Marathon Training Interrupted
Challenges such as illness, injury, or other life circumstances happen, but they needn’t derail us entirely
Slowly but surely, I have rebuilt my fitness since February. I commenced my official training block for Berlin Marathon on the 8th July. After being unable to run at all for six months, I worked hard to rehabilitate my injury and regain my cardiovascular and muscular strength. Excited and feeling great, I ran a 12km race at the Bibra Lake Runningworks Festival the Sunday prior to the beginning of the build. My coach scheduled this as a brief hit-out to gauge where things were at. Despite inclement weather and an absolute drenching downpour as I hit the half-way mark for lap 2, I managed to finish strong, maintaining pace to come in 4th place. The marathon build looked set to be terrific.
As with all best laid plans however, just one and a half weeks into the build, I tested positive for COVID-19 for the first time. I was forced to abandon all workouts and runs so I could rest and recover.
The marathon training build was off to a great start before being interrupted
The first week of my Berlin marathon training was strong. Recovery runs, tempo and threshold runs, two strength and conditioning workouts in the gym, topped off with a long hilly run on a favourite trail, Kelly’s Loop with some terrific running buddies.
The next couple of days were easy recovery runs and though I felt the very first niggles of a sore throat, I otherwise felt great. Wednesday morning as a tough interval session. The title of the workout was Pyramid Large. I learned early on that any workout that says hard, large, or big, is usually not much fun. The pyramid large workout comprises intervals of 200m, 400m, 800m, 1200m, 1600m, 1200m, 800m, 400m, 200m. While the speed decreases as the distance increases, it is super tough to speed up again on the downhill side of the pyramid as the distances decrease again.
Being blindsided mid-training block can feel like a catastrophe. It isn’t.
I am very rarely unwell. Fully vaccinated, I lead a clean-living lifestyle. Eating a healthy, balanced diet, I also prioritise my health, sleep, and well-being. Viruses it seems, don’t care much about all of that and when my immune system is vulnerable for any particular reason, I am at risk as much as anybody of succumbing to illness.
Following my coach’s orders to rest up, I disregarded all training until my symptoms subsided. I also know it is a rare athlete who has a completely uninterrupted, perfect marathon build. Most of us will encounter something that threatens to derail our training. Truth be told, none of these apparent catastrophes actually does really derail us entirely – severe debilitating injuries excepted.
The training you have in the bank will get you through marathon training interruptions
Most of the trouble, for me especially, is the mental battle. It can be difficult to accept that this virus is little more than a blimp and it’s impact on my marathon training will be minimal.
It wasn’t just the hard pyramid workout that knocked me at the end of that second week though. Feeling like this was more than just a head-cold, my suspicions were confirmed early on Friday when the two little bars indicating a positive COVID-19 result appeared.
Much as runners are often inclined to run through illness and injury, it is just not smart to do so. I needed complete rest so that is what I did. Comforted by the knowledge that my fitness would not disappear if I didn’t run for four or five days. The solid base I have been busy building since February will get me through and when I am ready to get back on the wagon, my training will not have suffered so much as to derail my marathon training block entirely.
Use enforced rest to recover fully, then plan ahead for how best to approach the remainder of the build
When marathon training is interrupted, it can be easy to believe that actually training for and completing the event is impossible. I feel fortunate that this happened so early on in my marathon build. I have time to get back to where I should be. It has also made me focus on what is important to ensure I am as fit and healthy as I possibly can be by the end of September when I head to Berlin.
Eating properly, resting enough, making the strength and conditioning workouts non-negotiable. I’ll have discussions with my coach about how to best return to the marathon training block that has been interrupted. Most importantly, keeping a positive attitude when faced with these inevitable challenges during marathon training is vital.
There is always an element of truth in what we usually dismiss as old wives tales or urban myths. The adage that running a marathon is more a mental challenge than a physical one holds true for the most part. Physical training and preparedness is no doubt essential, or if nothing else highly recommended. But it is mental toughness and psychological fortitude that will see you through the challenges that training for and running a marathon will throw at you.