Inline Marathoning > Advanced Skills

Marathon Training and Racing for the Advanced Competitor
Part 3: Marathon Interval Training
By Barry Publow

Competing in a marathon is a lot like competing in a 10K. The pace changes often with periods of relatively relaxed skating punctuated by hard surges as skaters chase breakaways or go on fliers of their own.

To be successful under these conditions, you need three things: endurance, the ability to accelerate, and the ability to recover. Endurance will get you to the finish line; but you also need the ability to accelerate (so you don't get left behind by the pack) and the ability to recover (so you get the rest you need between surges).

One of the best tools for developing these skills is interval training.

Here are two interval workouts especially designed to prepare skaters for marathons:

Workout No. 1

• warm up: 5 minutes at a constant pace, then 5 minutes progressing to race pace in the final minute.
• 4 reps of 5 minutes at 80-85 percent effort with 3 minutes active recovery (very slow skating) between each.
• rest - 8 minutes
• 2 fartleks (variable speed interval) of 10 minutes each with 2-3 minutes rest.
• rest - 3 minutes
• 5 100m sprints with 90 seconds rest between them
• cooldown: 10 minutes

Workout No. 2

• warm up: 5 minutes at a constant pace, then 5 minutes progressing to race pace in the final minute.
• 2 minutes on at 90 effort, followed immediately by 1 minute off at 60 percent effort. Repeat 6-8 times (6 ons and 6 offs).
• rest - 5 minutes
• 3 minutes on at 80-85 percent effort, followed immediately by 1 minute off at 60 percent effort. Repeat 4-6 times.
• cooldown: 10 minutes

 Interval training is only one part of marathon training. Seasonal planning and periodization (doing the right thing at the right time of year) are also important tools.

Skaters should also gradually and progressively increase their training load over the weeks and months leading up to a race. And follow this by a systematic reduction in training load in the final one or two weeks before for the big day. 

Coming next week: The Importance of the Start!

Go to:

Part 1: Marathon Training for Advanced Skaters

Part 2: Want to race fast? ... train fast!

Part 3: Interval training for marathon skaters

Related reading:
• Advanced Skills for Inline Skaters.

• Beginner's guide to outdoor racing.

(Copyright 2006 Barry Publow)

(Barry Publow is coach of the Canadian national inline speed skating team and a former national champion. He is the author of Speed on Skates and an expert on sport-specific technique, biomechanics and training application. At his Breakaway SpeedCamps, he has shared his knowledge of skating with hundreds of skaters in Canada, the United States and Europe.)

Related reading:
• Advanced Skills for Inline Skaters.

Go to:

Part 1: Marathon Training for Advanced Skaters

Part 2: Want to race fast? ... train fast!

Part 3: Interval training for marathon skaters

Part 4: Maximizing Your Starts and Resting While You Race

Related reading:
• Advanced Skills for Inline Skaters.

• Beginner's guide to outdoor racing.

...

Copyright © 2006 by Robert Burnson