Two Marathons With the 100 day Plan

by Alan
(St Kilda Australia)

What are the options if you want to run two marathons with the 100 day plan yearly ?

"Hi Marius - I am planning running the Berlin Marathon in 2010 I've already registered. What are your thoughts on training for a 4 hour pace for the first 100 days then 3.30 (or faster) for a second 100days?

I'm a reasonable runner (average 5.00/km pace), 40 yrs old, good condition, though I could lose 5Kgs.... I've done a few 1/2's in 2009 (1.54 & 1.58) along with many other 10Km + runs.

What do you think?

Alan"

Answer: Hi Alan, and thank you for your question. You have several options here, as I touched in this response back to back marathons and here back to back marathons

In your case - since you are already are in good condition and especially as the Australian weather probably lets you run in stable conditions year through (vs. icy Norwegian winter roads!) I would probably do two rounds of the 100 day plan. First 4:00 and then the 3:30. That will also give you a chance to "get used to" the plan before running in Berlin. Berlin is probably the fastest marathon in the world so it will be a great chance for you to set a pesonal best !

I wish you all the best.

Kind regards,
Marius

From Two Marathons 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.