2010 Virgin London Marathon Training – PART I: Is It Good For You?

I am now one month away from running my first London marathon! I feel ready for it and the key to my readiness has of course been good preparation. I have put in the hours because I know that with any endurance event if you fail to prepare, then you prepare to fail. That said – I have been cautious not to over train as I feel that injury is always a massive worry.

I’m Not a Huge Fan of Endurance Training…Anymore

As I have explained on my ‘About’ page, I came from being an overweight teenager with asthma to finding a fit and healthy lifestyle. As you’d imagine, running played a vital part in this initial and gradual fat loss process. I will always be grateful to the running world because in some respects it got me to where I am today. It taught me mental and physical discipline and once I added in the right diet, the fat just fell off. However, slowly but surely, I became distanced from running. I ran less often and for less distance. I didn’t want the body of a long distance runner, so focussed more on bodybuilding. I also saw flaws in bodybuilding training, and finally found ‘rule free’ methods that I felt comfortable and happy with. I had found the right balance of incorporating, resistance training, high intensity interval training (HIIT) and a bit of cardio, but that is a whole other story. What I want to talk about is the return of long distance running into my life and why I am running a marathon.

Hills are always harder…so get over them quick!

Why Would I Run a Marathon If I Don’t Like Running Long Distances?

Actually, I DO like running when I am doing it, I just don’t really like the results and impact on my life of long distance running. To be blunt, I cut long distance running out of my life years ago for the following reasons:

• I don’t like the running physique that I get (I already have quite long thin limbs, so running just makes me look more skinny!);
• I don’t like the aches and pains and stress it places on my body;
• I don’t like its time consuming nature; and
• I don’t really like the nutrition demands that long distance running makes on your body.

Expanding on the above, I prefer to eat a clean and natural (more primal) diet in general but I find that it is difficult to sustain this when you have to run long distances and take on simple carbohydrates as you go. Of course you don’t have to do this but it certainly aids my performance as oppose to relying simply on water and your own body fat. Surely when your body is burdened with the aches and pains of long distance running, this isn’t a good thing. I know that smart training and rest can minimise injury risk but the bottom line is that you have to put in the miles, there is no way around that. Personally, when running anything above 10 miles, the negatives seem to outweigh the positives for me. Yes my cardiovascular system is getting a good workout but my joints start to scream at me – ‘STOP’! I could get just as good cardio results if not better from sprint training, without the risk of shin splints or damaged knees I’m sure! As for the physique, I think it is possible to be a muscly marathon runner but you will probably struggle to break your PB time carrying round that extra weight. The body does what it can to become a super efficient running machine, and that normally means shedding muscle as well as fat. So now before you think I am too much of a hypocrite, why am I running a marathon…?

Marathon Training and Rediscovering the Benefits of Running

Despite all of this moaning, I am going to run the 2010 Virgin London Marathon! Running helped me lose excess body fat when I was young, so I hold a certain amount of respect and gratitude for long distance running. Although the training takes a lot of time, and my body groans with pain, and I have to adjust my diet to one that I think is less healthy, there are some things that I enjoy about running long distances:

• My mind is free and clear when I run, and this does not happen in the same way when I go to the gym or do short training sessions.
• I can eat more freely without feeling guilty or risking weight gain.
• Goal setting and achieving fitness targets is as easy as it gets with running.
• There is great camaraderie and charity within the running world.

When I run for more than an hour, I really forget about all of the stresses in my life and just focus on putting one foot in front of the other and taking in my surroundings. Running is brilliant at taking us back to a basic mental state, and I think this is healthy in itself! When training for a marathon, you should have some kind of structure if you want to succeed. Of course if you weight train you can track your gains and progress but since running is such a simple action for us, it is very easy to track your time and distance. Sometimes it’s nice to run for the sake of running but nothing motivates me like trying to beat a PB! Training for a set event automatically gives you a great training structure and goal to work towards, so your path for success is laid down before you and you can soon get that ‘Runner’s High’. Those who have completed any kind of endurance event or running race know the sense of achievement and fulfillment that you get when you cross that line. It is a great wholesome feeling.

I know it contradicts what I said about endurance sports nutrition above but endurance nutrition is both a positive and negative for me – running lots burns lots of calories, so basically, I can worry less about what I eat. This doesn’t mean that I pig out all day long because I won’t put on weight; I have kept my rule free nutrition principles because I eat healthily to be healthy not just to stay lean. The marathon training means that I can just enjoy cake a bit more often at the moment.

Last but not least of course, I am running for charity. Endurance events more than any other sport are associated with fundraising. This is undeniably a good thing, and one of the reasons why I am running the 2010 London Marathon.

Part II – A Rule Free Approach

In case you didn’t notice, this is Part I to my Marathon dedicated articles. In Part II, I am going to reveal some ‘rule free’ marathon training methods, share a tip or two that I got from talking with marathon runner, Liz Yelling, and uncover the impact that marathon training has had on my body!

Related posts:

1. 2010 Virgin London Marathon Training – PART III: The Before and After
2. 2010 Virgin London Marathon Training – PART II: A Rule Free Approach
3. 2010 Virgin London Marathon: “Yo Adrian – I did it!”
4. The 1 Month Taper Plan
5. Triathlons, Ultra-Marathons and Iron-Mans: Welcome to the Endurance Age