The Semper Fi Fund Marathon Training Program Making the best of your Run for the Fund with Coach Corey April 19, 2010 by Corey Petersen Welcome to the Semper Fi Fund and the 35 th running of the Marine Corps Marathon!! I d like to start off by saying Thank you! for running in support of the Semper Fi Fund and our very important mission of supporting our injured servicemembers. As you may already know, the Marine Corps Marathon is called the People s Marathon because everyone runs it for a reason, or several reasons, and we are extremely grateful that you have chosen the Semper Fi Fund as one of your reasons for running. As you embark on your training for this year s marathon, you will be challenging your body and confronting and overcoming the physical and mental barriers that stand between you and finishing the marathon in October. But as you face these challenges, remember your reasons and remember that you ll be training and running for a great cause. You re providing aide to our service members who have been injured and their families who are now facing new and often tremendous challenges in every aspect of their daily lives. As a Marine who was injured and received support from the Semper Fi Fund, my family and I can attest to the challenges the injured face, and we cannot express how much that really can change your mind set during your rehabilitation. During your race, you will see some of our members of Team Semper Fi, which is the Semper Fi Fund s rehabilitative sports program made up of more than 100 injured servicemen and women (including myself), and they are among those whom you are helping. So as you train to face the challenge of this year s marathon, know that the team and I will be challenging ourselves too! In addition to being a Marine that was injured, I have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Exercise and Sports Science with minors in Coaching, Nutrition, and Dietetics with Iowa State University, and I d like to offer my expertise in the coaching field to everyone. During the upcoming months I ll present guidance concerning choosing the appropriate shoe, importance of hydration, selecting the suitable tempo of your run, warm weather training, and some race day advice. In addition, I d like to provide two versions of training programs you may like to use during the Marine Corps Marathon.*
To start off this coaching series I d like to begin with the most important aspect of training: Creating YOUR training schedule. Normal training schedules require 4 months of commitment (16-18 weeks) and I ve provided two different versions. Being that the Marine Corps Marathon is known to be one of the best first time races and many of you may be going for the goal of finishing rather than speed, my Novice/Intermediate Program is great for those who are just beginning their conquest for 26.2 miles. It does have an intermixing of ranges for those intermediates who are committed runners but aren t ready to say they are advanced runners. The Advanced program which focuses more on those looking to go for a new personal record by quickening their miles and is recommended for runners who have a strong base of running 20-25 miles per week and/or can run 7 miles easily. My programs are divided into three main stages: a build up stage that slowly increases the miles, a demanding stage which is begins to face the more physically and mentally demanding miles and may begin to focus on speed and endurance (building a lactate threshold), and ending with a recovery stage (the slow decreasing of miles and demanding workouts) which is important for performance on race day. The Advance Program accelerates through these stages faster with more emphasis on the hard peak stage. Both Programs are listed below. You may interject specific workouts that you like from each of the programs, my only high recommendation is that you don t ever increase your miles more than 10 percent each week. I also want to recommend joining a local running group. They are great for the longer runs and some provide water stations and preplanned routes. These help with adherence to the training and help you to stay motivated through the program. A largely known nationwide group is Road Runner s of America (find a chapter near you at www.rrca.org/find- a- running- club/). The Road Runner s of America provides lists of running groups in your area which you can join and may allow you to help spread the word about your fundraising efforts and what it is going towards. Feel free to wear your shirts! If you don t plan to continuously run the whole marathon, another resource is the Jeff Calloway program. It s a program that intermixes walking and running throughout the marathon. Normally consists of the idea of running for a period/a couple of minutes and then walking for a period. To find out if this program is right for you and for training programs please go to www.jeffgalloway.com/training/index.html. I ve attached my Coaching Philosophy so you can see the type of coach that I am and please understand the most important facet of training is to LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. This includes the understanding that you may just have days where your body is just tired and a long run isn t going to benefit your training. Overtraining is highly prone to our more advanced runners pushing themselves too hard and our novice runners putting too many miles in too fast. Please watch for signs of injuries (discussed in one of the upcoming articles) as these can stop your training all together or even require you to not participate in the marathon.
