Finish Strong in the Marathon Part 3

In part 2 we looked at the importance of the long run and progression of miles.  If you missed part 2, read it here!

Weekly mileage is also very important for a strong finish in the marathon.  If you’re doing one long run a week, and very little else, your endurance will not be optimal.  Weekly mileage increases during your training plan are also effective at building endurance.

A measured increase in weekly mileage is very important!  The chances for injury increase substantially if you increase it too much.  It’s also a very good idea to incorporate a “rest week” every fourth week.  The rest week doesn’t mean to take the wholeweek off, but to reduce your mileage by about 25%.

Here are some weekly mileage progression strategies for finishing strong in the marathon.  Each of the numbers listed are in miles for a week.  For example, the numbers: 30, 33, and 36 means 30 miles in week 1, 33 miles in week 2, and 36 miles in week 3.

Beginner (0-2 marathons completed):

15, 16, 18, 14, 20, 22, 24, 18, 26, 28, 30, 22, 33, 35, 38, 28, 41, 44, 47, 35 (20 week plan)

Intermediate (3-8 marathons completed):

20, 22, 24, 18, 26, 28, 30, 22, 33, 35, 38, 28, 41, 44, 47, 35, 50, 54, 58, 45  (20 week plan)

Advanced (9+ marathons completed):

26, 28, 30, 22, 33, 35, 38, 28, 41, 44, 47, 35, 50, 54, 58, 45, 60, 63, 66, 48, 70, 74, 78, 50  (24 week plan)

Elite Advanced (for the very accomplished and fast marathoner):

41, 44, 47, 35, 50, 54, 58, 45, 60, 63, 66, 48, 70, 74, 78, 50, 85, 90, 95, 70, 100, 110, 120, 80 (24 week plan )

Most runners will be in the Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced categories.  If you haven’t run for a while, but have done a lot of marathons, you should put yourself into a training plan that is one category lower, for example, from Advanced to Intermediate.

The rule of thumb for weekly mileage is to increase no more than 10% from the prior week.  More than that and you’re opening yourself up to injury.

The Beginner and Intermediate strategies are based on a 20 week plan.  The advanced is a 24 week plan. You’ll need this many weeks to build up the endurance necessary to run consistently through an entire marathon.  Make sure to take rest weeks every 4th week.  This means cutting down your mileage by about 25%.  If you’re feeling really beat up, reduce your mileage by 50% in your rest week.  Rest weeks are important for recovery, reducing the chance for injury, and also important for staying mentally fresh.

Most fading, or slowing down, in the final few miles of a marathon is the result of inadequate training build up.  It takes a very solid and well-executed training plan to finish strong on race day.  Run long and run strong!