How is your training coming along?

I'm sure most of you have a solid base in running and are near peaking in your training for the Two Cities Marathon and Half. How long and how hard should you train? The following gurus have some advice for full marathon training, for the half divide by 2, (remember they are talking competitive running, while most of us are considering recreational/survival training... so don't get intimidated): Bill Rodgers: "A beginning runner should allow 1 year for preparation before running a marathon Build up your weekly mileage to 125 miles a week", whew! Frank Shorter: "I feel a runner should build up to 70 miles a week, then continue for three months before the marathon." Alberto Salazar: The shortest preparation time should be 1 year, 80-90 miles a week at peak. Amby Burfoot: Three months, 40-60 miles a week (my kind of guy). Laurie Binder: Three months, gradual building of mileage with long runs every weekend. So ... wherever you are in your training and how competitive you are or want to be, pick some goal from the above list, your trainer, coach, or a website and keep on running. At very least you should have a long run that is as long ( or just shy of) your goal race distance.>/

Whatever your goal is, here are some helpful hints and suggestions:

1. Do not increase your weekly mileage by more than 10%.
2. Interval runs make you speedier, but the harder you push the greater the risk of injury (especially for us older runners!).
3. Consistency is key. You wake up tired, do it anyway.
4. Expect to have occasional "bad" runs. As training increases, the average of good runs increases.
5. Run with others. Running with company helps maintain commitment and the miles go by faster.
6. Run a long run each week, completing your longest run 2-3 weeks before the run.
7. Run a distance long enough that you're not going to be intimidated by what's left.

Run how you trained, train how you want to run. Remember this will be a FUN event, we don't want to see you in the Medical Tent.

Happy Trails!
Juan Sobenes, MD
Medical Captain