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I woke up this morning and had training for my 3rd part time job. It went great but I started to have a mini panic attack about my schedule.
It’s not the worst in the world, but if I don’t get ahold of my schedule and get organized I could end up stressed out way too much!
I am working today on planning out my workouts and times. I’m going to begin focusing on quality over quantity. I think this might actually be good for me.
The positives:
-Most of my days start later so I can fit in a workout BEFORE going to work when I have more energy.
-Most of my jobs require lots of walking which keeps me active.
-I am now more focused on time management.
-I feel like I have more of a purpose and focus.
-It forces me to focus on the quality of the workouts.
It’s all about focusing on the positives and doing the best you can.
I’m not running right now, but in the next few weeks I plan to start back. (Fingers crossed because that means Wes is all healed up as well!)
When you are looking at marathon training in particular a quality training week has a couple main components:
Long Run
Of course any long-distance training plan needs to consist of at least one long run per week. This long ran can differ depending on how current level of training. For me, when I first start back my long run will be something over 6 miles. As I work my mileage up and get into real marathon training then that will begin to increase. I usually peak my long run during marathon training at 21 miles.
Long runs are beneficial to the body in many ways. They help to increase your endurance, improve your metabolism, and help your body get used to the long distance. Being on your feet and pounding on your legs for that long is tough on your body. That is why most people do not suggest more than one real long run per week, especially when you are on a time crunch like me.
Speed Workouts
These workouts are vital if you are looking to get a new PR at your next race. I have a very lofty goal, but regardless of how far you have to go you need to incorporate some sort of speed work into your workout routine each week.
There are a variety of speed workouts: tempo runs, intervals, hill repeats, and even the dreaded Yasso 800’s. The thing that I have always loved about speed work (when I say love it is more of a love/hate relationship) is that they are over relatively quickly. When you are constantly changing the pace or challenging yourself for smaller increments the workout goes by so much faster.
Speed work is very taxing on your body so it should only be done a maximum of 2 times per week in my opinion. If you are just starting out on speed work, start with one day a week and then work your way up.
You can see some of the workouts I have done previously here.
Strength Training
This to me is the first thing that many distance runners let fall to the way side. I am guilty of this myself, but it is so important to stay strong and healthy during your training season.
Even if you can only fit in 15-30 minutes 2-3 times per week it can really go a long way in not only keeping you healthy but helps to get your body faster and stronger.
I enjoy doing all over body weights during my strength training days because it allows me to get more in at one time, but you could also split it up and target certain muscle areas each day you strength train.
Flexibility and Stretching
If you are a distance runner stretching and your foam roller really need to become your best friend. It’s not always easy to add an extra 15-20 minutes at the end of your workout to stretch and foam roll but it can help your body tremendously for your recovery. It will also keep you strong and help to avoid those pesky injuries.
Just ask any runner who has suffered from IT band, piriformis or calf tightness and they will tell you keeping up with your stretching is so important!
I usually will do a set of dynamic stretches pre-run to get my muscles warmed up and ready to go, stretching for 15 minutes or so post run along with foam rolling, and then a few stretches at night before I go to bed. Of course, if you have a busy schedule as I do sometimes you have to fit in what you can when you can. Stretching is always good, just be careful when stretching cold muscles. You don’t want to over do it.
Rest
I know isn’t this the pot calling the kettle black! I have grown and learned through my own mistakes how vital rest is. I make sure that at least 1 day each week is complete rest. I think this works best for me.
There are some people that can incorporate cross training on their “rest” day and their body responds well to that. I honestly haven’t really played around with that, but right now when I start my training back up full swing I plan to take one day of complete rest. There are people who can never rest (my husband) but the key is knowing your body and realizing that every person is different.
The amount of rest and recovery you need also depends on your fitness background, how long you have been running and just how your body responds to the training in general. It’s never going to hurt to error on the side of caution. In fact I would recommend it.
Just a few things I have learned from distance running and training in general. A lot them I have learned the hard way, so learn from my mistakes! 🙂
What tips do you have for distance training?
This is a great list! I would also say that staying hydrated and proper nutrition are also really important. I have especially learned that if I refuel well right after a hard workout I recover so much faster!
Great point Lisa! Yes refueling is so important!
Cross training is very important! Not only to work different muscle groups to prevent overuse injuries, but also to have a mental break from the running to prevent burnout
Yes I plan to continue cross training because it has really helped me! Great point
So for my next marathon, I’m actually using Hanson’s training method, and instead of not running a ton during the week, and saving a long run for weekends, you’re actually running a ton all the time! So my life is so so so busy! Getting enough sleep at night has been really important, and a challenge for me because I work full-time, and I write at night. Marathoning sounds so much easier when it’s just an idea!
I have been interested to read and try Hansons because I have seen people have great results! I have never tried it myself though – would love to hear your thoughts on it!
I really prefer working out first thing in the morning. It’s too easy to get lazy and not do it if you wait until later in the day. I agree that foam rolling is key. It’s better to keep everything lose than to get injured because of tightness/adhesions. My suggestion to any runner is to try adding yoga to your routine–it helps build strength and flexibility at the same time and helps develop your mental toughness and breathing, too!
Great points Beth! I need to get back into adding yoga into my routine it is a great break and really helps with flexibility!
Loads of great comments already – Fuel, Hydration, SLEEP! All very important …
I also think it is really important to note that there are a number of different training strategies for distance training – and that there is no one ‘correct’ answer for everyone. But things like not paying attention to rest, warm-ups, fuel and hydration along with ramping training too quickly, could end up with injuries.
Also thinking that ‘long distance’ itself is fairly vague – for some it is half-marathon, others marathon, still others it is ultra-marathon. Each places different demands on the body and training. So it is important to figure out WHAT you are training for and go with programs based around that.
Great topic as many people are starting off training for spring and summer races now.
Oh yes how could I forget sleep! That is so important to letting your body rest and recover! It is true everyone should know how their body works and do the training that best keeps them healthy!
I’ve found that my body does best when I do an active recovery the day after a long run – so getting out for a long walk, easy cycling, or even some yoga really help get the soreness and stiffness out of my muscles. Nothing hard, just easy movement.
Active recovery days are great! I too love a nice long walk with my puppy!
One of my goals for 2014 was to cross train better…I haven’t kept up with it as much as I should 🙁 I also really need to become friends with my foam roller again!!!
That’s a great goal! It’s so easy to skip I know! Foam rollers are your best friend and worst enemy all at once 🙂
Stretching and rolling out is so important and it’s the one thing that I never want to do!
I know the feeling 🙂 my body just hates me when I don’t!
In my experience, lifting weights 2-3 times per week and cross-training are most effective. I run 2 days per week, then a cycle class, elliptical & stairmaster the remaining days. Saturdays I do a long run then. I’m really bad about having a rest day. I’ve always struggled with that. I try to alternate my days with low & high impact cardio so I don’t overdo it and my body has always responded better to that than having a rest day.
Yes I know I have struggled too with rest days. It sounds like you have a pretty great strategy planned out there 🙂