HEALTH & FITNESS: GO THE DISTANCE
Training for a marathon is as challenging as running the actual race.
Few would argue that running a marathon requires more than determination — it also requires hours of training and conditioning. After finishing five marathons in a little more than a year, Debbie Arenz energetically agrees.
But the community college professor and member of Traditions Golf & Country Club in Bryan/College Station, Texas (scheduled for a fall 2002 completion), adds that training for a marathon doesn’t have to be a solo endeavor or interfere with family obligations. In fact, she recommends getting friends and family members involved, especially for motivation.
The extended “training family” members can ride alongside on bikes or supply fresh water bottles and energy snacks every few miles. And if the marathon takes place in another city, Arenz recommends making the race part of a family vacation and creating a built-in cheering squad.
Encouragement is nearly as important as training during the second half of a marathon because it’s easy to become discouraged when the finish line is still 10 to 15 miles away. Many first-time marathoners train with groups, a family member, or a friend who’s registered for the race.
Arenz, for example, had the added motivation of entering her first marathon — the 2000 Compaq Houston Marathon — with her sister Keri Elliott, who is the membership director for the Met Business and Sports Club at Downtown in Houston.
Since that first race, she has finished the Cowtown Marathon in Fort Worth, Texas; the Silicon Valley Marathon in California; the Compaq Marathon (a second time); and the Motorola Marathon in Austin, Texas.
This Fort Worth resident is one of a growing number of runners who have extended their passion for jogging into marathons, ultra-marathons, and ironman competitions (distance triathlons that include a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and a full marathon).
HIT THE GROUND RUNNING
While a handful of factors, such as weight training, hydration, proper
shoes, and pacing, are important considerations, most marathon runners agree
that the key to completing a marathon without injury is practice.
Unlike veteran marathoners, who often train continuously, first-timers are encouraged to start training four to six months before the race. This allows enough time to gradually increase weekly mileage and reduces the chance of developing a stress-related injury.
However, not even a full year of training will make a difference if slow, extended runs aren’t factored into the program. “A long run once a week is important to keep your muscles and your body in shape so that your body doesn’t go into complete shock when you start 26 miles,” Elliott says.
The remainder of the typical training week should include three to four days of running between two and four miles at a comfortable pace and at least one day of complete rest.
Despite the fact that most marathoners proselytize about the significance of taking long runs, they tend to differ on exactly how many miles a runner should complete during the longest extended run before the marathon.
Linda Cole, a member of Houston’s Downtown Club, recommends running 22 to 24 miles before attempting a marathon. “I think it gives you the knowledge that you know you can get to 26,” says Cole, a veteran runner and triathlete. “If you get to 24, most everybody can walk if you have to.”
Not everyone agrees with her theory.
Gina Donato, the program manager at the Athletic & Swim Club at Equitable Center in New York City and in training for the Ironman USA Lake Placid at the time of this interview, does not log more than 20 miles before a marathon. Her view: Running more than 20 miles makes a runner more susceptible to injury. In addition, first-time competitors need to remember that rest is a crucial part of training.
“Your mind and body are totally different things,” she says. “For marathon training, it’s definitely about conditioning yourself. You have to get out there. You have to get the long run. You have to be really in tune with your body. You always have to be careful because you’re constantly overtrained.”
TRAINING AND OVERTRAINING
Both Arenz and Ross Galitsky, also a member of New York’s Athletic &
Swim Club and an ultradistance triathlete, agree that beginning runners
should wait until the race to run the full distance. Rather than helping to
increase stamina, they say, completing 26.2 miles beforehand can actually
prompt injury and deplete energy reserves.
“You need to have recovery time,” Arenz says. “If you are in training and you complete a full marathon, then you’ll have to do your after-marathon recovery.”
Galitsky advises novice runners to focus on time rather than distance. “If you can recreate once or twice or three times [spending] three or three-and-a half hours on your feet without rest, I think it’s almost as beneficial for some people as knocking yourself down for 22 miles,” he says.
Weight training also plays a role in a well-rounded training program. Arenz, who holds a master’s degree in exercise physiology, suggests that regular weight-training sessions not only increase stamina but also help prevent injuries by building up reserves for when the race becomes more mentally than physically challenging.
