Me in the 2009 Amsterdam Marathon

I’ve been thinking about completing a mountain marathon in 2010 (possibly) IF it will help with my preparation for The Outlaw Ironman. After a lot of reading, four things seem to be recommended:

1. As well as basic training runs of between two and four hours, it is essential to get used to running on uneven terrain. It’s more aerobically challenging and works the body’s stabilising muscles harder-particularly around ankles and knees.
2. Don’t run solely on the flat. Serious runners build up muscle strength with “Kenyan Hills” sessions, in which you run swiftly up a 10% gradient for 90 to 120 seconds, before jogging down and repeating the exercise without a recovery break.
3. Running downhill may not be aerobically challenging but it still requires good technique. Try not to “brake” as you descend, instead use your arms for balance and let gravity carry you. Don’t lean forward or look down; keep your eyes up and trust your feet to find the right route.
4. It’s worth including some hypoxic (high altitude) training, even if you don’t plan to race at altitude. Regular sessions (twice a week for a month) will enable you to perform better both at altitude and at sea level.

However, I realise that there may be a risk of getting injured which would impact on my training program but surely it would be a beneficial thing to complete a marathon, if only for the volume of miles involved and continuous duration of the event itself?

Perhaps not.

The general consensus of opinion is that you’ll fatigue too much and training is tiring enough on the body so why add the marathon? In an Ironman, it is not about the marathon. it is about keeping the energy going when the day gets long and you need to finish.

In other words, *only* do a 20-miler, I think?

Related articles

• Me and the Fat Man (rommelandrutzoi.blogspot.com)
• 10 Extreme Marathons (neatorama.com)
• Get It Up, Your Heart Rate, That Is: Hill Repeats (fitsugar.com)
• How Should A Beginner Train For A Marathon? (blurtit.com)
• Health Tip: Protect Yourself from Running Injuries (nlm.nih.gov)
• The Training Week(end) That Was… 9/26-27 (run-a-bout.blogspot.com)
• Pitching Training: What To Focus On This Off-Season? (stevenellis.com)
• Completing an Ironman, virtually (crosscut.com)
• Conquering the Ironman: Never so tired, never felt so good (cbc.ca)
• Race Training Tip: Long Workout = Dress Rehearsal (fitsugar.com)

Similar Posts:

• The Outlaw Training Log: w/c 01 February 2010
• The Outlaw Training Log: w/c 25 January 2010
• The Outlaw Training Log: w/c 08 February 2010
• The Outlaw Training Log: w/c 22 February 2010
• The Outlaw Training Log: w/c 18 January 2010

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Ironman Triathlon, marathon, Running