After swimming in the Mighty Mac, a marathon swim, it got me thinking about marathon athletes and how they train. I am not especially experienced in Marathon training myself. I am what you call a anaerobic athlete, but there were definitely a few things I learned from competing in that swim about training for that type of event.
The three most common sports for this type of athlete are, you guessed it, running, biking and swimming. Which as you all know make up a triathlon and also includes one of the biggest tests for a marathon athlete, the Iron Man.
The first and most important component about doing a marathon event is, TO TRAIN FOR IT! I can now speak from experience. I didn’t train at all for the Mighty Mac. Sure I got in the pool a few times, but not like I should have. When I was finished with this swim I was positive that I tore my left rotator cuff with how much pain I was having. I know shame on me right? I should know better. Luckily a few days rest and I was fine, but I strongly advise that you train properly for any marathon event or your body is going to hate you later on and your risk of injury significantly increases.
Secondly, cross-train and do so regularly. This is very helpful in preventing overuse or chronic injuries that are associated with marathon events. I am convinced that because I was doing other types of training that my body recovered as well as it did. Runners, make sure you are taking the steps to strengthen your hamstrings, glutes, and abductors. I have seen many cases where runners have had problems with their knees or hips and it is commonly associated with weaknesses in these areas. Swimmers, take care of those shoulders! Your rotator cuffs specifically. Rotator cuff tendonitis can take a long time to recover from. Regular stretching, mobility work, and therapeutic type exercises will definitely help prevent injuries. Cyclists, and this actually goes for swimmers and runners as well, MAKE SURE THAT CORE IS STRONG! Between sitting in a crouched position over those handle bars and the fact that your legs are so developed, your core needs to be strong to protect your back!
Lastly, if you do experience an injury, DO NOT PUSH THROUGH IT, believe me it will only make the injury worse. You can do other things and work around an injury after a few days of full rest, but do not do any movement that will directly aggravate the injury for at least 2 weeks and maybe more depending on the injury.
I have a profound respect for individuals that compete in these types of events or just do it for fun. It takes a lot of dedication and commitment and always remember that you are capable of more than you think!