Are You Paying Enough Attention to Base Training?

"PATIENCE WILL BRING GREATNESS, AND PREPAREDNESS WILL GET YOU TO THE FINISH SMARTER, HEALTHIER, AND STRONGER THAN YOU WERE BEFORE."

- ALI NOLAN

I remember watching the New York City Marathon in November 2018 and getting that hot, bubbly, excited feeling in my brain. I sat glued to the screen as Shalane Flanagan fought to defend her NYC title. When she crossed the finish line in third (Mary Keitany placed first), she gave the packed crowd a wave and said, “I love you. I saw all the runners-more than 52,000 finishers-looking simultaneously exhausted and gleeful. Filled with serious FOMO, I was struck with marathon fever and promptly signed up for a February marathon, which was about 12 weeks away.

For months before this sudden urge to do another 26.2, my running had stagnated. A major cross-country move, too much CrossFit, and an achy hamstring left me logging 15 miles per week if I was lucky. It wasn't until I jumped right into the marathon training mindset that I learned an important lesson: Don't ignore base training unless you want to feel deflated or get injured as that big race approaches.

Base training is the one-to two-month period before the four- to six-month marathon training plan begins. It is similar to a marathon training plan in that it has shorter runs on weekdays with one long run on the weekend, and the best base plans will incorporate strength training to build your muscles as you slowly increase mileage.