The following information comes from Week One of the Training Program for First-Time Marathoners of MarathonSkating.com.

Week One: Long Slow Skate (LSS) Focus: The focus of this week’s training program is the importance of the Long Slow Skate.

Week One Schedule

• Monday: Rest
• Tuesday: 30-minute skate at conversational effort
• Wednesday: Cross-Training: Walking, bicycling, running, swimming, etc
• Thursday: 30-minute Fartlek skate
• Friday: Rest day
• Saturday: Cross-Training: Walking, bicycling, running, swimming, etc
• Sunday: 60-minute Long Slow Skate

Long Slow Skate

We start with the Long Slow Skate (LSS) as our emphasis in Week One of our training program because the LSS is the heart of a marathon training program. Why? The LSS has a number of purposes:

• Mentally and physically prepare you to skate the 26-mile distance in your race.
  
• Give you the confidence of knowing you can complete the marathon.
  
• Force you to slow down and pace yourself rather than skating too fast.
  
• Practice the realities of skating distance including dressing, eating, and drinking properly.

In our schedule, we work you up to a LSS of 120 minutes in Week Four, two weeks before the marathon. In your first marathon, you might or might not skate the actual race in two hours. Depending on your speed, you might take as long as three hours to skate the marathon. However, it is not necessary when skating your first marathon to actually skate that distance in practice.

Of utmost importance during this and subsequent LSS days is to skate at a moderate pace! Even if you feel like you can skate faster, that is defeating the training goal of getting you used to a moderate marathon pace. It can also lead to injuries from over training. For this and future LSS days, please remember:

• Bring a water bottle and a snack (energy bar or equivalent) with you.
• Wear clothing appropriate for the day. Wicking clothing is best.
• It is okay to take bathroom or short rest breaks during your LSS days.
• Skate at a moderate, conversational pace!