The Endurance Phase: Weeks 1 – 4 of the 16 week marathon training plan

The entrance fee is paid; my registration confirmed; friends and family told; so it looks, sounds and feels like a commitment to a running date on April 18. Seems now, I just have to follow the plan and be sure to do the necessary things on a daily basis. A plan, oh yeah, guess I should finalize exactly what plan to follow...and soon!

Dec 27 to Jan 2, week 1 or 16 weeks to go: And so it begins!
As I head out the door in SW Calgary the day after Boxing day, I must admit that it crosses my mind that it may not be the best time in a year to embark on a 16 week running program. Then again, I ask myself, “when is the best time to start a training program?” The answer was as obvious as the snow blanketing the ground; when you need to, or even more compelling, when you want to! So with a belly still full of Christmas treats and turkey, I ventured out the door to tackle a few hill repeats to serve myself notice that there needed to be a discernible increase in my training intensity. I wasn’t starting cold, as in no conditioning base, but runs over the last few months had involved little intensity other than the injection of a random ‘fartlek’ session or two. No more “junk runs”; time to test the mettle!

For those of you that think that Calgary is interminably flat in all directions, you’ve never cycled or run in the western part of the city. Some say that it’s so flat that on a good day, you can “almost see Winnipeg off to the east” or if that’s a stretch, you can “watch your neighbour’s dog go home for days”. Great hyperbole, but far from the truth! There’s a reason it’s called the ‘foothills city’ and where I’m currently living, it seems that every direction is uphill. So on this day, after a light 15 minute warm-up, I find myself at the base of a pre-scouted hill, the benignly named Elkton Drive. Looking up it doesn’t seem that daunting, maybe 300m in length with a moderate, rather than gentle grade. Right, 4 maybe 5 repeats should suffice for the first hill run?

Half-way up my legs feel rather heavy, like the running trousers have mysteriously morphed into knight’s armour, and my lungs are pumping furiously, like an old fashioned bellows being worked by a large, angry blacksmith. Once at the top, I slow to an easy recovery jog and take in the glorious view of the Rockies to the west, catching my breath and convincing myself that, “the run up the hill wasn’t that bad and look at the reward.” On the coasting jog back to the bottom, I adjust the target to a firm four repeats and lock it in mentally. Five seemed a stretch at current fitness level and no sense angering my Achilles too much. A scant 20 minutes later, starting into a 15 minute cool down with four hill repeats under my belt, the sense of accomplishment settles in and I make my way back to the house content with completing the first ‘intense’ workout and comforted by the thought of left-over turkey awaiting my increased appetite.

Elkton Drive Hill

A couple of cross training sessions (stationary bike and free weights) and a 16km run on Sunday wraps up the first week: still standing, my toe nails are black from bad basketball shoes but still in place, and generally I’m feeling good about the prospects. Two or three less kilos of weight to haul around would be good...that may happen, if I get around to dropping beer and desserts from the diet. Hmmmm...

Jan 3 – 9, week 2 or 15 weeks to go: A new year, same old winter
It was a mixed week as still hadn’t decided on which of the three plans I was going to follow so I basically free-lanced the workouts. What I did do was make sure that there were two days where it was all about resting as I convinced myself that at my age, a rest day is a very good thing, a chance to let the old bones, joints, and muscles recover. Then again, the nasty winter weather was also a bit of a deterrent to outdoor exertions and didn’t inspire extra workouts.
Inside it was then, at the Westside Rec centre on Monday, for time on a stationary bike and elliptical trainer where it was warm and I could watch the Canadian Junior hockey at the same time, their 4-1 win over the USA injecting some tempo into the workout. Tuesday, sore toes and all, I was back with the “boys” playing some hoops in the basement church while Wednesday meant a few 800m repeats on the icy paths. Quite noticeable is how much ones’ pace is slowed when there is poor purchase on the surface, such as on snow and ice. I got the run completed in time to watch the World Jr. Hockey final, a disappointing loss which may have contributed to my need for a rest day on Thursday?



Friday I was convinced to try a spin class as a cross-training alternative. Of the aerobic demand and intensity of exercise there is no doubt; it was the enjoyment that eluded me! A guy at the front of a room yelling at the 30 or so of us firmly locked in place on fancy bikes, bikes that were still going no- where no matter how fancy or indeed how hard you pedalled, struck me as odd. Definitely not my cup of tea although must admit I can see the appeal for others, at least if I squint real hard. Then came Saturday when the need to get outside outweighed reasonable thought processes....

