Are You a Lazy Marathoner?
I’m a lazy marathoner and I don’t care. What makes me a lazy marathoner?
- I only run 3 days a week
- I average less than 24 miles a week. Last year, I ran an average of only 17 miles a week and managed to run a 3:29 marathon and qualify for Boston.
- I don’t do any cross training, unless you count shoveling snow or taking a bike ride with my boys.
Could I run more? Probably.
Would I get any benefits from running more? Maybe.
Adding additional days and miles to my training schedule would take up more of my time, but probably add only slightly to my overall conditioning and race performance.
For the last three years, I’ve been using a modified version of the Run Less, Run Faster training program developed by Dr. Bill Pierce and the team at the Furman Institute. It calls for three days a week of quality training, combined with two days of cross training. In keeping with my lazy philosophy, I skip the cross training.
I hear from people all the time who are doing way more training than I am. If they have the time and they enjoy it, great. If they have a limited amount of time, like I do, the Run Less, Run Faster program might be a good one to try.
Tell me about your approach to training in the comments.
Should You Try Jeff Galloway’s Run/Walk Method?
