Marathon or Half Marathon + weight training?

K

kath115

Member
I'm toying with the idea of training for a marathon, or half. Have any of you done this, and did you lose muscle mass? Right now I do Cathe for weights and running for cardio. I'm just worried I'll run my muscle away and then have a lower metabolism when all is said and done. I could probably only fit in one total body weight session a week. Thoughts? Kath :)
 
Hi Kath,

I just finished my 4th half marathon last month. May 17th. I did a 12 week training program I got off of the coolrunning website. I also did Cathe weights, Boot Camp and some of the terminator workouts. I did not feel like I lost any mass.
I never trained for a marathon, so I don't have much input there.

What half marathon or marathon are you thinking of running?

What kind of mileage do you run per week right now?

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Beverly
 
I ran my first marathon this March and I got flabby and lost a lot of muscle tone, even in my legs, if you can believe that!

But, I did no weight work. I always talked myself out of it by convincing myself that I needed all my energy to run.

The good news is that there indeed IS such a thing as "muscle memory" and my muscles responded very, very quickly to weights and I regained my previous strength in about 2 months.

Next time, I will definitely incorporate one session of heavy lower body work into my training and not neglect my upper body.
 
I guess I could do a full body lifting day on the one cross training day, see how that goes...there's a marathon in Portland in October, and Seattle in January, and a half on mother's day...lots of choices.

I'm glad to hear your muscles sprang back MadnNat's mom. Right now I've just started the Hal Higdon schedule running about 15 miles a week. What I have been doing the last couple years is three runs, 45 min each, and 2 full body weight workouts, and 2 days off per week.

Beverly what did you think of the half marathon? I'd love to hear how both of you train.

Thanks, Kath:D
 
Kath,

I did Hal Higdon's training for the marathon. It is a very well-balanced, but pretty tough plan and I didn't hit the wall until mile 24 1/2. I probably would never have it the wall if I hadn't been such a goof and waving and shouting at everybody and saved my energy. Duh!
 
This question comes up a lot for those of us training for an endurance event. Personally, I back off the leg work as mileage goes up or I feel my event training sessions suffer. I do continue upper body work - usually 2x per week. Others find maintaining their regular wt training helps a lot.

Here's a link to an interesting article from Chris Carmichael's website. (He's Lance Armstrong's coach.) The article was written for triathletes, but is applicable to any endurance athlete.

http://www.trainright.com/triathlongold/tricafe/news/2003/05222003watson.htm

FYI, the upperbody work in BodyMax is very time efficient. So are many of the Premixes from the blast series DVD's. And keep up with the core work!

Debra
 
Thanks for the article, it's just what I needed. I bookmarked it for future reference.

I have the Hal Higdon schedule which is 18 weeks, and the local marathon is 18 weeks away, but I'm having doubts about whether I can increase my mileage as rapidly as it will require. Especially in the summer heat! I ran with a friend from 6:30-7:30 this morning and we were roasting, I felt crummy by the end. Even did a Mia Hamm and took off my shirt, which I never do. :)

What was your base mileage before you started the Hal Higdon schedule?

Kath
 
Hi Kath,

This is Higdon's "Novice" marathon training schedule, right?

I had a base of about 24 mpw, with 6 miles being my longest.

It IS tough running in the heat - I trained from October through February, and always in the AM in about 60-65 degrees. Tha Marathon temp was about 72 and it felt like it was 100, so heat makes a HUGE difference.

My BIL did his own thing - ran 4 or 5 miles, 3X per week and gradually increased his long run on the weekends and he finished it (but, I beat him, even though this was his second and my first! :D)

I was told that Higdon's "Novice" training should actually say "Intermediate" because it is a tough schedule.
 
Hi Kath:

I ran my first marathon in May this year. I had a great time. My training consisted of five 20 milers. I completed the marathon in 4hrs. 10 minutes chip time. I was pleased..I had energy to burn and could have done a better time, but I did not know what to expect with those last 6.2 miles. Anyway, I weight trained 2 times a week. I worked out with Cathe's MIS and PowerHour. I kept muscle tone in my legs and I believe this helped with speed and endurance. It also helped prevent injury. I did lose some definition in my abs but since the marathon, I am training with more weights (heavier) 4 times a week and cardio is a mix of running and step. My mileage now is anywhere from 15 to 20 mpw. (I trained for the marathon at 50 mpw).

As a result of the changes since the marathon, I am getting more tighter in the abs (basically overall). I am going to train this Fall again for some races (5K, 10K and halfMary) and start into marathon training again in January.

Your first marathon is a great learning experience..one in which you will make mistakes, but you will learn to "tweak" your training with each new experience to better yourself. Stay focused and you will accomplish so much!!!!

God Bless,
Marla
 
July Runnersworld

The July RW is packed with info for fall marathon training & dealing with heat. If you don't subscribe, go buy a copy!

Great article on hydration. I was drinking water on training hikes last summer & lost too much sodium. Dumb! I knew to use a hydration fluid on long runs. Switching to an energy drink made a tremendous difference.

And dog lovers, check out Tonto the endurance dog!


Debra
 
I love running, and run 30-45 miles a week (depending on what race I am currently training for) I continue weight training by doing a full body weight workout (my favs are Power Hour and MIS) on my short run day using a 3-5 miler as warmup, an upper body workout 1 day a week (my fav. is CTX UB). I also run 5 or 6 days a week depending on my work schedule.

I did find that dropping the amount of weight used on my lower body and increasing the reps and incorporating hill training/trail running into my running workouts improved my endurance for the long runs. I had no trouble with the marathon distance using this regimen.

I did find that the month prior to the marathon, I started to get a little "fluffy" looking in the lower body, but I think this was from eating a higher proportion of carbs in my diet rather than from workouts.
 
Would someone please tell me what this Hal Higdon is or where to find it? Is it a book available at Borders (I'm going there this weekend)? :) :)

Thanks much
Angie
 
Hal Higdon does have a book out. I think it is called simply "Marathon" While it is true that you can get the training schedules for virtually any marathon program from the web, if you're new to marathoning, I highly recommend you either consult with a coach or trainer or read an entire book. Marathoning is not a sport to undertake lightly. It is serious business. Even if your only goal is to cross the finish line, you want it to be a positive experience and one that will not curtial your fitness.
 
There is a half-marathon (12 week) training program in the most recent issue of Muscle and Fitness Her's. I was looking at it last night before bed and I believe it said it was based on Hal Higdon's program. It looked very good. It's nice to see weight work involved in a half marathon training program.

I think the half marathon is a great distance. I've run one marathon and at this point that is enough.

Michele
 
Hi Kath! You should check out the new issue of M&F Hers mag; everything you need to know about training & nutrition for a marathon page by page is mapped out for you. HTH, Kathy:)
 
Beverly thanks for the link! I'll print that off right now!:D

Thanks for the magazine tips. I'm surprised to see some running training info in M&F Hers! I'm going to Borders this afternoon and will pick up a copy.

I have The Non-Runner's Marathon Training Guide on it's way to me. I've seen that book mentioned on the boards here before. Just trying to add to my collection so that I have plenty of reference books on hand. :) I don't have my sights on a marathon - I really don't find it tempting at all but never say never. When and if I ever complete a half marathon, I may come back herre looking for you ladies! :D

Thanks for the sources!
Angie
 
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