With the wind chill in excess of -22C and winds gusting up to 65km/hr, I figured this would be a good gut check, something to test my resolve. Actually it was more a test of sanity than anything. When I stumbled into the winter white-out and headed straight into the teeth of the wind -- naturally going uphill -- my pace was slower than 10 min/mile, I’m quite sure a pace likely easily matched by any stumbling drunk through the midway at Stampede. Trying to run, I felt like I was “under the influence”, for staying in a straight line was difficult and even simply staying upright proved a challenge several times. The looks on people’s faces as they drove past in their vehicles with their heavily frosted windows, was the source of my own twisted amusement for the day. In one hour, I barely completed a head-bowed six miles with all the slipping and stumbling; the 6:15/mile pace for the last few minutes salvaging a sense of some running capacity. That speed? Amazing how fast one can move when it’s downhill, towards the house and the wind is at your back! Now I do fully understand that old Irish blessing.

Jan 10 – 16, 14 weeks to go: Heading back east
A couple of weeks under my (water) belt and still no decision on which training plan to follow. The one I had started out following seemed a tad too tough for my current running fitness, while the other one seemed too easy. Perhaps I could simply use the one from 2009 that had produced such good results in Chicago? Maybe it was the best alternative? Trick was I had hired a coach for the program and all the sessions were web-delivered and even though I’d kept a few details, there were gaps in the actual work-out details from two years ago. Thankfully, this would get resolved next week.

Monday was a make-up day for Sunday when I hadn’t got in my LSD. So on with the layers of running clothes, donning a glove and toque, and out the door heading north and west, on a course to my house that my brother and sister-in-law were staying in for six weeks. They had been so kind to invite me over for dinner – at my house which did seem a trifle weird – and I figured running to dinner and then getting a ride back to Lisa’s condo was a great idea. Just over 10 miles in distance, my course led me through Edworthy Park and down to the Bow River, following the running / cycling path on the north side of the river.

I’ve lived in numerous places across Canada, indeed around the world, and each place has its most redeeming qualities. For me, the best things about Calgary are the two rivers that run through it (Bow and Elbow), the paths along those rivers, the proximity to the Rocky Mountains and the big, blue sky. And on this chill day (-16C) I got to enjoy three of those things. Heading east, the vapours emanating from the skyscrapers in Calgary’s downtown core acted as a beacon for me as “my house” lies just north of the city centre. Felt reasonably good although my stomach was freezing; no, not the inside but the skin on my tummy felt like it was getting frostbite. It actually didn’t but I was most pleased to get to the house and strip off the damp running gear and have a hot shower. As I was leaving after dinner, my brother Michael, with a mischievous grin, invited me to “come back any time, you’re always welcome at your house”!
Basketball on Tuesday night served as a substitute for some speed-work; Wednesday I took off; Thursday was a visit back to the hill of Elkton Drive where a set of 5 repeats seemed far easier than the four just after Christmas; Friday was a travel day to Ottawa with a light x-training session in hotel; and then a 20 minute session on a stationary bike followed by 21+ minute 5 km tempo run on the hotel treadmill in midst of Ottawa snowstorm; and there I was, back at another long weekend run. It is true; marathon training does become a bit of a “Groundhog week” if not a “Groundhog Day” (check out the old Bill Murray movie if you fail to grasp that comparison).



Sunday morning I ventured out for a 19.2 km (12 mile) run through the snow covered landscape of our nation’s capital. I headed east on Sussex Drive to the Rideau River to pick up the path along the east side of river but with all the fresh snow, the footing was a struggle so veered back through downtown to the Rideau Canal to pick up the path that runs alongside it out to Dows Lake and beyond. It was a beautiful winter day and the canal was busy with skaters taking advantage of the winter sunshine, its warmth taking the edge off the -15C registering on the thermometers. Turning around at the lock near Hogs Back, I actually ran a couple of miles right on the frozen canal, absorbing some energy from the skaters as my legs felt heavy, my butt muscles were sore from fast tempo the night before, and I was definitely flagging towards the end. As I stood in the shower letting the warm water wash away the chills, I marvelled at just how good it feels to complete a long run. I also started to fantasize about a large hot breakfast before packing up to fly back to Calgary. Run, eat, fly -- what a great way to spend a Sunday!

