Thursday do I run or gym??

My training plan at the moment is long run 10 miles plus on a Sunday, 9 miles ER on a Tues, fast run on a Thursday (40 mins) and a slow cross country plod on a Saturday.

However the past two weeks I have been doing circuit training on a Thursay instead of the 40 min run. I find it really hard work and REALLY good for muscle toning and strength.

At this stage in training do people think it would be more benficial to drop the run and o the circuit training which would mean only one longish run in the week but a good workout on a Thursday. The alternative is to get up early one day and do an easy run on a Wed or Fri but I need the rest time too!

Any thoughts?????????? 

Hi Lucy,

You need to realise what you want to achieve and what you're training goals are aimed towards. If you are training for a marthon then I would seriously recommend against dropping runs to accommodate a circuit training class. Funnily enough, I'm, amongst other things, a circuit training instructor and I know how good it is and the benefits and rewards you can gain over time are immense. Having said this, I am also a sub 2:40 marathon runner and know exactly how important training runs are to assist in preparing your body for a 26.2 mile run.

What I would say is, if possible, play about with your training programme so you can do the circuit training as well as you seem to be enjoying it and it can be a good source of cross-training which can help with your fitness, which in turn will benefit your marathon training, but if you can't do this and you need to drop 1 then if you are 100% commited to the marathon then I personally would drop the circuits.

Good luck,

Deek

Thanks Deek. I guess you are right at this stage in marathon training the running is most important, I just love (well I hate it at the time) what circuit training can do for your strength and fitness. My other options are doing circuits when the weather doesn't permit running or running a couple of miles before and after circuits.  Going from Tuesday to Saturday without a run is not a good idea i know. Think I am aiming at about double your time though!

My other option is to do my own excercises with weights etc at home on my rest days but it's not the same as pushing yourself at a class!

Cheers for the advice

 

Exactly, if it's a big run you're training for (and 26.2 mile comes into that category) then you have to train your legs to withstand the feeling of running in training.

You know it just doesn't have to be an organised circuit training class you go to? You can do a circuit work-out in a local gym. If you know any fitness instructors or personal trainers or even see an instructor in a local gym....explain to them what you want and I'm sure they will be more than happy to write you up a circuit and the good thing about this is you can do it whenever or as many times as you like. You can even work with a friend or 2 which will help with motivation and help each other out.

Deek

I agree entirely that if you enjoy the circuits then you should keep them in your plan. I also think that as your fast run out of the four then your Thursday run is one of high value, and should also stay in your plan.

Can you jiggle things around a little bit? Tuesday's run is very similar to Sunday's, could you switch things around a little bit there? Add a mile or two onto Sunday, knock one or two off Tuesday, and run that Tuesday run easy for the first half, then progressively push your speed up mile by mile for the second half - making that a high value run too. Just a thought.

How much time do you have available on Thursday? Is it enough to run a couple of the miles to your circuit class (so you arrive already warmed up) and back again after? You'll be killing 3 or 4 birds with one stone if you can - exercising longer so increasing endurance, still getting your running mileage as well as the circuits, runing home partly fatigued, so in some ways simulating what those later miles of your marathon are going to feel like. If you feel strong enough you could even pop in a fast mile after your circuit class.

What do you reckon Lucy, worth trying?

thank you for your thoughts...all interesting and gratefully 

I used to run to circuits, 1 mile downhill then a big uphill home...with wobbly legs ... could do a round trip of 3 miles there then the 1 mile home, have found running to circuits and having the warm up helps.

My Tuesday run is with running club and classed as an easier run, upped the mileage by running two miles there and back, so really cut that down but will be upping the Sunday run by a mile or two a week.

Ii could change my Satuday run to the fast run , do circuits with maybe a recovery run Friday if I can fit this in.

You need the runs.  You will not do a circuit session round the marathon course.  If you have the energy to add the circuit training, do it, but you must prioritise the runs.

Oh, and weather is not a good excuse to drop a run either.