A few months ago, I wrote a blog about a personal experiment in which I was going to train for a marathon, but do very little running to prepare. I signed up for, trained for, and ran the Chicago Marathon, which was held on October 9, 2011. I’m happy to say that my training program worked beautifully for me, with one tiny exception.
For those of you who missed my first blog, here’s a brief synopsis:
My soap box about the marathon or any other long distance run is that most people run too much as part of their training, and end up with some type of overuse injury as a result. My plan for the Chicago Marathon was NOT to run, but to get very strong and fit through strength and endurance work, as well as plyometrics. For the cardio and mental components of exercising for several hours straight, my plan was to do 4 or 5 long runs as my only running, and to do occasional medium-to-long-distance bicycle rides.
This method of training was going very well for me until I injured my knee while playing soccer. I knew right away that I had probably damaged cartilage in my knee. I was on crutches for a few weeks, and unable to walk, run, or cycle. After an MRI and a visit to the orthopedist, it was confirmed that I had a defect in the cartilage of my femur. The surgery to “repair” this damage is controversial and does not necessarily provide any long term benefit. That’s another blog in itself, but for my training, it meant there was no quick-fix for this injury. After feeling sorry for myself for a few days, I began to rehab my knee. I did a lot of non-weight bearing exercises for my legs, and continued to do core and upper body strength and endurance training. Eventually I was able to pedal a stationary bike with only minimal pain, so that became my main form of exercise. I didn’t know if the marathon was even a possibility at this point, but I continued to train as hard as I could and did a couple 2 and 3 hour rides on my stationary bike, just in case.Over the course of 2 months, my knee slowly began to feel normal with daily activities, but I didn’t dare try to do any impact exercise or even attempt to squat. About 10 days before the Chicago Marathon, I decided to take a leap of faith. I made a deal with myself that I would attempt a 20 mile run and if I could do it with minimal pain, I would run the marathon. I chose my course carefully, and went to Fresh Pond, where there is a 2.25 mile loop on a level surface. This would allow me to bail and drive home if I got into trouble, plus I could use my car as a base camp where I kept food, water, and electrolytes so I didn’t have to carry them on the run. I was able to do 18 miles with no knee pain, but my leg muscles were extremely fatigued. I decided that was good enough for me, so on October 9, I ran the course in Chicago and finished 40 minutes faster than my first attempt at a marathon 3 years ago.
The actual race didn’t go as well as my leap of faith run. I started out very fast, because I knew I wanted to get it over with and spare my knee as much as possible. I began having a little knee pain at mile 8, then severe pain by mile 10, and I had to walk. I was so angry and unsure if I would be able to finish, but as I walked I realized 2 things: A) I was walking a 12-minute mile, which is pretty quick, and B) my knee began to feel better the further I went. So in short, I ran 10 miles, walked 6 miles, then ran/walked the last 10 miles and had very little knee pain once the race was over. I did my ice bath and went walking around the city after that race, and I had a pretty easy recovery.
In 2007 I trained for a marathon by doing a traditional running program I found on-line, and I developed severe IT band pain. The marathon in 2007 was awful because I was in severe pain from mile 6 on. The marathon this year wasn’t perfect, but I definitely had less pain and I finished faster than my first attempt. The point of my crazy anti-running training method this year was to see if I could do less damage to my body by doing less running, and in the end have more success because I was overall more healthy. Even though there was a wrench thrown into the system, I would consider my experiment a success. As a physical therapist, I can definitely point to all the prior strengthening and plyometrics as an aid to my recovery after my knee injury. I truly believe I would never have been able to run at all had I not done all the previous training. A lesson to all runners, or any athlete for that matter, is to cross-train and have well-rounded strength and endurance. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and train in unconventional ways. It worked for me….sort of.
If you have any questions about my training plan or your own marathon/strength training plan, please email me at Erin@JointVenturesPT.com.