a running/weight training rotation....

[grad2010]

To anyone who is very knowledgable about weight training and running, I am looking to incorporate Cathe's Dvd's with my running training schedule to begin in June. Does anyone have any suggestions as to which dvds to avoid and which ones are a must? Or a particular rotation? I plan on running a 1/2 marathon in October and have ran a 5k in March and a 5k planned for June. Currently I can run 3-4 miles at a time 2 days a week and I run/walk intervals 3-5 miles 2 days a week. I was told by an "experienced" runner that weight training should be kept to a minimum during my intial training for my first 5k run, so I hardly weight trained. Now I am reading that some weight training helps my endurance. Any rotations or suggestion would be highly appreicated. I currently own all of Cathe's Dvd's.

Thanks in advance, Veronica

[fitat44]

I have run 4 marathons and have found that weight training is essential to a good race. I decided to do my last marathon without enough time to train properly so didn't really incorporate weights and it was my worst time!

I am currently doing a rotation that has noticeably improved my running. I follow the P90X model but incorporate other programs into the model. The plyo and yoga definitely help with running. Under each day the first line is the P90x rotation and the next line is what I do. I had to switch the kickbox and the stretch days to make it work with my running schedule.


Day 1
Chest/Back
Cathe upper body - I might do STS, Gym Style or 4DS parts
Day 2
Plyometrics
Either P90x plyo, STS legs/plyo, Tonique 1 or Insanity Plyo
Day 3
Shoulders/Arms
The corresponding Cathe program body parts not done on Mon
Day 4
Yoga
P90x yoga, Rodney Yee yoga or V-core balancing
Day 5
Legs/back
Cathe legs, or Tonique or Cardio Barre Advanced
Day 6
Stretch
This falls on Saturday for me - my long running day so I run then do a stretch that is shorter than P90x
Day 7
Kickbox
P90X or Cathe Kickbox

I also run on Day 1 upper body - sprints and run tempo runs on Day 3 upper body. If I am not exhausted I try to cross train two more days with a quick bike ride that is low impact.

I have found that by adding running on days that I am working upper body helps keep my legs fresh. The extra cardio in plyo and kickbox helps with endurance too.

Good luck with your training

[grad2010]

Fitat44, thank you so much for replying. Your rotation looks awesome and I would never had thought to add plyo into the training; great suggestion. I decided to follow the sts program but use the undulating rotation instead. I wasn't sure if I should lift heavy during the Meso cycle 3 or if i should go moderate pounds. Thanks for your rotation and suggestion, Veronica

[elsie3]

Fitat44's suggestion looks awesome. I just wanted to add that I ended up running a marathon 2 weeks after finishing my first round of STS Strength/Cardio. In Meso 3, I lifted heavy for upper body and moderate for legs. I hadn't planning on completing the whole Marathon, and hadn't trained for the distance. But STS really helped, and I ran pain and injury free--except for a blister. I think HiiT and PlyoLegs helped the most. I want to run the same marathon next year and actually train for it, so I'm also trying to figure out how to incorporate weight training and running.

Thanks for the post and the reply.

[fitat44]

There is a great book called Run Less Run Faster by two professors from Furman University who are also runners. They advocate cross training like swimming or biking, weight lifting, and flexibility work to improve running and their results have been proven. They don't weight lift as much as I do, but I like how I feel after a round of weights!

I also lift heavy upper body and moderate lower. It is important to have strong legs for endurance but if they are too muscular and bulky that does not contribute to running speed - so I stick to Cathe's endurance and moderate weight work for legs. I also do alot of core work because my lower back is the first place that starts to ache on long runs and in my marathons.

Good luck!

Gail

[jdimascio]

I used to run a lot..I am talking over 45 miles a week, and I could run a race and finish in a fairly decent time. However, I have learned in the past 2 years that less running and more cross-training will help you out more so in the long run, and for many reasons. You need to add Plyo once a week...ever since I added Plyo, I have PR'd in every race I participate in. I am faster at 38 than I was at 28 yrs. old. I now only run 2 times a week (1 long run and one short/faster, usually intervals). If you run too much you are going to overtrain, and possibly injure yourself. Everyone runs differently (form is different), so not all of the same muscles are being worked, so you need to incorporate other workouts that use those muscles...kick boxing, step, Insanity like workouts (mix it up). I think following a rotation similar to P90X is a great recommendation. Good luck!!

[grad2010]

Thanks to all that replied, I just finished my 2nd 5k this past weekend and I beat my first 5k by 6minutes. I am so looking forward to running a 1/2 marathon in October and the suggestions given look great. I just have one more question, what should I eat before and after I run the 1/2 marathon. I was so hungry after running my 2nd 5k that I had a slice a pizza (ok 2 slices but whose counting). I felt really guilty afterwards. I started monitoring my food intakes for the next 3months, in hopes of losing those last few pounds.

Also, I am extemely sore after running this weekend, when is it okay to resume my training.