Use that Marathon Fitness for a Fast Fall 5K
by: Brent Terry

One thing many marathoners find frustrating is that after months of dedicated training for that one glorious go at 26.2 (often to the exclusion of serious efforts at other distances) there is that one shot at the marathon—and good race or bad, it’s all over. Imagine the Vikings training for six months to play a one-game season—kind of silly, huh? Well it may be just as silly to waste all the hard-won fitness of marathon training by settling in for a long winter with a hot toddy in one hand, remote in the other, when some of your best races may be out there just waiting to be run.

This is not to say that the marathon itself, be it a good race or bad, will not leave you exhausted, sore and ready for a well-deserved rest. Do indeed takeseriously the damage marathoning does to the musculoskeletal and immune systems, and take it easy after the big event. It only takes a few days, however,for the body to undo most of the damage of a well-run marathon, particularly if one engages in active rest in the days following the marathon.

Active rest simply means partaking of some light exercise in the week following the marathon. Walks through the beautiful fall foliage are one possibility. Even better, ride a bike, swim, or run in the deep end of the pool wearing a flotation device like an Aqua Jogger. The last three of these are non weight-bearing activities that stimulate blood flow and healing without any pounding. These activities will actually speed recovery more than simply collapsing into the Barcalounger until Christmas, and more wonderful yet, will allow you to take aim at some of the best short-distance times you have ever run.

Here’s why. Assuming you’ve followed a sound marathon-training program, with adequate time for mileage buildup, enough long runs and some speed/strength work, you’ve established all the building blocks for some quality racing. It’s like putting money into a savings account every day for six months or so. And while running the marathon is like making a withdrawal, it has far from cleaned you out. In fact, if you follow an active rest program for five to ten days following the marathon, it’s possible to repay that withdrawal—plus interest, and set yourself up for a fine 5-10-kilometer performance six to eight weeks after the marathon.

The equation for these fast times is pretty simple: run really fast + run really short + rest = race fast. In other words, all the big miles and most of the hard workouts have been done, and a week or so of active rest has gotten rid of the worst of the marathon damage. All that remains is to keep resting the system while doing some very high intensity, low volume training, resulting in superior running economy. Translation: you sprint, you rest, and with all that marathon training behind you, you’re suddenly equipped with major wheels.

The components to this six week "mini-cycle" are as follows:

Repetitions or reps, are bouts of running between 400-800 meters long, at a pace about ten seconds per mile faster than 5K pace. So, for a 21:45 5K runner repetitions should be run at about 6-minute, fifty-second pace, or 50-seconds for a 200, 1:40-1:45 for a 400, and 3:25 for an 800. The walk or jog recovery between these reps should be the same distance as the rep itself. Take a bit more time if necessary. Reps are quite fast, but the total distance run and number of reps should be low, so as to increase speed without taxing systems tired from the marathon. Reps are run at faster than race pace, making the runner much more efficient at race pace.Threshold, or Tempo runs are run at lactate threshold pace, or the pace at which, after about an hour of running, blood lactate levels (from lactic acid produced by running muscles) would rise to a level which would force the runner to stop. Our 21:45 5K runner would do tempo runs at 7:30 pace, or 30 seconds per mile slower than 5K pace. During marathon training tempo runs would be 20-30 minutes in duration, but in this mini-cycle the goal is to maintain running economy at Tempo pace without over-stressing the system.Easy running, at about 11/2 minutes per mile slower than race pace will allow a runner to enjoy Minnesota’s best weather season without taxing the
system.

Active rest will allow for more total recovery between runs.

Strides are short (80-150 meter) accelerations, where the runner begins at a jog, then gradually accelerates to a near sprint before slowly backing off and stopping. Rest for a minute between strides. The runner should do 4-6 strides near the end of an easy run. These add to a runner’s speed without adding any true difficulty to the workout.

The proper combination of these components will not only leave you feeling recovered from the marathon, but sharp, fast and ready to hammer a five to ten kilometer race. Following is a sample six-week recovery/sharpening program, which will take a runner from Twin Cities to the weekend of the Bear Tracks 5K, Veterans 5K, and 623 Run, or from Chicago Marathon to the Turkey Run or Arena 5K.

A final note: After this mini-cycle it is good to take a few weeks off, with only active rest and easy running before beginning a buildup for a spring marathon or racing season. At the end of this time off you will feel refreshed and in much better shape than at the start of the previous training season.

Week One
Monday-Thursday: Active rest or day off.
Friday: 30-minute easy run
Saturday: Active rest
Sunday: :45-1:00 easy run

Week Two
Monday: Active rest
Tuesday: :45 easy run
Wednesday: Active rest
Thursday: :30-:45 easy run w/4-5 strides
Friday: Active rest or day off
Saturday: :45 run w/6 x 1 minute pickups at repetition (R) pace
Sunday: 1:00 easy run or active rest

Week Three
Monday: :30 easy run or active rest
Tuesday: 1:00 easy running, w/3 x 5 minutes at Tempo (T) pace, then 4 x 30 seconds at R pace
Wednesday: Active rest
Thursday: 1:00 running, w/3 sets of 2 x 200/1 x 400 at R pace (or 45 seconds/ 1:30 R on roads)
Friday: Active Rest
Saturday: 30-minute easy run + 4 strides, or day off
Sunday: 60-90 minutes easy run

Week four
Monday: Active rest
Tuesday: 1:00 run w/3-4 x 1 mile at T pace + 6 x 200 at R
Wednesday: Active rest
Thursday: 1:00 run w/2-3 sets 200/400/800 at R
Friday: Active rest or day off
Saturday: Active rest
Sunday: 75-90 minutes easy run + strides

Week five
Monday: Active rest
Tuesday: 20-minute Tempo + 4-6 x 45-seconds @ R
Wednesday: 30-minute easy run or active rest
Thursday: 1:00 run w/3-4 sets 800/2 x 200 @ R
Friday: Active rest or day off
Saturday: 45-minute run + strides
Sunday: 60-90 minutes easy run

Week six
Monday: Active rest
Tuesday: 1:00 run w/3 x 5-minutes @ T + 4 x 45-seconds @ R
Wednesday: Active rest
Thursday: 45-minute run w/6 x 200 @ R
Friday: 30-minute run or active rest
Saturday: Race