Moving from Triathalon to Marathon Training
Q. Hi Jason, I am training for my first marathon, which means I'm running more than I ever did. I've noticed that from time to time, some minor "aches" appear and disappear. One day is one of my knees; some other day is one of my toes, then my back or even my arms. It is never actual pain but more of a discomfort. The strange thing is that once I start running they disappear. It almost feels as if my body is constantly adjusting to all the running I'm doing. Is this normal? One of my goals is to get to the race "injury free".
You summed up a lot of what I wanted to tell you when you said "It almost feels as if my body is constantly adjusting to all the running I'm doing". When you decide to focus solely on running, and are coming off a lot of triathlon training it will be a shock to your body. What we already know is that you’re in great cardiovascular shape. All the miles you put in training for triathlon helped build the physiological systems you need to train and race long for triathlons. But plain and simple when you ride and swim in the place of running it takes away the pounding and the fatigue resistance of running! Good thing right? Yes and No. Yes, you’re a triathlete! You want to decrease the chance of injury and improve your bike and swim. No, your neuromuscular system and slow twitch fibers are not used to the new patterns of more running. Therefore your body is working a little harder to retrain these aspects. So like you said you body is still adapting, in different aspects. Do you think Lance Armstrong would have won the Tour De France if he was only cycling 3 times a week and running 4? Probably not but then again he is Lance Armstrong!
Ok enough of the science. My suggestions are as follows. First what is your goal for the marathon? Finish? Or Set a personal record? If your goal is just to finish then I would say train just like you were for triathlons, but with three days of running. This is a general suggestion, we must realize that every individual has a different physiological make up and this running schedule may not work for them.
3 days of Running
- Short Run 4-6 miles
- Mid Week Long Run 6-10 miles
- Long Run 10-20 miles
Of course you would progress your mileage very slowly. In between each day of running have a day off or cross training session with a bike or a swim. I you are worried about injuries I would through in 1 or 2 strength training sessions or aqua jogging in a week in place of a bike or swim.
If you wanted to set a personal record, contact me I would love to help you out. A lot more individual attention would be needed.
So we have discussed why your feeling these aches and pains but now lets look at some ways to help alleviate them and stay INJURY FREE.
- Make sure you are in the right running shoe and replace them every 250-300 miles.
- Buy two pairs of running shoes. Why because your bodies individual biomechanics get used to one pair of shoes. So when you alternate them with a different pair, your body won’t adapt to one pair, therefore decreasing the slight possibility of injury.
- Ice anything that is sore. Ice will not hurt you; it is an endurance athlete’s best friend. I am a huge fan of ice baths for any runs over 45 minutes
- Warm up and stretch before every run. Yes I know this is a big pain in the ass to run for 5 minutes, stretch lightly for 5 minutes, run, stretch for 10 minutes. Very time consuming but effective. Make sure you hold each stretch for 30-45 seconds.
- Massages
- Strength training. Focusing on core strength. The stronger your core muscles are the more they can work in conjunction with your lower extremities. Also when you strength train focus on lower extremity muscular endurance.
Happy Training
