There’s no getting around it , training for a marathon is a long, hard slog. Early mornings, long afternoons and late nights. Add in inclement weather (luckily not a problem in Western Australia bar the scorching heat of summer ) and what started out as a good idea can become a ‘grind’.  I always think about Brenden Foster’s quote when I get up for an early morning run and stumble out of bed on tired limbs,  before staggering to the first kilometre of my run. It’s at this point I always remember to ignore your first kilometre, it lies to you, you will loosen up and rarely, if at all, have I finished worse than I started. In fact I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have regretted a run and over twenty plus years of running,  consistently,  that is a very small number.

I’m a big fan of the ‘train hard, race easy‘ approach to training. Basically the harder you train the easier the final race will be, simple really. Of course you need to also run the tightrope of avoiding injuries or burn out which is where the easy runs comes in.  Runs where you just run for the pure love of running, no goal, no distance , just you and your thoughts.  You are always tempted to run faster than you should and this has been the downfall of many runners, not giving their body times to recover.  In my defence I do take a day off a week as I commute to work on my bike as you can see from my Strava (You are on Strava right? http://www.strava.com ) Highlighted in orange below.

As you can see from the image below I’m a big believer in double days and distance; sprinkle in some pace, avoid injury and you’re all good. Sounds easy right but you need to keep the fire burning, avoid the burn out that affects so many marathon runners. Personally I love the grind of marathon training as I feel my fitness levels increase and my daily runs start to finish quicker,  as I run faster.

Keep an eye on heart rate though, no point running quicker but finishing totally spent, remember a marathon is 42km (or 26 miles for our American and British Cousins). Heart rate is an indicator of how hard you are running , what gear you are in basically. As you get fitter your heart rate will drop, in essence you’re running at the same pace but in a lower gear which means you can go for longer.

I’m also a big believer in running at marathon pace as much as possible when you train for a marathon, this way your marathon pace becomes ‘normal’ and the heart rate should adjust accordingly. Running a marathon is all about maintaining a target pace for as long as possible, the runner who slows down the least usually wins.   Of course you also need to add pace, distance and easy runs.

Fatigue is another issue you will face in the middle of a marathon training block and fisiocrem is a necessity to ward this off.  I have been using fisiocrem for many years but recently started to use it daily, twice a day and the results have been staggering, No long do I winch when I bend over to tie my laces, all niggles seem to have disappeared and my legs feel fresher for longer.  There may be a placebo effect in there of course but it works for me and all I can do is recommend products I use.  ( https://www.fisiocrem.com.au/ )

An article by Toby Tanser in 2007 rings as true now as it did then. 

Although there are a number of prominent, unique coaches working with the elite Kenyan distance runners today, the cornerstones of the “Kenyan program,” for nearly all, revolve around running fundamentals that were commonplace in the British Athletics training system in the 1970s and ’80s.

Bruce Tulloh, Alex Stewart, and Peter Foster (brother to Olympic medalist Brendan) were three coaches who introduced the system that is still largely in place today. That the Australian phenomenal athlete, Craig Mottram, trains by these guidelines as well should tell us this is a system worth following.

Catherine the Great

The most consistent of Kenyan marathon runners has been Catherine Ndereba, who has used the same formula and training plan through her near decade-long marathon career that begun with a career-worst sixth place at Boston in 1999. She owns the remarkable record of winning a medal in every single championship that she has contested. “The first time I ran the marathon for Kenya, I won the World Championships,” she says. “Of course, running for my country is what counts; at the end of the career you are remembered by what you did for your country.”

Ndereba uses a lighter mileage than her peers, running only between 75 to 90 miles per week. “This way I can keep my body fresh, and recovered,” she reasons. The focus she puts on her key marathons is extreme to the extent she will not extend herself in any session, even tune-up races, when honing in on the big day. Thus, she often falls in the world rankings during her key tune-up period.

For a championship year, she runs a spring marathon with a twofold purpose: to prove to the selectors that she should be chosen, and also to test her body to see what aspects need working on. Her coach for her entire career, El-Mostafa Nechchadi, a charismatic Moroccan who once ran 2:10, likes to begin the program with hill training and strength work, yet never drifts too far from speed work that is event specific. This philosophy is shared with other Kenyan greats: “What’s the point of running 5K speed to race a marathon?” asks Lornah Kiplagat.

Intervals are typically long reps with short recoveries. Short recoveries are a hallmark of Kenyan training. Joyce Chepchumba used 30 x 400m sessions with little rest prior to bringing home an Olympic bronze in 2000. “Why? There is no rest in the marathon,” she says, when asked about recovery time. “When I do 400s, it can be 30 seconds of rest.”

Ndereba runs using this formula: 20 x 400m in 71-72 seconds, with a very short rest. She can pop off this session at any time of the year. Felix Limo rarely runs short intervals, but when he does–for example, a session of 400s–he “jogs” his 100m rest at a pace this author clocked at six minutes per mile!

