Marathoners: How can I train without putting in so many damn miles?

The Game Room
1

That’s sacrilege, I know, according to traditional wisdom. You want to run a marathon? You have to burn a LOT of miles. And I did, for the first 3 I have run…

But I just can’t do that volume of miles, it really beats me up. Now, I am far from elite. I am a Clydesdale, middle-of-the-pack runner, or I was as a half-marathoner. Best time in the half was a couple of minutes under 2 hours. For me, that was a very good day, to give a frame of reference for what I can do. Respectable (in my circles), but a ham and egger, nothing remotely upper echelon.

But for marathons, I start to have hip issues around mile fifteen or so, and it gets progressively worse (and I get progressively slower), so that I am practically crawling by the end of the race. I feel like I’m grinding dust out of my hip sockets, a persistent dull ache, one that increases with each mile. Fine up to about fifteen, but in each marathon, I felt as if I was dragging myself across the finish line, that it was not fun–not the well-paced effort I thought I trained for.

My first marathon, I ran in 04:41. I was okay with it for my first try, but knew I could do better. I couldn’t. My times have gotten progressively worse, even as my cardio endurance has improved. I feel like I could run another ten miles at the end of the race, as far as my lungs and heart feel, but I feel like I’m going to pop a bolt in my hips.

I use a Runner’s World training program–several 15-milers, a couple of 18-milers, 20-milers, and one 22-miler. Highest mileage in a week was about 50, generally nothing below 30 or so. This is a LOT of miles for me, and the long distances are NEVER easy, though some are better than others. But I definitely feel like the result of this training is twofold: (1) I have a great (for me) cardio endurance base and, (2) I have beaten up my joints, hips in particular, so that there are days where I’d walk around like Fred Sanford.

I’m going to see a doctor. But even so, I was just coming to the conclusion that this is just not a realistic distance for me. Then I read an article in Runner’s World about a new approach to marathon training, one that emphasizes core and strength training (lots of hills, squats, etc.) and NOT a lot of miles. Longest distance in training is 12 miles or so. I know a guy who runs triathlons and ultras, a retired Navy Seal, and he agrees wholeheartedly. He NEVER runs a training run longer than 10 or 12 miles, but he is always running for a purpose, with specific strengthening objectives.

This seems like something I REALLY want to try, like it might be perfect for me, and I’m interested if anyone has any experience with this type of training for a long distance race. I am 51 years old, and I’m not ready to just “hang it up,” not if I can help it. I’d like to try an approach where I don’t “use up” my miles in training (sacrilegious as that is!) and can still find a way to run effectively (for me) in a marathon.

Not sure how much of a response I’ll get on the SDMB on this particular topic, but thought I’d give it a try. Anybody have any experience with this type of “high strength / lower mileage” marathon training?

2

First, wait to see what your doctor says. Better to give up marathons than get your hips replaced.
Second, very few runners can truly run marathons without long runs(Grete Waitz was one).
Try running twice a week, one long run and a tempo run midweek. Bicycle, water running or other non weight bearing cardio.
Runners who claim to do no long runs but run ultras are running long, those ultras count as long runs.
Running hills is fine until you have to come down the hills. More pounding on the hips. Run inclines on a treadmill instead.

3

I just ran my first marathon two weeks ago in 3:43. I’m not a runner. I only had so much time in a week to train as I work full time, travel a shit load and have 3 kids so I modified my training plan to where I ran 2 8 mile runs during the week, a short 5 miler on Saturday mornings and my long run Sunday morning. I only ran 1 20 miler. My plan was also only 12 weeks. The original plan called for 10 and 12 miles for the mid week runs near the peak and I just didn’t have the time, or frankly the desire, to run that far after work during the week so I didn’t.

Worked out well as I smashed my goal of 4 hours by a long shot and I didn’t injure myself training.

4

Oh, I forgot to add that, due to the fact that I wasn’t running all the miles prescribed in the plan, I ran all out race pace for every run. No leisure jogs. Worked out well for me.

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Where did you get the plan? Is it something you can share? Sounds right along the lines of what I’m looking for. :slight_smile:

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Like I said, I modified it to where I was running 8 miles on Tuesday and Thursday every week starting around week 5 instead of booking the 9 to 12 mile runs that are prescribed. I did every long run though. It worked really week for me and I never really hit “the wall” like I expected. I really think its because I was running aerobic pace for all my 8 milers and trying to run them in personal bests almost every time then I ran all my long runs at or near race pace. I was also lucky because I never missed a run due to illness or weather because of the mild winter in Virginia.

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Thanks, Cubsfan! Did you do any intervals or hills, any speed work?

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No hills other than what was natural on my routes. My marathon was at Virginia beach so it was totally flat. I didn’t do any intervals, but like I said I ran as fast as I could sustain on my 8 milers and ran my long runs for time as well. Best investment I ever made was my GPS watch. Made training much more effective.