Credit: Ally Head
Strong Women
“How strength training made me a radically faster marathon runner”
By Ally Head
4 years ago
Running marathons isn’t just about clocking up the miles – it’s about having the power and resilience to carry on. And you can that from strength training, as sub-four marathoner, Ally Head, explains.
Proper marathon training requires you to run loads – right? Well, not necessarily. In my case, running my marathon PB involved reducing the miles and increasing my reliance on my secret weapon: strength training.
Three years ago, I was given a spot at the iconic London Marathon by Cancer Research UK. To get to that hallowed start line, I did what any newbie marathon runner would do: Google ‘marathon training plans’ and grab the first one that came up on the page.
The Runner’s World plan I selected suggested running four-to-five times a week for sixteen weeks to get my body ready for the gruelling distance and 16 weeks later, I’d completed my first marathon.
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