The 2:49 Marathon Project Week 8 Training

September 27, 2024

The 2:49 Marathon Project Week 8 Training

For The 2:49 Marathon Project Week 8 Training sessions I am building off what I learned in week 6. In week 6, I struggled to hit my Sunday long run split session and the almost marathon pace miles thrown in. On that run, I was under the 7 minute mile (4:20/k) on only 5 of the 8 miles. Part of that was due to the really difficult route I took. But another part of the story was the intensity of the training during that week. So in week 8, I'm backing off the intensity with the intention of hitting these targets on this Sunday Long run. This is the type of quality miles I believe I missed out on during my Manchester training and where my pace struggled for the last 5 miles or so (8k).

I have broken down my upcoming 2:49 Marathon Project Week 8 into the training sessions and what the goals are for the week.

The 2:49 Marathon Project Week 8 Running Sessions

The 2:49 Marathon Project Week 8 running sessions has 6 days of workouts. One rest day and Friday is a light day. The total volume for this week is 62 miles (102 km).

Monday: No Running Day

No running, but possibly a short hike or a few miles on the bike today.

Tuesday: 6 miles (10k) easy effort + 4 miles tempo effort (6:30/mile or 4:02/km)

Tuesday's 8 miler (13k) is going to be run at separate paces. This is what I call a split run. The first 4 miles (6.5k) will be easy effort, with the second 4 miles (6.5k) at sub 6:30/mile pace (4:00/k). This will require a good solid effort. I'll try to keep this one on the flat if possible.

Wednesday: 14 miles (23k) easy effort run

Once again, throwing volume into the mix. Easy effort runs are the perfect opportunity to work on form and technique.

Thursday: 10 mile (16k) - CoP run
This 10 miler (16k) Change of Pace run is split in two. The first 5 miles (8k) run at an easy effort and the second 5 mile (8k) run at steady effort. As these are relative paces, they will be different depending on the day. I'm looking for effort, not pace. The goal is to finish strong.

Friday: 3 miles (5k) easy social run
My usual Friday morning Social run is something I'll be keeping on a weekly basis, and this week I will not be extending that to an evening run. This is another light day this week.

Saturday: 5 miles (8k) easy run
This run is once again an easy effort with the aim to give myself the best chance to execute the Sunday split run more effectively.

Sunday: 20 miles (32k) CoP run

This Sunday is another speed endurance effort. This one starts with the easy effort with 12 miles (20k) easy and the next 8 miles (13k) at a sub 7:00 minute per mile pace (4:20/k). With the way this week is set up, I should be able to hit these targets.

Strength & Conditioning

For the 2:49 Project Week 8 training strength and conditioning routine I am maintaining 50 reps per exercise.

50 reps push ups
50 crunches
90 second plank
50 squats
50 dead bugs (each side)
50 bicycle crunches (each side)
50 lunges

I repeat these until I hit 20 minutes. This is almost always 2 sets of each exercise. I then finish the routine off with:

50 reps close hands push ups

Yoga

I perform a 20 minute yoga for runners routine from YouTube 3 days per week. This is a very welcome stretch after all the running during the week.

A Few Minutes With the Coach

Each week I will take the opportunity to discuss something that strikes me during the course of the training block. Hopefully, we can all take something away from this section based on my experience or from those I coach. This week it is about injury prevention and the different things I do to give myself the best chance of reaching the start line in one piece..

My Top 5 Things I Do for Injury Prevention

There is so much that goes into a successful training block, but one thing for sure is that we need to make it to the start line injury free. Personally, I try to be conscious of everything I am doing and I add quite a bit into my training to do my best to remain healthy and running pain free. Here are 5 things that I do that I believe make the biggest difference.

1. Strength Training

During the entire 16-week training block I do my utmost best to do my 20-minute bodyweight exercises every day. So far, I haven't missed a single session. Remaining strong, while losing weight, is such an important key to a successful training block. With the 20-minute routine being so quick, it never feels like a burden to fit it in. However, it hits every body part I need in order to run strong.

2. Sports Massage

When running so many miles (kilometres) during a training block, our muscles tend to get tight and shorten. The role of a good sports massage is to loosen them up and re-lengthen them. This is such an effective method of injury prevention that I get a sports massage every 2-3 weeks depending on the volume and intensity of the training. A regular sports massage does wonders for preventing the tweaks and niggles from becoming full-blown injuries. It does help that I'm married to a very talented sports massage therapist. But I would do this even if I didn't have that connection 😁.

3. Run on Different Terrain

When I am putting in 60, 70, 80 mile weeks, (upwards of 125 km), it would be very hard on my joints if they were all on the roads. I like to mix it up and run on trails, grass, (if it is available), and the track, even a treadmill. By mixing it up, my joints aren't taking the constant pounding that running the roads give them. Running on softer ground is the break our bodies need. There is also a side benefit too. When running on the softer ground we are providing a harder workout. This is because the pace is harder to achieve when there is more give under our feet. That's two good reasons for changing the terrain.

4. Yoga & Extra Stretching

Yoga is one of those things I added to my training about 6 years ago and it has been an extremely beneficial addition Much like sports massage, we are giving our muscles some TLC that they need. Restorative yoga, where we hold the stretches for longer gives our tired muscles the ability to lengthen and loosen. Flexibility is one of those things us runners tend to lose as we pick up the distances we cover. Yoga gives us the ability to restore some of that flexibility.

5. Maintaining a Running Shoe Rotation

I keep a healthy number of running shoes in my training rotation. Currently, I use eight different pairs of trainers in the mix. I will very seldom wear the same pair of shoes twice in one week for a training session.

Each shoe will have a slightly different wear pattern. They will have a slightly different weight. We will have a slightly different foot strike in each one. This is a subtle, but significant, advantage when it comes to avoiding repetitive stress injuries.

I won't throw an old pair of trainers away until they are well beyond their sell-by date. It means that my trainers tend to last longer and I get more wear out of them which makes it a better investment as well.

The 2:49 Marathon Project Week 8 Training Summary

In summary, the 2:49 Marathon Project Week 8 Training is somewhat of a maintenance week with a focus on hitting the target on Sunday's long run. There are two sessions with a focus on pace, and the majority of the training is at an easy effort.

Where Can You Follow the 2:49 Marathon Project?

I accidentally pushed out the week 1 video on the wrong YouTube channel. The correct channel is this one here: JMRunCoach

Daily updates will be shared on my Instagram account and Tiktok account. Weekly updates will be in longer form on YouTube , my Facebook page, and here on the A Heart for Running blog. Also, for anyone who wishes to get email updates, please subscribe to the mailing list at the bottom of this page and the weekly updates will be delivered directly to your inbox. Ensure to check your junk box and allow the emails from here through.

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