout on Wednesday.

6:00 p.m. 6 miles with a 'look at me joggers and dog walkers - I'm fast and I'm not even breathing hard' mile, between miles 4-5. Legs felt fine and dan-day after a sluggish start.

7:30 a.m. 8 miles easy.

At 6 a.m. the rain hammered down and woke Mr and Mrs Bam. The house was under siege from the rain. Mrs Bam got up and changed into her running togs and by the time she went out the door at 6:30 a.m. the rain had ceased its bickering and the sun was giving it, Good morning Ireland.

Every morning, the old lady goes out for a 45 min jog (if she saw this, she'd kill me for calling her morning constitutional a jog) and I do my AIS and a few chores around the house. When she gets back, I pootle off down the road, while she showers and gets vittled (US victualed), before she goes out to work, happy as Larry. This morning, however, she seemed riled.

Ever the sensitive one, "What's up with your bake?" I said, after taking a drink. "Overtraining. Yep, overtraining. You should take a few days off." Well lads, 'twas a mistake. She didn't say a word or bang the table. She didn't knock me out. She glared. That's right. She glared. A lesser man than Bam would've trembled and fled. But I stood my ground and winked.

I can't repeat what she said, but one thing's for sure: come rain or shine, when she gets home tonight, her dinner will be ready.

6:30 p.m. 6 miles relaxed. The weather's not looking too good for tomorrow. High winds and rain. So that scuppers my plan to bash out 4 x 1mile off 90 sec's. I'll do a 3.5 mile hill climb at 10k race pace effort instead and do the mile efforts later in the week.

And talking of storms, or should I say a storm in a tea cup - the wife. She came in and sat down to a sumptuous feast* and I now have her eating out of my hand. That's one of the perks of being a half-decent cook. So there may be trouble ahead (storms) but the sun is shining in Bam's house.

*fillet steak and peppercorn sauce on a bed of mashed sweet potatoes fused with cinnamon and ginger, and a medley of fresh vegetables. 

10:00 a.m. 8 miles incl 2 miles hill climb at moderate effort. A bit of a non-workout. Too windy to get in any real quality. Feel like I should do some fartlek or something tonight, but I'll leave it and just do a steady run.

I stopped the hill climb at 2 miles and if I'm honest my mind was more on the subject of doubles and singles from Jake's blog, which was about the book 'Waterlogged', at least it was until I popped up.

Jason D raised an interesting point about conflicting views on when to introduce doubles. A lot of the 'main men' talk about doing doubles after you've hit 70-75mpw but I don't agree. I know the benefits of running longer etc but I think when you're building, doubles work much better. They don't stress the musculoskeletal system as much, which lessens the likelihood of injury and therefore increases the chances of improving fitness.

Take me as an example (this isn't me giving the big chat about how great I am - I'm all for taking the hand out of myself and I don't mind others ripping me either).

11 months back I was smoking 40 a-day and had been for 12 years, drinking 1-1.5 bottles of wine a night and had been for longer than I can remember, my diet was appalling, my cholesterol and blood pressure were high and my weight was whale-like. Now I'm a lean, mean running machine:).

I've managed to increase my weekly mileage to 100+ in 11 months through doing doubles and building every 3-4 weeks. Along the way, as the weight slipped off and the musculoskeletal system developed, I got faster. Now I haven't raced yet, so I don't know how quick I am, but I think I can go sub 17 for 5k and sub 35.30 for 10k. They're not great times, especially for somebody running 100+ mpw but from where I started, that's not bad. There are many contributing factors for this improvement, but I know that the key has been doubles and keeping the majority of my runs under an hour.

I will, soon, increase some of my runs to75 mins and 90 mins respectively, but only when I think that my musculoskeletal system is ready for it and, more importantly, when the kids are back at school - so I don't have to go running at 4:00 a.m.

Another point on the theme of improvement. Speed. I think too many people spend too much time plodding out miles and not getting stuck into the business end. Speed-work is where it's at. If you run 8 min miles, you can't run 5 min miles in races - unless you're Jake. Simple.

