Scheduling ST around marathon training

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2/16/13 11:21 A

Thanks for the recommendations! I think my body will appreciate it.

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2/14/13 12:03 P

One of the things I realized I could NOT do is run a lot and also ST a lot. So when I decided that I was going to be the best runner I could be, and not a gym rat, I cut ST down to 2 days a week.

I manage 2 days a week in the off season. I maintained this sort of schedule for marathons #3, 4 and 5: run 5 days a week, ST 2 days a week, and Sunday evenings do some sort of restorative yoga (my long run is Saturday). I cannot ST and run on the same day. I've tried and it does not work for me. I currently cannot guarantee 2 ST days a week, due to a new job that I took after marathon #5.

"Should I keep up my normal ST during marathon training, or should I back off on it a bit?"
Back off. Build strength in the off season. I aim for 2 ST sessions a week, but sometimes manage just one or even 0 some weeks.

" If I were to cut back on what I'm doing a bit, what are the must-have exercises I should keep in?"
You can achieve a full body workout in 3-4 exercises: bench press/pushup; squat/deadlift/lunge/stepup; row, plank (optional imho).

" Are there any run days I should absolutely avoid ST on? The advice I've gotten is to skip it the day after my long run and to avoid it on tempo/hill/speed nights (Tuesday and Wednesday for me)." yes, this is correct.

" Should I look at splitting things up a bit by focusing on different body parts on different days? "
No, your muscles do not work in isolation during life and running, and you should not train them that way either.

NB: DOMS from ST absolutely does not affect my legs when running, so I can deadlift 145 pounds and then run 32K the next day with no adverse effects.

My current schedule is like this:
M - marathon pace/tempo/fartlek
Tu - easy run
W - rest day or ST
Th - hills or speedwork
F - ST
Sa - long run
Sun - recovery run




Edited by: ZORBS13 at: 2/14/2013 (12:06)

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2/14/13 11:41 A

I need some help with tweaking my workout schedule a bit. My routine has been 4-5 days a week of running, three alternating days of strength training and some yoga on the weekends. This has worked well both with race training (half marathons) and not, and it's been pretty doable.

I've started marathon training now, and I'm struggling a bit with continuing to fit my strength training in with the increased mileage and a slight shift in my normal running days. I'm training with a group, so I don't have a lot of flexibility with the times and days of my runs - I'm running Sunday (long), Tues, Wed, Thurs and Sat.

Before, my ST schedule was Mon, Thurs, Sat. I do a full body combination of weights (highest weight I can, 8 - 10 reps), resistance bands and body that takes about an hour. My monday workout may be out, since my instructor recommends taking that day off entirely for recovery from Sunday's long runs (not too much of an issue now, but it may be once I start going past the mid-20k mark), and my Thursday workout is difficult since I don't get to start my ST until at least 8:00 at night (I can make it work, but it is a bit tiring after a full work day and doing 10k+ after work). Saturday still works well for me.

So, some questions:

- Should I keep up my normal ST during marathon training, or should I back off on it a bit? There are obviously leg and core exercises that are important to keep up (and I don't want to neglect the rest), but I also don't want to risk injury or burnout.

- If I were to cut back on what I'm doing a bit, what are the must-have exercises I should keep in?

- Are there any run days I should absolutely avoid ST on? The advice I've gotten is to skip it the day after my long run and to avoid it on tempo/hill/speed nights (Tuesday and Wednesday for me).

- Should I look at splitting things up a bit by focusing on different body parts on different days? There are days when I might want to let my legs rest, but could I take that opportunity to work on my arms, for example?

I'd love any thoughts on adjusting the schedule, or examples of how you incorporate strength training into a marathon schedule. Right now, I'm not having too much trouble keeping up with it all, but I still have a few months to go and I'd like to have a good plan in place for when I really start piling on the mileage.

Edited by: CHRISTINA791 at: 2/14/2013 (11:47)

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