Experiencing the marathon...and a bit more.

About 5 months ago I decided to add a marathon to my spring racing season. Over the years I’ve studied the marathon, the effects on the body and the training required to complete the distance but I never pursued racing one due to an injured knee during my 20’s. Running shorter distances, cycling and multisport events were enough for me until I started coaching.   My initial goal was to run the marathon for fun and to gain valuable insight and experience of feeling the effects on the body.  I gradually increased my long runs each week over time, peaking with two 22+ milers and really enjoying every step.  During my last long run, about 3 weeks out, I ran over 22 miles, drank one bottle of water and had 1 gel.  The week leading up to my marathon, my legs felt better than ever and it was challenging to hold back on my last few runs.

 The night before the marathon my adrenaline was pumping (not uncommon before a big race) resulting in a few too many trips to the bathroom (overstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system).  After a sleepless night, I started the morning feeling already dehydrated, despite all my attempts to keep hydrated with water and electrolytes. I assumed it was typical prerace excitement.   Arriving at the race, I was feeling relaxed and ready to get the marathon started.  After the start, I settled into my planned race pace and it felt easy on the legs.  Into the first mile however, I felt thirsty and knew it was a bad sign.  I drank at all the water stops and gradually moved from water to Gatorade and added gels after every 5-6 miles beginning at mile 11. The race was a gradual pace decline after I began eating (not helping the dehydration with blood rushing to my stomach) and the last 6 miles I was running much slower on cramped quads.  Once I committed to finishing, however I was programmed to finish no matter how much pain I was feeling.  After crossing the finish line, I guzzled a few chocolate milks and that put me over the edge.  My body/stomach did not feel right so I visited the med-tent to be checked out.  My blood sodium levels were within the safe range but my potassium levels were high (Hyperkalemia) and my blood pressure was very low.  I felt better after some water and after looking around the tent, thought I was in a much better state compared to the rest, so I left without any treatment.  After greeting my friends and family my physical state went downhill.   I hopped on a bus with a close friend while my family headed back on their own. Soon after arriving to the hotel, I was sent to the hospital to be treated for severe dehydration and hyperkalemia which is risky to the heart. 

The lessons I learned in my first marathon were; Listen to both body and mind.  It’s more courageous and wise to know when to stop rather than finish and risk ones health to reach an athletic goal. Everyone can have a bad day or race, we are all human. I’ve had many great races and plenty of not so great ones; it's all part of racing.  The "poor" races have actually taught me more than the great ones.  There is a limit to what our bodies can take and to know when to save it for another day.  Family and friends are the most valuable, period, and we should keep them at the top of our priorities and think twice about making risky personal decisions that may negatively affect them in the end.   Mental preparation is often more valuable than physical preparation and this is the area I could have focused more on in my marathon preparation.  My marathon pace ended up slower than most of my long training runs and those were run at a comfortable pace.  Dehydration will seriously limit physical performance and physical suffering!  Hyperkalemia is a rare condition for most people but more common for longer endurance events where dehydration occurs.  Take the time to learn more about the crucial electrolytes in our body and how to keep them all in balance particularly for longer endurance events.  

Well, 26.2 miles down.  Hugely valuable insight gained. Now it’s time to rest and recover.  My quads are hurting way more than my ego right now!  Special thanks to my friends and family that supported me during and after the marathon; Sarah Carrier, Bradley Gates, Christina Chadwick Bennett, Dawn and Jay Cobak and Chris Nolan and his family for a fun evening dinner distraction after a long day.   

Cross-training vs. pure running.

I've been asked this question a few times; Why spend time biking, swimming, strength training or performing any cross-training session when can I spend more time running?  The answer really depends on the individual.  The primary focus of new to relatively new endurance athletes should be to improve aerobic capacity.  Teaching the body to tap into fat as a primary fuel source (rather than sugar) is critical in building a solid cardiovascular foundation before performing anaerobic work.  If an athlete has been running consistently for many years (10+) and volume has remained relatively constant, then yes, adding more running volume or speed work is likely the best option to take that runner to the next level. This runner is likely reaching the limits of their genetic potential and therefore needs to spend more time running to improve running economy.

The next few questions I would ask an individual would be; Have you been injured recently or in the past year during higher volume/intensity training? Have you encountered severe burnout or fatigue for long periods of time, or experienced periods of excess stress, depression or anxiety?  Did you peak in the spring with PR’s then remain at the same level the entire summer even with track sessions and frequent weekend races?

Aerobic training is far less stressful than anaerobic training which, if not prescribed or executed correctly can overload the adrenal system, increasing cortisol release; leading to staleness, burnout or injury. All of these side effects can sideline a runner and keep them from continuous improvements.  Our bodies thrive when focusing on aerobic development and the balance of hormones keeps us happy and feeling refreshed after nearly every workout.

Most of the athletes I work with, including myself, are not at the elite level in running performance.  Therefore, building aerobic conditioning should be the primary focus, particularly, for athletes focusing on distances over the 5K.  If we keep adding run volume and our body absorbs this increase, we probably have great running mechanics, durability or a unique hormone profile which helps us to a speedy recovery.  If however, we are prone to injury or burnout, as running volume/intensity increases, then why not add some low impact cross-training to our total training volume to  improve aerobic capacity which can transfer to other sports?   Example; I have a friend that had been purely cycling for most of his life and then took up running for cross-training. Within 3 months he was running 6:05 minute pace for a 5 mile run.  Was this likely due to his 3 months spent running or to his 12+ years spent cycling and improving aerobic conditioning?

In addition, adding drills, core work or full-body strength moves have been proven to increase durability and running economy, particularly for longer distances.   Of course, spending loads of time in the weight room will increase muscle mass, power and durability but is also likely to take away from valuable run-time. However, incorporating a few short (~15-20 minute) strength sessions each week should be a staple in any endurance training plan.