About to start marathon training yourself? Wondering what benefits it has? Or what the impact of 50km/week has on your weight, digestion or cravings? Read all about it:
The first 6 weeks
- Fatigue: Opposite of what I was used to, marathon training contains slow runs at low heart rates. The positive side: you never end up in the red zone after a training. The first weeks I combined the runs with my daily workouts. But it didn’t get me long to get in overdrive mode. I had a high resting heart rate, slept bad and I was/felt overall fatigue. I had no other options than cutting in the other trainings.
- Knee injury: My knees also suffered from my new training rytme. I went to a physiotherapist for advice and I implemented firming exercises in my training sessions.
- Weight loss: Slow runs and weight loss are like matches made in heaven and before I knew it I lost about three kilos.
Week 6 – 12
- Thinner thighs: I quit bodypump and other heavy weight training due to time shortage and much needed rest time. Consequently my upper legs slimmed down by squatting less and running more.
- In need of rest days: During this time frame I ran about 46K to 52K a week. These trainings where more than enough to feed my needs for sport. I feel that slow long cardio sessions are taking their toll on my body and rest days never felt so good.
- Stronger appetite: The body needs extra fuel when you train at this tempo, and so did my appetite growth. Best part, you don’t feel guilty when eating carbs, your body just craves for it.
Week 12 – 18
- Severe hangovers: I only drink during weekends, but even that has been reduced to a minimum. Not because I want to, but because I can’t handle my alcohol anymore (it really feels like toxic for my body).
- Quiet nights: I’ve been sleeping like a baby ever since marathon training. Sleep truelly is the best recovery, right?
