I personally don't think you can train for your BEST marathon on 3 runs a week. Lots of people do get round okay on 3 runs though, so it clearly is possible. I'd be more concerned about the fact that the marathon is only 10 weeks away - you say you've been trying to get more runs in; how long have you been doing that for and what's your current weekly mileage and long run like? If it was me I'd cut back on some of the strength training and run instead of the spinning class.

kristinegift wrote: »

(which, at 10 weeks away, is not much time to train at all anyhow) then you can adjust for next time.

As I've got an under-prepared marathon coming up in just 10 weeks, can we all pretend it's loads of time, please?

When I moved to marathon training and the mileage was getting up there, I cut down to two strength training sessions/week. I was running 5 days/week plus one day a week of biking. On my one scheduled "rest" day, I'd do only upper body strength workouts.

edit: I was doing strength training 3x a week on a whole body 5x5 program before I moved my mileage up.

When I ran my first marathon, my peak weekly mileage was (only) 54 miles and I was running 5 days a week. One day was completely off, one day was cross-training (elliptical is my choice, but spinning is a good option) and I did bodyweight strength training 2-4x a week until the last month before the marathon (at which point I dropped down to once a week). I found it much easier to recover while eating at maintenance.

I recommend reading http://www.amazon.com/YOU-Only-Faster-Greg-McMillan/dp/1620304422 - he talks you through crafting personalized plans that match how many days a week you can manage to run and what types of workouts are hardest for your body to recover from.

While I agree that you are definitely capable of setting a stronger goal than "just to finish" given your level of fitness and planning, I'd caution against establishing crazy racing expectations for yourself. I set some realistic finishing time goals based on my training runs, but ended up feeling really disappointed at the end of my first marathon (despite BQ!) because I didn't hit all the goals I'd set up for myself. Looking back, I wish I'd calmed down a bit and just enjoyed my first time.

findingkirst wrote: »

My question is just with 5 running days and such high mileage... does The body have enough time to recover??? I struggle with fatigue in my legs with consecutive runs... I think it's in my head though "I ran yesterday.. so my legs are tired today"
I need to get my head right!

Anything you guys do to promote muscle recovery??

1. Build a strong base before starting marathon training. (oops, we're past that time now)

2. Have no more than 2 quality workouts in a 5 day week. All other runs should be easy. Easy helps you recover. Keep them easy even when you feel great.

3. Rest on rest days.

4. Treat strength work as maintenance. Give yourself a pass if you feel beat up. Just don't skip the same strength exercises all the time; you should know which ones are needed to support your running, and not let them slide for weeks on end.

5. Get enough sleep. If sleeping late is impractical, this means strictly enforcing an early enough bed time.

6. If your running mileage is ramped up to more than you've ever run, consider giving yourself a pass on other cardio. I've had to cut out my longer walks; you may have to forego the spinning class.

That's the stuff I have to concentrate on. I'm currently running 6 days a week, in week 9 of a countdown from 16, and running more distance per week than I ever have in my life. I am shocked at how good I feel after a 6 mile (10K) recovery run.

FWIW, BAA sent me a link to training plans. They have 4 day, 5 day, and 6 day plans that they show to people who are registered for Boston. I'm not sure anyone actually uses those plans, though; I think most people who BQ have figured out how to run a marathon.

litsy3 wrote: »

kristinegift wrote: »

(which, at 10 weeks away, is not much time to train at all anyhow) then you can adjust for next time.

As I've got an under-prepared marathon coming up in just 10 weeks, can we all pretend it's loads of time, please?

Haha, well for someone named @litsy3 who did a 2:52 marathon a year ago, it's plenty of time! :P But for OP? Not so much, as it's her first go around.

findingkirst wrote: »

You guys are making me scared

You will be fine!! Especially if you are aiming just to finish and not for a specific time/pace goal. You will enjoy the experience and relish in the accomplishment, I'm sure. In all honesty, the training IS the hard part. If you put the work in there, the race itself should be enjoyable.

In answer to your question above regarding recovery with 5 days of running per week, I will just second what has already been said. Only two of those days should be at hard effort. The other days should be slow and easy miles, or what is referred to as "recovery runs". This is critical. If you do all of those runs at max effort, then, no, you will not have time to recover between each run. But if you take it slow, those easy run days will feel almost like rest days. @MobyCarp hit on some excellent points.

Hey! I found an article this morning from Runner's World that sort of talks to your question. Hope it helps: Why Do My Legs Fatigue Before I'm Out of Breath?

@OrionSlayer - I don't have any specific internet sources for lifting while running. What I do, I've developed piecemeal as I saw the need. There's no guarantee that what I do is necessary or even useful for anyone else.

On a perfect morning, my breakfast routine is an extended process. Between fixing the various parts of breakfast, I do 3 sets of 31 pull-ups, rotating between neutral grip, pronated narrow grip, chin-ups, and pronated door frame width group over 4 days. I do 3 sets of 62 push-ups, with the 2 sets on the floor and the 3rd set alternating between feet on a chair or hands on an upside down Bosu ball. I do one set of 5 Turkish get-ups on each side with a 35 lb. kettlebell, and do a windmill at the top of each TGU. I do 3 sets of 10 bridge with leg lift exercise that my PT gave me in 2013. I do 3 sets of hip abduction and hip adduction exercises with an exercise band. I do 3 sets of 10 single-leg calf raises, currently with a 47.5 lb. weight. I do 3 sets of 10 one-handed kettlebell swings with a 40 lb. kettlebell, followed by 2 sets of 10 snatches with the same kettlebell.

Lately, I don't have very many perfect mornings. 4 in a week is a pretty good week. But I'm in marathon training, and I have to know when rest is more important. I will get the push-ups and pull-ups done unless I'm so sick I need to go back to bed; I'll get all of the other stuff done at least once a week, trying not to miss the same exercises on the same day.

Why I do it: The push-ups and pull-ups have no specific reason other than habit. The push-ups started as push-ups on a swiss ball when I had a foot injury and couldn't do anything that put stress on the foot. The pull-ups are a vanity thing, because I could never do a pull-up before I was 56 years old and I don't want to lose the capability. I tell myself they both have some core benefit.

The bridge with leg lift was designed for trunk stabilization. I don't know whether I still need it, but it doesn't hurt anything and isn't particularly hard or time consuming. The hip abduction and adduction exercises are because my PT identified and issue with weak abductors/adductors affecting my running. That issue got corrected, and I don't want it to come back.

The kettlebell work is because last December I noticed some complaints from my hamstrings. I'd never had hamstring or quad issues; what was different? Oh, yeah. When I became a runner, I'd been doing some weight lifting including kettlebell work. Put that back in, get used to it, and the hamstring issue went away. It's maintenance. The swings and snatches work the hamstrings, the TGU works a bit of everything including quads, and the windmill has a nice hamstring stretch embedded in it. Oh, yeah. The TGU works my core pretty well, and I hate direct core work.

The attitude thing is more subtle. I've done TGUs with a 45 lb. kettlebell. Right now, I'm making no attempt to progress from a 35 lb. kettleble. The point is, I'm not trying to get better at strength exercises. I'm trying to maintain at strength exercises, with the point of avoiding overuse injury while running. Real weight lifters would look at what I do and sneer; but if it keeps me off the couch, I'm happy with it.

I keep thinking I should add back in some squats, in addition to the lunge embedded in the TGUs; but I never seem to find the time.