How I Trained for the Marathon by Doing the Bare Minimum
I know what you're thinking. Bullshit! You were doing 18-20 miles, bare minimum my ass. Right? Here's the thing though. Unlike most training schedules that demand 4-6 days of running per week, I only ran two. Never a day more and never a day less.
Confession: I really don't like running. So why did I sign up for the marathon? Now that I will agree with you is totally insane. However, it's always been a bucket list thing for me and especially in fitness, I love nothing more than a challenge.
That being said, running aside, I really LOVE working out. And I know how lucky that I am to feel that way. To wake up excited for the gym, a class, or that incredibly sore feeling when you can't sit down so much as you fall down because your legs are exhausted! That's rare and something I was not willing to sacrifice. I pledged to run the marathon if, and only if, I could do it while maintaining the workout schedule that I love. I refused to sacrifice strength classes, cardio classes, spin classes, you name it.
And in fact (while any runner would disagree with me), I think it really helped. Keeping the running to a minimum and focusing on what I did love, made it easier mentally for me to persevere through the tough miles. Physically, it was also easier because I wasn't neglecting strength training like so many people do when they're running constantly.
With the marathon less than a month away...holy shit!...I know it will be tough and EXTREMELY challenging, but I wouldn't have done it any other way!
Check out my full training plan below:
Week 1- 5 miles, 8 miles
Week 2- 5 miles, 10 miles
Week 3- 5 miles, 10 miles
Week 4- 6 miles, 12 miles
Week 5- 5 miles, 10 miles
Week 6- 5 miles, 12 miles
Week 7- 6 miles, 14 miles
Week 8- 5 miles, 16 miles
Week 9- 6-8 miles, 14 miles
Week 10- 5 miles, 16 miles
Week 11- 6-8 miles, 18 miles
Week 12- 5 miles, 20 miles
Week 13- 5 miles, 14-16 miles
Week 14- 8 miles, 18 miles
Week 15- 6-8 miles, Half Marathon (Sign up for a race so you can practice race day)
Week 16- 5 miles, 20 miles
Week 17- 5 miles, 14-16 miles
Week 18- 5 miles, 10-12 miles
Week 19- 5 miles, Maratho
