How I Went from 3:57 to 3:37

I’ve been planning to write this post for a very long time.  Probably like the second I started training.  At the time, I thought I’d call it “The time I actually trained and ran a marathon without wanting to murder myself!“

And then after a few weeks, and some new-to-me workouts, I thought I might call it “The time I trained, ran a marathon, and PR’d – by a lot!“

And then, right around taper time, all high on surviving peak week and floating around with my big-ass head, I thought I’d call it “The time I freaking figured out the marathon and made it my bitch, bitches! I know everything! Somebody pay me and bottle up this awesome!“

I guess we’re not quite there yet, but I can at least shed some light on what got me from a 4-hour marathoner to a 3:37 marathoner in less than six months.

* obligatory disclaimer – this is what worked for me. it might not work for you. i’m not a coach or certified or any of that nonsense. i didn’t work with any of those people either. but maybe you’re my body twin and you’ll benefit from this. or if I get amnesia you can read it to me so I can run again *

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The “Get Freaking Fast” Plan – Summary

What I did right, and what I should prob do next time

•  Solid Base – I didn’t go from “zero” to marathon training.  I was at about 20-25 miles per week, with a long run (10ish miles), and some decent strength and yoga training before starting “official” Ragnar/Eugene training

• Mix it up – Keeping things exciting with different types of runs not only improved my physical abilities, but kept my head out of the gutter and staved off burnout.  I also learned what “recovery run” means, and actually ran slow enough to make them useful.  (like 30 seconds slower than “easy” pace for me) 
  • Typical week : Sunday off, Monday recovery, Tuesday speedwork, Wednesday easy, Thursday tempo/hills, Friday off, Saturday long run.

Thank you x10000, Coach FasterBunny

 – a few favorite workouts :  trackless 800s via Garmin, roga’d tempo, hill repeats, Long ladder (track), first 20-miler, 800s (track) –

• Injuries be damned – If something hurt, I rested/iced/stretched, AND tried to determine the source. Shoes need replacing? Bad form? Did I run too much in my Kinvaras this week? Find the issue and FIX IT. See a doc if you have to (I feel obligated to say this?)
  • I bought a Stick and religiously took it to my quads, calfs, and IT band. 10 times out of 10 there’d be some knotty shit in there that needs worked out, whether I knew it or not.  Love that little torture demon.

• Fueling – This is something I never really realized I was crap at.  I consider myself a Grade A eater/drinker – no help needed there!  But it turns out I was putting in a lot of late long run miles pretty poorly hydrated.  The fuzzy brain, cramps, and post-run nausea were completely cured once I quit being too “proud” to stop and fill up my bottle during runs.  This has made a huge difference in my mental state at the end of long training runs, and if nothing else it’s worth it to not feel so suicidal on Saturday mornings.

Lemon lime to the salty sweater rescue

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So what do I need to do the next time around to make sure my precious goals (whatever they may be) don’t slip through my fingers again?

• 14-16 weeks.  I went with 10 weeks this cycle because I was worried about burnout, which didn’t end up being an issue. With base training it ended up being around that anyway, so I def want a few more weeks of structured workouts.
• Stretching/strength training/yoga.  I fell off the yogi wagon and would like to get back on.  The proactive stretching (rather than just when I’m tight) and added core strengthening is definitely a key to staying injury-free.

• Sleep.  More!  And more consistently.  Probably less aided by bottles of red wine and excessive late-night carbs.

• For Brooks to finally release some new fun colors of the Launch that match more of my favorite running outfits.

Right now I’m looking for a good summer marathon to piggyback onto this round of training, and hopefully lock down my BQ by the time registration opens in September.  But whether that happens or not, I’m excited to put all of this into place and give “Real Training v.2” a go for Long Beach in October.

Yeah, I said Long Beach.  Time for redemption.

Sarah OUaL