Melbourne marathon is coming up next Sunday. GPC will have a big crew racing. I might have only finished one pure marathon, the GOR marathon in 2012, but I have ran 10 other marathons off the bike. Is it the same? Not really. Same type of training? Yes it is except you need less kms because of the cross training benefits from swim and bike. As a Triathlete and working full-time, 40 to 80kms per week is plenty.
I still and will always believe that more is not better when it comes to athletes that have a full-time jobs and a family. Running over 100kms per week on top of those commitment is not necessary. If you do, then only 1 out of each 4 weeks. Why? Because it will all become all too much and you will not nail your key sessions due to fatigue, soreness & niggles. Of course training volume is individual and depends on years in the sport and age but first sign that you are cooked is usually
- grumpiness
- lack of patience
- cannot sleep
- loss of appetite
- higher heart rate
- loss of will to train
- loss of motivation
- immune system issues
My tip for next weekend is:
- taper properly
- sleep heaps
- unplug a bit from the race itself.
- Have a solid nutrition plan and stick to it whatever happens
- eat clean
- don’t doubt the process
- run the first 10kms a touch faster
- don’t listen to the negative voices
Race safe and see you all next Sunday 🙂
