Some thoughts

So what does the 3:05 plan look like? Well, I am in the midst of trying to put a program together, however here are some of my thoughts so far:

Balance:

The whole program will have the aim of keeping the work, family, health, social and training aspects of my life in alignment. Consistency will be the key. Weekly km targets will be achievable, rest days will be scheduled as well as regular easier weeks. Health and nutrition will not be taken for granted

Structure

The basis of my previous programs was lots of easy km's including 5-7 long runs of around 30k. Ad hoc races would cover the majority of any faster training requirements. My theory was that I would continue to improve using this method as my running base was not yet fully developed. For the most part this has been effective and has kept me off the injury list. But will this approach continue to give me the improved results that I have seen in the past few years – probably not.

So I am trying something new. I am developing a program based on Jack Daniel's running formula which I have been reading over the last 12 months and slowly beginning to understand the concepts. I will alter the example marathon program to fit my own individual needs, however I will follow the general themes and phases that he recommends.

The biggest change to any of my previous programs and what I think is the stand out attribute of the Daniels marathon program is the focus throughout the program on threshold running. Threshold running improves endurance and the speed at which can be run without accumulating lactate. As the marathon will be run at a speed just below the lactate threshold, it makes sense to train to improve the lactate threshold. The other significant change is the long run (see below).

My adjusted program will be broken down into 5 phases:

• base building
• intervals
• 2 x threshold phases
• taper

Long runs

Another big adjustment this time around will be my long runs. Previously long runs for me consisted of easy running for about 2:45-3:00 hours. My long runs in the next 22 weeks will consist of a mixture of the following:

• Shorter long runs – 2 to 2.5 hours is what I will be targeting, especially early on in the program. Daniels never has his athletes run further than 2.5 hours or 25% of their total mileage. The benefits of a shorter long run include reduced recovery and less time away from home on weekends
• Longer long runs – somewhat of a paradox I know. I am planning every 1-2 months to run long (meaning 40+ k's). The reason behind this is to develop the endurance for future ultras and tri's. I realise that it will have some impact on the marathon plan, however I am prepared to pay the price for this and will endeavour to minimize the impacts
• Threshold long runs – shorter threshold sessions will be seen regularly throughout the week (especially as the July becomes closer) however they will also form an important part of some longer running sessions as well in different forms.
• Marathon paced long runs – this will allow the body to spend time running at a pace at which I hope to run. It is also an opportunity to practice race day nutrition and hydration

Cycling

It is my plan to incorporate 1-2 regular rides per week in the weekly schedule. This is for two reasons 1) in a similar way that I will be incorporating longer long runs into the program for future ultra running, I also plan to keep the cycling muscles alive in preparation for triathlon training later in the year. I don't expect to see much (if any) improvement, but will allow me to pick things up quickly post marathon. 2) cross training – it will give me some additional aerobic conditioning

So, a little bit more science in the program. Not necessarily rocket science though. In the end, putting together the plan isn't the hard bit, it is maintaining discipline to full fill it.

We'll see how we go.