Marathon training
Hey guys, so I’ve been asked by a few people to share my thoughts about training for a marathon.
When you Google “how to train for a marathon” 1,960,000 results get spat out. Woah. After flicking through a dozen or so articles it’s fair to say that there is a consistent “old school” accepted path of drumming in the miles and perhaps a small shift developing towards shorter, higher intensity training sessions. Having done both, I actually like to blend them. (If you’re keen to get straight to it, this is the best article I came across for your first marathon “traditional training” and this is a great article about starting running.)
Why? The big question I ask people first up is, “why do you want to do a marathon?”
A marathon is a really long way. It’s literally a marathon. We’ve probably all seen images of people dragging their bodies around the London Marathon to raise money for charity while at the same time becoming dangerously close to becoming a charity case themselves.
As much as I genuinely respect the amount of mental toughness they clearly have, I do question how safe, responsible and healthy such a demonstration actually is. The reality is that to give yourself the best chance of completing a marathon safely you should aim to have a year or so of regular running under your belt before launching into marathon training programme. Like many worthwhile things in life, this takes time, but it’s worth it.
A huge amount of confidence is to be gained by working your way through shorter events (5km, 10km and Half Marathons) while getting great experience as to how “race day” feels. You may end up finding that you love running shorter distances and that's ok too!
Getting started. To get started, I suggest the following:
Get a decent pair of shoes (should be obvious)
Get your spine and alignment checked by a chiropractor (more about this later)
Do some gentle stretches (these are a good start)
Walk for a minute, run for a minute (this can be your warm up depending on how far you’re going)
Running with a friend is a great way to keep you accountable and share the journey!
Aim to be out at least 3 times a week (after a few weeks you’ll have a much better idea as to is this whole running thing is for you?!)
Stuff. These days we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to “running stuff”.
As important as some of these are don’t let yourself become distracted or fooled into thinking that you need to have it all before you start running. One of the best things about running is that is SIMPLE. You put your trainers on and get outside and go. Run around the block. Then maybe again. Then perhaps get lost and find your way home (this is one of the many ways running is character building!).
Train Schedules. Ok, so you’ve decided you’re actually going to do this (insert appropriate gulp). I suggest you take a look at the following links and see which programme resonates with you the most.
Three Days a Week - Runner’s World (My Favourite)
Nearly all of the above programmes remind you to rest well, stay hydrated and cross train for good reason. Training for a marathon can be really taxing on the body so it’s super important to support your health while you’re training. You will need more rest. You will need to eat better. You will need to drink (alcohol) less. You will benefit from weight training. You will benefit from stretching and foam rollers (ouch!).
Side note here: after doing many marathon distance runs over the years and maintaining a reasonable degree of fitness, I once trained for a 56km marathon by running once a week (a long one), and doing 2 leg sessions in the gym a week. I felt great the whole race, endurance wasn’t a problem and my recovery was incredible. It really highlighted to me the sometimes misunderstood notion that strength really can help endurance.
I normally train 3 x 15 minute sessions a week, 4 if I’m training for a long run!
Chiropractic The benefits of having a healthy spine and nervous system while training for a marathon are too numerous to mention here, so I’m just going to briefly explain things from a mechanical perspective. For this I need you to imagine a car. This car has a wheel out of alignment; think pelvis, spine, lower limbs and joints.
If you’re driving the car slowly around the back streets you’re unlikely to notice the issue - this is like general walking around.
Now imagine what happens when you take the car onto the motorway, further and faster - this is like jogging, running and other forms of exercise.
What seemed to be a minor problem earlier can quickly increase the uneven wear on the tyres, cause problems with steering, and add strain through other parts of the car. Uneven forces through your body as training intensity increases cause areas of strain, inefficiency, irritation and even injuries.
Realigning the suspect wheel allows the car to be more efficient, run longer and smoother. A smoothly moving body increases your likelihood of training efficiently, longer and helps prevent injuries.
I often remind people that running doesn’t need to be complicated and can actually be really fun. So try not to over think it, get out there and see where your legs can take you. I can be reached at luke@chiro.london if you have any questions about chiropractic and/or running.
Luke Brady DC