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Fitness 0 Comments

Boston Marathon Training Plan

Helloooo! Happy Friday! Today my sweetest husband Jamie is guest posting about marathon training.

I may be biased, but he’s a very credible source regarding road race preparation. He wouldn’t tell you this himself, so let me brag on him for a quick minute! He’s completed five full marathons, two 50ks (31 miles), and one 50 miler. Kind of a beast! I’m excited for him to share his passion today, so without further adieu…

Boston Marathon Training Plan: I ran the infamous Boston Marathon in 2014, and crossing that finish line was a dream come true. I also qualified to run it the following year as well. Here's a PDF copy of my training plan that I followed religiously.

Hello to all of you in Whimsical September Nation! It’s been quite a few years since I’ve written an entry for this blog (you can find my last two posts here and here), but I’m really excited to bring this one to you today. My excitement stems from my love of running and for the marathon.

Now, I know what you’re saying: There is no way that I will ever run 26.2 miles. I understand that mindset because I was there myself more than a few years ago, and that mindset is perfectly normal. What I will tell you is this…YOU, yes YOU can run 26.2 miles! How do I know? Well, how do you know you can’t? As with everything in life, the marathon takes time to work towards, but the reward of crossing the line is worth the hard work.

Having run several marathons to include Boston 2014 with a personal best of 3:02:39, I can tell you that finishing a marathon is a feeling unlike any other in the world. I want that feeling for others, so here is a training plan that helped me especially for Boston.

Before even looking at a training plan, the first step is selecting which marathon you want to run. For you military wives out there, the Marine Corps Marathon in DC is definitely the most patriotic. If you want scenic and fast, then the Savannah Rock n’ Roll Marathon is your race. No matter where you choose, it’s always an adventure. Check out this list of some of the best marathons in the North America. You may not have to even look too far. Chances are there’s a race just around the corner from your house!

After selecting a race, you have to have a plan. Without a plan, you might as well not race because your body won’t be ready. The training plan I have below is your standard six month plan, and six months is recommend by Runner’s World to safely prepare your body to run the distance. If you’re a more advanced runner and this isn’t your first rodeo, then you can get by on four months of focused preparation.

Looking at this plan, you’ll notice certain common workouts throughout every week, with intensity and length increasing during the course of the plan. Your key workouts will be intervals (track, road, hills), tempo runs (the fastest pace you can keep for that specific distance without completely burning out) and the long run. Each of these workouts is geared to developing foot turnover, new muscle fibers, and overall endurance. Specifically, this plan is geared for a more advanced runner who already does about 30-35 miles per week.

Not to fear, there are plenty of beginner training plans out there to include those from Runner’s World and Running Times. This plan timeline is perfect if you’re looking to run a race in the springtime.

I’ve helped to develop a few beginner plans for some friends, and I’m more than willing to develop a plan customized to anybody out there. Running is my passion and I love to help others realize their dreams in completing the greatest distance know to man, the marathon.

In case you missed the link above, here’s my training plan from last year. Feel free to tweak it for your next marathon.

Send me a message on FB or find me on Twitter (@JamieDeSpain) if you want me to develop a personalized plan for you.

See you out on the roads,
Jamie

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Boston Marathon Training Plan: I ran the infamous Boston Marathon in 2014, and crossing that finish line was a dream come true. I also qualified to run it the following year as well. Here's a PDF copy of my training plan that I followed religiously.

Erica

Hi! I’m Erica, and I absolutely adore sharing my life on this website with you! I come here almost daily to blab about all of the things related to being a regular wife and mother in today’s ever-evolving society. I share about our new home, what’s on our kitchen table, what we’re hanging in our closets, where we’re traveling to next, my crazy 5 a.m. work outs, how I make time for girlfriends, our faith, and much more. We always have a lot of balls in the air and somewhat thrive on the chaos. I believe in the power of story-telling as a form of inspiration and entertainment, so I’m here to do both! I was born and raised in north Alabama and recently re-planted roots here again after my husband transitioned out of the Army (he is now in the Reserve and it’s going so well!) I’m a super proud mom to two little girls (ages 5 and 2) who seem to be the stars of the show around here (for good reason – they’re pretty great!) I’m so glad you found me and are here reading! I hope we can get to know each other here on the blog as well as Facebook and/or Instagram. xoxo

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Meet Erica

Hi! I’m Erica, and I absolutely adore sharing my life on this website with you!

