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Training For a Race is a Lot More Than a Jog in the Park
By Christina | July 16, 2009
For someone like me that does not fancy myself a runner, there have been a few developments in the past weeks to challenge this notion. First, I signed up for a half-marathon in November which I thought was a crazy enough idea considering that I haven’t run long distance like that in years. Then, yesterday I found myself joining Cable Organizers to form a team to run the Disney marathon in January to raise money for breast cancer. All of a sudden I went from a casual runner to marathon runner in the course of a couple minutes. Yikes!
People of all fitness levels and abilities are signing up to be part of this team. For the last 25 years my life and career have been centered on fitness. I work out more a week than probably most of my teammates combined. Surely, I should be at some sort of training advantage? Unfortunately, this is not the case with running. No other fitness activity translates into running. Running is a beast unto its own. It is a great equalizer.
Even though I have been casually incorporating running into my workout routine since January, the official start of marathon training begins at the end of this month. There are a few things important to note about this. Casual running several times a week does not equal training for a marathon. No one should ever run a half-marathon or a marathon without properly training for it in terms of speed and distance or you are setting yourself up for failure and injury.
Second, one of the biggest differences with marathon training and casual running is that there is a purpose to how often you run and what kind of run you should do. Every mile you log takes you closer toward your goal of crossing the finish line, but all miles are not created equal. Each week should not only include a certain number of miles, but you should have speed or tempo runs, middle distance runs, and one long run a week as part of your training. One of my teammates who is new to running asked me what the best way was to become a runner. The answer is simple. You become a runner by running. Proper training for a marathon requires you to pound the pavement often or you will not be ready come race day.
There are a few things, though, beginners should be especially mindful of when beginning their training program. First, it is critical to start slow both in terms of speed and distance. In fact, experts recommend focusing on your total time running at the beginning and ignoring both your pace and distance. The goal initially should be to work yourself up to the point where you can run for 30 minutes without stopping.
Running marathons is like giving birth in a way. You don’t get pregnant and deliver the baby the same day. Training for marathons is a slow progression where speed and distance are gradually increased to ensure that your body is physically ready come race day to succeed. The most common injuries occur at the beginning of training because people think that training for a marathon means having to run insane distances from the get-go. This is not only a recipe for injury, but it is not the right approach to take to your training.
I am scared and humbled by the reality that I am now a “real” runner training for two races and not a gym rat who is merely dabbling in running. In spite of my trepidation, I know that I am physically capable of finishing these races if I heed to a proper training schedule and I pace myself from the beginning not to overdo it. Marathons are endurance races. Why should training for marathons �
be any different?
Topics: Boot Camp, Exercise, Personal Training |
