Running errands = Marathon training

8 weeks ago I decided to try my luck and run a half-marathon. I’d been running at various levels for years up to a couple of marathons but recently my running was down to weekend warrior levels, often just a single 5–6 miler per week.

I have, however been very consistent with my daily 5AM routine, which in its latest version consists of a few yoga and core exercises, push-ups and some light cardio, often a walk on the treadmill.

My nutrition, something I believe to be crucial to performance, was also something I’d been fine tuning in recent months with a whole foods plant based centered diet.

The half-marathon went surprisingly well. It was a nice and easy course and with a little push I landed an unexpected personal best. I was expecting a challenge to finish and was stunned to get a PR.

As I dug into the details I realized that besides my 5AM routine and nutrition I had been clocking 40–50 miles worth of steps most weeks for months. Between my active field job and family life I was getting a ton of movement daily. So much so that I had recently reduced my morning walking to save energy to spend with the family late in the day.

Well, would that kind of walking mileage make me marathon-ready as well? Many marathon training programs never hit that kind of weekly running mileage. I decided to test the idea with a self supported 20 mile training run. It was very slow and I struggled to complete it, but I made it. It seemed the 26.2 miler was within reach.

With a friend preparing for her first full marathon as extra motivation I signed up and started to prepare. I had about 4 weeks to train before starting the taper so I made the most of it, focusing on weekend 20-mile runs.

After executing a meticulously planned taper, race strategy and nutrition plan I enjoyed the race and was excited to push down the chute to cross the finish line feeling strong, much better than the previous two marathons I trained for. That was the goal and it was great to achieve it.

What did I learn? Besides reinforcing my belief in the power of nutrition, I learned that running errands counts as marathon training! Count those steps. They sure count. You might be marathon-ready and, like me, didn’t know it.