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Whether or not to pursue my marathon - ashley
Hi there, I'm in a bit of a predicament. I signed up to run the Mesa marathon (aiming for a sub 3:15:00) and was meeting all of my split times and tempo runs up until week 6 when I fractured the distal portion of my clavicle. I'm estimating 2-3 weeks of rest from running, however I've been cycling nearly everyday (with intervals and resistance) as well as lifting (legs) to keep up with my fitness. I would have about 8 weeks of full training until my marathon after this incident heals. I'm a dedicated runner and have been running 30-40 miles a week prior to this, and my goal does mean a lot to me. I'm wondering if I should pursue the Mesa marathon in feb or sign up for an alternative marathon in April and restart my training altogether. Any advice is of help :)
reply coach janet
Hi Ashley, A distal clavicle fracture sounds minor enough, but you have to appreciate that the clavicle is critically important for stabilizing your entire shoulder girdle (as I'm sure you've already figured out by the symptoms when you try to do things that challenge it). While biking will maintain some cardiorespiratory fitness, NOTHING trains you for running the way running does. Biking may work heart and lungs, but doesn't provide the same tissue loading to maintain bone, tendon and muscle strength specific for running. With only 5 weeks to get back on track (you'd still need to taper) it seems like a push to meet that time frame. You could probably finish OK but likely wouldn't have the best race. If the finish time goal is important to you, I think you'd be more likely to attain it if you delay and choose a later race. You won't have to "restart your training altogether", you'd just resume and gradually work your way back up. Good luck - and speedy healing! Coach Janet Hamilton, MA,RCEP, CSCS, USATF-level 1, RRCA certified coach.
Marathon Training Plan - WEi
Hi, I am a 27 male with active lifestyle (badminton, gym and running). Currently struggle what plan or method should I follow to run Chicago Marathon (aim sub-4) in 2026 Oct. My first thought is I can't maintain my 170 heart rate for 4 hours, and think of training my zone 2 heart rate and made it quicker but had trained for 2 more months, seemed still not dropping from 11min/mile for zone 2. Then I am thinking should I just train not considering my heart rate since I can maintain a very high heart rate, let's say 180 for 20 minutes. How should I train? Do you have any suggestions? Thank you!,
reply - coach janet
Hi Wei, while I understand your question - I can't give you a detailed plan to accomplish your goal without knowing a lot more about you. Here is some general guidance: SLOWLY and carefully build your base weekly mileage until you're able to consistently run about 40 miles a week at a nice relaxed effort. At that point you can be more confident about running at higher intensities (speeds) for longer periods. The lower intensity base building serves to strengthen the infrastructure to support the harder effort of race pace. Consistent base building stimulates changes like increasing heart chamber size and heart strength, building more blood vessels, and even cellular changes that improve your ability to extract oxygen. All these changes over time can be measured bu tracking your HR at a given pace. As you improve fitness, you'll see not only your resting HR get lower, you'll also see that at the same pace your HR will be lower as well. Hopefully this helps. Good luck! Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, USATF-level 1, RRCA certified coach
Our Athletes Share their stories
"We are undefeated coach! We prepared for 5 marathons together and we set a PR every time!" Paul S (NY)
"Janet's education, experience in patient care & as an educator give her a credible resume for advising runners. More importantly to me, she is able to reach out and see where I need a boost - nutrition, race day preparation, etc. She is intuitive in reading my running log and tweaks my training accordingly. I have worked with Janet for several years and I have been injury-free while snagging half marathon PRs." Cheryl (KS)
Over the years my running goals have evolved, and, thanks to Janet, I’ve achieved them all! Janet’s background in physical therapy and biomechanics was invaluable to get me back on my feet after a bad hamstring injury. Janet uses her knowledge of the latest scientific evidence to optimize performance. With Janet’s help, I’ve reached the podium for races from the 5K to the marathon and qualified for Boston. Most importantly, Janet has a positive, supportive coaching style, and is a pleasure to work with! Kathrine T (GA)