Disney Marathon 2020 or How to (hopefully) BQ

I'm almost done... I'm almost done

When they changed the qualifying standards for the 2019 Boston Marathon and I simultaneously aged into the 45-50 bracket I thought all I'd need to do was break the 3:20 requirement and I'd most likely be in. In December 2018 when I finished the Gulf Coast Marathon in 3:18:55 I figured I'd done the work I needed but then a funny thing happened on the way to Hopkinton. Even through the standards had been moved up by 5 minutes, it became clear just by following social media posts that many people would still qualify and the cutoff would be lower. That's the thing about goals - once they're out there for people to aspire to they mentally shift gears and lock in on the new number. The body follows what the mind sets out to do. I'd wanted to put forth another attempt to lower my time but just couldn't get motivated to do speed work and instead went into ultra marathon mode so I ended up missing the cutoff of 1:39 by 34 seconds.

With this new information of where the cutoff ended up landing I now have a better idea of what I need to do to get into the 2020 Boston Marathon. I'm also motivated to do the necessary speed work to make running a sub 3:15 marathon (7:26/mile) possible. Originally I had entered the Disney Marathon primarily as a way to knock Florida off my 50 states and have something on my calendar post ultra but now it's taking a different shape. The flat course and anticipated cool January weather make Disney an ideal time and location to attempt qualifying for Boston.

Before I could turn focus to training, however, I needed test my recovery from the ultra marathon I'd only just completed three weeks ago. Actually my body has been itching to race and feels completely recovered so I set out to do a mild speed workout as a final test. Mile repeats at 10k effort (6:45, 6:40, 6:36, 6:37) turned out to be much smoother than I had expected and it felt really good to get the leg turnover going again. While I could have kept doing repeats, I cut the workout there as I didn't want to push beyond simply testing out where I was.

PHASE 1 - BASE MILES

I think we can all agree that I can skip this phase. Part of my thinking was that having already done a ton of mileage with consistent 70-80 mile weeks from June through October I'd be stronger than in the past. This should allow me to hold my pace longer and avoid fading over the last 6.2 miles of the race. The old adage is that the first half of a marathon is miles 1-20 and the last half is the final 6.2 and I have to agree with that.

For most people you want a good 2-3 months of building up your base mileage and stretching out your long run but having put in those miles already, I'm going to lean on that base and actually keep my mileage down to 50-60 miles a week during this two month final push. This will be something new for me as I always like to work and go hard, however it feels like I need to more focus on quality over quantity and keep my legs fresh and ready to go.

An easy-ish 17 mile run this past Sunday felt strong and controlled. I wasn't pushing the pace but I did extra elevation to maintain strength and just used it as an overall final test - I'm ready to go after my 2020 BQ attempt with a goal of finishing sub 3:15. This means the bulk of my training will be...

PHASE 2 - VO2 MAX & LACTATE THRESHHOLD

In the past I've designed a lot of my training based on how I felt or what I found in different training plans. I'd do speed work with an eye on maxing out thinking that would make me stronger. Over the past year I've learned that I'd be better off doing controlled speed work that doesn't empty my reserves and focus on the right pace and longer tempo runs. Chipkoge never goes for more than 90% effort on his speed work and really focuses on longer tempo runs so if it's good enough for him it's going to be good enough for me.

This is what a bonk looks like

Mile and 1200 repeats at 10k effort will be the bulk of the speed that I do and I'm actually going to do a lot of it on the track. This pace will require effort, but won't empty my tank and should allow me to bounce back quickly. Combining that with tempo work at goal marathon pace (7:26) on my long runs will hopefully lock my body in on exactly what it needs to do while staying fresher than I have in the past and ready to go. There's so many different training plans and theories out there that it's easy to get flooded with information but I am going mostly by the BAA Boston Marathon Training plan - even keeping some of the hill work despite my race being on a flat course. Hills = Strength.

I do hold one thing as a steadfast rule - if I'm going to run a marathon I need some training runs over 20 miles. There's plans that don't do this and while physically you might not need to go that far to complete your marathon goal, mentally going over 20 miles is a pretty big deal. It's a barrier that just sits there even if you've done it countless times. So to me it's important you bust through that barrier in training so it doesn't overwhelm you on race day.

PHASE 3 - TAPER & RACE DAY PLAN

Ah the taper, for me still the piece of the puzzle I haven't quite figured out. In reality there's almost nothing you can do in the last 2-3 weeks to improve your fitness going into a marathon. You can't win the race but you can lose it. Finding the balance between resting up and recharging and keeping my edge is the tough part. Mentally I need to stay engaged enough and my body needs to feel ready enough that I don't start to become sluggish which has happened in the past.

One of the things I like about the BAA plan is that it has a 2 week taper instead of a 3 week which just fits me a little better. It actually still incorporates some speed work the week before which I will feel out on the day and decide how much I want to do. While it won't improve my fitness for race day, it will help me stay and feel primed. Part of me always loves it when the work is done and I can pull back some but part of me also misses the grind as race day approaches.

As much if not more than any other race a marathon requires planning and adaptability. My ultras have just been about conserving energy, staying consistent, and finishing. With a marathon you're actually chasing a pace outside your aerobic zone so there's a much more chance of blowing up or a need to plan everything out from your first step. Really the first 20 miles are the first half of the race where you just build momentum and focus on not overcooking the pace. Once you reach the last 10k it becomes about finding what you have left to race it home.

With a target pace of 7:26 a mile my plan is to start a little slower than that and accelerate slowly. My best runs and races have always been when my pace builds and I feel like a hunter tracking runners down while closing hard. The first half I'm going to target a time of 1:14:30-1:15:00 which is 7:27/7:30 pace and I'll actually plan to do the first 5 at 7:30 pace. This will ease my old man body into it and hopefully feel smooth, it will also force me to hold back and be patient which ultra running has definitely helped me develop.

As much as you can be at risk in the first ten miles, the sneaky danger is actually more in the middle ten. You expect to have to hold back early but there's a spark that comes when you reach the halfway point feeling pretty good. Overconfidence can hit and you start blasting around mile 15 only to find mile 21 hit like a hammer. So my middle ten is going to have a pace goal of 7:26 that I have to stick to. This is also my target pace and if I hit it than I should be right on target or close to it around mile 20. At that point I can start to let go and will hopefully have enough left to race the last 10k in around 46:00.

One of my favorite pre race meals from Valerio's in Erie, PA. 2018 Erie Marathon

I've included a screen shot of my spreadsheet plan for training and racing. Usually I do all my analysis and thinking prior to starting training. I try to see how all the pieces fit together for weekly mileage or any target races/workouts. This way as I train I'm just following my plan and trusting in the end result as opposed to constantly rethinking and changing on the fly. It also avoids me talking myself out of workouts. We will see how this all works out but in the meantime I have Western States Lottery entry coming up and I have to plan out my 2020!