Marathon Training for Busy People

Running and marathon are like two sides of a coin. The 'recreational runners' generally make the marathon for their main target. That is why the tendency for marathon participants is increasing each year. This phenomenon is not only in Indonesia but also throughout the world. In Indonesia, the marathon category is more famous compared to running with shorter distances such as 5K or 10K.

The majority of recreational marathon runners are those who fit in the category of busy people. Generally, they are office workers, business owners, or in the domestic sector. Not only that but usually they also start running when they are no longer young. Many begin to run at the age of 30 years old and over or even more than 40 years. In that senior age, of course, the body has begun to experience a setback. The heart rate increases, the muscles begin to lose their flexibility, and the bone density also begins to decrease. Such conditions require extra caution in training because not applying could make it not only ineffective but also increases the risks of getting injured.

These are the number of factors that need to be considered by busy runners who are practicing marathon:

Practice with Light Weight to Moderate
Marathon is a sport that requires endurance. Therefore for busy people, it is better to choose the type of exercise with mild intensity to moderate that specifically increases endurance. The easy run and long run can be a good choice. The aim is to minimize the risk of injury and fatigue.
Balance the Workload with Exercise
As employees or businessmen, we cannot fully manage the workload. There are times when the workload is very busy, but at other times it is quite free. That's why we need to adjust the training load with the existing workload. When the workload is heavy, training can be reduced. Conversely, if the job is free, then the exercise can be made normal or increased a little bit.
Slip Cross-training
In order not to be way too tired, busy runners can slip one day for cross-training instead of running. For example, those who usually run four times a week, when they're busy they can try to run three times and one day for cross-training. Cross-training activities can be selected and carried out with easy effort such as swimming, cycling, using an elliptical machine, or walking (brisk walking). With cross-training, we still could get the benefit from aerobics but reduce collisions at the same time (low impact).
Practice in the Morning
Choose a training time in the morning where work/business has not yet begun. So that we can still be free in practice. Training in the afternoon can be disrupted by unfinished work, meetings, or other agendas that can make us skip the training in the end. Losing one or two exercises is still okay, but skipping way too many of it will have a significant effect on the performance in the race.
Listen to Your Body
Don't force yourself to practice when you're tired or having a high level of stress. Practicing in such conditions can harm the body and increase the risk of injury. Trainers in the world usually said that rest is more beneficial than forcing the train with the body's conditions that are not fit. So, listen to your body.
Adjust the Race Target
It's not objective if we keep imposing the ideal target in the midst of irregular training. Therefore, if the workload is high and you can't do as much as practice needed, it should be necessary to adjust the race target. For example, those who initially insist on finishing sub-4 or sub-5 but due to mediocre training, a happy finish will sound wiser. There is still another next race if you want to fix it. -- @andriyanto.run