From the September issue of Runner’s World

Ed Eyestone tells how marathon training helped supercharge his shorter runs and what everyone can gain from logging a lot more jogging.

My early years in university coincided with the lead-up to the 1984 Olympics. Although I was untested in the marathon, the allure of 42.2 kilometres was too tempting to pass up. My coach and I came up with a plan: I would bump up my mileage in December and January, and run a late January marathon to qualify for the Trials in May. The plan went well; I ran my debut in 2:16 and qualified for the Trials.
The effect of my marathon training was that in the subsequent months, I dramatically lowered my personal best in every event from 1500 metres to 10,000 metres. I believe the rigorous training I underwent supercharged my cardiovascular engine. After dusting off my old training diaries, I concluded that the following points offer a good primer on how to train for a marathon and boost your speed over shorter distances.

STEP UP YOUR LONG RUN
Since I was new to running 42.2, my coach was concerned that I not distance myself too much from 3K, 5K, and 10K race pace, so my longer runs were done at a faster clip. Rather than slogging along at more than a minute per kilometre slower than goal pace for 32 to 49 kilometres, I ran at marathon race pace for about 24 kilometres. Like extended tempo runs, these workouts boosted my anaerobic threshold. When I transitioned back to shorter races, I could run faster without accumulating lactic acid.

RUN FASTER INTERVALS
Doing six kilometres of intervals at 3K or 5K race pace once a week kept me feeling fast. Running 800s, 1000s, 1200s, and kilometres at these speeds with a 1:1 recovery (one minute of rest per minute of effort) will target your VO2 max and boost your threshold. Plus, it makes marathon race pace seem easier.

BUMP UP YOUR MILEAGE
I regularly logged 144-plus kilometres a week in university, but during my six-week marathon-training period, I averaged closer to 176 kilometres a week. The additional five to six kilometres a day of aerobic conditioning lowered my body fat; it also generated extra blood volume and increased capillarisation in my muscles, which meant more oxygen was being distributed to the muscles. These changes all contributed to my faster times in the shorter distances.