ashleyd /

Marathon Training and CrossFit

Hi everyone! I’m Meg and I blog at RunFitKin about my life as a runner, crossfitter and wife/puppymom (and hopefully person-mom within the next year!) Being a runner the majority of my life, I’ve always viewed myself as someone whose strength and ability was built on running around an oval or on a cross country course.

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So when my husband approached me about trying this crazy new workout program called CrossFit, I was nervous to step outside my comfort zone. I was also intimidated. At the time I was struggling to even do push-ups on my knees! I knew that I would be frustrated with my lack of strength but John was encouraging and we took the leap, mainly because he wanted to lose weight and I wanted to get out of a running slump. I found out a couple of things right away.

  1.  Everything is scaleable, it didn’t matter that I couldn’t do a pull-up, there were bands to help me. It didn’t matter that my flexibility was limiting, there were mobility exercises to practice to get me more limber. It didn’t matter that I didn’t finish first in all of the WODs, my “boxmates” (fellow class members) were always there to cheer me on.
  2. I was the best runner out of everyone. Now this was important to me, especially in the beginning because I have a big ego. I have a “medium size fish”, little pond mentality going on over here. Being good at running showed me that everyone has strengths and weaknesses in CF. The slower runners at our gym were some of our strongest athletes. I wanted their skills and they wanted some of mine, together we gave each other tips and cheered each other on and challenged each other to do better. We believed in each other through and through. It made me find my fire for running again.
  3. I started to believe anything was possible.

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Which brings me to my marathon story. When I moved to Seattle and realized that adults don’t really run XC or track, I was sort of at a loss. I ran a few 5ks, then my first half marathon. I told myself I could never do a full marathon; half was tough enough. But then curiosity got to me, and I signed up for the 2009 Vancouver Marathon. My training was all over the place and I DNFed at mile 10, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to make it through all 26 miles without serious pain. I wasn’t ready.

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Fast forward to 2012. After a big PR in a half marathon in 2011, just 4 months into crossfitting, I could feel the difference in my core. My mentality was stronger and I had much more confidence in myself. I was ready to try Vancouver again in 2012. I used the Run Less, Run Faster training plan, which pairs hard miles with cross training. I used Crossfit instead of biking or swimming and found myself hoping to BQ on my second attempt at the marathon.

While the BQ didn’t happen, I did finish my first marathon sub-4, after injuring myself in mile 14. My physical therapist has told me that it was no fault of Crossfit or even a lack of training that got me injured, she believes I’d been overcompensating for weak hips and glutes for years.

I returned for another marathon after some strength work both in PT and in CF, and hit a 15-minute PR in the race. While training I also gained a few PRs in lifts at Crossfit. I was proving to myself that I could maintain Crossfit strength and run pretty well (though still no BQ).

I won’t pretend that you can be top notch at both sports simultaneously. When training for marathons or attempting to be competitive in half marathons, Crossfit takes on a cross training role for me. I will go twice or three times a week and prioritize my mileage over Crossfit. I will commit a Crossfit sin and cherry pick my WODs. For instance if something is going to burn out my legs on a morning of a track workout, I’ll skip the WOD so that I can bring a strong performance to the track. This is how I manage to keep my love of Crossfit in moderation with my love of running.

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When I’m not training for big running goals, I focus on Crossfit. I can now run a happy pace and hit “good enough for me” times on half marathons and sometimes surprise myself at shorter distances. The advantages I have gained from doing both sports has me convinced that this is the formula for me. My next big goal, which is a very lofty one, is a sub 1:30 half marathon. I plan to do  Crossfit about twice a week and average 40 miles/week.

While there a program called crossfit endurance, I’m still not sold on it. I may experiment for my next full and see if CF endurance can get me to 3:30 (or below). I have not seen many women be competitive runners and competitive crossfitters. I would love to learn from anyone who has that experience!

Have you tried crossfit?

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ashleyd /

26.2 Miles Is Far

Hi! I’m Steph from 321delish! I’ve been following Ashley for some time now, and I finally met her in person at Meghann’s wedding this January. Ashley reached out to me to tell my story for marathons + moderation, and I happily said yes!

I was a college swimmer at a small division III school in Illinois. Working out 20+ hours per week was just normal for me. When I graduated, I did Teach for America in Washington, DC and had little time to get in any kind of workout, which was really frustrating to me. When I was able to find a little bit of “me” time, I just had to do something that got my heart pumping. The thought of going through all the rigamarole to get in the pool for a workout was not appealing, and swimming solo is BORING. So, I strapped on a pair of sneakers and went for a run around DC. I realized that running was actually fun! I loved running around and exploring my new city.

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When things settled down in the spring of my first year of teaching, I joined a kickball team. One night after a few too many rounds of flip cup after our game, a few of my teammates started talking about the Marine Corps marathon. A few minutes later we had all decided to register!

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I had never run a marathon before. I was clueless about what I needed to do to prepare. I just figured that I needed to run. A Lot. I didn’t print out a plan, I didn’t join a running group, I just kind of ran around for a few miles and then kept adding on some mileage every week. Several weeks before the marathon, my kickball buddy said that we should do a long run, so we planned an 18 miler. I’m pretty sure I only ran 15 of it, and even that was a struggle! That was the most mileage I did prior to the marathon. Friends, I do NOT recommend this way of training.

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Marathon day came and I was nervous and excited. I was hoping to run a 4:30, and I thought that was pretty reasonable for me. (Based on what, I’m not exactly sure…) My one kickball friend was super speedy, and I don’t even think I saw him before we started. My other kickball friend had gotten injured, so she was in a different corral than me. So, I was all by myself, but thankfully my parents had come down to cheer me on.