I come here almost daily to blab about all of the things related to being a regular wife and mother in today’s ever-evolving society. I share about our new home, what’s on our kitchen table, what we’re hanging in our closets, where we’re traveling to next, my crazy 5 a.m. work outs, how I make time for girlfriends, our faith, and much more. We always have a lot of balls in the air and somewhat thrive on the chaos.

I believe in the power of story-telling as a form of inspiration and entertainment, so I’m here to do both! I was born and raised in north Alabama and recently re-planted roots here again after my husband transitioned out of the Army (he is now in the Reserve and it’s going so well!) I’m a super proud mom to two little girls (ages 5 and 2) who seem to be the stars of the show around here (for good reason – they’re pretty great!)

I’m so glad you found me and are here reading! I hope we can get to know each other here on the blog as well as Facebook and/or Instagram. xoxo

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  • We took our babes to the @georgiaaquarium this weekend (with the rest of the state it seemed 🙈) and had ourselves a whale of a good time. 🤪 They were the most perfect ages for an outing like this and thought every single teeny tiny fish was the neatest thing ever. Arm yourself with patience to tolerate the crowds that I’ve heard are always there 😳😳, and then go have a great time if you get the chance. It really is an incredible aquarium (supposedly the best in the world?) with the best dolphin show, huge tanks, and exhibits of all kinds.
  • #flashbackfriday to October when these precious cousins got to spend the week together in Germany! I never posted this pic online because we wanted to frame it for our parents as a surprise Christmas gift. Gosh, we miss you Alexanders! Can’t wait to add another nugget to this crew this summer! ❤️ #cousins @boden_clothing @jenniferoalexander
  • My @otheorymadison coach (Heeeey Amber!) shared with me yesterday that working out during pregnancy is like “prehab”, which should make the “rehab”/recovery time post-delivery much easier. This FUELED ME big time and pushed me to get up one more time this week to get in a sweat sesh to start the day. I didn’t do much (any? Lol) intentional exercise during my other pregnancies, so I’m curious to see how this delivery/recovery time goes compared to the last couple go-arounds. I can’t say that fitness is helping with the weight gain though; the pounds are still creeping on (not so) slowly but surely, 🤷‍♀️ but I know that’s all a part of this journey. 🤰🏼Were you intentionally active during your pregnancies, and if so, did you feel like it aided your recovery time? Also... swipe to see a dumb snap I took at 4:45 a.m. last week when I just wasn’t feeling the early morning rise and grind. 😂 You have to pay a $12 fee if you late cancel at @orangetheory though, sooo... no flushing 💵💵 down the toilet. 😝 #orangetheoryfitness #otfnation #fitpregnancyjourney #19weeks
  • Mornings spent celebrating friends are just the BEST. 💙 Happy baby shower day, dear Brittany! You are going to make one heck of a mama, and we love you (and that precious Henry!) so much! @brittany.cameron1 @eakclark @marye509 #sororitysisters #milescantseperateus
  • Got to chaperone my big girl’s field trip today to @unclemaddios 🍕 I always love seeing her with her friends and watching how they all interact together. Preschoolers are funny little things. 🙃 Can’t believe kindergarten is so close!
  • Do you use and love your air fryer?! We just got one for Christmas and are more into it than we thought we’d be! My mom told me that anything you cook in the oven can technically be cooked in the air fryer too, so I gave that concept a try with some homemade sausage balls last week. OH MY GOODNESS - I was AMAZED at how fast and how well they cooked. Sharing the recipe + method on @whimsicalseptember blog today. What are your favorite things to cook in your #airfryer ? We would love some new recipes to try in it! #sausageballs #airfryerrecipes

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