I bought a copy of 4 Months To A 4 Hour Marathon last year. I looked through it, but I ended up going a different direction with my training. I was following a Hal Higdon schedule running massive mils 5 days a week. I ran the Las Vegas Marathon, and was exhuasted after the 20 mile mark, and I didn’t even ran very fast. I continued to train for the Buffalo Marathon. I was always tired, and wasn’t getting any faster. I was using my heart rate monitor, and trying to keep my heart rate down. When I felt I wasn’t getting any faster I decided to switch gears. I had 5 weeks left to the Buffalo Marathon. I had already been building up a big base of long slow miles. So I decided to jump into the training schedule from 4 Months To A 4 Hour Marathon at week 13, targeting a 4:30 marathon. I added in some faster running as put forth in the scedule.
Well, the marathon was this last Sunday. I didn’t run a 4:30 marathon. Actually I ran it in 4:21:44!!!! I not only met my target time, I crushed it! I ran it faster than the schedule I was following!!!
My next Marathon is in September. I am looking to jump into 4:00 schedule at weeks 2 or 3. Week 2 would be this week I think, but I am tired and sore from the marathon. So I may start in ernest next week.
Another wrinkle is I am scheduled to run a 32.6 mile ultramarathon in July. I will just work that into the schedule, but I am planning on walking jogging that run.
With any luck, I will be able to run a 4:00 or maybe faster marathon in September.

Posted by Rob in Running on May 29th, 2007 |