long distance

[first timer]

Hi all,just wondering if there are any training plans out there that train you to keep your mileage up ,say if you were wanting to do a few marathons per year ,i haven't came across any yet don't really know where to look ,hope your training is going well

Thanks Rick

[Jon]

Hey Rick,

With 40+ views and no replies, I figure I'd offer my 2 cents.  Doing a few marathons a year is fairly aggressive, though not unheard of.  Before you look at a yearly plan, I would hope that you have a good long base of running in your legs (like 2-4 years of regular running, without major injury).  It also would help if you are not carrying a lot of extra weight, as the mileage for a year like you are describing can be fairly high.  Forgive me if this is redundant, but I don't know anything about you...

My guess, is you will not find a training plan that will be built to accommodate 3-4 marathons a year.  Assuming you've done some before, you would be better to find the length of build that works for you and then simply repeat it throughout the year as you are able to recover.  Of course, having a coach or consulting one, is also helpful if you have not tackled something like this before (plug: Sandy knows her stuff here, she'd be a great person to consult). The only other angle I would add, is doing more than 1 marathon off of the same build.  I have never done this, but no someone who has.  Obviously, this is not the way to execute your fastest race, but if your into getting lots of marathons done, doing them 1,2 or 3 weeks apart, is an option, if your body is not giving you warning signs.  My uncle had a span of 4 or 5 years, where he ran 5 marathons a year, so it can be done.  He basically ran 8 km a day 5 days a week, and then ran long on the weekends as he built towards a race.  This is oversimplifying it a bit, but it doesn't have to be complex.  Yes he threw in, hill repeats once a week, and maybe a track workout as well, but the majority of the year was just simple runs. 

Hope this kind of helps.  If you give me some more info to go from, then maybe you will get some more accurate replies.  Good Luck.

Jon
 

[Neil]

Plan to run a lot I guess.  Assuming you've run a few marathons and know what you're getting into, its basically wash, rinse and repeat.  The month before the marathon it should be your standard training plan. Most important is the taper. 2 weeks after you should taper up.  Listen to your body and give it chance to recover.  The rest of the time its whatever keeps you in shape, your level of crazy and how bad you got it.  That's my personal experience, your mileage may vary.

[first timer]

Thanks fellas i appreciate the replies ,just wondering if there were programs out there to keep yor milage up, been reading some articles on a few different distances thinking that maybe something that would help the marathon training .i understand the taper is needed to give the body its rest but the more i keep running the better i seem to feel,could be im not doing something right (again) Jon you are correct i think maybe a consult with Sandy would shed some light on my questions

thanks again Rick

[The Moose1]

You might be one of those freaks we all envy who can just keep running.  If so, the most important thing would be to listen to your body.  That means leaving your Garmin (if you have a habit of watching your pace) and your headphones at home.  Listen to the sound of your feet on the pavement, and recognize when your stride falters (you'll start slapping your fee when you're tired).  By all means make yourself a plan, but be prepared to abandon it at any moment, whether for one run, one week, or a month.  To successfully pull off this sort of thing, you're going to need rest eventually, and you need the flexibility to do that whenever your body says it's time.  If you start a run and you feel the signs of fatigue, go home.  On the other hand, if you truly feel good just running, well, keep running Forrest.
Oh, and know that behind all the insults, I am truly envious that you're body can do what you say it is doing.

Keep running,

Mike

[first timer]

Hey Mike ,thanks for the tip i know it seems strange but that taper just seems to kill me im still learning alot but just looking at different possibilities ,by the way your not the first to call me a freak  lol !!!!

thanks again Rick