Step 5 of Marathon Training - Don't Skip the Gym

This is another important part of training ~ one that I often neglect but am working on this year!  I don't belong to a gym, but Les has all the equipment I will ever need for strength training.

Marathon runners often make the mistake of neglecting the weight training aspect of their sport. Many believe that weight training will bulk them up, thus slowing them down by adding extra weight.  This is not necessarily true. By incorporating specific strength and flexibility training into your aerobic workouts you will develop explosive power and become more resilient to injury.

Add one strength and flexibility training session in to your weekly training plan. At a bare minimum, incorporate some strength training into one gym visit each week.

Size and Strength

For the marathon runner, it is important to strike that perfect balance between size and strength, and speed, leanness, and agility. So the question becomes: what's the optimal way for you to approach weight training?

It's usually best to make use of body weight resistance exercises. Some machine use and some free weights can be used to supplement body weight exercises but body weight resistance training results in lean, strong muscles with explosive power.

The Best Weight Training Exercises

The best body weight resistance weight exercises for the marathon runner are pull-ups, push-ups, dips, and lunges.

One day a week before you do your in-gym running training do three to four sets of each of these exercises. Each set should be of between 16 to 24 reps. Add to these body weight exercises the classic 'free weight squat' and you will notice huge improvements in your performance. Squats are the best universal weight training exercise there is and will build up strong legs, back and the 'core' stomach muscles.

Protect Your Core

You should also focus on a combination of "core strength" training and flexibility. This will result in strong stomach, lower back and hip muscles. You will be surprised to find out just how demanding on the stomach and hips a marathon is, but running really does put enormous strain on these specific muscle groups.

Yoga?

You could do a lot worse than do a weekly yoga class to supplement your aerobic training. Failing that, you should certainly do 'core work' every time you are in the gym. Don't fall into the trap of 'leaving it til the end' of a workout, your form will be poor or worse still you may just skip it. Before you jump on the treadmill, do sets of abdominal or lower back exercises.

Step 4 of Marathon Training - Eat for Success

This just might be the most important part of any training!  Especially the second point.  I've learned from personal experience, just because I exercise does not mean I can "eat what I want."

Stop right now and think about your daily nutrition. Proper nutrition is one of the most important aspects of your marathon training. Nutrition is, however, the most easily overlooked of all training aspects of any marathon training program. We tend to focus so much on conditioning and not on fully optimizing our training.

Train Smarter

We have all heard the saying "work smarter not harder", and this could not be any more true that in relation to your eating habits. Step four in designing your marathon training plan is committing to a better diet.

Nutrition is the fuel for our biomechanical engine. If we don't put in the right fuel, we don't get optimal results. You'll have a far better chance of succeeding if you eat the right foods and consume the proper amount of calories, minerals, and vitamins.

You Can't "Eat What You Want"

Athletes often assume that since they are fit they can eat whatever they want. While it is true that being physically fit enables people to consume more "junk food" and still have more energy and overall better health than the average person, unless your nutrition matches your training in terms of quality, your performance will suffer.

Grains, lean meats, vegetables, and fruits are all wholesome foods that will give your body the energy it needs to keep on training. Relying on pricey drinks and energy bars can get really expensive, so you'll do better if you plan meals that contain these foods.

Stay away from foods high in sugar and fat when you're training for a marathon. Your training will be negatively affected when you consume a lot of junk food. You should also steer clear of alcohol, because that will leave you dehydrated and contains a large amount of 'empty' calories.

You'll achieve your goals quickly when you incorporate proper marathon nutrition as part of your training.

Pre Training Diet

Eat a small, healthy 100 to 200 calorie snack before your workout and then a sensible snack or meal afterwards for recovery. Keep fuel available for your workouts so you get maximum benefit. The result is better performance and a better gain from the training session.

Increase Your Protein Intake

Normally, a person's recommended daily intake for protein consumption is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. But endurance athletes have different needs. Depending on body type, size, and weight, they need anywhere from 1.4 and 1.8 grams per kilogram of body weight.

Step 3 of Marathon Training - Add Detailed Training Sessions

Step three in putting together your training plan is to fill in the details of each daily workout within each of the three-to four-week training blocks.

The framework structure you already have in place will make it easy to ensure you are progressively loading your training and the Rest Weeks that are already incorporated into your schedule will avoid any risk of overtraining.

In the earlier weeks of your training, focus on longer lower intensity training sessions.  Keep your heart rate at an elevated level but not at anaerobic levels.  

