This marathon training tip focuses on the power of the mind. For a few moments, set aside the shoes and the open road. Grab a pen and paper. Use the following M.A.R.A.T.H.O.N. guidelines to determine your own goals and personal path to the 2000 NYC Marathon.
Quantify your running desire. Be specific -- stay away from "er" goals (faster, thinner, better) and focus on specific numbers instead (what time/pace do you want to run in a particular race? What weight do you want to reach? What distance do you want to run?).
Figure out what is needed on a monthly, weekly, and daily basis to reach your goal.
MONTHLY: March and April are good months to establish a mileage base. Ease into racing once or twice a month.
WEEKLY: Casual runners preparing to run the 2000 NYC Marathon should log a minimum of 10-15 miles a week in March, and should shift upward to 20-30 miles per week by April. Experienced runners should log a minimum of 20-30 miles per week shifting to 30-40 by May or June.
¡Æ Do you have the time for the day-to-day grind of training?
¡Æ Can you work out five or six days a week?
¡Æ Do you have enough free time on weekends not only for the long runs but to recover from the physical efforts?
¡Æ Will compatriots support or sabotage your efforts?
So how does the part of marathoner feel? Is it a comfortable, exciting fit? Or do you feel like a stranger in your own life. If you can't see how this is possibly going to work, your goal isn't realistic and needs some adjustment.
¢¹A is for Ability and Attitude(A´Â ´É·Â°ú ¸¶À½°¡ÁüÀÔ´Ï´Ù)
As Henry Ford put it, "If you think you can or you think you can't, you are probably right."
Ability only counts for part of performance. Runners must come to training with a can-do mind-set. Attitude allows runners to access their ability. Finishers finish and winners win because they believe they can. The knack for tapping your talent comes with practice:
First, visualize every detail from smells and sweat to the sound of running shoes slapping the pavement (or gliding over it, depending on how your show goes).
¡Æ I think I can. I think I can.
¡Æ I am a marathoner.
¡Æ I am a sub 3-hour (or 4-hour) marathoner.
¡Æ I am disciplined.
¡Æ I am successful.
Write these affirmations on index cards and strategically post them around your home and office to help keep you focused and positive.
¢¹T is for Time Line and Testing(T´Â ½Ã°£ °èȹǥ¿Í ½ÃÇè)
TIME LINE: Getting ready on time is crucial. Break down the weeks and months before the marathon into mini-goals. Setting and reaching milestones ensures arriving at the Marathon in peak shape. Without a time line for progress, training stalls. A runner who doesn't apply a schedule to training drifts off course.
TESTING: The NYRRC is a paradise for racing opportunities. Test your conditioning once or twice each month. Race experience builds enthusiasm and confidence. Strategic races for marathon preparation are listed in Training Tip #1.
¢¹H is for Hard Work and Humor(H´Â Èûµç ÈƷðú À¯¸ÓÀÔ´Ï´Ù)
There is no magic bullet in marathoning. It takes patience and hard work to reach your goals. No nutritional supplement or specialized running shoe takes the place of miles in the bank. The best training aide is a sense of humor. Keep it handy along the way. Don't be too hard on yourself. The marathon is the perfect metaphor -- it all happens one step at a time.
Training has to be a priority. Okay, maybe its not the top of the rung, but pretty close. Marathon training affects eating, sleeping, time management, and relationships.
The big decision to run a marathon takes courage. Working toward this goal takes masterful juggling and a lot of tact. The little daily sacrifices fortify marathon commitment.
There is a great advantage in training under unfavorable conditions. It is better to train under bad conditions for the difference is then a tremendous relief in a race.
--Emil Zatopek
When the unexpected comes along, don't lose your nerve. Plan ahead for roadblocks. Marathon training is full of potholes, stumbling blocks, pitfalls, and general obstacles. Plan leeway into you schedule to accommodate the unexpected. It's going to happen.
Bob Glover uses a three-goal plan. This system takes into account whether things are going very well, well, or not so well. This system plans specifically for racing but helps runners in all phases of marathon training.
Sometimes marathon training evolves along the same lines. Keep your head up when conditions slap you around. Use the flexibility of a three-goal system to keep nerves steady. Missing a goal along the way -- whether it is a long run, a weekly mileage total, or a key race -- doesn't mean the end. Adjust your plans to accommodate the challenge and start out again.
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SHELLY GLOVER has a master's degree in exercise physiology from Columbia University. She co-authored The Runner's Handbook and The Competitive Runner¡¯s Handbook [both available in the online bookstore] and is a veteran road runner and marathoner. She also coaches Mercury Masters and The Greater New York Racing Team. Shelly-lynn can be reached with specific questions by e-mail.