Q How do you incorporate strength training in with a half or full marathon training plan? I recently trained for a half, adding high-intensity strength workouts like Bootcamp and CrossFit. I was extra sluggish on my runs, I never once managed the full tempo runs my plan called for, and my long runs were brutally slow. Ten days prior to the race, I took a break from strength training, and I felt great and not fatigued. But I scaled back on my expectations and ran the race slower than I planned. Turns out I had a lot more left in the tank at the end of the half and shouldn’t have slowed down so much, but I felt so tired during training I didn’t think I had it in me. I’m now training for my third marathon, and I don’t want any repeat fatigue issues. Any suggestions? – KYM
[hr]
A You hit the nail on the head, Kym, with your thoughts on too much intensity. That is why it is so important to trust your body and instincts. The fitness world has developed a lot of kick-butt high-intensity workouts, but when mixing them with endurance training, it can be like adding fuel to a fire. The secret is in finding the right balance to benefit from both strength and running.
There are plenty of runners who train with CrossFit and other great high-intensity (HIIT) workouts; however, when they do, they should either choose to follow a specific endurance running schedule developed by that program or modify their training plan to incorporate strength training so it doesn’t become draining.
At the end of the day, it’s all about energy. Everyone has a certain amount of energy in the tank to expend on work, family, training, eating, cheering for your footy team and other fun activities. If you look at the energy of just one week for instance, it should ebb and flow with both hard and easy workouts to ensure you don’t run out of juice along the way. Very few people can get away with squeezing long runs, tempo, speed and HIIT strength into one week, especially as the marathon training plan progresses to high mileages toward the middle and end of the season.
By the sound of your account of last season, you may have been doing too many HIIT workouts with your half-marathon training plan. There are several ways to modify your training plan to include both running and HIIT strength workouts. Here’s one way you could go.
- Monday: Easy effort run
- Tuesday: CrossFit workout
- Wednesday: Easy effort run
- Thursday: Tempo/speed running workout
- Friday: Light intensity cross-training (i.e. cycling) + maintenance strength workout
- Saturday: Long, slow run
- Sunday: Rest/light recovery work (foam-rolling/flexibility/restorative yoga)
This recipe allows you two high-intensity workouts with CrossFit and the tempo or speed workouts, plus the challenging long run on Saturday. Those three workouts will demand the most energy and require the most recovery. By surrounding them with easy recovery runs, you maintain your running fitness and muscle memory while actively recovering. The maintenance strength workout is meant to bridge the gap between the two strength workouts and maintain strengthening fitness without over fatiguing the muscle before your long run. It serves like an easy recovery run.
The good news is you tuned into your body and knew you were burning the candle at both ends, causing your performance to suffer. All of these workouts are great until you can’t finish your core sport’s training session. If you’re so tired you can’t finish a running workout, it’s a sign you’re doing too much. For those that love CrossFit and other HIIT workouts, you can modify to run less and with lower intensity to balance the demands of two HIIT workouts per week. Here’s an example:
- Monday: Easy effort run
- Tuesday: CrossFit workout
- Wednesday: Easy effort run
- Thursday: CrossFit workout
- Friday: Rest or easy effort run
- Saturday: Long, slow run
- Sunday: Rest/light recovery work (foam-rolling/flexibility/restorative yoga)
The secret is to develop your endurance running program based on the flow of your workout demands and personal interests, so you can train hard, recover efficiently and improve performance. Good luck!