Jan 17-23, 13 weeks to go: Formal training plan settled on and reconnecting with the Old Dawgs
Although I have previously used plans and a plethora of examples exist in books and magazines, let alone the abundance of examples and advice on the web, I needed to find something that worked for me at this point. ‘This point’ meaning accounting for work time, travel, base fitness, age, wear and tear on body including old injuries, and desired race outcomes. In 2009, my primary goal was to finish the race feeling good with a reasonable time being a secondary goal. I had a decent time in 2000 (3h4min) but felt near death at the end so not the best race experience. I wanted the Chicago marathon to be enjoyable, not some form of masochistic flailing! It worked out great as I felt very good at the end and the 3hr12min time was 8 minutes faster than original target. Cory at TCR Sport Lab in Calgary had coached me in 2009 so applying the principle of Occam ’s razor, I’d go back to Cory and TCR for a visit and a plan.

What had changed in last two years though was that I didn’t have the flexibility or time that I had in 2009 and I simply didn’t want to do another MVO2 test....ever! If not familiar with this test, just think about sticking a mask over your mouth while biting down on a breathing tube, pinching off your nose, sticking a heart monitor on and then running on a treadmill until you almost or actually do puke. In both my tests, I only got to the “this really hurts – this sucks stage” rather than looking for the bucket to spew into. I realize that it provides extremely valuable data and is the basis for a scientific approach to a training program; it’s just that my very competitive years are behind me and I’m running Boston for different reasons than I ran Chicago or Victoria. Yes I want a respectable time and feeling good at the end of the race is still paramount, but it’s more about running this to support the sport and recreation aspirations of others. It’s a visceral way of giving back to the Paralympic Movement; through physical exertion and sweat rather than being in meetings, chairing committees, making speeches or participating in conferences.

Courtesy CSC Pacific - The apparatus I despise

That was the pitch I gave Cory and his response was brilliant: “I’ll just give you access to your previous plan and follow it as best you can”. So there I was, back on the TCR website taking a look at what I had done in 2009 and then picking up on the 13 weeks to go training sessions. What did strike me was how much training I had actually done in 2009 and yes, I was 2kgs lighter then, so a reason for being slightly faster then. No excuses, no whining or explaining, I now had a clear and simple plan to follow so get after it!

The plan was essentially, “less is more”, which I had been loosely applying until now. Basically it involves only three running sessions in any one week with cross-training and stretching mixed in on the off days. It’s about quality and intensity rather than quantity, a great fit for me considering my schedule and concerns about old injuries (not a lot but excessive pounding doesn’t help tender Achilles, tight hamstrings or even a rather poor shoulder that requires surgery right after the Boston race). I found comfort in the familiarity of a week with one speed workout, one tempo and one long run on the weekend.

Monday was body weights and easy aerobic; Tuesday was a 10km session on stationary bike with free weights after; Wednesday was a 9pm run under a bright full moon finished off with four hill repeats on Elkton; Thursday was rest day; Friday involved a 10km run including a 5km tempo on treadmill at 6'45/mi pace, and Saturday another day of recovery for the legs. Sunday would see me reconnecting with old running buddies, a good number part of the Calgary Road Runners and formerly the unofficial “Old Dawgs” racing group that I had run with on the Hood-to-Coast run in Oregon as well as the Banff-Jasper relay a few times.

There is nothing like having support or a group of friends to help you accomplish things in life and even for something as simple as a run, having others to help you is the only way too. Because of my travel schedule, I put in a lot of lonely miles in a lot of distant places so getting together with old running friends is a real treat. Just being a part of the group puts extra spring in your step and helps pass the miles; even the 15.5km on this particular day.

And this Sunday was a ‘blue-bird” day, bright sunshine with fresh snow, one of those days where you appreciate, or is that almost appreciate, a Canadian winter day. Nine of us headed out from our coffee shop meeting place at 08h30 and after a few miles, we split into a couple of groups based on pace. At this stage, I was wise enough to settle into the second group, ones running slightly slower or I wasn’t going to finish. Just after 10h00, we were all back at the cafe, sipping coffee and ‘chowing-down’ our well deserved egg scramble sandwiches while sharing stories of running adventures, past and promised, as well as general catch-up on life. It’d been too long so was quite grand to re-connect with the group! Of course, one of the wise leaders and accomplished runners did size me over breakfast and ask, “Have you been doing enough training...Boston is only 12 weeks or so away?” You have to love doses of reality and gut checks! I’ll be ready; it’ll be great!!