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I felt pretty good for the first half. I remember checking my half split and I was right on target to meet my goal. I saw my parents a few times and had a big smile on my face- I was running a marathon!

Mile 20 took us over the bridge and into VA and here’s where I hit the wall. I remember running through Crystal City thinking, “I could probably walk faster than I’m running…” But I’m stubborn and was too proud to let myself walk.

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6.2 miles later I saw the finish line and I was oh so thankful. That last 10K was miserable, but I had made it to the finish line! I didn’t reach my goal time (I think I came in somewhere around a 4:45) but I was so proud of myself for finishing 26.2 miles of running! Unfortunately, I was too tired to smile for a finish line pic J

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I’m glad I have my “first marathon” experience, but I would not recommend my strategy to anyone. However, I still like running, so I didn’t traumatize myself too badly J I definitely learned a few things about running from that experience, so here’s a few tips for a newbie from a swimmer turned runner turned triathlete:

1) 26.2 miles is a LONG way. I had ZERO concept of just how far a marathon really is. I knew it was a long way, but I figured my recreational running would sufficiently prepare me for the race. Boy, was I wrong! Running a few miles a day, 4 times a week will NOT prepare you for a marathon.

2) Research marathon training plans. Again, I was clueless about what it took to prepare for running a marathon, let alone any distance of running race. I’m a swimmer, not a runner. Ask me what it would take to prepare to swim the 200 IM and I could get you there. Running? Definitely not. Do a little internet search to get some idea of what kinds of mileage is ample prep for a marathon.

3) I am stronger than I think. The marathon is tough on your body and tough on your mind. The summer I was preparing for the race, someone said to me, “You won’t finish the marathon.” When things got tough, I remembered that conversation and didn’t let myself give up. I would not let him be right. And it worked J

Good luck out there first time marathoners! You can do it! Trust me though, the next time around was a far better experience!

How about you? Have you ever trained this way or do you have a strict regimen?

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My Mantra: Believe

Over the past year or so, the Marathons+Moderation guest posts have ranged from stories of first marathons, getting faster, still finding time to drink and party while training, to stories of overcoming defeat. Maybe it’s because Leticia and I shared this year’s training season together or because I followed her journey this summer but this story reminds me why I love this series. Some people think it’s time to let the series die while others comment each week, loving the new stories. While I don’t know that stories will necessarily come each week it’s fresh perspectives such as Leticia’s that remind me why I love training for 26.2 miles every summer. The feeling of accomplishment at the end is like nothing else and all it requires is belief in yourself and dedication to the hard, sweat filled runs.
Believe:
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Three years ago if you would have told me that today I’d be writing a post talking about what I experienced in marathon training I would have told you, you were absolutely nuts. Almost three years ago to the date I ran my first mile on the treadmill. I think it was about a 13 minute mile but I did it! I remember the feeling of absolute excitement that I could actually do this! I had done it, I had run one mile without stopping. You see in October of 2009 I decided I was tired of being overweight, unhappy, and unmotivated. I got a hold of my life, lost 100lbs, and had a lot of fun in the process! You can read my story here.
After running a half marathon in the Fall of 2011, I went out and watched the NYC Marathon that November. I vividly remember how amazing it was to see thousands of runners on 1st Avenue. I was more encouraged that day than ever before. I knew that a year later I wanted to be in that marathon. I wanted to run those streets. I wanted to feel that level of excitement and run 26.2 miles. I started training for the 2012 NYC Marathon at the end of July, following a summer of painful injuries. I knew that I had come a very long way. Therefore my mantra for my marathon would simply be one word: believe. I took that saying and literally ran with it. I knew that if I didn’t believe I could do this I wouldn’t actually cross the finish line.
In the aftermath of Sandy, you know that the NYC Marathon was canceled. It was a huge disappointment after 16 weeks of training, but even in the chaos of what that news brought I knew that I would still run a marathon. Enter, the Richmond Marathon. Luckily, I had 10 other girls who gladly accepted the challenge to tackle Richmond and not waste the training we had done for the previous four months.
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I am a huge believer in that things don’t happen by coincidence. I know without a doubt that Richmond was supposed to be my first marathon. It was a fantastic race that I got to share with dear friends of mine that I’ve made through the amazing running community in NYC. I crossed the finish line in 4 hours 39 minutes and 15 seconds. I worked for every second of that marathon and I am proud to say that I am forever a finisher.
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If I could give you three things I learned to believe in through this process they are these:
1. Believe in yourself- Believe that you can do this. Believe that you are stronger than you think. Believe that your body is an amazing gift to have and it can be pushed to extreme limits. It’s going to get hard. It’s going to get tiring, but don’t stop believing!
2. Trust your training- I followed my training to a tee. I didn’t make excuses. I didn’t slack off. I put in the work. I believed that a good training cycle would lead me to my goal time and finish without an injury and it did!
3. Have others believe in you- Surround yourself with people who lift you up when the going gets tough (it will). I had a coach, roommates, and friends who believed in me every single day. I had friends who flooded my inbox with support, advice, tips, and love. This aspect is so important!
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Thanks for taking the time to read a little bit about my marathon experience! I still baffles me that I accomplished this after running one mile three years ago. I have come a very long way to say the least. Marathon day was one of the best days of my entire life. For a full recap of Richmond see here.
“It’s a marathon. If it were easy, everyone would do it.”
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