Official Training Program of the Five Cities Marathon - $200 ($175 for 5 City Registered Runners)

Coach-Tony is the official Coach for the Five Cities Marathon.  Get the official 20-week training program for the Five Cities Marathon here designed for runners of various levels of experience. The program is first-timer and veteran runner friendly.   The plan begins on June 7th and includes the following:

(1) 20 Week On-Line Training Program
(2) On-line WorkoutLog.com account for the duration of the plan
(3) Guidence and Q&A with Coach-Tony.com for the duration of the plan
(4) In-Person interaction with Coach-Tony (No virtual here)
(5) 3 group run opportunities per week with a motivaed group of runners
(6) In Training T-Shirt while supplies last
(7) Monthly Newsletter with running tips and marathon news.

Click here to get started. 

Coach Tony has completed 15 Ironman Triathlons and over 25 marathons including the Boston Marathon. As a USAT and USAC Certified Coach-Tony has a 100% completion with all of his athletes whether training for their first event or qualifying for Boston or Kona. "I bring a proven record of success as an athlete and coach with over 15 years experience as a triathlete, cyclist, and runner. My accomplishments include Ironman Hawaii Ironman World Triathlon Championships, Boston Marathon, the California Triple Crown endurance cycling series, and various other endurance events. I've been on the podium at all types of events and can help you do the same."  Click here to learn more about Cooach-Tony.

Sign up for the Official Five Cities Marathon Training Program here! Contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with questions.

One of the most well-known scientists to explore the use of heart rate for the purpose of athletic improvement was Francesco Conconi. His research resulted in what is known as the "Conconi Test". As part of this test, athletes monitor heart rate response to increases in speed. Conconi thought when heart rate and speed were are plotted on a graph, lactate threshold occurred when heart rate no longer climbed in a linear relation to speed. He believed this is the point was directly related to the accumulation of lactate in the body.

Tackling your first marathon can be an overwhelming feat. Events of this distance or duration take as much metal strength as they do physical strength. After mile 20, the run becomes exponentially more difficult for various reasons. Your brain becomes overloaded with messages from your body. The best type of luck is good preparation. To help you prepare for your first marathon consider the following guidelines.

VO2 Max is the maximum volume of oxygen the body can consume during intense exercise while breathing air at sea level. This is different than the amount of oxygen the lungs can inhale. VO2 is a measurement of how much of the oxygen inhaled the body uses. The volume is expressed as a rate either in liters per minute (L/min) or milliliters per kg body weight (ml/kg/min).

The first two decades of the fifth century B.C. marked one of the great turning points in world history. These were the years of the Persian and Greek wars. The powerful Persian Empire in 546 B.C. extended from Asia to Eygpt to what is now Turkey. This great empire built the first Suez Canal which linked the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. Greece on the other hand, consisted of a scattering of independent city-states, called poleis. These early city-states spawned the democratic ideas that have persisted into modern times. Athens eventually became the largest and most prosperous polis. Another Greek polis, Sparta, was not so democratic. They kept their kings and maintained a conservative, regimented society built around military training and the art of war.