Healthy Endurance Training: Building Strength & Durability

In Part 2 of my series on endurance training, I’ll show you how to adopt a more intelligent, more ancestrally aligned, lower risk approach to marathon running and I’ll describe how to maintain the endurance and durability needed to complete the race in a way that is safe, healthy, and leaves you with more energy than when you started. You’ll learn how to avoid burnout and discover how to bridge the gap between the levels of fitness required to sustain a modern, mostly sedentary, lifestyle and the stamina and strength needed to successfully complete an endurance run. I’ll talk about how walking is the cornerstone of my marathon training program and describe how to maximize your recovery by getting your body accustomed to spending time on its feet for the amount of time you expect your race to take. Above all, I’ll focus on an integrated approach which aims to build strength and stability and makes it easier for you to find creative ways to fit the training program into your life.   

In this episode, you’ll hear from me on: 

• (18:26) Finding your EFT. Figuring out your estimated finish time is the first step in the marathon preparation process. Your EFT will be determined by your genetic body type, and depending on whether you are an ectomorph, an endomorph, or a mesomorph, it will range from three and a half to five and a half hours. A description of the three somatotypes, along with estimated finish times and training schedules based on a 24-week training plan, can be found in my article, The Simplest and Safest Marathon Plan Ever Written.

• (21:55) The build-up to the race. I recommend going for a long run every two weeks, and from the day you start training until the day of the race, the length of your long run will be the time of your EFT. With each successive run, you will increase the contribution of running and decrease the contribution of walking. The slow shift from mostly walking to mostly running will help to maximize recovery and give your body time to prepare and adapt to the demands of an endurance run.

• (34:08) Fixing your feet. It’s helpful to realize that a lot of the dysfunction that exists in the head, neck and shoulders starts at the feet because that’s where the ground reaction force comes in. To improve mobility and ease tension, I suggest trying some toe yoga stretches and using lacrosse balls or RUNGA mobility balls to reset the body’s natural movement pattern. I also encourage you to spend time barefoot, especially on uneven surfaces, and when going barefoot is not an option, I advise wearing minimalist footwear and using toe separators to increase your toes’ ability to interact with the ground.

• (47:04) Stretches and self-care. I talk you through a series of exercises to strengthen your stack and I encourage you to regard the stretches as part of an integrated self-care practice intended to send love, light and energy to the muscles you are using. Head on over to YouTube to see videos of the Bird Dog, Dead Bug, Side Plank and Reverse Lunge stretches, and check out episodes 37 and 38 of the podcast to listen to my guide to get-ups and loaded carries, which should form an essential part of your marathon prehab program.

• (1:03:16) Exercises for stability and strength. If you improve your strength you can run for longer, so it is important to incorporate some heavy swings and deadlifts into your weekly exercise routine. Finally, be sure to fit in a weekly two or three-hour hike to help build endurance and form a bridge between your strength exercises and your long run.

In This Episode

RUNGA Mobility Balls: A mobility tool to release stubborn tension and reset your body’s natural movement patterns. The new and improved RUNGA balls are the ideal solution for total body, travel-friendly self-care and soft tissue work.

VIDEOS

Movement Skills:  

• Lower Body Rolling

• Leg Drops

• Dead Bug

• Bird Dogs / Weathervanes

• McGill Side Plank

• Double Banded Bridges

• Kettlebell Heartbeat Squats

• Single Leg RDL vs. Band

Stretches:

• Wall Ankle and Big Toe Mobilization 

• Feet Together Knee-Breaks

• Standing Hamstring Mob

• Lying Hamstring Mob

• Inner Thigh/Groin Mobilization

• The Best Hip Flexor Stretch You’ve Never Done

• Upper Trap Release

Strength:

• Alternating Suitcase Deadlifts

• KB Swings and Snatches

• Deficit Reverse Lunge

• Cross-Over Step Up Mobility/Strength Exercise

BOOKS & ARTICLES

• Joe’s Breath Better, Move Better

• Jay Dicharry’s Anatomy for Runners. Unlocking Your Potential for Health, Speed  and Injury Prevention

• The Simplest and Safest Marathon Plan Ever Written

ADDITIONAL PODCASTS

• Dr Stuart McGill’s appearance on episode 053 of Stacked with Joe DiStefano

• Doc Jen’s appearance on episode 044 of Stacked with Joe DiStefano

• Episode 037 & 038 with Joe on Kettlebell Training

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