Did you watch with wonder as 59,226 runners completed last week’s TCS New York City Marathon (now officially ranked as the world’s largest marathon)? Do you dream of joining these determined athletes next year, but you’re worried about losing stamina or sustaining sports injuries? Don’t worry: our Massapequa podiatrists, Dr. Mark Gasparini and Dr. Novneet Chhabra, are here to help you safely achieve those finish-line dreams. Just stick with us as we take you through this marathon training plan for New York runners.
Get A Baseline Picture of Your Health ![New York City marathon runners]()
Before you start any form of race training, you need to really ask yourself—and our doctors—am I healthy enough to run a marathon. As part of this determination, consider any chronic conditions you have, especially issues like plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendon pain. Review your injury history, particularly if you’re prone to stress fractures or ankle sprains. Knowing what you’re dealing with before training begins can us identify potential areas of weakness if your body. Then, we make recommendations to help you stay safe, from sneaker choice to the addition of Medical Grade Insoles or custom orthotics.
Take Your Time with This Marathon Training Plan
Once you’ve got the base support needed to begin training, we’ll have to look at your marathon timeline. So, how much time do you really need to prepare for a marathon? The answer will differ for everyone, but you should really devote months to this marathon training plan. And, within that time frame, you’ll need to schedule at least three runs into your weekly routine, with those sessions lasting between 30 minutes and as long as three hours!
Why is this time so important? As was the case with our half-marathon training plan, we want our runners to slowly build their endurance, allowing their bodies gradually adjust to the demands of completing a 26.2 mile run. We also want you to incorporate rest days and cross-training into your schedule, to help reduce your risk for injury. And, on that note, be sure to engage in…
Cross Training for Marathon Runners
As with any form of race training, our marathon training plan will include three running days each week, never on back to back days. You will do two short runs each week, with one longer run that increases your previous week’s maximum distance by no more than 10%. (Distances will vary by runner, depending on your current level of fitness and previous racing experience. We encourage you to use resources such as New York Road Runner’s personalized training plans to find your perfect schedule.)
But here’s what we want to ensure you incorporate into your marathon training plan: rest days, along with weight-bearing exercises and other forms of cardio. Why is that cross-training so important? When you’re training for a marathon, you’re putting stress on the same parts of your body, again and again. And, unless you strengthen the supporting muscles, bones and tissue, that’s a recipe for overuse injuries like stress fractures and shin splints.
Luckily, when you let your body rest, you can dramatically reduce your injury risk. Plus, when you switch up your cardio on off days, you can redistribute the impact of stress on your body, allowing you to continue developing cardiovascular endurance without overloading your running muscles. And that’s why cross-training is a crucial element of any marathon training plan designed to reduce running injuries.
Now, it’s equally important to add weight bearing exercises into your marathon training plan. Not only will strength training reduce your injury risk, it can also increase the power and force your muscles produce, meaning you’ll run faster while exerting less effort—two factors that can easily shave minutes off your marathon completion time.
But what forms of strength training should you focus on? Anything can be beneficial. But you should pay special attention to moves that strengthen your lower body and core. Runners can really benefit from moves such as squats, lunges, step ups and hip hinges. Deadlifts, planks and side planks can also be beneficial. And don’t be afraid to gradually increase the weight you hold while doing these moves, following the same rules as you do when running farther distances—no more than 10% adjustments each week. By combining resistance, rest and smart distance adjustments in your marathon training plan, you should be able to complete your goals of crossing the finish line—injury free—after a successful 26.2 mile run. But if you’re hitting a wall with your training, or you’re struggling with pain when you train, stop all exercise and listen to your body. If the pain resolves on its own within a day or two, you can resume training—possibly returning to an earlier week’s program to avoid overstraining your body. However, if the pain lingers or gets worse, keep resting and reach out to our office to request an appointment. When you come in, we’ll screen you for injury, help you heal, and offer adjustments to your marathon training program that will help you safely cross that finish line.