A Time Based First Marathon Training Plan
By Larry Darter
Copyright 2011 Larry Darter
Smashwords Edition
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Finding the Right Training Pace
Interest among Americans in running marathons has risen exponentially in recent years. According to Running USA, a Colorado Springs-based running research group, 507,000 runners completed a marathon in 2010. In response to the phenomenal growth in the numbers of men and women entering marathons the number of marathons held in the United States alone in 2010 rose to 625, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article.
What motivates people to put themselves through what it takes to run continuously for 26.2 miles, literally pushing the limits of human endurance? The answer to that question is as varied as the individual runner.
Some train and run a marathon to lose weight and attain a greater level of fitness. An increasing number of people are running marathons to raise money and awareness for a charity or cause that is important to them. For others it is simply the challenge of the marathon that appeals to them, the chance to test their metal in an athletic contest that pushes them to the limit.
Quite often a person relatively new to endurance running, after getting a few 5K or 10K races under their belt starts to look for a greater challenge and the idea of running a marathon comes to mind.
Regardless of the reason behind the decision, evidently you are seriously contemplating running your first marathon or you wouldn't be reading this right now. Having made the decision you are now seeking a training program or plan that will hopefully help you achieve the goal of successfully completing that first marathon. You deserve to be commended for attempting an undertaking that is accomplished by only about two tenths of one percent of the U.S. population in 2010.
There is no shortage of marathon training plans and programs. Entire books, like this one have been written that are devoted to marathon training. There are marathon training plans routinely published in running magazines like Runner's World and Running Times. If that weren't enough, training programs galore are available at a nearly infinite number of websites dedicated to the sport of endurance running.
What most of those plans have in common is that they are miles-based training plans. Simply that means the training schedules prescribe that a runner run a specific number of miles a specific number of days each week at varied paces. So what makes this book different? Instead of a miles-based training approach this book offers an alternative approach, time-based training.
Little information is available on time-based endurance running training which led to my decision to write this book. My own experience with the time-based training approach began with a copy of an old dog-eared copy of an out of print book I discovered in a library book sale in 1992. Like this one, the book presented a time-based training approach to running a first marathon.
Already an avid 5K and 10K runner at the time, the book motivated me to train for and run my first marathon. Following the training plan outlined in it, I successfully completed my first marathon in just over four hours at age of 38. I misplaced book and today can't even recall the book title. I searched unsuccessfully for another copy for several years, unable to find even another book like it. Since I was so impressed with the time-based training approach based on my own first marathon experience, it seemed to me that such a book could help other marathon rookies have a successful first marathon experience just as I did and so I decided to put together this book.
Is time-based training superior to a training plan based on mileage? That of course depends on the individual runner. Many athletes training for a marathon, even some first-timers, do perfectly well with training schedules based on miles covered during training. It is safe to say that many experienced marathoners prefer miles-based training because they like to watch the numbers of miles logged continue to climb over the months of training. Yet from my own personal experience, gained not only from completing a number of marathons myself but also from training others to run their first marathon, I know that for some first-time marathon runners, a time-based program is one of the best options.
One thing that makes time-based training a good fit is the secret about running marathons. The real truth when it comes to crossing the finish line is not a person's ability to cover 26.2 miles but the ability to remain on her feet and run continuously for three, four, or even five hours. That is what makes finishing a marathon such a significant achievement. So doesn't it seem to make sense that a person could be better off training himself to stay on his feet and run continuously for a specific period of time rather than to run a specific number of miles during a training session?
Most any experienced endurance runner will tell you that running is just as much a mental activity as a physical one. That is another reason why some athletes might do better with time-based training. Suppose you have a 10-mile long run on the schedule for Saturday. Saturday arrives and let's say you just aren't feeling terribly motivated and running 10 miles seems like about the absolute last thing you are in the mood to do. Yet somehow you manage to lace up your shoes and push yourself out the door for your run. It seems like an eternity before you complete the first mile and you groan at the knowledge that you still have nine more to go. The second mile seems to take even longer. Eventually you manage to complete mile five but don't feel much better knowing you still have five more to go. Now you are seriously beginning to wonder whatever possessed you to think you wanted to run a marathon in the first place.
We've all been there. Half way through a training program it isn't uncommon to have those days when motivation is lacking. Sometimes there is the desire to just skip a run, especially a long one but you know you will feel guilty later if you don't get it in. That is where a time-based program might be a better alternative from a mental standpoint. There is just something mentally about facing a 90-minute long run that doesn't seem as hard as facing a 10-miler. I can't really explain why it is different, I just know it is.