So many runners who want to run a
marathon are put off by the training commitment
it requires, and the time you need to spend running each week.
While intermediate and advanced marathon runners might run
five or six days per week in training, first time marathon runners often
want to know if they can train for a marathon on three runs per week.
And yes, you can successfully train for a marathon on three runs per week.
Marathon training plans that have you running only three times
per week usually require some sort of additional cross-training
to develop your endurance and reduce your risk of injury.
One of the reasons why runners find training for a marathon
three runs per week such an attractive proposition is the simple fact
that there's less of a time commitment
required compared to a more intensive marathon training plan.
But I do have to be honest and point out that one of the biggest factors
that will affect your marathon finish time is your weekly mileage in training.
This type of low commitment three runs per week marathon training plan
simply isn't going to allow you to achieve a high, weekly mileage.
However, if your goal is to finish your first marathon rather than set
any records, then you might find this option a really, really helpful way
to make marathon training way more achievable in your busy schedule.
So let's take a look at what a three run per week
marathon training plan actually looks like.
OK, so I'll level with you when runners ask me for a three
run per week marathon plan,
what I usually give them is a copy of my free 16 week
beginner's marathon training plan, which contains four runs per week.
I then tell them to drop either the Tuesday or Saturday running session and replace it
with a cross-training workout like cycling or swimming.
I'll leave a link to a video that walks you through
that plan step by step in the description. That leaves three specific running
sessions in the week; the essentials of any good marathon training plan.
As with all marathon training programs, a three run
per week plan is built around the weekly long run.
So let's start there.
I make no apologies for stating the obvious.
At the end of your marathon training plan,
you're going to need to be able to run 26.2 miles.
So if we don't gradually increase your capacity to run long,
your body is going to be in for a big shock.
That said, at no point in your training
will you need to actually run the full marathon distance.
In fact, not even close.
Most of the time, I only ask first
time marathon runners to build up to 18 to 20 miles
in their longest runs in training. For slow runners.
I set a cap of three and a half hours on my longest runs, getting them to stop
at that time, even if they haven't reached the prescribed 18 miles.
The reality is that after three and a half hours,
there's a point of diminishing return for most runners, especially those
who aren't conditioned to that type of time on their feet.
All you're doing by pushing past that point is making yourself more tired
for the training in the following week and increasing your injury risk.
Remember the point I made earlier?
Your marathon training success is more about consistent
weekly mileage than the duration of any single long run.
Now these long runs, there are about four things:
improving your aerobic endurance and stamina. Developing
your resilience as a runner and capacity to withstand time on your feet.
Building confidence in your body's ability to cover the distance.
And practicing your pacing, nutrition and hydration strategies
for marathon day.
Don't get me wrong,
those long marathon training runs can be a very daunting prospect.
However, the key is to keep the pace really easy.
Slower than you think.
There's a specific chapter in the beginner's marathon training plan
I mentioned, which will help you accurately calculate your training paces.
Again, the link is down in the description.
In addition to week long runs,
the program will also have you running a weekly tempo workout.
These are best described as runs at a sustainably uncomfortable
level of effort; an intensity that you can maintain for 60 Minutes.
Now, they're not overly pleasant, but they are fantastic
when it comes to improving your pace and making you faster.
For runners following a three run per week
marathon training plan, I typically advise that these sessions
should be done on a hilly route so as to get a double whammy of benefits.
You get the physiological benefits of running your lactate threshold,
which over time, once your body adapts, will allow you to maintain a faster pace
before your anaerobic energy system needs to kick in
and your legs begin to feel heavy and burn with lactic acid.
You also get the benefit of the additional leg strengthening.
But only running hills can really give you. A word of warning though:
if you're doing your tempo runs on a hilly route.
Be sure to completely disregard your running pace
and instead focus on the level of effort you're running at.
Maintaining a level of effort around about your 10K race effort,
and the terrain itself will dictate your pace.
I'll leave a link the description to a video with more information about tempo running.
The third weekly run in your marathon training plan
is to be run at an easy pace, just like your long run.
But it's nice and short in comparison.
The main focus of this midweek, easy paced
run is to increase the weekly mileage that you're achieving week by week.
Please do resist the temptation to run too fast during this session.
Remember the old adage saying that you should “keep your easy runs easy
and your hard runs hard”?
Your goal during this run should be to maintain a conversational pace throughout
where you could easily
chat back and forth with a running buddy without getting out of breath.
To me, cross-training is as critical as the runners themselves
if you're following a three run per week marathon training plan,
I mentioned earlier that ultimately
your marathon performance will be dictated by your weekly running mileage.
And that's true.
But when you think about the physiology and consider why that's the case,
it's largely due to the increased aerobic development that takes place at a faster
rate when you increase the amount of running you're doing each week.
However, it's not the running itself that improves your aerobic endurance.
It's the time spent exercising in your aerobic training zone.
You can training your aerobic training zone in so many different ways,
not just running.
You can walk, you can cycle swimming, even using the elliptical trainer
at the gym or cross-country skiing, if that's your thing.
All of these low impact forms of exercise will allow you to spend
more time in your aerobic training zone each week without adding the stress
and strain on your muscles and joints that are fourth run would introduce.
For example, if in a given week the three runs in your training plan
have you exercising in your aerobic training zone for four hours.
Adding an extra 60 minute session on the bike,
(slow and steady, not a spin session!)
will allow you to squeeze
an extra 25% of aerobic training into your weekly program
without adding 25% more stress on your joints.
That way, you're training smarter, not pushing your body harder,
Add some regular strength training exercises into the routine,
like the ones in the video linked on screen now.
And you'll be well on your way to becoming a stronger, more injury proof runner
and finishing that first marathon like your boss.
Tap the video on screen right now, and I'll see you in the next one.