When the last triathlon races of the season are over, many athletes want to take their form with them so that they can run another marathon in the fall, if possible with a new personal best. However, the preparation for the 42.195 kilometers requires special and focused preparation.
Running mileage vs. recovery
What and how much can you still train at this point in the season? On the one hand, to be in optimal marathon shape, the running distances would have to be significantly increased, on the other hand, the body needs to rest after the exertions of the long season in order not to be overwhelmed. If you observe a few training principles, there is still nothing standing in the way of taking part in a marathon at the end of the season.
Endurance is not the same as endurance
Most of them do not lack good endurance for a competition lasting 3 to 4 hours, especially after the long season. Unfortunately, when it comes to long runs, endurance is not the same as endurance. Running puts a lot of strain on the connective and supporting tissues of the body.
For a marathlon run with a time of 3 hours, about 30,000 steps are necessary and with each of these steps a multiple of the body weight acts on the musculoskeletal system. The endurance abilities of the cardiovascular system are there, but without any specific preparation, the high strain on muscles and tissue ensures that the muscles “close” after 30 kilometers at the latest.
Increase running distance dosed
For a successful marathon participation, it is therefore necessary to get used to the long running loads - especially for short-distance athletes. However, long runs lasting more than 90 minutes sometimes require significantly longer regeneration times.
With regard to the marathon preparation, it is important that the body has enough time to adapt to the prolonged running loads. This is achieved by slowly but steadily increasing the amount of running. If you increase the scope and/or intensity of the training too quickly, you risk, in the worst case, overuse injuries or typical runner injuries, such as Achilles tendonitis, heel spurs or shin splints.
The longest running units should not exceed a maximum length of 2:30 hours or 30-32 kilometers. This also applies to everyone who has a target time of significantly more than 3 hours, since the adaptation effect is already very high with this length and at the same time the required recovery time does not yet exceed a reasonable framework.
