Progressive running

by Kreso
(Zagreb, Croatia)

How to go about sessions where you feel like the pace is dropping towards the end - always go for progressive running in your sessions.

"Hello Marius
I use your 3:30 plan for marathon, in hard workout like 7x4min (3min in eff 3 and 1 min in eff 4, rec 1 min) my speed drops significantly after 3-4 intervals.I can't sustain same speed when i am in eff 4 like in few first intervals. Is it sign of accumulated lactic acid in my muscles? Almost all recovery time(1 min in this case)is spent in effort 3, maybe at end of recovery is 80% heart rate. Is it ok training for me and should I change something?
Best regards"

Answer: Hi Kreso, the main reason for this is that you are not fit enough yet to sustain the pace all through the session. This is a combination of muscular and cardiovascular aspects of training.

What I would do is to start off your sessions at the very lower end of Effort 3 (around 80 % of max HR) and build the pace up gradually. In the Effort 4 part of the runs, go right at the lower end of this (at around 87-88 %) in the first intervalls, then at the end you'll be able to go that little bit harder/faster. You want to aim for some progression in the session if possible, at least keep the same pace going. So you want to start a bit slower and build up.

Wish you all the best with your training,

best regards,
Marius

Back from Progressive Running to Marathon Training Schedule

I'm often asked what shoes I personally recommend to help stay injury free while running (on the 100 day plan) so I'll add a little bit about it at the end of these Q and A's.

Good shoes are crucial if you want to stay injury free during your marathon journey. In general, the best is to find a shoe that fits your feet according to your foot type.

However, these three shoes will do an excellent job with their mild correction - and will work for most runners :

The most sold running shoes ever - and by every model seems to get better and better. About the same weight as the Kayano but the fit is a little bit different.

The 2150 is a great alternative for the faster work you'll be doing in the 100 day plan. It is one of the few shoes that "feels" like a lightweight one but at the same time has more than enough stabilty to prevent injuries with the marathon type length of some of the interval sessions.

A tips for international (non-US) runners : check out roadrunnerssports.com : Example : Asics Kayano (RoadRunnerssports) they ship worldwide and it can really save you some money on your shoes.