No marathon training will be perfect. Life happens regardless of whether you are training for a marathon or not. There are only so many hours in a day and week during which you can focus on your training unless of course you are a professional athlete. This Fall I’m not running the Hartford Marathon with any expectations other than to enjoy every mile with my original running buddy, Amy. It will be her first marathon and therefore I know first hand just how important it is to focus on having fun versus stressing out over goals. No one knows how their body will react to 26.2 miles of running, especially the first time.
Cross training hasn’t been a focus for me this training cycle as I’m finding that cross training is happening each day naturally. I move more now than I ever have before. Ryan, Amy’s husband, joked that he realized why Europeans can drink wine, eat croissants and delicious cheese, while still staying relatively thin. The culture here facilitates lots of movement, especially in the form of walking. On an average day, I walk at least 3 miles around town in addition to my daily workout. These walks include steep hills, multiple flights of stairs and often occur while I carry my large purse which is “always full”. As you can see below, even market trips happen via walking in Geneva versus driving. While I walked to Whole Foods or Morton Williams in New York, they were less than a half mile away. In Geneva we walk a mile to the market most times which ends up being at least a 3 mile adventure by the time we’re finished. Walking up a hill with a week’s worth of groceries is definitely strength training!
My favorite marathon cross training that I’ve enjoyed to date is hiking. There is nothing that compares to a day filled with fresh air and nature. It is easy to disconnect and forget any stresses when I am a mile up, above the tree line focusing on the beauty that is surrounding me. Based on the way my body feels the day after a long hike, I can tell that it engages my core, calves and thighs especially though I believe there are benefits to my entire body, both physically and emotionally. Creations like Mont Blanc and etched valleys make everything else around me feel so small.
My favorite hike is Le Lac Blanc, an approximately 3 hour hike in Chamonix. Yesterday I had the pleasure of sharing this area with Amy and Ryan. Nothing makes me feel like a local more than when I can navigate our way from Geneva to Chamonix in France via rental car then successfully lead visitors through a hike, pointing out glaciers, mountain ranges, plants, and villages below. I am so thankful that Renaud shared these special hikes and trails with me early on in my Geneva adventure.
While I questioned at my local friends when they insisted I wouldn’t need a gym membership, laughing at the thought that I could get all the exercise I needed outside, I think they were correct. My body and mind thanks me for spending every minute possible outside this Summer in Europe versus the confines of a gym. I know I’ll want a membership during the winter but for now, I plan to squeeze every ounce of vitamin D out of Europe before the Fall gray skies and rain arrive.
What is your favorite form of cross training?
You have awesome forms of cross training! I JUST got my bike at my house (it was previously at my parents), and I’m loving being out on the road to cross train. I’m also huge on pilates and pilates barre.
Pilates is such a good idea! I need to try!
How fantastic! Even though I’m very active, I drive everywhere (because, Ahem, I live in Oakland and there are a lot of places you can’t really walk…). I would love a slower, more walking-centric lifestyle.
During this (first) marathon training cycle, my cross training of choice has been The Dailey Method – my beloved barre class. It keeps me strong and stretched and the instructors are very respectful of my training. I figured coming off of triathlon season that I would cross train with some swimming and biking but nope! All about the running and the planks!
Shauna those planks are going to help so much!!
I also enjoy hiking. We have something here called the Grouse Grind here which is pretty much like the ultimate stair master — you hike up the mountain via steep steps the entire way. Great for training.
I love hiking as cross training! It’s so nice to be out in the fresh air doing something different. We plan on doing it as long as we can before any nasty snow shows up. Then I suppose I’ll go back to my elliptical in my basement.