10 Tips for Running Your Strongest Marathon

There are probably as many different ways to train for a marathon as there are runners. No one training plan is the "right" plan. High-mileage plans work great for some runners while plans with lower mileage that incorporate some speed workouts work better for others. Group training works for many, while others like to run solo. My philosophy is as long as you're "running smart" meaning you're in tune with your body (physically and mentally) then whatever methodology you choose should get you across that finish line. In working with many different types of runners, I have discovered some basic marathon training principles that will help you cross that finish line strong no matter what approach you take.

1. High Mileage or Quality Run, but not both. Some plans call for high mileage weeks for most of the training. Other plans pull back on the weekday mileage and incorporate what I like to call quality runs (i.e., intervals, hill repeats, tempo runs, etc.). Either approach is valid, but mixing the two can often spell injury for many runners. It's hard for the body to put in high mileage week after week as well as the quality workouts. The majority of the runners I've counseled and/or trained who have been injured during the course of marathon training, have been trying to get the best of both worlds.  Pick one method and stick with it.

2. Pull Back and Build. One of the hardest things for established runners to do when starting marathon training is to pull back on their mileage (both total weekly and the long run). If you're already doing 16-mile long runs and logging 40-mile weeks, there's really not much room for you to build and grow. Your body will love you if you ease off the overall mileage and weekly long run mileage allowing you to heal,  gradually building endurance, mileage, and pace over the course of the training. Increase your weekly mileage by about 10% each week putting most of the increased mileage in your weekly long run while keeping the weekday mileage about the same each week.

3. Build-Up. Drop-Back. A great way to allow your body healing time is to insert some "drop-back" weeks into your training. Divide your training into thirds. When you reach the end of the first third of your training, drop back your long run by several miles. For example, if your longest run in the first third is 15 miles, then run 10-miles for your long run in the drop-back week. The week following the drop-back week, run 16 mile for your long run and continue to build until the end of the 2nd third. You'll probably have gotten to your 20-miler, so try dropping back to 15 miles for the 2nd drop-back week. The taper (see #10) is the last drop-back. This build-up and drop-back approach is not only a great way for your body to recoup, it's also a great mental break from the hard training. My runners relish the drop-back weeks.

4.  REST! Some runners think they're being a whimp if they take a rest day. Or they think that somehow they're going to lose some ground. Nothing could be further from the truth. One or two rest days during your training week is vital and as equally important as your run days. If you don't allow the body some days to rest and repair, you'll risk overtraining and increase your chance of injury.

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7 Ways Runners Can Avoid Overtraining

Feeling the burn after a workout is a great sign that you've done your job. That burn is a result of pushing your body past what it's used to. Challenging yourself toward harder, more intense workouts over a period of time is called progressive overload. Progressive overload trains your body to adapt to the new conditions being put upon it.

The key, however, is making sure that along with the progressive overload you are also giving your body time to recover. Ever notice how most marathon training plans have you run a 20-miler followed by a day of rest and a shorter "long run" the following week? Or the plan may have you increase your long run mileage a little each week up to a certain point and then drop off and build back up again. That's progressive overload or stress adaptation. Build up. Back off a little. Build up. Back off a little. Overloading the body and then giving it a chance to recover, adapt, and heal before placing more stress upon it, is a great way to train.

New runners and seasoned runners both can get caught up in the excitement of training. Before they know it, they've peaked, burned themselves out (physically and/or mentally) or worse, suffered an injury before race day. Below are some good tips to follow to get the most out of your training without overtraining.

1. Follow the 90 percent rule. When doing quality workouts (hill repeats, tempo runs, intervals, long runs), push yourself, but always leave something left in the tank. Think about pushing yourself up to about 90 percent of your maximum effort, but never give push it to maximum effort. After finishing a quality workout, you should feel tired. You should feel like you've worked hard, but you should also feel like, "Hmmm, I could have done a little more." This should be a good feeling, not something to beat yourself up about. Knowing that you've worked hard (close to maximum effort), but not crawling away from the workout and needing three days to recover will greatly benefit you in the long run. Doing every quality workout at maximum effort is an injury waiting to happen. Just knowing that you have that "extra" in you can really help you beat mental and physical fatigue later in a race.

2. Enjoy the easy runs. Almost every training plan includes easy runs each week. These runs are usually designed to keep your base mileage going and to help keep you limber in between quality workouts. Problem is many runners blast through the easy weekly runs as if they were quality workouts. If every run is a hard run, you greatly increase your chances of injury, peaking early, or mentally burning out. Also, running your weekly easy runs at maximum effort can put a damper on your weekly quality workouts and so they're not benefiting you as much as they should.

3. Respect your REST days. Forget the idea that rest is only for the weak. Rest is equally as important as that weekly tempo run or long run. Your body needs time to rebuild the muscle tissue that's broken down with each workout. If you never let your body rest, your fitness level can begin to decline affecting all of your runs, easy and/or quality. No rest is basically a fast forward to overtraining and injury.

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