In 6 months (on November 6th, 2022), I’ll be running the New York City Marathon. While I prepare for the race, I’ll be raising money for The Partnership To End Addiction to help families who are affected by addiction. If you’d like to donate and help support a great cause, you can do so here at my fundraising page. For those interested, this blog will provide a general overview of my training plan leading up to the race. If you’d like to follow along with my training in more detail, you can do so here.
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Below is a general overview of how I’ll be approaching various aspects of marathon prep. Everything below is subject to change as training progresses and I’ll go into much more detail on training through Instagram as I move through prep (which will last about 4.5 months – starting in 6 weeks).
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Strength Training
I’ll come right out and say it – most “runners” don’t strength train enough and that leaves a lot of potential on the table. This section is where I’m unlike most other marathon runners. You’ll notice that my intended strength training volume is HIGH compared to what the average marathon prep includes. The plan is to reduce intensity and volume of the structure below as we get closer to the race in order to allow more time for running and more time for recovery.
| M | lower strength session (90 minutes) |
| T | upper push/pull strength session (90 minutes) |
| W | shoulders/arms strength session (90 minutes) |
| Th | lower strength session (90 minutes) |
| F | upper strength session (90 minutes) |
| Sa | off |
| Su | off |
Endurance Training
From the beginning of April I’ve been running every single day (as I write this I have a 36 day run streak) – you can follow me on Strava. Once I get into the official prep (mid-June), I’ll be implementing the structure below and increasing both intensity and volume as training progresses. For running, I’ll be gauging intensity using a combination of RPE scale, pace and HR zones. The plan as of now is to peak volume at about 3 weeks out from the race and to peak intensity about 2 weeks out from the race. These plans will be adjusted as needed as training progresses.
| M | cross training (bike) (hard) |
| T | short run (easy) |
| W | short run (easy) |
| Th | tempo workout (hard) |
| F | off |
| Sa | long run (easy) |
| Su | short run (easy) |
Nutrition & Recovery
This is the most underrated category when both strength and endurance training get the proper attention. To be honest, nutrition isn’t a strength of mine – it’s not bad but it could be much better. Like you might know, I’ve recently become a sponsored athlete for Bare Performance Nutrition and below I’ll outline how I’ll use their supplements to optimize my performance and recovery.
| morning | strong multi, strong omega |
| first meal | strong reds, strong greens |
| pre-workout | flight, endopump |
| post-workout | vegan protein, field bars |
| pre-run | G1M sport, electrolytes |
| post-run | electrolytes, collagen protein |
| evening | peak sleep |
When it comes to sleep, the plan is to get 6.5-7.5 hours each night. You might be thinking, “Joe, you should be getting more sleep than that with all of the training you’re doing” and you would be right. However, the reality is that as I train, spend time with my wife, build a business and much more, there just aren’t enough hours in each day. This will be an area that I’ll have to be on top of because 3:00am wake-ups don’t leave much wiggle room in the evening.
The “Other Stuff”
In addition to strength work, endurance training, nutrition and sleep, I’ll have to focus on a few other categories that often get overlooked when it comes to marathon training and fitness in general.
| hydration | I’ll be aiming for about a 1.0-1.25 gallons of water each day. |
| mobility work | I’ll spend 5-10 minutes working on mobility drills each day. |
| meditation | I’ll make an effort to meditate each morning for 5-10 minutes. |
| hot & cold therapy | I’ll be using the sauna after workouts and cold showers at home. |
| enjoyment | I’ll be making a point to do things that I enjoy outside of training. |
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This marathon training prep is going to be different from most (mainly because of the strength component) and this is, to me, what it looks like to be a hybrid athlete. If you’d like to follow along as the training unfolds you can do so here. If you’d like to help me fundraise for a great cause, you can do so here. If you’d like to see what BPN is all about, you can do so here. If you’d like to read an awesome quote about running (and about life), you can do so below.
“Go fast enough to get there, but slow enough to see.”
Jimmy Buffet
Thank you for reading!
Joe Rinaldi
IG: @joearinaldi
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