All Kenyan women, and Ndereba is a champion at this, adhere to the notion of running easy on the easy days. “On easy days, if you start pushing then the next day you cannot give 100 percent,” says Olympian and 2:27 athlete Alice Chelangat. “And nowadays if you speed and it is not 100 percent, then you better say goodbye to have any chances to win races.”

Running with Ndereba on an easy session you will find the pace does not creep any faster than 7 minute per mile–slow considering her 5:17 per-mile PR marathon pace. Catherine is easily able to run a hard session one day and the next morning come out and burn a 10-miler at 6-minute pace. But she does not, and therein lies a Kenyan secret to success. It’s no different for most Kenyan men. Isaac Songok and Augustine Choge, for example, rarely break 8-minute pace on their easy runs.

For Ndereba, the long run, the meat of the program, is run at a slow clip. “Easy speed up to 22 to 23 miles maximum,” she says. Five weeks prior to Osaka, she ran 7:30 pace for 23 miles. Tegla Loroupe ran under a similar program.

Run Hard: Rest Easy

Looking at the training diaries of three 2:06 marathon runners, Martin Lel, Felix Limo and Josephat Kiprono, you find a three-week cycle of long runs that moves from 30K to 35K to 38K before reverting to the shorter distance. For many, the long run is often the highest quality run of the week. Paul Tergat said one of his 35K runs in preparation for his world-record marathon was not that far off race pace.

Rest is the most underrated word in the global running dictionary. Yet in Kenyan running, the best runners are the ones who best separate themselves from the outside world.

“You can’t be thinking about business (for example real estate) and concentrating on running,” explains Solomon Busendich, who won the ING Amsterdam Marathon last October. “Your mind must be clear.”

He cites the example of Boston Marathon champion Timothy Cherigat, whose life became so preoccupied with the wheeling and dealings of trying to build a gas station that his running career crumbled. The hotbed of Kenyan running, Iten, is a far throw from electric lights, busy calendars and the constant distraction of a typical American city.

Bix hydration is just ace, a product brought to life by Vlad Ixel a professional ultra runner who knows a thing or two about hydration. ( https://www.bixvitamins.com/ )  The best thing about Bix is it tastes good with many different flavours and you never get sick of drinking it, this is a big plus as Maurten and Tailwind (both great products)  can be difficult to digest later in the event.  From the website :-

As an Australian elite multiple trail running champion, with wins in over 40 ultra-marathon races across Asia, recovery from training and races has always been my top priority. 

In searching for a solid recovery and hydration supplement, I recognized that critical vitamins and minerals – both in diversity and quantity – were missing from almost all supplements on the market. I had the feeling that in an effort to maximize their bottom-lines, companies in the hydration space, failed to deliver a product that could meaningfully assist athlete performance. 

In order to address this, I began the development of a hydration product. After two and a half years of development alongside a leading German sports scientist, BIX Recovery, an advanced, high-quality recovery drink was born. 

BIX boosts 12 active ingredients scientifically balanced to replace lost electrolytes and assist in immune function. It’s designed with quality vitamins and minerals, in quantities that work! 

BIX is a recovery solution for everyone, that will get you to the top of your game!

What can I say about HumanTecar,  ( https://athleticus.com.au/ ) it looks great, smells great and is awesome for recovery or even pre-run/workout. Read about the science behind it first and then try the products. The compression bandages are just magical after a long event. Put these on and the next day you are recovered, I have used them on a number of occasions and they never fail to astound me albeit the family poke fun at me as I look like a ‘mummy and smell funny’ !

 

Fractel ( https://fractel.com.au/ ) have your performance headgear covered. I love the colours and the functionality of these hats, I guarantee there is one model you’ll fall in love with.

Shokz headphones, let you keep in touch with the world around while losing yourself in quality tunes or podcasts. ( https://shokz.com.au/ )

T8 running apparel is the best you can get, second to none. Designed for the ultra humid Hong Kong conditions the owners live in.  It is light and does away with any chaffing worries. T8 is the name given to the highest typhoon warning in Honk Kong,  storms and typhoons with gusts exceeding 180kph, which explains the branding. ( https://t8.run/)

Altra supply the best trail shoes on the planet, in my opinion, and none better than the Olympus five. Do yourself a favour and buy a pair. ( https://www.altrarunning.com.au/ )

https://www.osprey.com/au/en/category/hydration/trail-running/ Osprey Australia have come onboard and are supplying me with two running backpacks and travelling luggage for the Run Britannia adventure. I particularly like their running backpacks and am excited to test them over the event. I’ll be using the Duro 6 and the Duro 1.5 backpacks.

Excited to have Coros onboard who have supplied me with the new Apex 2 Pro GPS watch. I already owned the Apex 2 and was stoked when Coros reached out and offered me an upgrade. Even more battery life, can you believe 75 hours using GPS, wow! The watch itself is awesome, so light and well made. The watch is paired with a incredible application to keep track of all your stats, and runners love stats ! .  ( https://coros.net.au/ )

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