Now, interval sessions hurt like hell. 4x1 mile off 90 secs isn't as nice as say an easy 8. Yes, the easy 8 has a role (don't know how to put the thingymajig over the 'o'). But if you want to get faster, you need to have at least one weekly workout. Yep, you've got to get the base in first so that the musculoskeletal system can cope with the speed-work. But once you have a base, you have it; you don't need to keep going back and saying, 'Oh mister man, I'm building a base'.

Yes, keep building (we're always building), but keep at least one workout in there and do some alactic work. Think about it: if I want to run 2:20 for a marathon, I need to pretty much be able to run 10k in 30 mins. Will I do this running 15 miles at 8 min pace everyday? No. I've got to get out there and feel the pain, the gut churning pain of speed. I need to make 5:20 pace feel like it's 7 min pace. Anyway, I'm off for a shower and then I'm going to have a Bam-bar.

I'm back! 'Oh no,' I hear you scream. 'Will he ever shut up?'

The speed thing. I believe that most people have got it wrong when it comes to the marathon and that's why, more often than not, they don't hit their goals.

Most people go out there and bang out the miles and then do some tempo stuff and some intervals closer to race - to sharpen; don't start me on this sharpening malarkey. Wrong! Absolutely the wrong way to go about it, and even though I haven't even raced over 5k, I know this is the wrong method. Ok, you might have a decent(ish) time, but imagine what you could do if you were training properly...

Think about it. What is the marathon asking of you? To run hard for 26 miles. It's not asking you to run 10 miles at predicted marathon pace, it's not asking you to run 18 miles at pmp, it's demanding you run your stones* off for 26 miles. So how do you do it? How come I know more than the great coaches? Well, I'll tell you, but not until I'm good and ready:)

* Thanks Kam, for increasing the power of my vocabulary. 

7:30 a.m. 8 miles easy. Feeling ready for tomorrow's workout - the wind should have settled.

Yesterday, I posted some disjointed and incoherent thoughts about certain aspects of training for the marathon. Bret questioned my flippant remark about miles followed by tempo and sharpening intervals being malarkey and definitely the wrong way to go.

Today, I wanted to address Bret’s concerns and clarify what I meant - in a concise and coherent manner so that Mr. Murphy wouldn’t feel the need for a nap.

Rather than approach the issues in a muddled way, I think it might be better if I were to start again and explain things clearly. I will address Bret’s concerns - probably tomorrow, when I look at one of Lydiard's big problems. But for now, as a starter and a teaser, think about the energy/fuel system required for the marathon compared to that of the interval training advocated by Lydiard at the end of his plan; what is your body expecting when you lace up your flats?

In 2015 I want to run sub 2:20 for the marathon – I’ll be 50 on the 7th Jan 2015. What makes my goal all the more daunting is that the 50+ age group world best for the marathon is 2:19:XX.

To achieve my goal I need to approach the marathon knowing (as far as it is possible to know anything other than, cogito ergo sum) that the training philosophy/method is the one that best suits my needs. To this end, I’ve spent time studying many of the great coaches and methodologies/systems – Lydiard, Canova, Kellogg, Hadley, Tinman, Horwill, Daniels, the Hansons, the  Japanese, and the Spanish etc.

I think all of those that I’ve studied offer great ideas, but I truly  believe they are all flawed in their approach to the marathon – some more than others. Canova, imo, is on the right track, but still has a way to go.

Pretty much all of the ‘great’ coaches believe that you can predict your marathon time based on your 5k/10k/half marathon time. They pretty much all agree that tempo runs in some form or other (you might be surprised how they differ on this) are essential in preparing for the marathon.

So what? There’s nothing groundbreaking here. Well, I think they’d be great if the marathon were only an 18-20 mile race and here’s where it gets interesting. So many people fail to hit their goals because they follow bog standard programs, which in truth only get them to 18-22 miles – elites included. Most blame their failings on extrinsic factors like fuel and water etc, when, most likely, their inability to achieve their goals was down to misguided preparation.

Furthermore, too many people, elites included, are racing too much and doing too many marathons, which are hindering 'real' development at all levels, including the 2:03/4 guys.

