TRAIN ULTIMATE MARATHON Run the ultimate marathon 2

outdoorfitnessmag.com February 201672

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EXPERT: GARTH FOX has an MSc in Sports Science and Human Performance and is a sports scientist to endurance athletes, garthfox.com

TRAIN ULTIMATE MARATHON

BROADLY SPEAKING, THERE are two key types of training you need to do to run a fast marathon. You need to build enough endurance. And you need to work on speed, to teach your body to run quicker. Quality speed work could well be the difference between running a sub-five and a sub-four-hour marathon. Regardless of that, your nipples will thank you for getting all the suffering over that bit quicker.

However, running at a high intensity has risks. “Speed is beautifully correlated with injury,” says Fox. “For anyone trying to race a four-hour to a 2:59 marathon, I wouldn’t recommend doing speed training more than once a week. You should never run flat out either. Marathon training is about pressing the correct physiological buttons while doing everything you can to avoid injury.”

Most athletes run a little too hard most of the time and not hard enough some of the time, says Fox. “It’s so important to separate the two types of run paces – and don’t spend long in the middle. Around 80 percent of your marathon training should be Long Slow Distance (LSD) runs designed to build muscle endurance. The other 20 percent should be a variety of other intensities, with perhaps 10 percent speed (VO2max) work. The 80/20 rule definitely works.”

If you only train at your race pace, you’ll go slower on the big day. “You’ve got other things to do, such as fuelling and dealing with human traffic. So you need to train at a faster pace than your anticipated marathon pace. You are trying to make your race pace feel easier.”

How do you know what the right marathon pace for you is. Ideally you would run a 10K or half marathon to gain a good idea of what’s realistically sustainable for you. “If you’re hoping to run a marathon in four hours, you need to experience what that pace is like [calculate race paces at,

Run the ultimate marathon 2SAFE SPEEDING Get faster and stronger, while staying injury free.

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WHAT ARE INTERVALS?The most loathed but most effective speed work session, interval training means relatively short bursts of high intensity running – not quite sprinting, but faster than is comfortable, certainly above your estimated marathon race pace.

Faster paced running will develop your overall speed. It’s the most effective way of making you quicker, because it pushes your body the most. You’re training your body to better utilise available oxygen, improve your heart’s efficiency and train your metabolism to burn off fat. Intervals are the most time effective training method, too, as you’re getting maximum return from a comparatively short session.

It’s not always easy, but intervals should be paced so your running speed remains consistent through the whole workout. Put too much into your first interval and see the rest get progressively slower and it’s been a comparatively ineffective sessions. Your last rep should be as strong as your first.

There are lots of ways to do intervals – the two general ones being longer but less intense, and shorter but faster. Slower and longer intervals can be at your 5K race pace, but shorter ones will be far more intense.

HILLS: AN ENDURANCE ATHLETE’S BEST FRIEND“For someone new to the sport, when they start running on terrain that’s not flat really positive things start happening,” says Fox. “Your body’s working at a higher intensity on hills. So even if you’re running very easily, your heart rate is elevated, your lungs are being worked harder and improving, likewise your body’s ability to pump blood, as well as your leg muscle strength. It also quickens stride rate, increases stride length, and improves your running economy. You’re working leg muscles, postural muscles in a concentric fashion (shortening them), but also in an eccentric fashion (stretching them) when you come downhill. Imagine you’re holding a big bag of shopping: when you pull your arm up to your shoulder to lift the bag your muscles are being used in a concentric fashion but when the arm goes all the way down and you lower the bag, they are being used in an eccentric fashion. Above all, hill running improves your muscles – concentrically and eccentrically, which will in turn improve your speed.”




coolrunning.com]. Break it down into quarters – can you hold that pace for 10K?”

