First Principles and Milestone in Marathon Training
First Principle and Primary Milestone:
When you begin a running program, there are a lot of things to consider. There are so many different ideas, approaches and philosophies that it can become overwhelming. That is why many people that casually ask me about running often never make it beyond a week or two of training.
This lack of success is a result of beginners trying to do “everything” they believe they have to in order to be a runner.
They hear that they must:
- have good shoes
- stretch well
- include strength training
- get more sleep
- eat well each day
- have the right sports supplements
- have the right coach.
It’s overwhelming, but it does not have to be. That is why I want to share my “First Principle of Running”.
To run well, you must prioritize your training around… running.
This principle is embedded in my approach when coaching others. Now, let me give you a milestone that I believe a runner should set as a primary goal.
This milestone is ideally achieved before any realistic discussion of other metrics such as race results, miles per week or paces for intervals can be had.
That primary milestone is:
4 runs per week of 45 minutes or more of running.
I love to see runners hit this milestone. At that point we start to have discussions about how to maintain this as the baseline or where you need to go from there to reach your goals.
This milestone is not only useful for beginners. It is a valuable marker for runners returning after extended breaks, injuries or after completing a big event.
I am reminded of this, as I am now 3 weeks out from my last marathon. This week is the first week that I felt capable of doing 4 runs. This is a result of a post race injury, fatigue and (honestly) motivation. However, I’ve set my sights on hitting 45 minutes on two of the runs this week and hopefully all 4 the following week. That will be a 5 week return to this base milestone.
As reference, the 12 weeks leading up to the marathon, I was completing 7 to 9 runs per week. That resulted in 55 to 80 miles each week. These things take time.
One of the things that I am also doing right now is wearing my heart rate monitor and doing every run at a ‘capped HR’. (I wanted to share this b/c I know those runs are challenging for many of us to do as prescribed.)
The last thought I want to share on this topic is that I understand our running does not fit into this nice little box. I have runners that have run more than 20 marathons, some running their first. We’ve had former collegiate runners and individuals that have started with their very first 5k.
It is not only about ability. I have had runners that can not fit more than 3 runs a week into their schedules. I also have runners that do not find happiness in limiting their weekend runs to 45 minutes.
As a coach, I want to help you perform well. But I also want you to find happiness when you run and after 20 years of coaching others, I know that it will require some alterations and variance in how we approach your program.
Now you know my “First Principle of Running” and the “Primary Milestone” I aspire to see most runners achieve. When we get these basic pieces of the puzzle put together, the world starts to offer us many new possibilities. In those moments we may need to start addressing some of the secondary principles of running.