There are myriad problems with how most people prepare for the marathon and by examining the key points of the major coaches' methods I hope to highlight these problems and open the door to the 'new way' of marathon training. Big claim from Mr. Nobody; back it up, lad.

I will back it up, and better still, I will present and enact the 'new way' - The Bam Method.

7:00 p.m. Cheeky little 6 to get the legs ready for tomorrow's workout.

10:30 a.m. 10 miles: 3 warm up incl 6x100m strides with jog back rec, 4x1 mile off 90 sec jog rec, 3 mile shuffle home.

Last time I did this session (3 weeks ago) my splits were all over the place -5:29, 5:20, 5:27, 5:19 - AP 5:24) and since then I've only done one proper workout of 5x0.5 miles. Based on my half mile splits - using Horwill's 4 sec rule - I should have done today's workout in 5:24's. I'd have taken that because I've been all over the shop with the training recently (trying to find the balance between miles and speed and threshold etc). So here's how it went:

1. 5:21, 2. 5:22, 3. 5:23, 4. 5:28. AP 5:23.5

I was pleased with the workout, not because of the times but because I was able to lock the splits in a bit better. I still did the first 200m-400m of each rep too quickly, which messed the session up a bit. But it wasn't too bad. Ironically, the last rep was most pleasing: I fought hard to keep the session together. I was on my hands and knees at the end.

The session has highlighted and exposed a couple of things that I already knew. I need to concentrate more on my aerobic capacity, aerobic resistance and strength. But I've got this covered in 'The Bam Method'.

'The Bam Method' kicks off from the beginning of September, as I will have been 'running' for a year and that seems like an appropriate date to start. When I start 'The Bam Method', I will highlight what I believe to be the pros and cons of the more popular methods used in marathon training today. I'll also present 'The Bam Method' so that it can be scrutinized, criticized and any thing else 'ized'. The beauty and the nuances of the system will be explained, too.

Now, this is something from Canova that Bret and Jake and the school master (Mr Murphy) might find interesting, and anybody else:

... Instead, when you want to increase your marathon at high level, YOU START FROM SPEED AT MARATHON PACE OR SIMILAR, and the first step is to use ALL YOUR CARBOHYDRATES in order to run still some minute in total depletion of sugar, for obliging muscular fibres in using THE MOST POWERFUL SOURCES OF FATTY ACIDS in order to maintain a similar speed. For example, if an athlete able running HM in 65.0 wants to prepare a marathon for 2:15 (really not difficult), he can run without big problems 28km at 3:15 pace (1:31), but after this goes to finish his reserves of glycogen, and his pace goes down dramatically. If he is able to run yet 3 km at 3:25 / 3:35 / 3:45, THESE LAST 3 KM ARE THE REAL TRAINING, because his fibres have to go to search some other hidden tank, under necessity. The next time, the same athlete becomes able running at 3:15 not 1:31, but 1:41 (for 31 km), so his long fast run must be extended to 34 km with the last 3 without glycogen.
So, in the first case we start with an empty glass that we go to fill with fatty acids, in the second case we start from a glass full of glycogen that we go to empty step by step, in order to fill the remaining part with qualified fatty acids.

When I speak about FAST LONG RUN, don't think that ALWAYS long run must be fast. If I go to prepare a Marathon, I use one specific long run every week, alternating two different ways :
a) DURATION - I don't have particular care about the pace. I start from 1:30, and in short time I move to 1:45 - 2:00 - 2:15 - 2:30. This training is at 70% of your HM pace (for ex., if you have a PB in HM of 70.20 that is a pace of 3:20 per km, and is the first time that you want to prepare a marathon, your pace for DURATION can start from 4:20. At the beginning of your training (may be 5 months before your Marathon), once a week you go for DURATION, in order to reach the ability in lasting the full marathon time, in short time, because your long run is very easy.

b) When you are able running, for example, 2:30, you can start to qualify the DURATION using a progression for the last 15:00, after 30:00, and so and so.

