Blaine's Running Journal, Marathon Training

Okay, the first step was to get out everyday and put myself in a proper state of mind. To convince myself that I’m ready for being ‘dedicated towards my training’. This is no easy task, believe me. Some days it’s so easy to say it’s too dark, too cold, too windy, it’s raining (which is rare in my neck of the woods), too sunny, etc. But I did it. Yeah!

Each day I got up early and did at least 45 minutes or 5.5k. Now I’m ready to start my training. It comes in 3 stages, Preconditioning, Base Training, and Endurance Training.

Stage I – Preconditioning

Everyone is at a different level when it comes to running. Since I’m starting from ground zero, preconditioning is crucial. With no regular daily exercise, I’ve let my muscles slacken and put on a few pounds. So I know my knees, ankles, and feet (not to mention my heart and lungs) won’t be too happy if I get onto a running schedule without any preconditioning.

So the goal of Stage I is to build up my aerobic and skeletal systems, such that I will be running 30 minutes 3-4 times a week with no serious injury or pain. The only thing I need to worry about is being mentally committed to do this. But hey, I already proved that by getting out there every single day last week! Yes!

When training begins, I will be running with an average max heart rate between 70 and 80% or a Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) between 3 and 5. I call this my Training Intensity. If I pop over that rate, then I need to slow down or (more likely) start walking. I will be running with a heart rate monitor, but I will also use the RPE Scale during Stage I. This is because I don’t know my exact max heart rate, even though my (Garmin) watch does a pretty good job of determining that for me (or I can use the famous 220 – your age as a starting point). After all, it’s important that when first starting out, you don’t train at too high an intensity because this can lead to fatigue, injury, or worse (you know what I’m talking about… just… don’t over do it!).

Another reason for this is because, since I’m starting from ground zero, it’s very easy to quickly push my heart rate above 80% max. So I’m thinking to start the first part of the run interval a little lower and more relaxed – like a 2 to 3 RPE. That way I can get through the run portion of the day’s training, have a less likely chance of injuring myself, and recover more quickly for the next training day. My previous running posts (when I was training for my first marathon at the age of 50) included the RPEs for each run. It was a good way for me to see how I did on a particular day or in a particular run. I plan to keep a running log on my iCal calendar with the RPEs along with weight, blood pressure, hours slept, miles ran, etc…

So here’s my Stage I Schedule. I’ll put up the rest of the Stages over the next week or so. Also, for the record, I’ll be starting at week 5, since I’ve already done the required walking up to week 4.. But for those who are reading my blog and following along with me… if you’re just starting out, go ahead and begin at Week 1 or wherever you feel most comfortable based on your level of fitness. There’s lots of time to catch up (more on that later).

Oh! …and for my RPE Scale go take a look at this blog entry.

Just to recap, I’ll be starting with Week 5, but start at any week that you are most comfortable with. There’s lots of time to get preconditioned and ready for Base Training before the Honolulu marathon. As a matter of fact, I might split up my Base Training and just do maintenance runs over the hot summer months (TBA).

So that’s the first schedule for now. It doesn’t matter how far or how fast you go. The first step is to build up your aerobic and skeletal systems. I’ll be putting the other schedules up next week along with a PDF file that you can download for everything.

See you out on the trails!