Please let me know if you have any questions! These can range from questions on training programs, creating different types of workouts, injuries (though I am not a medical professional) to topics you wish I d discuss. Also, feel free to contact me for any changes you may want or need for your own training schedule as I am willing to help anyone. Good luck with your fundraising and your race! Semper Fi, Corey Petersen Community Outreach Representative The Semper Fi Fund www.semperfifund.org corey.petersen@semperfifund.org 619-920-6841 Cell 703-640-0181 Quantico Office 703-640-0192 Fax
Week Rest Beginner/Intermediate s Marathon Training Guide Tempo Training 1 Race Pace Cross Train Long 2 No 1 Workout 1-3 miles 3 4 20-30 min 6 4 2 3 miles 4 3 20-30 min 8 3 3-4 x 1200 meters 3 5-7 min rest 3-4 4 20-30 min 9 3 4 Pyramid 1* 4 3 30-45 min 11 4 5-8 x 800 meters 3-5 5 min rest 4 7 30-45 min 13 5 6 Short Hill* 5 7 30-45 min 14 4 4-5 x 1000 meters 7 4-5 min rest 4 8 45-1 hr 15 3 8 Fartlek run* 6 8 45-1 hr 13 4 9 3-4 x 1600 meters with 5 min rest 5 9 45-1 hr 15 4 10 Superset* 4 7 45-1 hr 16 3 11 Long Hill* 4 10 30-45 min 18 4 12 4-5 x 1200 meters 2-4 min rest 5 7 20-30 min 13 5 13 Fartlek run 3 9 20-30 min 20-23 4 14 Pyramid 1 5 8-9 30-45 min 13 4-5 15 Pyramid 2* 5 8 20-30 min 10 4 16 5-8 mile jog rest 3 mile jog rest MARATHON *Notes: Take any easy day as rest day if needed. Listen to your body! All workouts should include 5-10 mins of warmup and 5-10 min cooldown Pyramid 1: 800/1600/3200/1600/800 continuous run (800 at 5k pace, 1600 at 10k, 3200 at marathon) Short Hill: 9-12 x 300-400 meters with resting during jog back to start point Fartlek: 2 minutes hard, 2:30 easy, 3 minutes hard, easy, 2 minutes hard, 2:30 easy, 4 minutes hard, 2:30 easy, 4 minutes hard, 2:30 easy, 3 minutes hard, 2:30 easy Long Hill: 6 x 1000-12000 meters with resting during jog back to start point Superset: 3 miles at 10k pace, 5 miles at marathon, 2 mile at 5k, 800-1600 meters cool down Pyramid 2: 400/800/1600/800/400 continuous run (400 hard, 800 at 5k pace, 1600 at 10k- marathon)
Week Rest Advance Marathon Training Guide Tempo Training 1 Race Pace Cross Train Long 2 1 No Workout 7 x 800 meters 1-2 min rest 4 5 45-1 hr 7 4 2 10 x 400 meters 1 min rest 3 6 45-1 hr 8 3 3 3-4 x 1200 meters 3-4 min rest 3-4 6 45-1 hr 10 4 4 Pyramid 1* 4 6 45-1 hr 12 4 5 6-8 x 800 meters 1-2 min rest 4 7 45-1 hr 13 5 6 5 x 1000 meters 1-2 min rest 5 7 45-1 hr 14 4 7 Short Hill* 4 8 45-1 hr 15 3 8 Fartlek run 6 8 45-1 hr 13 4 9 4 x 1600 meters with 3-5 min rest 5 9 45-1 hr 16 4 10 Superset * 4 7 45-1 hr 16 3 11 Long Hill * 4 10 45-1 hr 18 4 12 5 x 1200 meters 1-2 min rest 5 7 45-1 hr 13 5 13 2-4 x 5000 meter with 5 min rest 3 9 45-1 hr 20-23 4 14 Pyramid 1 5 8-9 30-45 13 4-5 15 Pyramid 2 5 8 20-30 10 4 16 5-8 mile jog rest 3 mile jog rest MARATHON *NOTES: All workouts should include 5-10 minutes of warmup Pyramid 1: 800/1600/3200/1600/800 continuous run (800 at 5k pace, 1600 at 10k, 3200 at marathon) Short Hill: 12 x 300-400 meters with rest jog back to start point Fartlek: 2 minutes hard, 2:30 easy, 3 minutes hard, easy, 2 minutes hard, 10-15 minutes cooldown, 2:30 easy, 4 minutes hard, 2:30 easy, 4 minutes hard, 2:30 easy, 3 minutes hard, 2:30 easy Long Hill: 6 x 1000-12000 meters with resting during jog back to start point Superset: 3 miles at 10k pace, 5 miles at marathon, 2 mile at 5k, 800-1600 meters cool down Pyramid 2: 400/800/1600/1600/800 continuous run (400 hard, 800 at 5k pace, 1600 at 10k- marathon)
