Boston, Boston, Boston (Read 1248 times)

I wish we were having this conversation in October. I've heard some very good accounts of using cross training to supplement a running program on a permanent basis.

I've been reading a lot of the same thing, and would really like to learn more - especially about what kinds of cross-training are most effective (versus those that might actually slow you down), and how much/how often you should be doing it. I've heard some amazing stories about runners who started doing triathlons, dropped thier runs to just 2-3 a week so they could cycle and swim, and actually saw big improvements in thier running ... Mishka, I hope you start another thread at some point to report your findings.

I knew a lady whose husband crosstrained for Boston largely by rowing. Has anybody heard of somebody else doing that? I'm not thinking of running before next Fall but, rowing is my main crosstraining exercise. If definitely keeps up the aerobic base but, I'm not so sure of how effective it would be for marathon training.

Awesome thread, guys. Great topic, Trishie. I, too, have ~20 minutes to shave off my time to BQ. I'm not even sure I should be thinking about it this year since my very first marathon was only 4 weeks ago. For the future, though, I was wondering about high-mileage injuries. I've read that many runners hit 40 miles/week and suffer injuries, and my own experience is the same. Getting past that is hard, because as soon as I recover and then work back up to 40 I hurt something else. Is there a method to getting over that hump?

Thanks for the repsonse. I did high mileage during the summer months (August was the longest with ~173 miles), and that was when I started feeling the injuries. Since I am coming off my first marathon I will slowly build back up to 35 miles/week and then sustain that for a time before even thinking about BQ. Thanks again!

Thanks again for the great responses, guys. I used to XC a lot more often ... then I just got lazy with it I used to ride the stationary bike (and bike to and from work) a couple times a week -- I'll add that back into my schedule.

Congrats on your decision, Trishie. I'm sure it was a hard one. Good luck with the bar and all those other exciting things. I found I could only walk on the treadmill and study for my oral comps, so yes, running and studying simultaneously might be difficult. Just kidding. Good luck with your Richmond training!

Hey Trishie! I'd go with what the guys said and try to run higher mileage. I mean.... try to catch me! You have to know that I post like a silly person to get that I'm kidding with you. I am not serious at all around here (ask these big willie boys). I still think you can BQ but you have to look at your training as something that will take a year, not a few months. I am training for Boston now and I am on an annual cycle of training and periodization. I have to take off 18 minutes to BQ. I'd never register for a race sooner than my last marathon, which was a year ago. To run higher mileage you need to slow down and put a lot more easy miles in. I think you could get away with not running any speedwork for portions of the year and just log some aerobic training in to keep your mind and motivation fresh. I've been doing trail running to keep my fitness "as-is" but now I have to hit the dreaded track to increase my fitness level. See girls we have company! I'm trying to hit about 55 miles a week into my next cycle of training (mid summer) which is in about 2-3 months. For marathon training I'm looking at my "peak week" being about 63 miles (early winter). Right now I run 45 miles a week but I wasn't running that at all... I was struggling to run 36 miles a week and so I just decided to give my body and brain some time to relax. Rest and digest (see the siggy!) I ran a 1:55 half-marathon and about 7 months later ran my first marathon in 3:58. I think the miles help. But it's not for everyone and not everyone's body loves miles. My best friend runs 3-4 times a week and can run a 3:2x marathon. My peak mileage week in marathon training was 55 miles. I developed my own schedule based on a shitload of books I read about running and some stuff online. Trish, your 5k time shows me that all you have to do from here out is log miles. It's pretty simple for you. For me though, I am horrible at pacing so my 5k PR was a total fluke and I need to get there again. Callie, you have everything to BQ. You should log more miles. Crap if I could do a 10k like you.... pshhhhhhh man.... what I'd give for that! Thread jack query: While we're on the topic of interval training I was wondering what you guys think: I have a VDOT of 41 and I run my 800's in 3:34 (7:10 pace) but I seriously cannot run that right now for a 5k if my life depended on it. Should I do 5k pace intervals or chalk it up to needing time to let my body adapt to pace?