Marathon Training

In preparation for Richmond Marathon I've increased my run volume a lot over the past month following the World Championships.  It has been a little strange focusing on just the run and having the swim/bike take a back seat in the training cycle.  I've never devoted this much time to just running and I've been trying to closely monitor any niggles that have crept up. 

Because of the closeness of the World Championships to Richmond I have not been able to do the proper run build-up.  I'm relying a lot on my triathlon fitness and hoping it translates well to the amount of running I need to do to adequately prepare for the marathon. 

Below I have pictured two of my favorite training partners...The Stick and Trigger Point's foam roller.  These two have been kicking my ass after workouts lately, but they seem to be doing a good job of keeping my muscles from breaking down as my running has ramped up:

I highly recommend any runner/triathlete use either of these for self massage and myofascial release.  WARNING:  they hurt!

As far as specific preparation, I have been loosely following following the Hanson's training program.  Instead of just one day off, I have been taking at least 2 days off per week and cross-training with swimming, biking and some core work.  

Each week I have been focusing on three runs:  a track session, a marathon paced run, and a longer run with finishing miles at marathon pace.  I then fill in the other days with easier paced runs.   I have been doing the track sessions with a group from Final Kick and that has been very good for leg turnover and overall speed.  In the past I have typically done most of my runs by myself, but having others to feed off of during the track sessions has been very positive and something I plan to incorporate more for next season. 

I am about 3 weeks out from the race and looking forward to tapering here shortly.  My body was definitely worked over after yesterday's long run with final 4 miles at marathon pace.