Indoors or Outdoors?

Your running training can be done outdoors or inside on a treadmill.  If you prefer indoor running you should make sure you do sufficient outdoor running prior to Race Day.  While indoor treadmill running is great for building base endurance, you need to expose your body to the specific conditions of real running to succeed.

Detailed Workouts

There is not enough space in this email to set out specific workouts in detail.  In fact I often run day seminars entirely dedicated to this topic.  The key to optimal performance is very focused training, developing technique before loading on the distance.  You must incorporate technical drills into your training rather than simply training for time or a set distance.  

Take a look at a sample week from my Beginner Training Plan for an example of the detail required and both the incorporation of specific training drills and the varying training intensity levels.  (It's a free download). 

There is no getting around the fact that if you want to design your own training plan, adding the details of your daily workouts does take a decent amount of time (my students typically tell me it takes over 4 hours to design a Beginner training plan).

Can't I Just Download A Free Plan?

I'm often asked "why can't I just download a free training plan?"  My response is simple - while free training plans are a great general overview for your training, they omit the crucial details. 

Simply saying "Tuesday - 45 minutes running training" is not an effective way to train.  I have said it before and I will repeat it now - you need to Train Smart.  My training plans are designed such that not a single minute of training time is wasted.  You do the proven optimal amount of training and no more. 

Marathons by the Numbers

I thought this was a really cool chart.  I definitely live in the right state - with 76 marathons per year in California, I should have no trouble finding marathons to run in!

Week 1 Report

The 2012 season is off to a great start!  I'm still waiting on my new shoes, but I did lots of riding.  I've also added strength training, an area that I tend to neglect.  I did two sessions with my Atlus Power Ball - this little four pounder really adds a lot to my workout.

Total miles for this week:
Running:  5.00
Cycling:  45.92
Total 50.92

Step 2 of Marathon Training - Set Out Your Training Framework

Step two in designing your training plan is to map out the broad framework of your training schedule and periodize your training efforts.  

Plan Backwards from the Race Event

Get a calendar, and mark down the race date and your goal event.  Now work backwards and count the number of weeks you have to train.  

Now, download this template training week and print off as many copies as you have training weeks available.   (It's a free download). 

Schedule Around Important Commitments

Make a note on your templates of any other important dates and events you are committed to during your training period such as vacations, weddings and all other dates that you are certain you will not be able to train.  You should also make a note of any practice events that you are planning to take part in as further preparation.

Divide Your Training into 4 Week Blocks

Divide the weeks you have available to train into periods of three or four weeks.  Work backwards from your race day.  The week of your race should be labeled "Race Week." 

The week immediately prior to Race Week is your "Taper Week" which is a week of rest and last minute preparation.  The two weeks prior to Taper Week are your "Peak Weeks". 

Continue working backwards on your templates and ideally you'll end up with four or five three- to four-week periods, a couple of Peak Weeks and a Race Week.  Now you have a basic overview of your training plan.

Add Recovery Weeks

Every three-to four-week period should end with a rest and recovery week.  Label the last week of each three-to four-week training block "Recovery Week".  Keep the workouts light in your Recovery Week, your body needs this time to recharge and grow stronger.  Total training volume in each Recovery Week should be about half of regular training weeks.

As a general rule, the three to four week periods at the beginning of the training plan should focus on building an endurance base.  You should focus on longer, lower intensity (and heart rate) workouts at the beginning, adding speed and explosive power workouts towards the end of your plan. 

Step 1 of Marathon Training

I signed up for free Marathon Training tips and started getting them in my email. I'll be sharing them here, of course.

Step 1 of Marathon Training

The first thing to ask yourself is what are you trying to achieve? This will obviously depend to an extent where you currently are in terms of physical fitness. It's better to start small (with, for example, an 'easier' flat course marathon) and your goal should be both challenging and realistic.

You must be passionate about your goal - without the passion you will not be willing to push yourself that extra mile in training or get out of bed to train when its still dark outside. Write your goal down. Once you have your goal you have a target to focus your training plan design on.

The final thing to do in Step 1 is to sign up for your chosen event and commit to it. Get out a calendar and make a note of race day. You now have a tangible goal to work and train towards.

This goal is the foundation of everything that will follow.

Trust me, the results will be worth your effort.

Just remember that statistic:

Athletes who stuck to a plan were 76% more likely to finish their chosen race.

Step 1 for me is checked off!