BYU track and field coach Ed Eyestone
Run as fast as you can. BYU track and field coach Edward D. Eyestone (BS ’85) is still ahead of you. After running for BYU in the early ’80s, the 10-time All-American and four-time national champion competed professionally for 15 years, making the U.S. Olympic team in 1988 and in 1992. Eyestone has been a columnist for Runner’s World and was a long-distance running analyst for NBC at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. If you’ve considered training for a marathon, Coach Eyestone is behind you.
Q: If you’ve never been a runner, how do you start?
A: Conservatively. If you’re a couch potato, start by jogging for 30 seconds, then walking for 30 seconds, and then gradually building until you can get to 20 minutes or more of sustained jogging. I like to focus on time spent running and walking more than distance traveled. An average exerciser needs to exercise three to four times a week.
Q: How do you prevent discouragement?
A: You have to be patient when starting out because it’s hard and it’s work. Stop and take a break when needed. Be realistic with your expectations, and be consistent. Consistency allows us to achieve goals. Over time you’ll be able to run 20 minutes and then further, and ultimately you could run a full marathon.
Q: How do you train for a marathon?
A: Increase the volume of running. The most successful elites run over 100 miles a week, but your goal of running a marathon can be achieved by running 30 miles a week as long as you have one long run each week to help your body get used to being on its feet for two and a half hours or more without stopping. Doing long intervals, fartleks (intermittent sprints), and tempo running (running at a steady, challenging pace for a sustained period of time) also make attempting a marathon, half marathon, or 10K more successful.
Q: How does it feel to finish a marathon?
A: Some say it’s almost spiritual. No matter how fast or slow you go, you’ve set a goal, worked hard, sacrificed. It’s not unlikely to see tears at the finish line of a marathon, but much more often they are tears of joy rather than tears of pain.
RUN A MARATHON IN 18 WEEKS
Follow track and field coach Ed Eyestone’s marathon-training schedule for beginners.
Note: Tempos are intervals during your normal run. In the tempo intervals, you should run at a steady, challenging pace for a sustained amount of time. If the schedule reads, for example, “Tempo, 4 x 5 minutes, 4 miles,” that means that in the course of a four-mile run, you should do four separate, 5-minute tempo sets at an increased, sustainable pace—a pace that is hard but doable. Then after each 5-minute set, you can jog at a recovery pace as long as necessary, until the next tempo run.
| Novice Marathon Calendar | |||||||
| Sun. | Mon. | Tues. | Wed. | Thurs. | Fri. | Sat. | Total Miles |
| REST | Easy 3 miles | Tempo 5 x 4 min 4 miles |
REST | Easy 4 miles | REST | Long run 6 miles |
Week 1: 17 |
| REST | Easy 4 miles | Tempo 4 x 5 min 4 miles |
REST | Easy 4 miles | REST | Long run 6 miles |
Week 2: 18 |
| REST | Easy 4 miles | Tempo 4 x 5 min 4 miles |
REST | Easy 4 miles | REST | Long run 8 miles |
Week 3: 20 |
| REST | Easy 4 miles | Tempo 3 x 7 min 5 miles |
REST | Easy 4 miles | REST | Long run 8 miles |
Week 4: 21 |
| REST | Easy 4 miles | Tempo 3 x 7 min 5 miles |
REST | Easy 5 miles | REST | Long run 10 miles |
Week 5: 24 |
| REST | Easy 4 miles | Tempo 2 x 10 min 5 miles |
REST | Easy 5 miles | REST | Long run 10 miles |
Week 6: 24 |
| REST | Easy 4 miles | Tempo 3 x 7 min 5 miles |
REST | Easy 5 miles | REST | Long run 12 miles |
Week 7: 26 |
| REST | Easy 4 miles | Tempo 1 x 12 min 1 x 8 min 5 miles |
REST | Easy 5 miles | REST | Long run 12 miles |
Week 8: 26 |
| REST | Easy 4 miles | Tempo 1 x 14 min 1 x 6 min 5 miles |
REST | Easy 5 miles | REST | Long run 14 miles |
Week 9: 28 |
| REST | Easy 4 miles | Tempo 1 x 16 min 1 x 4 min 5 miles |
REST | Easy 5 miles | REST | Long run 14 miles |
Week 10: 28 |
| REST | Easy 4 miles | Tempo 1 x 18 min 1 x 2 min 5 miles |
REST | Easy 5 miles | REST | Long run 16 miles |
Week 11: 30 |
| REST | Easy 5 miles | Tempo 1 x 20 min 5 miles |
REST | Easy 5 miles | REST | Long run 17 miles |
Week 12: 32 |
| REST | Easy 5 miles | Tempo 1 x 20 min 6 miles |
REST | Easy 5 miles | REST | Long run 18 miles |
Week 13: 34 |
| REST | Easy 5 miles | Tempo 1 x 20 min 6 miles |
REST | Easy 6 miles | REST | Long run 19 miles |
Week 14: 36 |
| REST | Easy 6 miles | Tempo 1 x 20 min 6 miles |
REST | Easy 6 miles | REST | Long run 20 miles |
Week 15: 38 |
| REST | Easy 5 miles | Tempo 1 x 20 min 6 miles |
REST | Easy 5 miles | REST | Long run 12 miles |
Week 16: 28 |
| REST | Easy 4 miles | Tempo 1 x 15 min 5 miles |
REST | Easy 6 miles | REST | Long run 7 miles |
Week 17: 22 |
| REST | Easy 4 miles | Tempo 2 x 5 min 4 miles |
REST | Easy 3 miles | 10 min jog Easy 1 |
Race | Week 18 |
