Tomorrow I run my first ever marathon. I’ve always wanted to tick it off the list, and now the time has come. Running comes fairly natural to me and I was always pretty good at cross country and the 5km runs at school. The thing is I don’t really enjoy running too much further than 5km and more than that I enjoy lifting weights and developing my gymnastics skills a lot more than I do running. I also have a family and simply cant afford to be out on the roads for hours every week. So I’m doing this a little different… I’ve only done 3 runs in total. Two 5km runs and a 12km run. That is all. Majority of people I tell this to immediately get that look on their face of – you’re an idiot and you’re most likely going to die (thats how I read their faces anyway). Now I know I’m going to suffer, but I’m finishing tomorrow, even it means crawling the last 10km
Here is a quick look at how I view traditional preparation and the CrossFit Endurance approach to endurance events.
Traditional endurance training follows the following hierarchy:
The answer to almost every question that you ask is “MORE VOLUME!” You need to get out there and do the distance, there is no way around it.
The thing is, running like any other functional exercise you might do is a skill. Yes running is a skill and it can be performed poorly or it can be performed with sound and safe technique. Now my guess is that less than 5% of those doing the marathon tomorrow would have given any thought what so ever about the skill of running and improving their running technique but instead would have been fixated on the program they downloaded and the distances they have to get done each day.
Volume should never ever come before technique and skill work. It makes sense right? You develop the skill first, then you add intensity and finally volume. Now I must admit I kind off left the volume part out all together in my preparation (and I know I’m going to pay for that tomorrow) but I have done a lot of running technique work and endless amounts of high intensity interval training. Less time pounding the roads in my mind also means less risk of injury.
Here is what I think the endurance training hierarchy should look like:
Work on your running technique! No matter how much you spend on the latest and greatest shoes on the market, if your running technique sucks it sucks. You can run beautifully in bad shoes and you can run horribly in great shoes… Your ability to run correctly is more important than the shoes on your feet. I wont go in to running technique but you can learn more about the POSE method of running here.
Power and speed are critical components to success in the endurance world. CrossFit (strength and conditioning) training increases these two mainstays of performance while decreasing recovery time, reducing injury, promoting preservation of lean tissue and creating a more sustainable performance curve. One of the most valuable things I’ve learnt is that aerobic (long slow) training alone decreases almost every other component of your fitness – decrease flexibility, speed, power, strength… the list goes on. On the other hand anaearobic (high intensity) excise increases all components of fitness including your aerobic capacity!
Finally don’t be an idiot like me, do some longer runs
I should be asleep already but I’m too excited. See you on the 4:20am ferry to Devonport or at the finish line!
Wykie