Marathon Training

Yesterday, I was attending a technical seminar when a guy came up to me and said "Hello, xiao ding dang"... Blurred for a moment as I cannot recognise him.. A look at his name tag and I realised he is kanglc who joined me for NUS Hill Run. We chatted about his marathon training for the upcoming SCSM. After doing 2 long runs on Sat and Sun, he has developed PF. So I shared with him how me & tktan trained for SCSM.

4 months training of weekly mileage 50-65km
- 1 weekday short run (10-12km)
- 1 weekday short run (13-15km)
- 1 weekday mid-distance run (18-20km) with a day rest after
- 1 weekend long-distance run (24-36km) with 1 day rest before and after
outcome : 3:58 finish time

For all training runs, I'll do it at race pace -- coz I wanna train my body to get accustomed to the breathing, speed and pacing. Add some hill training to work on different sets of muscles for weekday runs. For LD, if you have home ground advantage, train on the actual race route and at the same start time.

Race strategy :-
- start ~ 12km : maintain 5.15min/km pace
* refuel with 1 pack of energy gel 15min before the race start
* refuel with 1 pack of energy gel at 12km
- 12km ~ 30km : maintain 5:30min/km pace
* refuel with 1 pack of energy gel at 22km
- 30km ~ end : maintain 5:45min/km pace
* refuel with 1 pack of energy gel at 32km
* refuel with 1 pack of energy gel at 36km (final boost)

For me, I cannot start slow -- engine will stalled and I am unable to pick up speed later. So I will let go and run at my own unconstrained pace before settling in a comfortable pace.

What works for me may not work for you. So, please train with caution and most importantly, enjoy the run!

P.S. After SCSM, we went on to take part in Nagano Marathon 4mths later. Vary our training schedule as below :-
4 months training of weekly mileage 45-60km
- 1 weekday short run (13-15km) with a day rest after
- 1 weekday mid-distance run (18-20km) with a day rest after
- 1 weekend long-distance(LD) run (24-36km) with 1 day rest before and after
outcome : 4:12 finish time