Hello Tokyo Marathoners,
HALF WAY HOME.
You’ve got eight weeks until the Tokyo Marathon, and you are right on time. You’ve put in some serious work, weathered the storms of scheduling around holiday chaos, and you’re now in the thick of the miles.
Last week, we asked you to cap off the 1st half of training by looking back and giving yourself credit for all the work you’ve done.
This week, we want you to take another look at the work, this time through a more analytic lens. In the 2nd half of training, the work is going to become more specific. You’ll run more miles at Marathon Goal Pace and Tempo pace, and that means we need to get more specific about goals.
But first, let’s talk about the 80% rule. 80% success at a pace, at mileage, or at self care is a win. That’s what success looks like in Marathon Training. If you’ve been with us for long enough, you’ve heard us say that the best marathons are built on B-level training. That applies to Olympians and first-time Marathoners alike—trying to go for A+ amid the quantity of work that the Marathon requires is setting yourself up for injury and burnout. 80% is not only enough, it’s better than 100%. That 20% allows in space to listen to your body, stay flexible, and roll with the punches in training just like you will in the race. This is a sport that rewards consistency, dedication, and compiled training—not short-term fireworks. Far better than hitting A+ workouts is showing up for yourself day after day, week after week, and month after month. One rough workout should not change your goals, nor should one patchy week of mileage or self care here and there. Just get back on it!
ok….get out your pen:
Do you have a Goal Pace in mind for the marathon? If so, write it down. If not, write down your range, however wide it may be.
What Pace have you been running on Aerobic days? Tempo days? Write those down too. If you’ve been running a wide variety of paces, write them all down.
Has your training been consistent? Have you been getting your planned Aerobic miles in? Your Speedwork? Have you done the strength, PT and self-care that makes you feel strong? Have you been sleeping and resting to support recovery? Have you fueled yourself with hearty nutrition?
If your Goal Marathon Pace aligns with the Aerobic and Tempo paces you’ve run so far—which you can check in The noname Program Marathon Plan—and you’re at or above 80% for self-care, then you’re right on track. Stay the course, keep putting in the work, and go for Goal Marathon Pace on race day.
If you Goal Marathon Pace and the paces you’ve run thus far align but the self-care isn’t getting done, you’re playing with fire. It’s possible to run every day right on pace, but run sub-par on race day if you haven’t recovered well between runs. If that’s the case, you still have time! Commit NOW to tending to the supportive pieces that will help your body recover with adaptations that will carry you through Race Day.
If you’re consistently running paces that corresponds to a faster Goal Pace, but you’re afraid to commit to the mental leap, then leap! Be brave! Tell everyone! They’ll affirm what might be obvious to them, but hard to see in yourself.
If you’re consistently struggling to hit the paces that correspond to your Goal Pace, then it’s time to reassess. You will run a faster, happier, healthier marathon if you’re locked into a pace than if struggling to catch up. It’s time to alter your Goal Pace for now. Commit to a new Marathon Goal Pace and fully embrace training where you are. If your body responds to these slower paces with new energy, which allows you to move back up, great! That’s likely! But first, respect your body by acknowledging your current fitness and adjusting your paces to match.
If you’re running multiple paces, then you may be in a few different situations: If your Aerobic days and Speed days don’t line up in charts on page 17 and 19 of The noname Program, this means that you have a more developed shorter (anaerobic) or the longer (aerobic) anergy system. Most people are better at one than the other—either by birth or conditioning—and your disparity may be more significant. Mine is! I’ll never be as good at Tempo runs as I am 400s, and that’s ok. I show up to 400s ready to fly, and I show up to Tempo’s ready to hang on for dear life—both are equally important to my goals.
Your Goal Pace should be somewhere between the lines in the chart that correspond to your Long Runs and Speed Runs, but closer to the Long Run line. If you run different paces sporadically, then look to a few key workouts as the best predictors of Marathon Pace: in-and-out (Yasso) 800s, Marathon-Pace Long Runs, and Tempo Runs are your best indications.
That was a lot! This week, do some thinking and make the changes that feel most obvious. Do you need to recommit to recovery? Move a group up or back? Recommit to on-your-own Aerobic runs? Don’t overhaul anything, but tighten the screws. It’s often the case that a few key changes can help the whole system run better.
LFG
Coach + Coffey
This week you will run 3-6 times, with 1-2 Speed Run(s) and 1 Long Run
These runs may be done on any days and in any order, with two caveats: 1) The Speed Run should be earlier in the week than the Long Run, and 2) follow the hard-easy-hard principle, which means never run back-to-back hard days. Instead, separate hard (speed or long) runs with at least one easy run or rest day.
This week, increase your total weekly mileage by 10%, based on your previous weekly high. For help planning your mileage, check out pages 22-33 of The noname Program manual for examples of weekly mileage breakdowns and progression.
A note on the week: If you scroll to the bottom of this email you’ll see that you’re running a time-based long. In order to both climb mileage and keep the long run to 1:30-2:00, you may need to insert one more run than usual this week. Keep those miles easy, but get them done!
Speed Run: 8 x 3:00 @ Tempo pace w surges. 1:00 recovery
Method:
1. Run 5-20 minutes of easy warmup running.
2. Do 5-10 optional minutes of dynamic warmups + strides.
3. This is a fun one. Just WAIT.
Find your Tempo pace in the The noname Program Marathon Plan. That will be your “base pace” for the length of the workout. If you’re running with a group, form a long, single-file line. Start your first 3:00 interval at Tempo pace and settle in for the first :30.
