A Time Based First Marathon Training Plan

By Larry Darter

Interest in marathon running continues to grow at a record pace. For the first time ever, in 2010 the number runners entering and finishing a U.S. marathon exceeded the half-million mark. Many of those runners completed their very first marathon.

One of the first questions from those thinking about running a first marathon is how to go about training to run the 26.2 mile event. There is no shortage of marathon training plans available in running books, magazines, and on the web but almost exclusively the plans available are mileage-based. Those following the plans must log a specific number of miles each training week.

Mileage based training programs require courses of known distances to either be mapped out in advance of each run or the purchase of pricey gadgets to keep track of mileage.

In A Time Based First Marathon Plan, veteran marathon runner and author Larry Darter offers a simpler alternative. No time is required to map out courses in advance and there is no need for the user to purchase any specialized equipment to track mileage. Instead an alternative approach, time-based training is used. A 16-week training plan features weekly scheduled runs calculated in minutes rather than miles. This approach lends itself to out and back courses where the runner merely runs out half the scheduled time and then turns around and runs back to complete the day's training. It is the same approach that Darter used himself to complete his first marathon in a respectable time of just over four hours.

Many of those looking for a simple yet effective training strategy to prepare them for a first marathon will find this time-based approach to be less tedious than logging a specific number of miles each training day. In addition to the complete 16-week time-based training plan readers will also find tips on training, hydration, and marathon preparation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Larry Darter
• Release date: Jul 23, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466124288

Larry Darter

Larry Darter is an American author best known for his crime fiction novels written about the fictional private detective Malone. He is a former U.S. Army infantry officer, and a retired law enforcement officer. He lives with his family in Oklahoma.

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A Time Based First Marathon Training Plan

By Larry Darter

Copyright 2011 Larry Darter

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Table of Contents

Foreword

Before You Begin

Finding the Right Training Pace

Training Notes

A Word about Hydration

Week 1 Training

Week 2 Training

Week 3 Training

Week 4 Training

Week 5 Training

Week 6 Training

Week 7 Training

Week 8 Training

Week 9 Training

Week 10 Training

Week 11 Training

Week 12 Training

Week 13 Training

Week 14 Training

Week 15 Training

Week 16 Training

Pre-Marathon Tips

Your First Marathon

Post-Marathon Considerations

Epilogue

Foreword

Interest among Americans in running marathons has risen exponentially in recent years. According to Running USA, a Colorado Springs-based running research group, 507,000 runners completed a marathon in 2010. In response to the phenomenal growth in the numbers of men and women entering marathons the number of marathons held in the United States alone in 2010 rose to 625, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article.

What motivates people to put themselves through what it takes to run continuously for 26.2 miles, literally pushing the limits of human endurance? The answer to that question is as varied as the individual runner.

Some train and run a marathon to lose weight and attain a greater level of fitness. An increasing number of people are running marathons to raise money and awareness for