Spring is here, April is here, and Marathon Monday is almost here! With nine days to go before we toe the line in Hopkinton, the work is done and now all we have to do is carbo load and rest, right? Well, yeah, kind of! I for one do not like to think of the work being done until the race is over! Yes, I've put in the interval workouts, the snowy, dark mornings on the treadmill, and blood blistering long runs, but I still have to put thought and intent how I go into this week and next Monday's 26.2 mile jaunt! Here are some things I'm focusing on this week to ensure I'm as ready as I can be on Patriot's Day.
Last Long Run
Many runners talk about the last long run before a marathon three weeks out from race day, before tapering begins. I guess it's all relative to what a long run is to each person, but I do continue to do a longer run each weekend leading up to the race. Three weeks out I ran a 20 mile race with 12 at race effort. Two weeks out I ran 16 miles with a 15K (9.3 mile) tempo. This weekend I plan to do somewhere in the ballpark of 14-15 miles with 2x3 miles at goal marathon pace. If you're thinking that's too much intensity a week before race day, I disagree. Marathon pace for a total of six miles should feel very smooth and easy! If it doesn't, I may need to rethink what my goal marathon pace actually should be!
Last Interval Workout
My final week of training prior to a marathon is not all easy mileage. That would make me feel sluggish and not confident going into a race! I have been doing interval workouts for a LONG time (more than fifteen years!) and I know how my body recovers. I will likely do my interval workout on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week, and given the Boston Marathon is on a Monday, five days of easy mileage and rest will be more than enough to feel fresh on race day. My plan is to do 6-8 Yasso 800's, (800m intervals on the track in goal marathon time in minutes. For example, if my goal for Boston is a 2:55, I will do 800m repeats in 2 minutes and 55 seconds with an equivalent time jog rest.)
Overall Mileage
Although I do not eliminate intensity pre-race week, I do decrease my volume. In addition to my long run being on the shorter side, (14 as opposed to 20) I shorten my recovery runs and add in rest days as well. During my peak mileage week of 72, I did not take a day off and most days I was running somewhere around ten miles. This week I will be at about 50 miles with one rest day, 2 six mile runs, and 1 four mile run. Next week I will aim for about 33 miles with two rest days and all runs will be six miles or less, with the exception of my interval workout day.
Foam Rolling and Stretching
This is such an obvious one that doesn't need much said about it other than I need to do it! I find stretching and rolling post run in the winter the hardest, because all I want to do is hop in the warm shower when I get home all cold and sweaty! Now that spring is here and the weather is a bit warmer, I have no excuses to get this incredibility important part of recovery in!
Fuel
As a middle distance runner, I never really had to think that much about fueling both before and during the race. The marathon is a whole other monster though and fueling properly is such an important part of the equation. I am by no means an expert on marathon fueling and admittedly this is my greatest weakness and a work in progress! My plan for this week is to make healthy, hearty, homemade meals centered around a carbohydrate. I have learned that eating out prior to a race is not ideal, mostly because I don't know exactly what I am eating and how it will sit! With my new found free time, (40 less miles of running means about 4.5 extra hours!) I will be doing lots of baking and cooking this week!
Mind Over Matter
I do not believe you can go into a marathon and run faster than the work you have put in suggests you should be able to run. I do believe the mind is incredibly powerful and can be an advantage or hindrance come race day. Unfortunately, my mind has always been the latter. I have always performed much better without pressure, (either internal or external) and my nerves often get the best of me which can cause all sorts of undesirable stress on race day. My goal for this week is to practice getting into race mindset and work on calming myself from there through yoga, meditation, mindfulness, etc. Like fueling, this too is a work in progress.
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