New Basin Blues LA Marathon training program
Are you new to running marathons or just want to improve your finish time? If so, join us for the inaugural (and free) New Basin Blues LA Marathon training program!
Our first group run will be this Saturday, December 1st in Balboa Park. We will spend the next 16 weeks building up our long run distance, and in the process, learn about pacing, hydration, and nutrition. The program is based on one used in Washington D.C. by “Capital Area Runners” – a group that some of us ran with prior to moving to LA. Using this program, the group sends some 30 people to Boston every year and even had three entrants at the last Olympic Trials.
Most of our runs will be “progression runs” of increasing distance. Many new marathoners start too fast, hoping to “bank time”, only to bonk in the later miles. Instead, the best strategy is to run even or slightly negative splits (meaning the second half is faster than the first). Progression runs are designed to teach your body to start slow and finish fast, hitting your goal pace on tired legs. Regardless of the distance and your pace, the idea is the same. You run the first third of the run at your marathon goal pace + 1:30, the second third at the goal pace + 0:45, and only the last third is at your marathon goal pace. Let’s say you want to finish in 3 hours and 30 minutes, which is just about 8:00 minute mile. Using the above strategy, you would do an 18-mile progression by running the first 6 miles at 9:30 minute mile, followed by the next 6 miles at 8:45, and then finish the last 6 at your target 8:00 minute mile pace.
Our program also includes several “4-3-2-1” pickups. These runs mix slow and fast segments as follows: 2 miles easy warm-up (GP + 0:45 – 1:30), 4 miles at goal pace, 1 mile easy, 3 miles GP, 1 mile easy, 2 miles GP, 1 mile easy, 1 mile GP, 2 mile easy (cool down) for a total of 17 miles. Finally, it’s a great idea to incorporate a checkout race. We will be targeting the Moorpark Groundhog Day 5k/10k, but this is completely up to you. This is a really fun race with a finish on a high school track and is only $20 if you register before Nov 30, 2018.
Here is the tentative plan:
Meeting place: Balboa Park by EV charging stations by the golf course entrance.
16821 Burbank Blvd, Encino, CA 91436
Later in our training, we may move some of the longer runs to the beach to mix things up a bit.
When: Every Saturday
Time: 7:00 am
Schedule:
Date
Sat 1-Dec-18 10-12 mi progression
Sat 8-Dec-18 10-12 mi progression
Sat 15-Dec-18 12-14 mi progression
Sat 22-Dec-18 12-14 mi progression
Sat 29-Dec-18 14-16 mi progression
Sat 5-Jan-19 14-16 mi progression (Resolution Relays 8k Race on Sun)
Sat 12-Jan-19 16-18 mi progression
Sat 19-Jan-19 16-18 mi progression
Sat 26-Jan-19 21 mile progression
Sat 2-Feb-19 Check out race: Groundhog day Moorpark 5k/10k
Sat 9-Feb-19 4-3-2-1 pickups
Sat 16-Feb-19 21 mile progression
Sat 23-Feb-19 4-3-2-1 pickups
Sat 2-Mar-19 21 mile progression
Sat 9-Mar-19 14-16 mi progression
Sat 16-Mar-19 10-12 mi progression
Sun 24-Mar-19 LA marathon
For more info and questions please contact Lubos Brieda