I hate running so I run TWO Marathons

First of all, in case you don't know, even though I said it before:

I hate long distance running. It is stupid, boring and not fun at all.

But who doesn't want to run TWO Marathon (and a Half Marathon) in one year?

The only reason I did that, was because I wanted to run the Authentic/Classic Marathon in Athens/Greece. And it was an amazing experience running the same route (from the city of Marathon to Athens) to the iconic stadium.

And who doesn't like flying for a week to Greece and back to LA?

Training

This time I did less training (yes, I have an EVEN better program) and went way faster in a more difficult (20 miles hills!) distance. Keep reading, I'll share everything.

First of all, some stats:

1/ I run more than half marathon every week, for a whole year!

You need a lot of training to run a marathon (actually two marathons).

2/ Instead of running 500 miles in training (the recommended), I run 300 miles (even less than the previous time - 320). But I did something different that I think is vital.

The day before my long run, I always did a 6 mile run. That way, I was "pre-training" my legs and the total milage for two days was a little bit bigger. This helped A LOT.

3/ This Marathon felt easier. I recovered faster and the whole experience was fun.

It helped that I had friends during the recovery!

4/ I gained fat, lost muscle

Running sucks as we have established. My next project is competing in a body building competition and it was impossible to make it work. Running needs a lot of energy. Take the L and do some strength training.

5/ This is my training program. Worked for me!

6/ I had a CRAZY injury on my heels, a week before the race. But everything worked out

7/ Second year wearing Nike Vaporfly. Don't buy anything else.

I intend to keep running with Venice Run Club and the "Wind like the Run" every Wed and Sat and maybe a half Marathon for the fun of it but I think I am done with the full Marathon. The training is just brutal.

Next goal, body building! Follow along!

- Sun 15 December 2024