c) But, when you are able running 2:30 of DURATION, you start also your training of DISTANCE. Distance is a precise distance (forgive me again), that you go to run at even pace, about 90/95% of your HM pace (and this has to become your Marathon pace). So,. in the previous case, 95% of 3:20 is 3:30. You can start with 24km at 3:30, and the progression is TO EXTEND THE SAME PACE, running 26 and then 28 and so and so.

d) When you have both DURATION and DISTANCE in your program, the system is TO QUALIFY THE SPEED OF THE DURATION, and TO EXTEND THE DURATION OF THE PACE OF THE DISTANCE. You can alternate these 2 long runs, one in one week, the second in the next week. At the end, you become able to build a funnel, where your DURATION is 2:30 at 3:40, and your DISTANCE are 36 or 38 km at 3:30. When you are able to do this, be sure that you can run your full marathon at 3:30 finishing faster the last 10k, and, if you go for a HM one month before your Marathon (of course we can use, in every week, another specific workout of extension : so, no more than 2 workouts per week), your PB can move from 65 to 64 without big problems.
All the other days are for GENERAL VOLUME (many km slow or following your sensation, in any case easy) or for RECRUITMENT OF THE HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF FIBRES (using very short sprints uphill).

I love the way he says, when talking about running 2:15, "really not difficult".

7: 30 a.m. 8 miles recovery run. Nice plod along the river and the canal. Legs felt ok after yesterday's workout, which is good with me.

Missed last night's run due to a fiasco regarding the shopping and eating and bad planning. Never mind. A 6/8 for this evening - depends how tired I am after power-hosing the patio and the yard. I suspect I'll be very tired; I don't like doing work about the house and garden. I love ironing and cooking and moping. Gardening sucks and all stuff related to gardening is pure pain. Suppose the sooner I get started, the sooner I'll be finished...

Second thoughts - why is that women are so pernickety? The yard's fine as it is. I'll go out there and power-hose it so it looks a bit cleaner but who's interested and what extra quality is it adding to my life? It'll rain tomorrow and then it'll just look the same as it does now and her-in-doors will prattle on and say I didn't clean it properly and at some point - before winter kicks in - she'll have me out there again blasting the life out of every poor little pebble and speck of dirt. Women! Don't get me started.

"Yes, sweet-pea. I'm just going out there now."

Laters.

The yard is spick and span (spankers , i.e. brand new - clean). And while I was out there suffering I decided to post a follow on from yesterday's stuff on Canova. This is more of an explanation. Shortly, I'll be putting everything together in a way that is concise...

...The fundamental phase of Canova’s training attacks all the systems. (I'll explain the fundamental phase at another time, but basically it's 12+ weeks of training before you do your 10-12 weeks of special and specific marathon training. The  Fundamental stage is more like most runners marathon training and yet for Canova, it merely prepares you for the real training.)  Intervals don’t exceed 110% of M pace in general but they take on a variety of interesting forms.

One of the workouts that exceeds this pace is the all out uphill sprints (8x8 sec's with 2 min rec - as done by the Bamster). As well as stimulating cardiac output they have the effect of utilizing 100% of muscle fibres.

The short progression runs (30-45min) in this phase - from marathon pace to 108% of marathon pace - are also designed to utilize new fibres as the pace increases. This is important because even in a steady long run, only 20% (give or take a few percent) of fibres may be utilized. During a marathon, the slower twitch fibres are depleted first. As the second half progresses, more fast twitch fibres are recruited.

Training that regularly recruits these fibres facilitates recruitment during specific training later and therefore will also adapt to using less glycogen at race pace - an essential adaptation for an even or negative split marathon for a runner running to race day potential.

If these fast fibres only burn glycogen and cannot access lipid stores, the runner will slow when these fibres take over the running and burn the stores out around 30k. (Sound familiar?)

(These are an edited version of notes posted on another site - my full notes will make more sense than this snippet. Hopefully the above provokes thought and prepares you for 'The Bam Method' .

More to follow as we amble through these hazy summer days...

6:00 p.m. 6 miles easy. Legs felt tired. Probably from yesterday's workout rather than yard duties. Another good week.