"The Boston Build"

I started with the Boston Build 24 weeks ago, after taking roughly 2 weeks of very easy running post Columbus Marathon. Things started off sort of rough as far as things clicking and I was actually feeling a lot like I did all last winter/spring through the middle of January with this build. But I kept doing things as close to plan as possible and went into the ING Miami Half at the end of January juts looking to hit roughly goal MP. That day went smooth and things seemed to really come around the months of February/March.

I have done 4 races this build, using two of them as more of a planned hard workout.
1) ING Miami Half Marathon (tried to run close to goal MP) 1:12.38/5:32pace
2) Winter Series 5miler (ran hard to test things on a tough course) 25:49/5:10pace
3) Shamrock Half Marathon, Va Beach (Far off goal but still not a bad day looking back on things) 1:10.34/5:23 pace
4) Joker 4-Miler (I wanted a hard tempo like effort and walked away very pleased especially since I ran slightly longer course due to missing the turn around) 20:19/5:05pace

Probably the most important aspect of Marathon Training out of all the miles, tempo work, intervals, and hills is the LONG RUN. I took the approach of not over doing the pace on long runs. I tried to get them all in easy to steady effort with many/most over hilly loops. In all I covered in the 24 weeks 9 20+ milers which included two 22milers plus one 24miler and 25miler.

Lot's of medium long runs of 12-15miles (that has become close to my normal training run length during marathon phase)

Here is a 24 week breakdown with just a little bit of details (Click on the Training Log Tag at the bottom of this post to see more detailed week by week training):

1- 50miles
2- 71miles (LR 15miles)
3- 75miles (LR 15miles)
4- 70miles (LR 18miles)
5- 91miles (20miles, 5mile SS)
6- 97miles (LR 20miles, Steady State 3x2workout)
7- 94miles (LR 20miles, 5mile SS
8- 105miles (LR 21miles, 6mile SS, Stride Workout)
9- 95miles (5mile SS , SW)
10- 61miles (LR 16miles, Hill Bounding, sick at beginning of week)
11- 96miles (SW)
12- 102miles (LR 22miles and 18miles, Long Hill Workout, CI 10x800s)
13- 64miles (ING Miami Half, Tempo Intervals 3x2miles)
14- 70miles (LR 17miles)
15- 98miles (LR 21miles, Fartlek 9x4min on/1min off)
16-98miles (LR 22miles, Fartkek 15x1on/off, Tempo Intervals 6xMile)
17- 72miles (Yasso 8x800, Fartlek 10x1on/off, WS 5mile Race)
18- 98miles (LR 24miles, Tempo Intervals 8xMile)
19- 80miles (Fartlek 15x1on/off, Failed MP run(only 5miles), Dog Bite week)
20- 80miles (Shamrock Half Marathon, Interval/Tempo workout 800-4mileTempo-800)
21- 104miles (LR 25miles, 4Mile Joker Race, Tempo Intervals 4x2miles+2x1mile)
22- 90miles (LR 17mile Progression ,Fartlek 15x1on/off, 2x4mile SS)
23- 70miles (LR 15miles, Fartlek 9x1, 6mile SS)
24- 45ish miles (Tempo Intervals 2x2mile, 4x800(3days out at Tempo))

25--Boston Marathon --Monday--April 19th--10am