It’s Marathon Season!
October is the start of many great marathons scheduled across the country. If you live in a city that hosts one, you know the amazing energy Marathon Day brings. I live right off the NYC Marathon course and I look forward to this Sunday every year. The feeling you catch in the air is very contagious! In 2012 I ran the Chicago Marathon and in 2015 I ran the San Francisco Nike Women’s Half Marathon. Both were amazing experiences and for both, pilates was an integral part of my training.
While I very much enjoy running, I would not call myself a natural, or fast for that matter. I love being outside and getting to use my runs as a way to see wherever I am in the world. This being said, having been a professional dancer I would consider myself an athlete and someone who loves a challenge and/or a goal. I wanted to share with you a bit of my experience, some advice and how pilates can make all the difference in your training.
For both races I used Hal Higdon’s training guide. I downloaded his app so it was very easy to keep track of my training schedule. When you’re training for races like these there is a lot of time and mileage that occurs on your legs. Yes running is important but what you do outside of running is equally important for cross training and injury prevention. The weekend before each week I would schedule my runs so they actually happened as well as my pilates workouts and recovery plan. This was probably the most important thing I did to help ensure success for me to be ready for the race and stay injury free.
My goal for each race was to finish. Yes I was hoping to do my Marathon in 4 hours (this is the average time) and my Half Marathon in 2 Hours (also the average time). I felt less pressure was better and again by prioritizing the different aspects of my training I would therefore succeed.
The things I did before each day that I ran included:
Foam rolling
A dynamic warm up which you can catch many examples of in my Library! This includes things like the 100 (to get connected to my abdominals) and definitely a standing lunge/hip series to open everything up.
Strategically eat and hydrate before.
The things I did each time after I ran included:
Your “pilates homework” which again you can find in my Library! This includes the 100, the rollup, single leg circle, roll like a ball, your ab series, and spine stretch forward/saw. This always helped to reset my body and the effects of running on them - I still to this day do this!
Stretching, and lots of it. I mean like 15-20 minutes whenever possible.
Strategically ate and drank after.
Things I did each week to support my training:
Got a massage. This was a big luxury, I know and at the time I worked for Equinox so I did get a rather great discount. This being said, there are a lot of great low key places that don’t charge the same as a spa. To me, this was an investment in my training and I knew a weekly massage wasn’t going to be a forever activity.
Did one full hour of pilates.
Did one recovery pilates workout - this was typically 1-2 30 minute sessions placed either on shorter run days or on days I didn’t run.
Worked with a trainer to add in plyometrics, etc. to supplement my running.
Yoga
Dipped in the cold ocean. This was convenient for me as I live near the ocean. But the cold salt water really helped my muscles recover. Even after my longest runs if I jumped in the ocean, I was rarely sore the days after. If you can’t do this, opt for a weekly epsom salt bath - they do wonders!
Always took one full day of rest.
Prioritized sleep and was thoughtful about when and how I would go out so I wouldn’t sabotage my plans for the next day.
I completed my marathon in 4 hours 12 minutes and my half in 2 hours on the nose. Considering I was just trying to finish I felt very good about my times! I was not too sore after my Marathon however I was very sore after my Half. I think this was because of all the downhill in the course. I did a lot of hills to prepare but I didn’t take into account how fast I would be running down hill to save time and I think this is ultimately what made me so sore. The day of both my races I made sure to do some walking so I would keep my legs from getting too stiff. I waited 48 hours to get a massage after each so the DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) could set in and I could get some real relief.
I can’t stress how much pilates helped me achieve these goals. No pro runner just runs, they do other things to make them a better runner. For the next few weeks I will be adding run specific pilates classes to my Library for you to try so be sure to check them out and drop any messages below on how they work out for you! Below you’ll find some shots from my races! These were taken long before documenting every minute of your life on your phone was a thing :)
