Deadlifts and Distance Running — My First Marathon
The next step of my journey into being a hybrid athlete
This year, I’ve challenged my previous belief of “I’m not a runner”.
So far my journey has included 2 trail runs. You can find out more about them below:
I’ll pick up where the last one left off.
The race had been cancelled. I had comfort in the fact I had trained and prepared myself. It was only a stop on the road to the marathon anyway.
It was time for a new training block to begin 12 weeks out.
The first week of training didn’t get off to a great start.
It didn’t start at all.
I got sick.
It took me out for a week. I spent most of the days in bed with a throat infection. I was floored. After recovering, it was time to begin the road to the big one.
Training Schedule
My training was split into 3 lifting days:
- Upper
- Lower
- Full Body
This ensured I was training each muscle group twice per week. Many runners fail to program strength work and miss out on benefits such as improved biomechanics and decreasing your chance of injury.
The goal of these workouts was to keep intensity high during working sets but allow for adequate recovery time. Supersets and rest-pause (my favourite) sets were also included.
I wasn’t trying to get strong but to maintain my strength. If a lift went up then great — it was an added bonus. Intensity was the real focus here.
Running wise, I was programmed the following:
- Interval run
- Sprints
- Distance builder
The intervals were either a distance or time at a specific pace or heart rate zone. For sprints, it was the same. The goal with both was to increase the number of rounds each week.
The distance builder was my longest run of the week. At the beginning of the training, I began at 12km and peaked at 35km a couple of weeks before the event.
It’s also worth noting, that my coach and I agreed on a minimum number of sessions per week in the event of any injuries, social events or unknowns which could pop up at the last minute.
We set on making sure I hit my upper and lower sessions and the distance builder at a minimum. I can say I completed at least 5, if not 6, most weeks.
The Half-Marathon
From 12km, I began working up the distance by 3–5km each week.
I checked my program and saw the first major hurdle in training.
The half-marathon.
21km frightened me. It meant nearly 2 hours of running. I didn't know a route that long. How was I going to decide where to go? Do I take water with me? What about on the go carbs?
My mind went into a spiral with numerous questions.
Fortunately, there are fairly easy answers to all these questions.
For my route, I used good ol’ Google Maps. I had some ideas of where to go so I fired them in.
If you’re looking for a route of a specific distance, a handy trick is moving the blue line on the desktop version of Maps. It’ll reroute and calculate the new distance. A tool which came in handy throughout my training.
The solution for nutrition and water was to get a lightweight pack from a local sports shop and isotonic gels. They’re essential. I also took Rice Krispies Squares bars to make sure I was taking on solid food.
The run itself wasn’t as bad as I feared.
It felt long however I listened to podcasts to keep my mind occupied.
I was done in afterwards. I felt sore and drained.
Most importantly, I was proud of myself for doing it.
Like the 10 km, this was only a stop on the journey.
The Most Brutal Runs
About 3 weeks out, I set off on a 30km distance builder.
I planned the route using my friend Google Maps.
It didn’t look too bad. The first 10–12km were on the cycle path which is flat — or so I thought.
It was a steady incline which meant my pace was slower than I expected. I kept pushing on to the next section which was on country roads.
Oh, and it was very steep.
Luckily, the last 8km were downhill then flat.
Overall I gained about 270m of elevation. I felt it on my legs later on and the following day.
To help with recovery, I went for a cold bath when I got home. I did this for all the long-distance runs.
The following week was to be the longest — 35km.
I made sure I knew my route and set off. This time on less of a climb.
The main obstacle on this run was my calf. About 12km in it felt sore. I powered on. It was very, very tight by the time I got home. Thankfully, there were no big runs left and I was now on the taper down before race day.
I rested up my calf while still managing to train my upper body and do leg exercises which don't involve the calf (leg extensions and curls).
I was sweating in case it wouldn’t recover in time.
Race Day
It was finally here.
After signing up in January and thinking it was so far away, I had made it to race day.
Thankfully, my calf felt good.
It was an early start to make sure we get there in plenty of time. Everything was prepped the night before. My clothes were laid out, bag packed and overnight oats waiting in the fridge.
I got to the start line and I honestly felt pretty relaxed. I wasn’t nervous. I knew I had put in the work in training. I trusted the effort I put in there would reveal itself on the day.
We set off through the streets of Edinburgh. It was cloudy and dry. Perfect running conditions.
The first hour of running felt good. I had settled into the rhythm quickly. I found a good pace and took in the support and cheers from those who came out to line the streets.
By the time I had gotten to the halfway point after 2 hours, the sun had come out. It was getting pretty warm now.
The route led you into a false sense of security as it double backs on itself. When you’re going out, there are runners coming back. You think it mustn’t be long until you turn however it was longer than I thought.
When the turn finally came, I was grateful. I knew from here I was on the back end of the run.
I started to feel some tingly feeling in my calf at this point.
I drank some water and took a gel.
I kept pushing through.
I had set myself the goal of completing the marathon in less than 4 hours. My watch gives an estimated finish time and I would glance at it every so often. I wouldn’t let it go above the 4-hour mark.
Some people say after 20 miles you hit a wall.
I was buzzing to see the 20-mile sign. It meant there were only 6 left. About an hour left to go. If I could go for 1 more hour I was done. That would be it.
I took my AirPods out for a bit to let them charge with the intention of putting them back in with 2–3 miles to go.
I ended up deciding against this. It was going to be me and mind for the last stretch.
Coming down the last few corners I opened up my legs. The time was getting too close to the 4-hour mark for my liking.
I turned the last corner and see the finish. Relief waved over me.
I looked at my watch.
3:58:00.
I dropped the hammer and went as fast as I could. I had blocked everything out and set my focus on crossing the line.
I didn’t even notice those standing at the side cheering me as I ran past.
I crossed the line and stopped the time on my watch.
3:59:16.
It was over. I did it.
I ran a marathon
Slowing down to walk felt weird after running continuously for such a long time.
My legs were in agony. My feet were sore too.
I was so proud of myself at that moment.
The Power of Self-Talk
I stood there and could only think 1 thing.
I am a runner.
There were so many times during the last 6 months I had to tell myself this to keep me going.
Even more so to not stop or give up during training and the marathon itself.
Having the goal of completing it in under 4 hours gave me an objective to reach for. It made training worthwhile rather than going through the motions.
Overview
My goal throughout this journey was to remain strong while also being a proficient runner.
My strength was maintained over the course and I also retained size and leanness.
The downside to marathon training is the narrowing of your bandwidth. My focus was on this most of the weeks leading up to the event. The longer training runs take up a lot of time plus the comedown you feel afterwards.
The most important lesson I learned was to get out of my comfort zone. If it challenges you, then you’re learning and developing.
Great things never came from comfort zones — Unknown
You can train for strength and distance running. All you have to do is choose to believe you can.
And trust the process.