A caveat: Do not begin any weight-training program before consulting a physician or personal trainer.
BEST FOOT FORWARD
The bane of any runner is an injury such as Achilles tendinitis, shinsplints, ITB (iliotibial band) strains, hangnails, and blisters.
Proper footwear is one way to prevent injury. Countless marathoners-in-training inadvertently injure themselves by purchasing shoes that are either too big or don’t address a motion-control problem. The wrong shoes can end a runner’s season.
A general guideline for purchasing running shoes is that as mileage increases, so should the quality of the shoes. Rotating several pairs is recommended to help lengthen the period of durability.
And don’t head out to just any shoe store when searching for a pair of running shoes. Donato encourages beginners to find a specialty running shoe store where the salespeople can help you wade through the myriad of options. Salespeople at specialty stores generally are runners and can diagnose what type of shoe a person needs to match their goals and lifestyle.
But footwear alone can’t keep you injury-free. Staying hydrated and nutritionally healthy is just as important.
DRINK UP
On a daily basis, runners should consume at least eight to 10 glasses of
water, plus an electrolyte-fortified drink such as Gatorade or Powerade. The
electrolyte-fortified drink is essential in order to replace the massive
concentrations of salt lost through sweat.
During a run, most distance runners carry a bottle of water and drink every mile to mile and a half. This trains the body to handle the increased fluid necessary to withstand exhaustion. A number of marathoners, including Cole, take that recommendation a step further by starting the hydration process the night before an extended run by drinking an electrolyte-fortified drink along with several glasses of water.
Galitsky, who specializes in double ironmans but has participated in several triple ironman competitions, considers nutrition one of the top considerations for distance runners. In double ironman competitions, participants cover twice the distance of a typical ironman contest — a 4.8-mile swim, 224-mile bike ride, and a 52.4-mile run.
He recommends that long-distance runners consume energy gels, bars, or drinks when taking long runs and mimic race conditions as much as possible. “People should train with things that will be available during the race,” Galitsky says. “If you train on a specific product and then you don’t use it, you may be in for a surprise during the race.”
In other words, if snacking on an energy bar causes pain or discomfort during training runs, don’t eat energy bars during the race. But if munching on an energy bar heightens energy levels, plan to carry one or find out if energy bars will be available during the race.
One final training tip: Remember that crossing the finish line without injury is more important than speed and time. Instead of sprinting across the starting line, find a comfortable pace and try to maintain that pace or better throughout the 26.2 miles.
And if you need to walk — walk.
“There are different ways to get through the marathon,” Cole says. “You just need to find a way that’s best for you and put your mind to it.”
Kristen Holland is a Dallas-based journalist currently training for her second marathon. An avid runner for the past eight years, she completed her first marathon in December 2000 and hopes to qualify this winter for the Boston Marathon.
UP AND COMING
Feb. 17, 2002
Motorola Marathon
Austin, Texas
512.478.4265
www.motorolamarathon.com
April 15, 2002
Boston Athletic Association Marathon
Boston, Massachusetts
617.236.1652
www.bostonmarathon.org
May 5, 2002
Adidas Vancouver International Marathon
Vancouver, British Columbia
604.872.2928
www.vanmarathon.bc.ca
UPMC Health System/City of Pittsburgh
Marathon
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
412.647.7866
www.upmc.edu
June 2, 2002
Suzuki Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon
San Diego, California
858.450.6570
www.rnrmarathon.com
June 23, 2002
Kona Marathon
Keauhou-Kona, Hawaii
808.325.0287
www.konamarathon.com
Oct. 13, 2002
The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon
Chicago, Illinois
312.243.0003
www.chicagomarathon.com
Oct. 27, 2002
Marine Corps Marathon
Washington, D.C.
703.784.2225
www.marinemarathon.com
Nov. 3, 2002
New York City Marathon
New York, New York
212.423.2249
www.nycmarathon.org
Jan. 5, 2003
Walt Disney World Marathon
Orlando, Florida
407.939.7810
http://dwws.disney.go.com