After :30, the last place person in line should speed up and pass the whole group, then tuck back in line and slow down to Tempo pace in the lead. Then, the new last place runner will do the same, continuing the “leap frogs” for the length of the 3:00 interval.
The pace is entirely up to you. Some runners will increase to barely faster than Tempo pace, others will jet up to the lead at mile pace. One beauty of this workout is that runners of different stages in their marathon cycle, or who thrive in different kinds of workouts can all run the workout their way, together. Don’t get hung up on the numbers here—the important pace is Tempo, and the surges at any pace are icing.
Each of these accelerations should take between :06 and :20 and you should run between 2-4 of them. If you’re running with a small group, increase the distance between runners in the line. If you’re running with a very big group, split into 2 or more groups.
If you’re running this with one other person, you can either take turns catching each other, or you can run side-by-side and alternate controlling the surge. Don’t tell each other exactly when, how long or how fast you’ll surge. Just make sure you get in 2-4 per interval, and that they’re between :06 and :20 seconds long.
If you’re doing this alone, run a :10 surge at :30, 2:00, and 3:30, or vary the length. Anything between :06 and :20, 2-4 surges per interval.
Take 1:00 of passive rest between 4:00 intervals—walk, stand, or run veerrry slowly, whatever helps you feel better in the next interval.
I LOVE this workout both for how fun and sneakily productive it is. It develops the Lactate Threshold, which is arguably the most significant measurable metric in predicting marathon pace. It also trains flexibility during effort and independence from the watch, as you aren’t exactly sure what pace you’ll wind up running your acceleration.
4. 5-20 minutes easy cooldown running + dynamic cooldown, just like at the start.
Aerobic Runs: 1-4 easy runs for aerobic development
Find your aerobic pace on page 19 in The noname Program manual. This wide pace range is determined by your prospective Marathon pace, and is the pace range at which your system is fueled almost exclusively by aerobic metabolism. That means at this pace your energy comes from an oxygen-based system; any faster and it start to rely on chemical reactions within your muscles, which produce byproducts that are measured by lactate. The majority of your training miles should be run in this aerobic, oxygen-powered pace window. This will develop your body's reliance on oxygen-based metabolism, build out the capillary “infrastructure” for delivering oxygen-rich blood, and coax your body away from the production of leg-burning muscular byproduct.
Put a different way, at this pace your body can both recover from your hard runs and develop your endurance at the same time. Some people refer to these days as recovery runs or easy runs. We like to use the technical term: aerobic—adj, relating to, involving, or requiring free oxygen, to keep at the front of our minds that even though these miles are easy, they are just as purposeful and essential as any speed day.
Optional Tempo: n/a
Experienced runners running at least four days a week may opt for a second speed workout. This workout will always complement the primary Tuesday speed workout.
No secondary workout this week! Because your long run includes a significant step up in pace work, keep this day Aerobic.
Long Run: 1:30-2:00 @ Aerobic “Base Pace” with 6-8x3:00 surges @ Half Marathon—>10k pace
Last week was a step forward in distance. This week is a step back in distance and a step forward in intensity. Two steps forward and one step back—that’s how we progress on the body’s terms and at the body’s pace.
By the time you get to this run, you’ll be two weeks into a rigorous climb. You’ll be tired. That’s more than ok—it’s essential. Only by running many miles on tired legs will your body be prepared to thrive at mile 20. All that to say: be ready. Get the coffee prepped. Phone a friend. Plan your route. Make your playlist. This will be tough.
The majority of this run—1:06-1:36—will be at Aerobic Pace (which you can find on page 17 of The noname Program). Start the run very easy and let your stride open as you go. After :30-:45 minutes, accelerate for 3:00 to around Half Marathon effort—no need to be precise here, just go through a clear gear shift. After 3:00 is up, decelerate smoothly into Aerobic Pace. Recover at that easy pace for anywhere from 1-3:00, then accelerate again! If you feel good, bring the pace down closer to 10k, but only if you’re able to move right back into Aerobic pace following the interval—no stopping and gasping at the end of the 3:00 Stay composed. Be smooth. If you overshoot on one acceleration, correct on the next.
How to decide between 1:30 and 2:00 + 6 to 8 accelerations? There’s no wrong answer here. If you’re dragging, pick the shorter option. If you’re feeling pretty good, or if the route and the company are nice, go longer. You can even decide mid-run, if your route allows it. Don’t think too hard on this one.
As always, go in prepared. Hydrate well. Eat a good dinner the night before, and eat breakfast the day of. Go in with a fuel plan using gels, chews, or real foods. As much as possible, protect the run by keeping the night before and the hours after low-key.
We suggest everyone take gels today! Your body carries enough glycogen to fuel about 1:30 of sustained effort, so after that you need to fuel as you go. Because you’ll be incorporating Anaerobic (faster) paces, which use up more sugar, you should take gels today even if you’re not running longer than 1:30 . Plan on taking at least 60 grams (240 calories) of carbs per hour—we suggest taking a gel every 30 minutes for all runs longer than 1:30.
Reach out if you have any questions or comments, and we’ll see you next week!