Bev Whelan's Marathon Dynamics "Report Card"

I was a little nervous when the thought crossed my mind to run my first marathon. I was used to competing – I had been racing cross-country and middle distance track for ten years but I had never run farther than 14 miles, and the thought of racing almost twice that was extremely daunting. Had it not been for Marathon Dynamics, I would probably still be wondering if I could complete a marathon.

I met Kevin Smith – the program's head coach – at the track one day in the early summer. I had spent much of my day at work learning about the Canadian marathons that my employer, a sporting manufacturer, sponsors. I was feeling particularly motivated to commit to running a marathon, and my talk with Kevin solidified my desire to attempt the distance.

Training Plan

I chose my race – the Bay State Marathon, which takes place in Lowell, MA in mid-October. The next step was to run a mile ‘trial' to see what kind of shape I was in. Once I had done those things, Kevin sent me a plan for the first "phase" of my training. I've received training plans from coaches before, but none were nearly this precise. Marathon Dynamics' plan outlined the duration, speed and type of every run or cross-training session; it was all based on my performance in the trial and a detailed interview, and so was completely individualized.

Kevin was very clear about the reasons behind each of my workouts. I understood – from talking with him and from reading the training "guide" that accompanied my workouts – that each week of training was set up based on my projected marathon time that week. As I completed more weeks of training, that projected time would get faster.

Long Runs

One of my worries about training for a marathon was doing too much mileage too quickly. As I'd never run over 14 miles, I wasn't sure how my body would respond to very long runs. The Marathon Dynamics plan methodically eased up my long run mileage, so I never felt like I was overexerting myself. I was very surprised by how natural all of my long runs felt.

Accountability

Six weeks before my race, I moved back to Boston and continued my training from there. Even when he wasn't at the track to see my workouts, Kevin was extremely encouraging. He was quick to respond and send a motivational message whenever I sent him my workout results. It can get pretty lonely out there on the track doing mile repeats, but it certainly helped knowing that Kevin would be excited to hear my results afterwards. His constant encouragement helped me do all of the workouts that had been prescribed for me.

Race Pace Runs

A unique aspect of Marathon Dynamics is the ‘Race Pace Runs'. They organize 3 of these each season, and they're designed to familiarize your body with the feeling of a race. They start at 8am – when most marathons start – included mile markers and water stops along the route. I found these extremely helpful. Not only did they make me comfortable running at my goal race pace, but they also gave me confidence in my pre-race routine. I wasn't used to running at 8am, and so these runs helped my body become accustomed to a breakfast and pre-race stretching routine. My body wasn't shocked on race day when I made it run 26.2 hard miles at 8am.

The Race

I'm proud to say that I finished my first marathon, and as is the case with most people's first marathon, I ran it the hard way. My body was feeling very rested because of the taper, so my first half marathon was faster than I had planned on running. Because of that, I slowed down significantly with 8 miles to go. I still ended up running 3:07, which is a very good time and a Boston qualifier. I'm not done yet though - Marathon Dynamics' training program showed me that if I run the race the right way, I can break 3 hours. That's what I intend to do in my next marathon.

My first marathon was painful, but the training for it was a lot of fun, and I would definitely recommend the Marathon Dynamics program to anyone. No matter whether you're aiming for a particular time or your goal is just to finish the race, the coaches will design a program that will help you safely and enjoyably reach your goal.