Speed work does all sorts of good thing to the marathon runner. It helps improve technique and your economy – helping you to run faster for the same oxygen consumption, or use less oxygen for the same running speed. “Speed work is an aerobic capacity increasing session,” says Fox. “So when you run your marathon pace you’re operating at a lower percentage of your capacity and the whole system is running more easily. If your car could drive at 200mph, driving at 60mph is no sweat. If it can only do 90mph, then 60mph is still pushing it some and wear and tear will be considerable. When you run at a higher intensity you’re producing more lactate, more metabolic stress and the body gets good at dealing with that.”

The bad news is, if done correctly, speed work hurts. But the good news is there are lots of different ways to do it. Intervals are the classic method (see box out), and your local running club probably offers structured interval sessions on a Tuesday or Thursday night. There’s also fartlek (unstructured fast bursts during an easy or moderate-paced run), Saturday morning parkruns, HIIT (high Intesnity Interval Training) and hill sessions (see box out). Speed work can be a lot of fun and shouldn’t ever be boring.

Rest is vital though “The day after a speed session should be total rest,” says Fox. “Most training plans are way too optimistic. I’ve trained athletes for many years and the amount of training that can be absorbed over the long-term is much less than generally perceived, because they get injured, or tired, or life gets in the way. But mostly they don’t rest enough.”

Fuelling is also key. “To get your body to run at your target marathon pace, make sure you’re fuelled to do it. If you’re depleted, it increases the chances of lowering your immune systems. Athletes of mine have done a speed session then got on the London Underground and had a cold within an hour,” says Fox. For the LSD run, being fasted is a good idea though. “When you’re exercising aerobically in a depleted state it improves your fat metabolism and that’s important. But other sessions should be in a fuelled state.”

Before speed work, to avoid dreaded muscular twangs, it’s vital to warm-up. “You need to feel your muscles working, to wake them up, especially if you’ve been sitting at a desk all day and your muscles have gone to sleep. But never with static stretches,” warns Fox, “which can cause laxity in tendons and muscles that cause poor form. Instead try dynamic activation and specifically target the systems you’ll be using. Try lunges (without weights), duck walks, step walks, standing on tiptoes, then trot along slowly for 10 minutes before the quality part of the session begins.”

STRONG ARM TACTICS To run your best ever marathon, consider strength training

Arnold Schwarzenegger is never going to win parkrun. Big muscles slow us down. However some targetted strength training can still help keep you injury free, says Laithwaite – it will help you train harder and recover more quickly. “It can also enhance your economy,” he says, “which means you’ll need less oxygen for any given running speed. Strength can be defined as the maximal amount of force you can produce in a single effort.”

A strong core is crucial for endurance runners. “Core strength is the ability to stabilise the pelvis, spine and torso – helping us hold posture,” says Laithwaite. “Technically it’s not ‘strength’, as holding the plank position for two minutes is not a maximal contraction. But holding a stable platform when you run is critical for economy. If your chassis collapses every time you hit the ground, your performance will suffer.”

Joint stability in other areas is just as important. “Most runners have probably heard of balance boards or similar devices,” says Laithwaite. “You stand on them (or try to) to improve balance. If your balance is poor due to lack of ankle control, you can imagine how difficult running off-road is. You’re focusing your efforts on propelling yourself forwards, whilst your body is simply trying to stabilise itself on the uneven floor!”

Plyometrics can be of great benefit too. “Plyometrics are simple jumping, bounding and hopping exercises that develop explosive power. You should be careful though – a basic strength

programme should come before plyometrics. Done in the great outdoors, basic strength could be developed with lunges and squats with kettlebells, e.g. 20x3 (reps x sets). Core work would involve the plank, side plank and a bridge exercise. Do these for six weeks then start the plyometrics (page 75).”

Any Pilates or core strength class will also benefit runners. “Or you can do simple exercises such as the plank and bridge as part of your warm-up,” advises Laithwaite. “What’s critical is the transfer from core to technique, doing plank exercise is pointless if you still run with bad form (see Good Form).”

EXPERT: MARC LAITHWAITE is a former sports science lecturer who specialises in endurance coaching and organises the Lakeland 50 and 100 ultra races. Follow his blog at theendurancestore.com/blogs/the-endurance-store.

“Plyometrics are simple jumping, bounding and hopping exercises that develop explosive power.”


