Total Body Transformation Training Blog

Marathon Training

In looking for more information about how others have successfully trained to run their frist marathon I stumbled across a great website -- Marathon Training -- with an aptly descriptive name. MarathonTraining.com has been online since 1996 and has a collection of articles and training approaches centered on running. There is great beginner level information on everything from weight training, cross training, first time marathoning, causes of nausia and vomitting while running, to the pros and cons of training on a treadmill.

Visualization and Success

The marathon training program I am doing (from "The Non-Runners Marathon Trainer") puts a heavy emphasis on visualization techniques and positive self-talk. This is not something isolated to marathon training. Body for Life -- the book and fitness program by Bill Phillips and EAS -- puts a heavy emphasis on having the proper mindset in order to succeed in their 12 week challenge. After a few weeks with the marathon training program, I am starting to see the positive effects of the visualizations and self-talk.

The idea behind positive self-talk is simple -- we become what we most think about. The subconscious has the ability to help us resolve most any personal question and acheive almost any goal. What matters is how the internal dialogue with ourselves is framed. If we ask ourselves open ended but positive questions, the tendancy is toward positive results and answers. Picturing myself as a runner is prerequisite to actually being able to run with the endurance the marathon requries.

Interestingly enough, this training program is comparatively light on distance running -- the longest pre race run ever attempted being less than 20 miles. The success of the program through many semesters of college and open enrollment students has been in establishing the discipline of running and in focusing on positive thinking and acheivement.

Carbs and Marathons

Is there any way to avoid a high carb diet and prepare for an endurance event like a marathon? Looking at the literature around marathon running and similar event you would think the answer is no, but it may not be that simple. Dave Scott, 7 time Ironman triathalon champion ate basically a 40-30-30 diet all year round and adjusted the amount of carbs and fat he ate based on which part of the season he was in. In "The Non Runner's Marathon Trainer" a recommendation of 15-20% protein; less than 30% fat, and 50-55% carbs is the base nutritional approach. Now it would seem that a 55-25-20 and a 40-30-30 approach are miles apart in nutritional guidance. But are they?

No. In both the "high carb" and "balanced" approaches there is one constant -- protein intake. The amount of protein you take in daily is a constant based on metabolism and body needs. Endurance athletes who row tend to have more musculature than marathoners. Rowers and sprinters have similar body types and triatheletes are between them and marathoners at the elite level, all things being equal. If the amount of protein is constant then the essential different between a 40-30-30 diet and a 55-25-30 diet is volume -- i.e. calories. The ratio of carbs to fat is always an inverse one -- as carbs go up, fat intake should decrease and vice-versa. The "extreme" of this is the induction phases of popular diets like Protein Power, Atkins and South Beach where carb intake is very very low initially but fat intake is relatively high as a total percentage of calories.

There is no getting around that in any endurance sport the body needs to produce sufficient energy in order to complete the event. This energy, in the form of ATP, comes about from the chemical processing of fats and carbs. Protein is not a significant contributor to energy stores in any endurance activity. Ideally, carbs are a cleaner fuel for the body to burn so in any intense aerobic activity the body shifts from a fat/carb fuel blend to an almost all carb fuel blend. Simply put, scientists agree that the body that cannot be a long term ketogenic state in order to promote peak performance. In english this means that endurance athletes needs to eat more carbs than protein overall.