Note: If you are used to running but you’re dealing with an injury, cross-training can certainly help you get to the start-and finish-line. “The idea is to gradually beat up your muscles, joints, and ligaments in practice, so your body isn’t in shock on race day.” Time spent on your feet, actually running outdoors like you will during the race is very important. “If your legs aren’t used to running, the marathon probably isn’t going to end well for you,” Honerkamp says. Just look at triathletes who are legit cyclists and runners but look like fish on land as soon as they jump into a pool.

“As with any event, you need to practice the sport you’re training for,” Honerkamp says. That said-and you knew this was coming-you still need to actually train for the marathon. “I had a coach who would say that your heart doesn’t know if you’re running or swimming.” “Anything that gets your heart rate up for an extended period will help your endurance,” says John Honerkamp, a run coach who works with Strava and celebrities like Karlie Kloss and CEO of Run Kamp, a New York-based training company. This also means that a cyclist or swimmer with a solid endurance base will have an easier time running a marathon without officially “marathon training” than, say, someone who just started working out yesterday.

So, don’t feel so bad if you’ve only been running three times a week-not six like your training buddy or that 50-percent-annoying/50-percent-inspiring Instagram influencer-and progressing in your long runs. How to Add Speed Workouts to Marathon Training.

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