Marathon

Training for a marathon is a daunting task, and there are various philosophies of training. Many traditional training strategies favor high mileage weeks. But, as a certified coach, I’ve researched various options and chosen to take a different route with my training. Specifically, I decided to focus on balancing a weekly endurance-building long run, high intensity interval work, cross-training (non-running aerobic activity) and strength training.

Excessive endurance exercise leads to excess production of cortisol, the body’s stress hormone, which can have a catabolic effect (breaking down of muscle) over time and can also lead to increased body fat storage. This is why endurance athletes may see a drop in scale weight during heavy training periods, but they are actually losing muscle instead of fat.

Here’s how I strategically designed my training plan for a Pittsburgh Marathon during the month of May.

• 1 weekly long run done at low intensity: this helps the body to utilize oxygen more efficiently while running and to help the body acclimatize to the repetitive stresses of running
• 2 weekly high intensity interval workouts, done at least 48 hours apart: this increases lactate threshold which is essentially what makes one a faster, stronger runner. My go-to workouts were hill repeats (varying from 30 seconds to 1.5 minutes) and mile repeats, always with full recovery in between.
• 1-2 strength training sessions: Many athletes shy away from weight training because they are afraid it will make them bulky, but strength training can provide
• 1-2 cross-training days: Aerobic activity such as bike riding or swimming to develop the aerobic engine without overtaxing the legs.

Careful nutrition also plays a vital role in my training strategy to promote muscle recovery and growth. Rather than ‘run to eat’, I ‘eat to run’ by focusing on getting sufficient high-quality protein (preferably in the form of grass-fed/pastured meat and eggs and wild-caught fish) with lots of vegetables, healthy fats, and some fruit. Many people are surprised to find that I do not “carbo-load” and completely avoid gluten-containing products like bagels, pasta and bread, and consume very few grains and processed foods in general. I’ve recently started using Nutritional Frontier’s products both pre-workout (Pro Oranges, Super Kreatine, and Power Fuel) and post-workout (Best Whey Protein) and these products have complemented my nutrition and training strategy.

I’m currently about 75% of the way through the marathon training program. I’ve been tracking my body composition using the In Body scale in the Regenerative Medicine Center office. Since the beginning of February, my lean body mass has increased from 105 to 111 pounds, and my body fat percentage has dropped from 19.6% to 16.8%. My training and nutrition strategy has also led to faster recovery times between workouts and increased fitness gains (mile repeat times have dropped from 7:30/mile to 6:40/mile for 3 reps from mid-February to late March).

Picture Caption: Anne-Marie heading down the home stretch at the Just a Short Run 30km (18.6 mile) race at Pittsburgh’s North Park on 3/26/16, finishing in 2:30 (8:04/mile pace) and 11th overall female finisher out of 142 women.