10 weeks out from the ING New York City Marathon: Last week's training

Below is the past week of training with 10 weeks to go to the NYC Marathon. After finishing the long term training calendar with my coach, we decided to put in a down week just before an increase in volume. While the week total was only 110, that included a planned day off, so the daily volume was still quite high. The next week will be a 150 mile week, so the day off was appreciated. I am now two days into the 150 mile week, and I will post that after my long run on Sunday. I am pleased with how my body has handled the training thus far, although the toughest is yet to come. I am hitting times now in workouts that I was hitting toward the end of my fall marathon training last year, so I feel that my steady progression is continuing.

I was particularly pleased with my 8 x mile workout listed below. I did the workout on pavement with a net uphill, and I had to jog the 2 minute rest in order to get back to the start line. So while the times are not incredibly fast, it was a great strength workout. The week was a great combo of faster miles followed by a long tempo closer to race pace. With the jump in volume this week I will make sure to pay close attention to my body and do what is necessary to stay healthy. That includes all the basics: icing, massage, STEM, not pushing recovery runs, nutrition, etc. The weather in Portland has been incredible for training, so I hope it keeps up! Thanks for reading, and I look forward to posting again next week.

Week 4	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	13 miles + drills and grass strides	6		19
Tuesday	15	6	1 hour	21
Wednesday	8 x mile with 2 minute jog rest, started 4:47 & finished 4:30	off		15
Thursday	11.5	5.5	1 hour	17
Friday	8 x 200 meter hills following 1 hour run	5.5		17
Saturday	Planned day off		30 minutes core	0
Sunday	15 mile tempo @4:59 (6 mile warm-up/cool down)	off		21
TOTAL				110

ING New York City Marathon: 11 weeks

With 11 weeks left until the ING New York City Marathon, the mileage is starting to ramp up. I'm feeling good after a solid 3 weeks at 120, 125, and 135, and I'm ready to start pushing it a little further. I will be aiming in the 145 to 150 range for this next week. Hopefully within the next couple of days I will have a half-marathon tune-up picked out. It will either be September 15th or October 6th depending on which Dave Smith and I decide will be more beneficial for my marathon preparations. This will allow us to finalize the next 11 weeks of training. I will share this training blueprint once it's finished, but pieces will certainly be adjusted throughout the season based on how many body is holding up to the training. So far my body is fairing very well, and I continue to see Dr. John Howell at Portland Integrated Health and Sports Medicine for maintenance, mostly on my tight hamstrings. This last week was a step up in intensity, so I was pleased with how my body responded in both the mile repeats, and the broken up tempo/long run. This upcoming week will include mile repeats with longer rest at a significantly faster pace, so I'm looking forward to seeing what I can get down to during a week of very high mileage. I'm wrapping this up just in time to head down to P.A.C.E for some strength training in between runs. Thanks for reading, and I'll continue to post my weekly log from now until New York.

Week 3	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	13 miles + drills and grass strides	6		19
Tuesday	10 x 1 mile starting @ 4:58 and working down to 4:42 w/1 min rest	5	1 hour	20
Wednesday	12.5	6		18.5
Thursday	12.5	6	1 hour	18.5
Friday	13 miles + drills and grass strides	5.5		18.5
Saturday	3 mile tempo @ 71.9s, 10 mile run @ 5:50, 3 mile tempo @70.9s + warm-up & cool down			22
Sunday	12.5	6	40 minutes core	18.5
				135

ING New York Marathon Prep

It's been a while since I've posted on this blog, but I intend to update it every week leading up to the ING New York Marathon this year. I took a short break after the USA Track Championships, and now I am building up my marathon training. Another 6th place finish at the US champs in the 10km, my sixth in a row, was a bit disappointing, but it was a very strong field. Coming off of another PR of 27:44 in the 10km puts me in a great spot heading into the fall marathon season.

Tomorrow will be 12 weeks out from New York, and I've been training for 5 weeks since my break at the end of the track season. I have been doing light workouts for the last two weeks in preparation for a solid 12 week block heading into November. Right now the goal is patience. I felt pretty wiped after an 18 week buildup leading up to the Fukuoka Marathon in December due to the cancellation of New York, so I have been very conservative for the last 5 weeks. I have increased the intensity of my strength training a bit by going to P.A.C.E. twice a week and working with local trainer Sean Coster. I am easing into it, but it can be quite taxing. As workouts and volume increase, the emphasis on this strength work will naturally decrease.

I plan on sharing my weekly training from now until New York. I am doing this for several reasons. First, not many people share their detailed training over long periods of time. Getting a peak at a week of training is only marginally helpful. My coach, Dave Smith, and I are still very much students of the marathon, so I know I would be interested in the marathon build-ups of other athletes. I also see this as an opportunity for feedback, discourse, and discussion. Everyone approaches marathon training a little differently, and I look forward to showing the simple, straightforward approach that Dave uses for all his athletes at any distance. I imagine some will find it fairly conservative, but it has kept me healthy and progressing for 9 straight years. I have achieved a PB in each of the 9 years under Dave. I have not made any huge jumps, but as long as I continue heading in this direction, there is no reason to change what's working.

Below are my last 2 weeks of training. The first 3 weeks consisted of nothing but jogging and strides with volumes at 85 miles, 100 miles, and 115 miles.

Week 1	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	12 + drills and grass strides	6		18
Tuesday	4 mile tempo @ 19:20	5	1 hour	17
Wednesday	11.5	5.5		17
Thursday	15		1 hour	15
Friday	15 x 200 @ 30-32, 200 jog recovery	7		17
Saturday	11.5	5.5	40 minutes core	17
Sunday	10 mile tempo @ 5:10			19
				120
Week 2	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	13 miles + drills and grass strides	5		18
Tuesday	13	5	1 hour	18
Wednesday	15 x 200 @ 30-32, 200 jog recovery	5		18
Thursday	15		1 hour	15
Friday	13	5	30 minutes core	18
Saturday	Tempo Session: 3 mile (72s), 2 mile (71s), 1 mile (70s) on track	5		18
Sunday	Long Run			20
				125

For more on my goals at NYC check out this interview by Flotrack: http://www.flotrack.org/speaker/569-Ryan-Vail

More to come next week. Enjoy the World Championships!