The 2:49 Marathon Project Week 16 Training

November 22, 2024

The 2:49 Marathon Project Week 16 Training

The 2:49 Marathon Project Week 16 Training sessions have finally arrived. For some reason this training block seemed to last longer than it really did. That said, at my age, I shouldn't be wishing away time. It has been a very interesting 15 weeks so far and promises to be another week of excitement. In the Week 15 update coming out on Monday you will see it was an unusual week, but good nonetheless. In my last week before a marathon I always have the same running routine and it has worked out fine so far. Low volume, a tiny bit of pace, but most importantly plenty of rest.

In this week's section of A Few Minutes With the Coach, I'll discuss my mental preparation this week and what I'm doing in the final week when I have very little running to do. It can be a stressful time for some marathoners, however, I enjoy this week and do my best to get myself mentally ready.

The 2:49 Marathon Project Week 16 Running Sessions

The 2:49 Marathon Project Week 16 training sessions includes a total of 4 runs, which includes the Valencia Marathon on Sunday. Including the race there is a total of 34.2 miles (55 km). The vast majority of this volume will occur in Valencia. I take my taper seriously and will do my best to stay healthy and well rested after putting in so much work. You will see how easy the week really is.

Monday: Rest day
Rest day - No running at all, but still 20 minute bodyweight routine

Tuesday: 3 miles with middle 1 mile at hard effort
This one mile (1.6 km) is to be run at 6:20/mile ((3:56/km) pace, other than that, it is only 3 miles in total (5 km)

Wednesday: Rest day
Rest day - No running at all, but still 20 minute bodyweight routine

Thursday: 3 miles easy
3 miles easy, nothing other than that. Maybe a steady mile depending on how I'm feeling

Friday: 2 miles VERY easy
This will be a very easy 2 miles. The objective is to just let the legs know they are still going to be working on Sunday

Saturday: No running
Saturday will be a travel day and a day to visit the expo in Valencia. I am staying 6 miles outside the city and will drive in early on Sunday morning

Sunday: 26.2 miles - The Valencia Marathon
Race day has arrived

Strength & Conditioning

For the 2:49 Marathon Project Week 16 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

In this section of the post, I'll take a few minutes to discuss a topic each week that is pertinent to my training. Each week I'll tackle one specific part of my training and explain either why I do what I do, or the reason behind my training sessions. This week I'll talk about the week leading up to the target race. Although there is very little running, there is still a lot going on.

The Last Week Before Race Day

For the last week before the target marathon you will see the volume is very low. Many runners will do more than me, and some runners less. There are no adaptive changes to be made this close to the race, so any work put in now is either for the psychological benefits or to just keep the legs from feeling lethargic. We all know what it's like to take time off and how hard it feels when we start back up again. One week isn't enough to cause this condition, but still, I like to put a few miles in during the week and keep my legs feeling fresh.

I will do a lot of visualisation work as well as positive self-talk. Both of these techniques are proven to have benefits for athletes and what I always say is that there are no negative aspects to them.

Visualisation

At least once per day during this last week I will be closing my eyes and seeing myself running the Valencia Marathon. I will see myself crossing the finish line and the clock will say 2:49:50. I will feel the medal going around my neck. I will listen and hear the crowds cheering. The finish line at Valencia is quite the spectacle and I will feel the excitement and pride of completing the project successfully.

It is important to also be mentally prepared for those hard times in the marathon, and there are always those hard times. I will visualise myself pushing through when my legs don't want to go on. I will hear myself using my mantras. I will see myself taking my gels at the right times and feeling the boost the carbs and caffeine will give. I will see myself battling wind and rain. Tucking in and working with other runners.

The point is, I will run the successful race, before race day. When the event comes around, I will be prepared for most situations. Controlling the controllables.

Positive Self Talk

In addition to visualisation, I will remind myself, multiple times daily, that my training has gone well. I am a 2:49 marathon runner. I can do this. I will do this. I can do hard things. I am strong and fast. These are the things I'll be reminding myself. Our inner voice is our biggest motivator and power source, or our harshest critic and worst enemy. I will do my best to remember that I have full control over that voice. I choose the conversation and the monologue. Keeping the thoughts strong and positive is the only way forward.

Whether these mental preparations work or not, there is no downside to them. Neither cost anything in terms of money or energy. While I'm not doing any physical preparation during the week, I will do everything I can to work on my mental preparation. That said, all the positive thoughts you can send me will be greatly appreciated as well 😁.

The 2:49 Marathon Project Week 16 Training Summary

In summary, the 2:49 Marathon Project Week 16 Training has a total of 8 miles (13 km) before race day on Sunday. I am feeling great. I am feeling positive. I will work on my mental preparation and arrive at the start line just itching to go.

Where Can You Follow the 2:49 Marathon Project?

Sign up to the Newsletter and get notifications when new content is delivered on this blog. It will be coming out more and more often, so don't miss a thing. Daily updates are 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.

#sub3hourmarathon #runningmotivation #runningcoach #2024valenciamarathon #249marathonproject #fitover50 #strokesurvivor #marathontraining #valencia #valenciacomunidad #seanharkinphotography