Every year, there's a new story about someone crawling, being lifted, or not even making it to the finish line of a marathon.

And every year, as spectators watch in awe as thousands of athletes run a grueling, painful 26.2 miles in the TCS New York City Marathon, they may be asking themselves: Why do people choose to do this?

ABC News went to the professionals to ask why they put their bodies through this --if not for the grand prize and title at the end. Read Here

As the popularity of marathons grows, so does the recognition of one key ingredient for success: endurance. It's the ability to sustain prolonged physical or mental effort, a critical component in long-distance running. Hence, build your endurance, whether running as a seasoned runner eyeing a new personal best or a newcomer with dreams of crossing your first finish line.

In this article, we discuss various endurance-building activities to prepare your body and mind for the demands of a marathon. 

Endurance in Marathon Training

Endurance enables you to manage fatigue, resist pain, and push through mental barriers. 

There are two primary types of endurance: aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic endurance refers to your ability to perform moderate-intensity activities over extended periods by utilizing oxygen to generate energy.

On the other hand, anaerobic endurance involves your ability to perform high-intensity activities for short durations without relying on oxygen for energy production. Instead, your body uses energy sources stored directly in the muscles, which produces lactic acid as a byproduct. 

Therefore, whether you are looking to get a roadbike for gravel cycling or adding long runs to your routine, balancing training to enhance both types of endurance can improve overall marathon performance. Below are activities to consider.

Core Endurance Activities for Marathon Training

Long Runs

Long runs are a staple in any marathon training program, typically involving a steady run at a relaxed pace. They develop aerobic endurance, enhance cardiovascular efficiency, and teach the body to burn fat as a fuel source, conserving glycogen reserves for the later stages of a race. 

Additionally, long runs strengthen the musculoskeletal system and improve mental toughness, one of the psychological demands of marathon racing.

To increase your running distance safely, you can follow the 10% rule—never increase your weekly total mileage or the distance by more than 10% weekly. This gradual progression helps avoid injury and allows the body to adapt. Further, you can incorporate recovery weeks every 3-4 weeks, where mileage is reduced by 20-30%.

Interval Training

It involves alternating between periods of high-intensity effort and low-intensity recovery. Such training can improve aerobic and anaerobic fitness, increase cardiovascular efficiency, and boost calorie burn and metabolism. The high-intensity intervals push the body to adapt by improving the efficiency of the processes that convert oxygen and stored glycogen into energy.

A popular interval training workout for marathon preparation might include 400-meter repeats at a pace faster than the race pace with equal time or distance for recovery jogs. For example, you can run 8x400 meters with 400 meters of light jogging or walks in between. Another example could be ladder workouts, where distances and intensities vary, such as 400m, 800m, 1200m, 800m, and 400m intervals, each followed by equal time recovery periods.

Tempo Runs

Tempo runs, also known as threshold runs, require a comfortably hard pace that you can sustain for at least 20 minutes. The main benefit of tempo running is that it trains the body to sustain speed over distance. 

You do this by increasing your lactate threshold, the point during intense exercise when lactate (a byproduct of glucose metabolism) accumulates in the bloodstream faster than you can eliminate it. This accumulation can lead to fatigue and a decrease in performance. For most runners, this threshold occurs at around 75-90% of their maximum heart rate.

As such, endurance training helps your body process and tolerate lactate more efficiently by running at or below your lactate threshold pace. 

Incorporate tempo runs into a marathon training regimen once a week. Start with a warm-up of 10-15 minutes of easy running, then transition to 20 minutes at a tempo pace, and finish with a 10-minute cooldown. As fitness improves, the duration of the tempo portion can gradually increase up to 40 minutes or split into multiple segments with short rest intervals.

Supplementary Endurance Exercises

Cross-Training

Cross-training incorporates various forms of exercise other than running to improve overall fitness and endurance. For example, cycling uses the leg muscles in a low-impact way. As such, it improves cardiovascular endurance while giving the joints a break from the pounding they receive from running. 

On the other hand, swimming is a total-body workout that enhances cardiovascular fitness and builds upper-body strength. It helps in recovery, as the buoyancy of the water supports the body and alleviates stress on all joints and muscles.

Strength Training

Strength training strengthens muscles and joints to absorb the impact of running better and maintain form even when you experience fatigue. It also helps improve your running economy, which is the amount of energy expended at a given pace, making running faster and less taxing.

Strength training exercises include lunges, squats, planks, bicycle crunches, and Russian twists.

Conclusion

Endurance activities are the cornerstone of successful marathon training, underpinning every step from the initial training phases to the race. These activities, ranging from long runs to interval and tempo workouts, enhance the physiological capacity needed for long-distance running and fortify mental resilience. 

Furthermore, supplementary exercises like cross-training and strength training prevent overuse injuries by balancing muscle use and improving overall physical condition. Ultimately, engaging in these diverse endurance activities equips you with the stamina, speed, and strength to participate in a marathon.

Angie has been running since 2017 with friends in a local training group. She will be running the 5K on May 19th. Bob started running in 2020 and loves longer distances. After completing 4 half marathons, he will run the 5K on May 18th and then his first full marathon on May 19th! They are so happy that the American Lung Association has teamed up with the Cleveland Marathon so that funds raised by runners will support this very meaningful cause.

Join Bob & Angie on ALA Team CLE!

- Carolyn Moffitt

The more time that passed, the more I worked to become involved with the foundation. This past summer, I had the opportunity to participate and raise funds for VeloSano and ride in honor of Carli. I am extremely grateful for being able to participate in an event that helps raise so much awareness. The Sunflower Striders is a fantastic group that I am proud to be a part of this year! I have decided to run for those who are unable to. I am honored to spread such a powerful message in our society.

The Children's Cancer Research Fund only receives around 4% of federal funding from the National Cancer Institute Budget. As a community, we need to come together and help these research facilities to assist children like Carli in escaping this terrible disease. There are numerous ways to help, including buying blankets for family and friends, volunteering, participating in 5ks, donating, and much more!”

Katelyn Illenberger