Mo Farah Finds How Hard Marathon Training Can

Mo Farah is in Kenya right now, training on the red clay roads of Iten, at nearly 8,000 feet above sea level, as he has each year since 2008.

But things have changed a great deal between his first trip and this current one, as theTelegraph in the UK points out. He’s now the 5000- and 10,000-meter Olympic gold medalist and world champion, and a familiar figure to the local villagers who yell out “Mofarah, Mofarah” as he runs by. As Farah tells it, “They think it’s one word.”

This trip to Kenya will last three months, the longest stretch of time that Farah’s been away from his family. He’s training for a marathon this time, the London Marathon on April 13, and “it is not easy,” as the Telegraph’s Simon Hart writes.

"Your body is just taking a beating all the time,” says Farah, “but that's what the marathon is about - being stronger, getting the mileage in, getting back from your run, waking up the next day, going for a run, not feeling great.

"It's completely different to training for the track,” he told Hart. “It involves more miles and it involves longer workouts. Before I used to reps of 400, 600 or 1,000 meters. Now a minimum that I'm doing in speed sessions is one-mile reps. Even my warm-up is four or five miles." In a typical week, his mileage adds up to 130.

From UK media accounts, it's clear that many of Farah’s fans expect to see the same triumphal outcome at the marathon as they've become used to on the track. But historically, not every master of long-distance track racing has become a top marathoner. And he’s up against a field that includes the world record holder, Wilson Kipsang; the Olympic and world champion, Stephen Kiprotich; the owner of the fastest marathon in history, Geoffrey Mutai; and the London course record holder, Emmanuel Mutai.

"It's going to be the hardest race of my life," Farah says. "The London Marathon is not just about taking on a few guys. They get the best of the best.

"They are probably going to think, 'This guy's good at track, so we've got to show him something,'" Farah says. "I wouldn't be surprised early on if they did something crazy."

Farah’s coach, Alberto Salazar, will join him in Kenya near the end of his stay. The two have discussed Farah’s potential time for London. The current British marathon record, dating to 1985, is Steve Jones’ 2:07:13. "I believe I can run 2:07,” says Farah, “but the next level is, How do you get close to 2:03? It will take time but it's about learning.”

Source: runnersworld.com