Kettlebelling to a Marathon- Week 11- Marathon DONE!

Of little patience....I....!

In week 11 of my marathon prep for the Nov 13 event, I decided to go ahead and hit the marathon distance. I decided to do this for purely selfish reasons.

For quick recap, I had set out to train for the marathon distance while training only one run per week. The weekly conditioning consisted of only kettlebell work as substitution for “weekly shorter runs”. For 10 weeks I held myself to that. Even though there is nothing to particularly prove by holding myself to these guidelines...it is my personality to do what I set out to do. As of yesterday we are still 7 weeks out from the actual event. I simply want to do other things in training now, like cycling etc. Prior to completing the distance I was holding myself to only training kettlebells for conditioning, as I wanted to keep within the constraints that I set for myself, I had abstained from any other training that was tempting my attention.

For no other purpose than to free my own mind, I decided to take a try at the marathon distance and simply get it done. So yesterday I completed a run of 26.32 miles for that days training run. That accomplished the goal I had set for myself of one run per week and kettlebelling to the marathon distance. With that completed, I can in good conscience to myself do other things.

I am still going to run the Soldier Marathon on Nov 13, but from here on in I'll run, or cycle during the week if the mood suites me.

Just for the sake of comparison, I ran some numbers on this training cycle to see how it compared to more traditional or conventional marathon training programs. In general, most programs prescribe about 15 miles a week BEFORE the weekly long run. So to this point on a traditional training plan my mileage to date would have been about 265 Miles of running before the marathon distance yesterday. With the “One Run” plan, that mileage before yesterdays run was only about 115 Miles. That is a whopping 150 Miles difference. To me that is a pretty significant savings to get a similar result. Considering that many running injuries result from overuse, saving 150 miles of leg pounding might dramatically lessen the chance of injury.

The main take away for me here is, the kettlebell is a damn effective tool for training for long duration events. A lot of that result is in the way the kettlebell training is used. For me it was timed sets working for longer durations. This so closely mimics the conditioning of running, that the carryover was substantial. Full Training Log HERE.

Some items that I mentioned before that Ill reiterate are... I had very fresh legs for that long run each week. I'd say that having that “freshness” pretty well balanced out any lack of leg conditioning that might have been attained through more frequent weekly runs.   Also, I was able to build my high milage much quicker than in previous training cycles.  I don't know what to contribute that to, but it was worth noting.  Also worth noting is the speed in which I recovered from the long runs.  Generally day of I felt beat up, but by the next morning all soreness had subsided and I was able to get right back to training.  Even after yesterdays effort, now only 24 hours past, the soreness and fatigue I had yesterday has gone.  In the past I have limped around for days after running that far.  Again, I don't really have a viable explanation for the reasons, but am happy to say, I like the result.

There is probably a happier middle ground between the All or None concept that would deliver even better results. Possibly one middle distance run a week. At no time did I ever feel like my cardio conditioning was lacking, but my legs did struggle as the miles began to increase above 15 or so. Attainable yes, but comfort is a relative term. Yesterday was probably a bit too early to try for the marathon. I unleashed my “Marathon Shuffle” and was able to get it done. 21 Miles was the point that I was ready to stop, and that last 5 mile loop was anything but enjoyable. That said though, I have done marathons before with plenty of running base and had the same “feeling”. There is an oft quoted saying for this distance, that has held true on several occasions... “There are 2 “HALVES” to a marathon...The first 20 and the last 6”.

In my case, I was not seeking any particular speed with which to complete this. The motto...”Start slow and taper”... was the resounding theme.

As far as the training in general...I would never specifically recommend this to anyone as a viable substitute to accomplish this distance. For shorter distances up to say a ½ marathon, I think it holds a good bit of merit as “can be done” with relative ease. So for those runners who are more prone to injury, or for those with an aversion to lots of running that just want to try a distance, this type of kettlebelling approach used in varying degrees has proven itself effective for completing the distance. In fact, there are some who have completed the marathon with even less running than I put in. Just that notion alone makes the value of kettlebelling for distance a pretty effective tool.

As an additional aside, there are a few others out there, some with no previous distance experience, who are embarking on a similar training scheme to complete upcoming events. I'll update later once those are complete and get their input as well.