Raise Your Marathon Plateau

Strategies to help you find your breakthrough race

In physiological terms, the utility of this is that it helps mimic marathon conditions by hastening glycogen depletion and teaching the body to run hard while tired. "Slow long runs do not prepare the body in the same way," says Pfitzinger. Adds Kellogg: " 'Pace' pickups will mobilize the muscle fibers and access fuel sources in the correct sequence for racing, and will also train the heart, respiratory muscles, motor neurons and muscle groups to function more strongly and efficiently throughout all endurance events."

Don't hesitate to pick it up toward the end of an easy long run for fear of compromising the purpose of the workout. If you're well hydrated and feeling comfortably fatigued, increasing your pace to within 10 to 20 seconds per mile of marathon pace over the last four or five miles can greatly increase the benefits of the workout without adding significant lingering fatigue.

Look ahead

Many marathon-training plans are structured over a three- or four-month period. For many runners, however, three months is simply not enough time to build the strength needed to truly master the marathon distance. The reality is that for most of us, a marathon build-up usually requires a longer period of directed training to, in Pfitzinger's words, "provide enough time to do the volume, cut back a bit and introduce higher-intensity work, do a couple of tune-up races, and taper." Pfitzinger specifically trained for 20 weeks before his 1984 Olympic Trials race, and 19 weeks before the Trials in 1988. Other coaches, such as Arthur Lydiard and Bill Squires, suggest that a six-month period of preparation is optimal.

In any case, be sure to plan your tune-up races well in advance to help ensure staying on track, and remind yourself daily exactly where all of your energy investments are leading.