Around this time in 2001, I was getting over a cold—those befell me no more than once a year before I started teaching and coaching high-school kids, and returned to that level of attack after I quit—and was about to start my “official” training for my second Boston Marathon.
Since I’m no longer maintaining a personal website, I’ve made this post the new home for my pre-GPS-era training log for those twelve weeks, even if all of it should be buried somewhere in the desert outside Albuquerque with bamboo shoots shoved under its nails and forgotten forever.
In theory, because this is just a data dump, I’m obligated to explain some of the details for anyone who cares to learn how a 31-year-old male manages to reach what was then indisputably the world-class level for a female marathoner. Also, some of you were present for some of the listed training runs and races, and I have the pictures and race reports to prove it. I may even still have razzing emails from the captain of the Central Mass Striders men’s racing team at the time.
For those reasons, I’ll be referring back to this post a few times in the months to come.
The words in italics were my words about this training block almost twenty-one years ago, as soon as it ended.
In spite of a late-race pit stop that cost me close to a minute, I set a personal best by over two and a half minutes at the 2001 Boston Marathon.
Looking at the twelve-week block of training preceding it, I feel that the overall key to my breakthrough was keeping my overall mileage fairly high (105+ for a ten-week period and 115+ for four, both "personal bests") while varying the totals of those weeks sufficiently to allow for some race-pace workouts and solid build-up races.
Week of January 22
M: 9 miles steady
Tu: 4 miles easy; 7 miles steady
W: 5 miles easy; 9 miles steady
Th: 4 miles easy; 9 miles steady
F: 4 miles easy; 9 miles steady
Sa: 10 miles steady
Su: 14 miles easy; 8 miles steady
92 miles
January 29
M: 6 miles easy; 7 miles fartlek
Tu: 8 miles easy
W: 11 miles easy
Th: 4 miles easy; 7 miles including 8 x 30-40 sec. "bursts"
F: 5 miles easy; 9 miles easy
Sa: 10 steady; 7 miles easy
Su: 15 miles easy
89 miles
February 5
M: 4 miles easy; 6 miles easy
Tu: 11 miles steady; 6 miles steady
W: 11 miles including road intervals: 800 - 2:25 (uphill), 600 - 1:34 (downhill), 400 - 66 (uphill), 200 - 32 (flat). Took full (2:30-3:00) rest.
Th: 8 miles easy
F: 9 miles easy
Sa: 12 miles including an aborted indoor 5K (4:51/9:51). Just never felt strong at all and folded midway. Hopefully the low point of the racing year.
Su: 15 miles easy; 8 miles steady
90 miles
February 12
M: 4 miles easy; 8 miles easy
Tu: 4 miles easy; 10 miles including 4 x 200m (31+) and 6 x 400m (67+) with 1:00 rest on Hutchins St.
W: 10 miles including 8 x 400m in ~80 on the roads with Andrew; 4 miles easy
Th: 3 miles easy; 7 miles including 4 x 800m on the road in 2:32, 2:26, 2:33, 2:22, 30 sec. rest
F: 3 miles easy; 7 miles easy
Sa: 10 miles easy
Su: 6 miles including a lackluster 3K race in 8:53; 9 miles steady
85 miles
February 19
M: 12 miles easy
Tu: 9 miles easy; 9 miles easy
W: 4 miles easy; 11 miles including 3M on the roads (six loops of
Peterson Circle) in 15:38. Cold!
Th: 5 miles including 8 x 200m on the roads in 34; 9 miles easy
F: 8.5 miles easy; 6.5 miles easy
Sa: 10 miles easy
Su: 10 miles easy; 10 miles easy
104 miles
February 26
M: 10.5 miles easy; 9.5 miles easy
Tu: 10 miles easy; 10 miles easy
W: 10 miles including 2400m in 7:51 and 4 x 800m in 2:33, all with 1:00 rest; 10 miles steady (6:38 pace)
Th: 10 miles easy; 11 miles including
F: 14 miles easy; 10 miles easy
Sa: 18 miles easy
Su: 22 miles including 30K race (submaximal) in 1:48:33
145 miles
March 5
M: 10 miles easy; 5 miles easy
Tu: 12 miles easy
W: 5.5 miles easy; 8.5 miles easy
Th: 8 miles including 4 x 200, 4 x 400, and 1 x 600 on Hutchins St. at mile/3K effort; 7 miles easy
F: 8 miles easy
Sa: 7 miles easy
Su: 15 miles including 13.1M race in 1:10:44
91 miles
March 12
M: 7 miles easy; 7 miles easy
Tu: 5 miles easy; 11 miles easy
W: 10 miles easy; 9 miles easy
Th: 6 miles easy; 10 miles including 16 x 440yd on the road
(Peterson Circle) in 70, 0:45-0:50 rest
F: 7 miles easy; 11 miles easy
Sa: 18 miles very easy; 11 miles with the last 4 under 22:00
Su: 10 miles easy; 11 miles steady
133 miles
March 19
M: 7 miles easy; 11 miles easy
Tu: 7 miles easy; 11 miles including a road workout: mile - 5:07, 1:00 rest, 880 - 2:33, 1:00 rest, then 400 (67), 600 (1:43), 600 (1:45), 400 (70), 600 (1:43), 400 (67), 200 (30) with 1:00 rest after the 400's and 1:30 after the 600's
W: 7 miles easy; 11 miles including 5M in 29:45 with Nate
Th: 7 miles easy; 10 miles easy
F: 5 miles easy; 12 miles including indoor 3K in 8:53.9
Sa: 6 miles easy; 10 miles easy
Su: 23 miles including 20M race in 1:50:33 PR
127 miles
March 26
M: 12 miles easy
Tu: 5 miles easy; 9 miles easy
W: 4 miles easy; 11 miles including 5M in 29:47 with Nate
Th: 6 miles including 3M in 17:48 with BBHS; 9 miles easy
F: 4 miles easy
Sa: 14 miles including 15K race in 48:56; 5 miles easy
Su: 16 miles easy; 5 miles easy
100 miles
April 2
M: 10 miles easy
Tu: 12 miles including 4 x 800m on the road, 2:00 rest - 2:22, 2:21, 2:20, 2:18
W: 10 miles easy
Th: 12 miles including 6M on the road: 5:24, 10:51, 16:18, 21:43, 27:10, 31:58 (4:48 last mile!)
F: 6 miles easy
Sa: 11 miles including 5K race in 15:26
Su: 12 miles easy
73 miles
April 9
M: 9 miles easy
Tu: 11 miles including 7M in 38:00 (5:23 pace)
W: 7 miles easy
Th: 7 miles including 4.8K in the rain: 5:41, 5:21, 4:58 = 16:00
F: 6 miles easy
Sa: 8 miles easy
Su: 6 miles easy
54 miles
April 16
M: 28 miles including a marathon in 2:24:17 PR