Secrets of a Boston Age Group Winner

     Glenn Stewart's Q&A with David Oliver after his age group win at Boston.  David ran a 2:58:23, the second ever Quarter Century Club member to break 3 hours.

David in the 2011 Boston Marathon
Photo by Scott Mason

Q:  What does it take to run sub-3 as a veteran runner?  What changes (if any) have you made in your training over the years?

A:  After finishing third at Boston in 2008, I felt that I would probably never be able to surpass that achievement, so I concentrated on my next goal, which was to qualify for and finish 25 Bostons in a row and join the Quarter Century Club (QCC) in 2016.  However as the years went by I realized that by studying my training logs and learning from other successful runners, there was still more that I could do to improve.  So right after Boston 2015 I set as my ultimate objective another podium finish in 2018 at 60 in the 60 - 64 age division and make it my final competitive marathon.

I had noticed that there was a strong correlation between between my training volume and my marathon performances, especially if I could build up to high mileage by the middle to end of January.  My best marathons to date were on the tail end of 100+ mile weeks. I also knew that as I was getting older it was getting harder and harder to have the energy to train at high volumes and intensity, plus avoid injuries. I felt that 100+ mile weeks were no longer possible.  So I had to find a way to increase my training volume without risking injury or chronic fatigue. 

The first and perhaps most important difference this year was to incorporate elliptical into my training, which would allow me to extend my aerobic volume without stressing my joints too much.  In May 2016, right after the marathon, I purchased a Sole Fitness E95S elliptical trainer, which has the advantage that the stride length is adjustable up to 24” to better simulate a running stride.  A typical weekday would have me on the elliptical for 30 minutes for workout number one.  Workout number two was for example 12 miles on the treadmill in the evening immediately followed by 15 minutes on the elliptical.  The only days I didn’t use the elliptical were after long runs. The elliptical allowed me to train the equivalent of >100 mile weeks and extend my training to a very late taper starting only about 8 or 9 days before Boston. It also provided much needed core and hip strengthening.

In recent years almost all of my training for Boston at the weekends has been down on the Cape.  We have some rolling hills around Mashpee but these are far from being challenging enough to prepare for Boston.  So the second difference in my training this year was to run almost every long run over the hills of Upton, Grafton, Westborough and Hopkinton, often running the uphills and downhills very hard.  I aimed for 1,000 to over 1,300 feet of elevation gain in each run.  This made the hills on the Boston course seem trivial by comparison.

The third major difference was to really back off on the recovery days, running perhaps 90 seconds per mile or more slower than marathon pace.  In addition, to aid recovery, I would lay flat on the recliner in the evenings as much as possible and try to catch a nap.  I also have a electric massaging machine which I would deploy each evening of the day after a hard workout. Another important recovery factor that I concentrated on this year was to try to get enough sleep every night.

My “hard workouts” were strength training once a week, plus a tempo run or progression run most weeks, and a hilly long run alternating typically between 18 and 22 miles, usually run fairly hard.  I incorporated a few short speed bursts (sub-6 pace) a couple of times a week to maintain leg turnover. All weekday runs were on the treadmill, which I prefer because I can dial in precise paces for different workouts in an attempt to avoid both overtraining and under-training.  The treadmill gradient and pace was measured and adjusted very precisely before designing my training plan.  I studied my response to training and adjusted paces every couple of weeks to my new fitness level.  In addition, I felt that 2 races would be optimal.

The fourth difference this year was incorporating heat training starting 3 weeks before Boston.  Heat training can get a little tricky and you have to know what you are doing to get it right.  I began to magnesium deplete and had to supplement with almonds and magnesium tablets!  Fortunately I recognized what was happening and had time to take action. The warm and sunny race day weather forecast forced me to recalculate my marathon pace expectations and I was determined to hold to that plan.  From my training, I knew I was ready to run a 2:52 marathon on a cool day.  After doing some research into the other marathoners who I expected to be my main competition, I felt that a second place finish was definitely ON.

In addition, I did some core training - clamshells and planks for example - but not more than about one session a week on average.

Nutrition has dogged me in many Bostons, especially from my first in 1992 to about 2007.  I never achieved my full potential at Boston during all of those years largely because of stomach cramping whenever I tried to drink the Gatorade or eat the gels provided on the course.  It turns out that I am sensitive to fructose when exercising hard.  The Gatorade recipe has subsequently changed and doesn’t upset my stomach anymore because they removed the fructose.   I always carry my own gels and find, after experimenting with many products over the years, Hammer Gels to be perfect for my stomach.  I carry 4 and take them every 5 miles with moderate amounts of water.  My last run over 20 miles was a “depletion run” 2 weeks before Boston with no or very little carbs for a day or two before and only water during the run.  That depletion run was probably the toughest workout that I did!  For breakfast the morning of the race I drink a Carbo Gain solution exactly three hours before the start and nothing more until the 5 mile mark. I abstain from caffeine for two weeks before the race and take a normal quantity of coffee with the Carbo Gain drink on race morning.  The night before I am very careful not to overeat.  This nutrition schedule guarantees I always finish my Boston races with adequate reserves of energy.

Q:  How do you stay motivated when the race gets hard?

A:  I especially think of all the hard work and planning that I have put into my training and feel very lucky to be running competitively with the young guys and gals at my age, many of which are half my age.  I give thanks to my parents for getting me off to such a great start in life and especially to my wife, Eve, who has supported my running for so many years.  I think of my kids and grandson and hope that my hard work will inspire them to achieve whatever they set their minds to do.  This year, at about mile 20 I started thinking about the sponge cake that Eve had baked for me.  Yes, it was those sponge cake thoughts that pulled me to victory.

Q:  What does it mean to you to WIN at Boston?  Was that a goal?

A:  Fulfilling a lifelong ambition of finishing first in a major international sporting event is something I believe many dream about and only running can enable for someone my age.  Having that dream come true by winning my age group at the Boston marathon, the Super Bowl of running, has made me feel on top of the world.

Q:  What other runners, teammates and competitors, have inspired you?

A:  Seb Coe, Brendan Foster and Steve Cram were my heroes when I was living in the UK up until the early eighties.  I am very fortunate to be personal friends with Bill Rodgers who has taught me much of what I know about marathoning and has inspired me tremendously.  Like Bill, Meb is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met and I am in awe at what he has achieved on a consistent basis.  Ed Whitlock set the bar very high for us older folk and his race times will never cease to amaze me.  There are many other teammates, training partners and competitors that I have held in high regard over the years, especially John Barbour, Brian Pilcher and several runners I used to train with in the Reston Runners when I lived in Virginia in the 80s.  I will never forget how dominant our GLRR seniors team was 8 - 10 years ago. Exciting times!

Q:  Now that it’s in the books, what’s next?  I saw your post on FB that your planning to retire from competitive marathoning.  Or is a Michael Jordan type retirement  – if not the marathon, are there other goals?

A:  My retirement from competitive marathoning is for real.  It just depends on where you draw that line ;).  My goals are to stay fit and healthy, enjoy running for as long as possible, and minimize any damage so that I can keep running and exercising for ever.  My goal is to be able to run with my grandkids and make them proud.