| The Untrained Marathon |
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One man challenges the common wisdom.
Running experts advise anyone planning to run a marathon to train by gradually running up to twenty miles (thirty-two kilometres) or three hours over a four- to six-month period. I set out to disprove the necessity of this amount of training. 
"Running a marathon is not something anyone should undertake without proper training." But what if you do?
Consider Lance Armstrong, seven-time winner of the Tour de France, who ran the New York Marathon the year following his retirement and exclaimed that it was, “the hardest physical thing I have ever done.” That’s no small statement measured against cycling 2,200 miles (3,540 kilometres) through the Alps over the course of twenty-three days. Still, without the normal volume of training, I set myself the goal in 2008 to finish a marathon in a respectable time and to test my conditioning by completing a long run within one month of the race to confirm that I wasn’t kidding myself. Having endured eleven marathons and qualified for Boston, time was always the main factor. Before, I wouldn’t consider registering for a marathon unless I was confident of finishing in under four hours. This time around, considering that the average finishing time in 2007 was 4:41:332 and assuming that most athletes trained for the event, I set my goal to finish in less than five hours. I figured, what if I shot for averaging eleven-minute miles rather than eight? Theoretically, it seemed like a safe bet. My contention is that the conditioning required to run a marathon isn’t solely attributable to running eighty to fifty to one hundred miles (160 kilometres) a week. My preparation paled next to the twenty-mile (thirty-two-kilometre) theory. I exercised when I could, ran when time allowed, and bought a hybrid bike that I used regularly. My average weekly miles decreased from between thirty to forty miles (forty-eight to sixty-four kilometres) down to ten to twenty miles (sixteen to thirty-two kilometres), and sometimes zero. Running enthusiasts may be appalled by the claim that you can run a marathon logging zero miles some weeks, and as a rule I advise against it as well, but I made it a point to take a forty-mile (sixty-four-kilometre) bike ride every other week, sometimes every third week. I also squeezed in a moderate six- to eight-mile (ten- to thirteen-kilometre) run weekly. I selected the Northern Central Trail Marathon in Sparks, Maryland, to prove my theory. Three weeks prior to the marathon I set out on a twenty-mile (thirty-two-kilometre) training run on the Wissahickon Trail, and though I finished feeling exhausted but good, I couldn’t help but wonder where the final six miles (ten kilometres) would come from. Five miles (eight kilometres) hadn’t gone by before I was convinced I selected the right race to validate my theory. After a short run down a rural road the course transitioned onto a converted Rail-to-Trails adjacent to the Gunpowder River. Better conditions do not exist to run a marathon. A crisp, sunny day with the temperature in the mid-fifties and a course through the woods accompanied by the sound of rushing water echoing softly in the distance kept even the most unprepared runner in the optimum frame of mind. As expected, the first half of the race went reasonably well. I ran relaxed and didn’t succumb to the temptation to track my time for the first half. I was pleased to find I got it behind me in two hours. Experience taught me that I wouldn’t match that time in the second half. The final six miles (ten kilometres) were excruciatingly painful, but I was among a pack of runners that provided plenty of companionship. I was living mile to mile, happy to see mile twenty-one, ecstatic at mile twenty-two, and elated at mile twenty-three. In the waning miles of the marathon I ran with a different breed of runner than I was accustomed to and sensed an innocent pureness in their effort. These athletes possessed the will to push through physical exertion and not be beat by the final miles. I surprised myself by discovering genuine respect for my new pace group and instinctively began encouraging those around me who seemed to be in the most pain as we pushed the final mile, mostly uphill. The final mile was pure agony. Crowds appeared from nowhere, cheering the exhausted athletes. I broke into a limping jog, the final trek to the finish line, never so happy to cross at 4:42. I set out nearly five hours earlier to prove the running establishment’s contention, that radical training is required to run a marathon, a myth. In some respects I believe I disproved their creed, but as a lifetime runner and twelve-time marathoner, I also gained a newfound respect for everyone that competes in the 26.2-mile (42.2-kilometre) race. Running a marathon is not something anyone should undertake without proper training. I proved it was achievable, but not without a price and a lot of pain. More importantly, I learned that there is whole demographic of runners that finish well behind the competitive crowd who earn the right to be called marathoners.
About the AuthorJim Brennan is happiest when outdoors, running, biking, fishing, skiing, or gardening. Brennan finds himself doing more trail running with age, and he plans to do the regular circuit of mid-distance (ten-kilometre, half-marathon, and twenty-five to thirty-kilometre) road and trail runs in the southeast Pennsylvania region in 2009. "The Untrained Marathon" was originally published in IMPACT Magazine's March/April 2009 Running Issue. |
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