This weekend the fall Sunday Long Run series began

We call it the fall series because these runs are training for the fall marathons. Specifically for The Bay State Marathon in Lowell, but it works nicely for the other fall marathons as well such as Hartford and Philadelphia.

It seems like just last week I was running over the Roosevelt bridge from New Brunswick into Lubec to finish the Bay of Fundy International Marathon. During the almost six weeks between Boston and Fundy, I took less than two weeks off for recovery. I’ve done 14 races so far this year, and it seems like I’m always in training.

I do enjoy racing and look at 5k and 10k races as part of my training. I always push my self harder when I’m running a race, so these are great speed workouts for me. They allow me to test my self and gauge my level of fitness. While I do enjoy racing, I know that I need to train for them, unless I’m showing up just to drink beer. I rarely show up to a race just for the party. Even when I’m injured or it’s a themed holiday race, the fire in the belly is always there. I love it.

I definitely appreciate the importance of the Sunday Long Run and proper training. Proper training cannot be rushed, there are no short cuts to the starting line. The rule of thumb is to increase your weekly mileage by no more than 10% and build in a few step back weeks to allow your body to recover late in the training program when the mileage can be grueling.

Tip for new runners: Look at the miles you run on an average week. These are your base miles. This is where you start and add 10% from. If you only run one day a week for a few miles you may be able to go well beyond this rule of thumb.

If you run 3 miles one day a week you should be able to add a second day of running at the same distance. After this feels comfortable, add a third day at the same distance. Once you are comfortable with three days, start increasing the distance on one of your three runs by approximately 10% of your weekly mileage each week. It’s quite easy to go from one day a week at 3 miles to 3-4 days per week and 15 miles. It really is best to ease your way into the more rigorous schedule.

The same holds true for experienced runners who have a higher weekly base mileage. That is why we start our SLR in the middle of July to prepare for a fall marathon. This week we ran 8.8 miles. Since Boston, the only time I have run further is at The Bay of Fundy International Marathon. That’s correct – No long runs while training for Fundy, but I still ran my 2nd best marathon time ever. There is something to be said for being well rested. But I digress, as usual.

The Sunday Long Run is meant to be incorporated into a runners over all training program. Next week we jump to 12.5 miles which is about a 45% increase. There goes the 10% rule, right?

My base is 20-30 miles per week. To keep my weekly mile increase to 10% I will back off on my Tuesday night run to compensate for the Sunday run. Jumping up 3.7 miles, or 45%, for the long seems like a big increase. But by cutting other runs down, I can keep my weekly miles within the safe range.

We are in the midst of the hot summer weather in New England. Many of us wait all year for this. It’s hard to complain about 80F and 100% humidity when we know Jack Frost will soon reappear. Other runners prefer cool or even cold weather to run in.

• Have you started training for your fall marathon?
• Have you decided on a fall marathon yet?
• What base mileage do you maintain all year?

If you are new to running or starting your first marathon training program send me your questions. If I can’t provide an answer I can find the answer for you.

Run well my friends!

Andy

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