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GARTH FOX’S SPEED SESSIONS Four effective ways to train for a faster marathon

YASSO 800 INTERVALS This is really solid speed work for someone tagretting a three-hour marathon, a VO2max session that will also benefit running economy and threshold (especially for the lesser trained athlete). Yasso 800s require running 800m in 3mins, with 3mins of jog recovery. That’s a pace of 6-min per mile (min/miles) pace. To run a sub-3hr marathon you’ll need to run at a pace of 6.40 min/miles. So your speed for the session is around 30 seconds faster than your targetted race pace. If you’re just starting out, you’d maybe only do one 800m but ideally would progress up to 10 repetitions.

HILL REPEATS The hill doesn’t need to be steep, it needs to be runnable, perhaps 4-6 percent gradient. Run pretty hard and try and maintain the pace for 3mins, with an easy 3-min jog back down. It’s the same thing as the Yasso session, with varied muscle work. This session is more about muscle endurance and less about improving economy (because your cadence will be lower).

HIIT Use the same hill as above or even something steeper and try to run at a higher pace than the previous sessions – all the way to the top, for around 2mins. Do this four times, with 2mins recovery as

you jog back down. This will improve your strength and power, help your economy, cardiovascular conditioning, underpin your speed and enable you to hold a moderate pace for longer in races.

SPECIFICTY Do a slow-paced run, setting out fasted and ideally on rugged or hilly terrain. When your legs are glycogen depleted, throw on a chunk of target marathon pace. You’re improving fat metabolism and training to run at marathon pace in a depleted state – exactly what it’ll be like on race day. Run slowly during the first part of the session to guard against injury.

PLYOMETRIC WORKOUTn 10m bouncing to gain height x4,

progressing in height and effort 1-4

n 10m hopping x2 right leg, x2 left leg

n 20m bounding on flat x4, progress through each, bound further rather than higher

n 20m bounding uphill x4, progress through each, bound further rather than higher




GOOD FORM Most running injuries are linked to bad technique and good form also rewards with better endurance and speed

“Good running technique is key and so often overlooked,” says Benzie. “With an efficient, natural running style your body will use its natural balance, skeletal support and fascial elasticity. It will stress your body less and therefore allow it to last longer in a race. Most running injuries can be traced to bad form.”

Runners tend to get injured because they misuse or over-use their muscles. Observing the 10 percent rule (building up training by no more than 10 percent per week) for marathon training should shield

the runner against over-use injuries. “Running with good technique – in a more natural and efficient way – will ensure we don’t get injured from muscle misuse,” says Benzie.

“Heel-striking for example increases the impact on the knee; we create around 2.5 times our body weight on impact on every foot fall and make around 1,300 strides per mile – imagine that. Good running form also helps to strengthen bones and joints, reducing your chances of injury in the longer-term.”

HOW TO RUN MORE NATURALLY AND EFFICIENTLY 1 Get your arms right and the rest tends to fall into place. They need to be at right angles, close to the body with the dynamic movement to the rear, letting them swing forward naturally.2 Stay upright as much as possible, with a slight forward lean from the ankles. Run tall, using your skeleton to support the weight of your body.3 Heel-striking increases knee impact and is inefficient. When you land on your heel you’re effectively braking and missing out on

proprioception from the bottom of the foot which has 200,000 nerve endings – telling us where we are and how to react to the ground as we move over it.

Instead, aim for full-foot contact, then your feet work as natural shock absorbers. The quicker your feet move the less likely you are to heel strike and the more efficient your style.

So, think: pump arms, stay tall, short, fast strides (your cadence). If that seems too complicated, just imagine you’re on a unicycle (forward lean, pedal fast).

EXPERT: SHANE BENZIE is a running coach, movement specialist and race director of the T60, T100 and T184 races, runningreborn.co.uk

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“Running with good technique – in a more natural and efficient way – will ensure we don’t get injured from muscle misuse,”


TRAIN ULTIMATE MARATHON Run the ultimate marathon 2

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