As someone with more than 20 years of experience as a long-distance runner, as well as 14 marathons and 60-plus half marathons under my belt, I’ve become pretty attuned to what works for me when it comes to training to run my best race. I’ve historically performed better by only running one marathon a year, by taking at least two rest days per week and by sticking to lower weekly volume, which got me a breakthrough marathon PB and my first Boston Marathon qualifying time.
But something I didn’t have experience with until last year was attempting to run my best race yet while navigating a difficult season of life, as I was going through a divorce.
Even though I was able to rack up sufficient mileage to feel prepared for the Chicago Marathon, I knew that I wasn’t close to PB shape. (I was right, too – my 3:52 finish time was more than 20 minutes slower than my 3:30 PB.) And although I still managed to have a fun day, I think, in hindsight, that it would have been much more enjoyable if I’d been kinder to myself and taken the pressure off. I was having a hard time eating and sleeping during an emotionally trying time and – shocker – those things aren’t exactly a recipe for a PB.
It had been almost a full year since I’d last run a marathon before Chicago and almost immediately afterwards, I knew that I would need at least that much time before my next. I was planning a move to Denver the following summer and had also vowed to never train for a race in Houston’s extreme heat and humidity again.
I had been planning to train for a half marathon PB after a busy and slightly stressful summer of travel leading up to my move. But this time around, after learning my lesson in the Windy City, I called it – and instead, I followed a different type of training plan that paid off much more than a PB…
Taking a break without stopping completely
I didn’t want to arrive in Colorado feeling like I was starting from scratch as I stared down my future big goals. So, I talked to my running coach about getting through my last two months in Houston by simply maintaining a base. For me, that meant running no more than 30 to 35 miles per week, with four shorter runs ranging anywhere from three to seven miles, no speed workouts and a 10-mile long run on the weekends.
I won’t lie – a lot of those ‘easy’ summer runs still sucked and felt anything but easy in the heat and humidity. But I knew that running would be better for my mental health than not running. And continuing to maintain a baseline level of fitness during this off-season turned out to be just what my body and mind needed to recharge and eventually feel ready to get going again – a strategy that experts back up.
Natalie Mitchell, an RRCA-certified running coach in Los Angeles, recommends taking a full week or two off immediately after completing a marathon before deciding what’s next.
‘As avid runners, we love our sport, but there are times in our lives when we need to cut back from the rigours of heavy training [even if you are] healthy and have the mental desire to run regularly,’ Mitchell tells Runner’s World. ‘But it’s still important to maintain a level of running fitness before beginning a new training block to prevent injury and prepare the body and mind for marathon training.’
That’s where base training comes into play.
What worked to maintain my base
Because I’m someone who does better with some type of structure in my training, my coach continued to assign my mileage in TrainingPeaks every week. However, she left me at my own discretion to move things around as I saw fit, shortening or adding to runs depending on how I was feeling. This approach worked well in terms of staying motivated and consistent. I also ran with friends as often as I could, which helped to keep it enjoyable.
Mitchell also recommends varying paces and intensity slightly to keep things interesting. ‘Doing strides at least once a week is not taxing like a workout, but it keeps your legs turning over and adds just a bit of spice to your week,’ she says. ‘Run these quick, but not as an all-out sprint, and focus on good form. For the longer runs on the weekend, feel free to pick up the pace a little quicker than easy pace if you’re feeling good.’
Mitchell also recommends taking the base training period to focus on the ‘extras’ that you may have neglected in your training cycle, such as working on mobility or building core strength, as well as getting enough sleep.
I’ve always been pretty good at consistently doing core work, which I kept up, and I did my best to prioritise sleep by going to bed early, as often as possible. (Besides, I still wanted to run early to beat the worst of the heat!)
This can also be a great time to get back to cross-training activities that you enjoy but have a hard time fitting in during high-mileage weeks, says Mitchell.
‘You can maintain a great amount of fitness with cross-training, so feel free to swap an easy day with [an activity like] aqua jogging, spinning or elliptical training,’ she adds.
An expert-backed plan to maintain your base
If you also find that you do better with structured running, Mitchell recommends the following base training plan:
Looking forward to future races
After finally arriving in Denver and taking about 10 days to adjust to the altitude, I reintroduced track workouts and longer long runs into my schedule, which immediately felt comfortably hard, but not impossible. And even though some of those first track workouts had me bent over with my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath, I was already seeing paces that I could never touch in the Houston heat.
Although I was technically still in that maintenance phase, looking ahead to future goals kept me motivated to run consistently and push myself, even if I also still felt far away from my goals. Mitchell supports keeping those future race targets in mind.
‘Write down your goals in a place where you can see them each day to keep you motivated,’ she says. ‘Before you know it, it’ll be time to begin formal training again and you will be ready to take on the challenge.’
A little more than a month into getting settled in my new city, my runs have been feeling great – thanks in part to the cooler weather, but more so thanks to feeling confident in the mileage and aerobic base that I built over the last few months.
My next two goal races, the Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon and the Houston Marathon, will be my first experiments after such a strong base build (and being back at sea level). Even though the training is just getting started, I’m already feeling excited about what I can do. I have the fun, not-too-serious goal of breaking 3:30 before I turn 40 – and considering how things are feeling about a year and a half out from race day, I’m pretty confident that this is within reach.
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