Qualifying for boston marathon training program

One cold weather strategy is that many of the long runs are prescribed in hours and minutes rather than in miles. The Boston Bound Training Program consists of the following workouts on various days of the week:. Monday: Run Easy. In my Boston Bound Training Program, Mondays are easy days with short runs that begin at 3 miles in the first week, then move upward to 4 and 5 miles. The main purpose of the workout is to do some easy miles while recovering from one hard workout and getting ready for another.

If you have access to a fitness center, you might want to do this workout on a treadmill, then do some strength training afterwards. Run between 65 to 75 percent of your maximum heart rate.

Tuesday: Run Fast. On alternate Tuesdays, run either fast repeats at the track Yasso Repeats or hill repeats on a hill that could be almost any length between and meters, as long as running up it pushes you into the 80 to 90 percent maximum zone. Because Boston is a downhill course, run every third repeat downhill to strengthen your legs for the pounding they will get in the marathon.

Wednesday: Run Easy. Similar to Monday, do a short and easy run today, coupling this run outdoors or indoors with some stretching and strength training. Stay in the 65 to 75 percent comfort zone.

Thursday: Run Fast. Weather permitting, you will do a Tempo Run on most days. I define a Tempo Run as one where you start easy at a jogging warm-up pace 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate , then after a mile or two, begin to gradually accelerate to just slower than your K pace between 80 and 90 percent of your maximum heart rate.

Then, after holding that fast pace for 3 to 5 minutes, gradually decelerate and finish the run at the same jogging pace at which you started.

While I suggest Thursdays for Tempo Runs, be aware of weather conditions. Feel free to shift your Tempo Run—or any other prescribed workout—to the day of the week most convenient for you. Friday: Rest. Fridays are rest days in all my programs. You need to be well rested to obtain maximum benefit from the tougher workouts on the weekends.

Saturday: Pace Training. Saturday runs vary from 8 to 4 miles with about half of them done at marathon pace. I say this despite the fact that it may be very difficult to achieve your normal marathon pace in bad weather while wearing heavy clothes and with snow and ice on the pavement.

So do the best you can, knowing that as Boston approaches the weather should warm allowing you to hit the pace you want. I would shoot for 75 to 80 percent of your maximum heart rate. Please note in the schedule below that I suggest doing several test races to measure your fitness level and provide motivation. Sunday: Run Long. Because winter weather conditions can impact your ability to run certain distances, every other Sunday the long run prescription is in minutes rather than miles.

This recognizes the fact that 14 miles in difficult weather can be the Moral Equivalent of 16 or 18 miles in perfect conditions. Just run your best effort. Even runners with access to a treadmill in a gym probably need to get outdoors at least once a week to run long.

Your goal at Boston also should be to finish faster, or as fast, as you started. Time-based training aside, miles do have their place in any training program, so every other Sunday I suggest you do run specific distances.

We have resources and training plans to help you meet your goals. My first race ever was a half marathon 2 months ago. Boston Strengthrunning. You might have heard a loud, collective sigh of disappointment around the third week of September. It was the sound of thousands of runners learning that the Boston Athletic Association B. Boston Pinterest.

When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. If you want a training plan that will help you best qualify for the Boston Marathon then this is it! This 20 week Boston Marathon qualifying training plan is endorsed by BAA and developed specifically for running in and preparing for the Boston Marathon.

If you want to qualify for Boston, this is your ticket! This year, to gain admittance into Boston , you needed to run faster than your qualifying time! Qualifying times for the Boston marathon must be run after September 15, The qualifying times are based on your age on the date of the marathon, April 20, Here are some of the rules and regulations: 1 Runners must be 18 years of age on race day.

More items For runners, the Boston Marathon is the Super Bowl of their running career. And the first step to entering the big leagues? Searching Boston qualifying marathons and selecting the perfect race for you! Boston qualifying 3 45 marathon training plan Home Boston qualifying 3 45 marathon training plan.

He ran eight … Category : Training Courses Show more. Higdon estimates that over a … Category : Training Courses Show more. Higdon estimates that over a quarter of a million runners have finished marathons using his training programs, and he also offers additional … Category : Free Courses Show more.

Fargo Marathon — Fargo, ND. Date: May 9, at 7am. Houston Marathon — Houston, TX. Date: January 19, Course Description: Marathon finisher Melanie T. Chicago Marathon — Chicago, IL. Date: October 13, Race Info: The Chicago Marathon is lottery-based. Date: February 8, Course Description: Steamtown Marathon — Scranton, PA. Course Description: Registration opens Feb 1 every year and the field is capped at a meager 3, runners — so get on this one quickly!

Date: September 8, Date: November 9, Date: February 2, Date: March 1, Baystate Marathon — Lowell, MA. Date: October 20, Get faster first. Fix the fade. He could hit his equivalent 10K and half-marathon times. His problem was that he was always on pace through 18, 20 or even 22 miles, but then would slowly fade. Update your nutrition. Marathon nutrition has evolved over the last few years. Revel Mt. Charleston Marathon. Where: Las Vegas, NV. Elevation Change: -5, ft.

Revel Big Cottonwood Marathon. Where: Cottonwood, UT. Revel Canyon City Marathon. Where: Azusa, CA. Freakin Fast Marathon. Where: Boise, ID. Elevation Change: ft. Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon. Where: North Bend, WA.

Elevation Change: -2, ft. Peak to Creek Marathon. Where: Morganton, NC. Tunnel Lite Marathon. A typical marathon training timeframe is weeks. You manage your training weeks in cumulative mileage blocks. I would recommend an 18 week training schedule for experienced marathon runners. You want to start running days for a couple weeks prior to that so that can literally hit the ground running. Use those 2 weeks to get loose and knock out the cobwebs.

Then for 18 weeks you will train your body — physically and mentally — to run comfortably faster over How fast you go is up to you.

But finishing under that elusive 4 hour timeframe is what matters to an experienced marathon runner. This easy-to-follow sub 4 hour marathon training plan will help you be more consistent in your training and you to the finish with a time that will qualify you for the Boston Marathon.

Each week your running routine will be made up of daily runs. Whether you do in the morning or evening, outside or on the treadmill, on the streets or a trail is up to you. Just get them in. Consistency is critical in training. You want to do total runs each week. Experienced marathon runners should be comfortable starting with total miles per week. As you get closer to your race day, you will peak at total miles for a couple weeks in a row.

These should be run at a comfortable pace. This builds up a solid base of miles that make it more comfortable for you to cover long distances. This is called a taper. With a good base of mileage under you, you can comfortably begin to prepare for race day. Race week should be about staying loose and getting rest. You want to be fit and fresh for race day. Run lighter miles early in the week, walk mid week, and put your feet up the day before race day. Tempo runs are daily runs that aim to be at the same pace you want to run the race in.

Tempo runs acclimate your body to run comfortably at a pace you want to run at for longer distances. Each week you will need to include a long run into your schedule. If your weekday runs are miles, then your long run will be between miles. Run these at a slower pace than your daily runs. A long training run is all about getting the miles in. A good initial distance for your first couple long runs would be miles. After a few weeks you want to increase the mileage of your long runs, until you peak at If you want a training plan that will help you best qualify for the Boston Marathon then this is it!

This 20 week Boston Marathon qualifying training plan is endorsed by BAA and developed specifically for running in and preparing for the Boston Marathon.