My Coaching Philosophy Coach Petersen s Mission: My mission is to provide guidance to individuals/teams in the proper way to train to be successful but also develop a whole body mentality. The whole body mentality is understanding how to succeed throughout life through the development of sportsmanship, skills, discipline, responsibility, and encourage lifelong participation in exercise. I request standards of conduct and rules of personal responsibility that I hope everyone should follow to participate in road races and other athletic events. I will instruct different techniques to enhance skills and challenge the whole body. I will attempt to create a team atmosphere where no member is more important than another and that helping each other by advice or encouragement is welcomed and rewarded. I want everyone to develop not only your own athletic ability but help develop as a person. My ultimate goal is pursue victory with honor. Philosophy of Athletic Training: I believe all sports should be fun. Sports should positively affect self- esteem, sense of responsibility, teamwork capability, and physical fitness. I do not feel that I should have to push any of my athletes but provide them with the facilities and the knowledge to excel. Excelling does not necessarily mean becoming a professional at cross- country or track or running ultra marathons but to improve from the beginning to the end of the season. I want the athletes to have a love for running as I do that will continue throughout their life. I want them to have the tools to be able to understand the changes their body goes through during an effective workout and to know the warning signs of frequent running injuries. Coach Petersen s Objectives 1. Provide a way of creating a positive image of my athletes 2. Provide my athletes with a worthy use of leisure time now and in the future 3. Encourage a high number of participants and ensure each athlete improves 4. Develop and maintain a high attendance and safely adherence to my recommendations 5. Create a desire within my athletes to develop and use their abilities to the fullest extent 6. Develop positive sportsmanship in all athletes Code of Conduct: Each member of the team, whether advanced or beginners, to be reminded that teaching sportsmanship is my mission. I want everyone to feel worthy and that they have something to present to the team. No one is better than anyone, and all events I am assisting in are individually based. You are your own competition; no one else s time should affect how you feel about your time.
Disclaimer Page * Please review the following disclaimer carefully This document contains a collection of training suggestions and potential sources that we feel may provide useful information. Our provision of the information contained herein does not constitute an endorsement by the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. Additionally, we strongly recommend that you be in good physical condition and that you consult with your physician before beginning any exercise program. The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund is not a licensed medical care provider and represents that it has no expertise in diagnosing, examining, or treating medical conditions of any kind, or in determining the effect of any specific exercise on a medical condition. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you do so at your own risk and you assume any and all risks, and you further agree to release and hold harmless the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund, Inc. and its representatives from any and all claims or causes of action, known or unknown, arising as a result of this program, or the advice or lack of advice contained herein. If you are uncertain about the suggestions and/or resources we've provided in this document, please seek the advice of a licensed medical professional before participating.